Opinion 1

I would not like to come across as a fossil at this point, or at best a wrinkled, grumpy, old man, but the truth is that we have been with the AudioSolutions brand practically from the beginning of our activity. And the beginnings were quite innocent, because Lithuanian loudspeakers debuted on our pages in late autumn of … 2013 thanks to the charming Rhapsody 130 floorstanders. And then … , and then all went snug from there, because thanks to the continuity of distribution by Premium Sound from Sopot, from time to time a little something signed by Gediminas Gaidelis became a guest in our listening room. However, to tell you the truth, a kind of trigger that allowed me to consider the Vilnius manufacture as a fully mature entity, and not a company that is still searching for its own way and an idea for itself, albeit successfully, turned out to be the phenomenal Virtuoso S, and then the correctness of the above observation was confirmed by the M from the same series. It was then, somewhere in the recesses of my distorted mind, that a shy thought began to sprout, that maybe, contrary to the periodic fashions and popularity of the more famous brands, one day, in the indefinite future, it would be good to put something from the above-mentioned stable in my house for a longer time and listen to it more carefully. At this point, I am leaving aside a trifle in the form of quite affordable for the High-End, but still prohibitive for my modest capabilities, pricing, because at the moment when the Figaro XL2 came to us, straight from Munich, it became clear, that also the lower series gives a real chance for audiophile nirvana. However, we had to wait a while for the further development of events and we probably would still be waiting, if it were not for a very favorable coincidence of logistical nature, in which the team of the above-mentioned Sopot showroom, packing after the Audio Video Show, ran out of space for the … AudioSolutions Figaro L2. And since we were around, we quickly decided to extend a helping hand or even a pair of hands. And this is how the L2s landed at my place and thus gave me a chance for long-term tests.

As the name suggests, this time we are dealing with the second installment of Figaro, which hit the market last year, five years after the premiere of its predecessors in 2018. However, apart from the nuances of a nomenclature, the evolutionary differences can be seen even with the naked eye. Not only did the L2s become more beautiful – the fronts and front sides of the side walls are finally not matte-black, but more importantly the battery of the drivers used has undergone some serious modifications. The D’Appolito system, supported by a duo of 233 mm paper bass cones, based on a pair of 152 mm midrange drivers and a 25 mm dome tweeter working in a small tube, was abandoned in favor of a single 183 mm midrange speaker placed above a 19 mm silk Mini-Horn tweeter and a pair of 233 mm ER (Extra Rigid) bass speakers with a hard paper diaphragm, known from the previous version, although supposedly thoroughly redesigned. Out of purely chronicler’s duty, I will also mention that the source of the above-mentioned drivers is the Danish SB Acoustics, which manufactures them according to individual specifications as provided by the Lithuanians, and that the speakers are equipped with twin WBT NextGen terminals. Two bass reflex ports, with significant diameter, are placed slightly above the speaker sockets. In addition, the plinth was slightly expanded by adding beams that widen the spike spacing, so the speakers gained stability; something what may not have been so crucial even with the title L, but with the 171 cm XLM2 and almost two-meter (191.8 cm) XLs, it clearly is. There is also no denying that L2s are just… big floorstanding speakers. And this is by no means an optical illusion resulting from their application in a too small room (to clarify, my room is 24 m²), but a fully tangible and verifiable fact, because at least when it comes to width (336 mm) and, above all, depth (581 mm), we have exactly the same as in … XL2, which, with a reduction in height from 1918 mm to 1240 mm, resulted in a slightly less destructive, but still problematic weight of 75 kg/piece. And here a small digression, because a significant share in the final weight of the speakers is already known from the higher Virtuoso series, being the Cabinet-In-a-Cabinet system, i.e. de facto two cabinets – a light and rigid inner one and a heavy outer one acting as a mass damper, connected together with a thin layer of polyurethane.
And as for the appearance as such, I dare say that the company’s configurator, available at MY.AUDIOSOLUTIONS.LT, deserves a separate paragraph, allowing not only a detailed personalization of your dream speakers, but also an extremely realistic visualization of the effects of your joyful creativity and, as it were, a calculation of the amount we will be asked to pay at the checkout. Nothing special? Well, let me have a different opinion here, because at a time when the optimization of costs is becoming more and more widespread, the aftermath of which is a most far-reaching unification, and thus the limitation of the available options of a given product, a relatively small manufacture, which in fact is AudioSolutions, goes against the tide and even encourages its customers to artistic creativity. Madness? Not at all. Just another proof that we are dealing with a thoroughly high-end product, and therefore somehow tailor-made, where the overriding goal is the full satisfaction of the end user. On the other hand, in the case of not veneered but lacquered cabinets, and this is the kind of finish offered by the Lithuanians as part of the Figaro line, it is much easier to implement from the technological point of view, especially since distributors usually have demo units, and if someone decides to buy a given model, the speakers intended for them are put on the production line after placing an order. Therefore, people who are not particularly fond of „mass production” that excludes individualism and uniqueness finally do not have to wait for limited, special releases, as is the case with B&W, for example, but create such a unique incarnation practically without getting up from their armchairs. Just with a cup of aromatic espresso and alone / in the company of household members interested in the subject, literally with a few clicks create a version that perfectly fits your own tastes and your home. Can you ask for anything more? Theoretically not, although … The German Canton has an app that visualizes selected speakers in a given interior, which is also extremely helpful when making final decisions. Coming back to the topic, the pair delivered (left after AVS) boasted a truly phenomenal Midnight Gold paint with Antique Bronze inserts and „troweled” (3D Relief) rear parts of the side walls. And from what is not visible to the naked eye, the whole thing was wired with „supreme” class cables. For those interested, the full cheat sheet is available at this link.
When it comes to a bit more detailed anatomy, the L2 are three-way designs that can boast a high, 92 dB sensitivity and 4 Ω impedance, which gives a chance for their successful marriage not only with powerful solid-state „welders”, but also with slightly less impressive tube amplifiers. The cross-over frequency is set to 400 and 4000 Hz, and the manufacturer solemnly assures that the titular beauties can handle the 24-25,000 Hz band, so the lowest frequencies should not be missing.

And how do these promises relate to the prose of everyday life and hard editorial ploughing, when instead of a background to occasional and more or less obliging meetings, they played several hours a day, acting as “loudspeakers on duty”? Well, initially, due to their difficult to ignore dimensions and at the same time not very impressive burn-in period, I had, it would seem, fully justified concerns as to whether they would „fit” and whether they would not „flood” the bass. Meanwhile, after just a few days of accommodation, the AudioSolutions Figaro L2 felt so comfortable in my humble room, that I seriously began to wonder if the phrase „at home” would not be appropriate. Not only did they practically disappear from the stage, like thoroughbred monitors, each time the 300W Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII integrated was turned on, but they were also characterized by surprising freedom and refinement, both in terms of the volume of reproduced sounds and the construction of the stage hosting them. As if that was not enough, this stage was not pushed towards the listeners, but created from the line of the speakers into the depths, and so suggestively, that the presence of the wall behind the speakers ceased to have any meaning, because the musicians occupied the last rows far behind it.
As you can easily guess, I started to look for similarities in their sound to the almost their twins, the Virtuoso M, at least in terms of drivers, overall height and layout, to finally consider them a very interesting alternative to another speaker … the XL2. The idea for music they represent is based on freedom and not on forcible proving to everybody their own uniqueness and professional character. However, as you could guess, there is significantly more bass than with the Dynaudio Contour 30, although it does not overwhelm and does not try to play the first fiddle as was the case with the 60s, which somehow had a small clue in the name as to the optimal size of the room in which to place them. And which I would not even try to put in my 24 meters. Meanwhile, the L2s not only fit comfortably, but also showed their truly infrasonic potential only when such frequencies were present in the source material. That is why „Dance, No One’s Watching”  by Ezra Collective is full of pulsating rhythm that does not allow you to sit still, and at the same time nothing rumbles or hums like at a club dance party of drum’n’bass lovers. However, if someone expects such a sonic massage, then from the disturbing bumps that open „Blade Runner 2049” to the electronic psytrance madness served by Infected Mushroom on „Head of NASA and the 2 Amish Boys”, the titular floorstanders will provide it with an intensity and power that many subwoofers could envy. It is worth adding at this point, that AudioSolutions may not so much avoid conventional „crunchiness” and excessive contouring, but rather accentuate the fleshiness of textures and draw the contours of the shapes with a clear and decisive, but not over-sharpened line. Reaching for a drawing analogy, they use 3-4H pencils without feeling much need for further hardening and thinning of the edges, which makes us deal with extremely natural, and not pseudo-audiophile-exaggerated imaging. The difference on paper may be small, but personally I prefer a slightly less sharp view from the veranda of a mountain hut, than a crystalline image of a big-screen TV with a myriad of enhancers activated, as well as simple and filling Italian dishes rather than exquisite molecular „jelly beans” or French inventions barely smeared with sauce.
The same is true of the realism of the presentation of great symphonic ensembles, as a result of not needing to re-scale it – from the romantic „Orchestral Works” by Gabríel Ólafs and Reykjavík Orkestra to the nearly six-hour marathon „The Symphonies: A Beethoven Journey” performed by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Gábor Takács-Nagy and stadium concerts, including „Metallica Through The Never” where we are somehow automatically absorbed by the enthusiastic and shouting at the top of our voices crowd of fans who are in a real frenzy (I highly recommend the cannonade on „One”).
To tell the truth, there is no need to write about the midrange, because it is as good as it can be from a decent paper cone, i.e. deliciously organic and saturated enough to make the men nervously glance in the direction of their partners during the reproduction of female vocals, and the fair sex performs similar procedures during the male parts. Interestingly, for the above treatments, you do not have to use referentially recorded „heroines” and heart-softening lovers, but commercial productions like „Am I Not Your Girl?” by Sinéad O’Connor, or „The Forest Is The Path” by Snow Patrol are sufficient.
The treble also deserves a few sentences, which to be honest I was a bit afraid of. Why? Well, a bit of stereotypes, a bit of habits and a bit of anxiety whether such small, I mean only 19mm tweeters, will be able to keep up with the rest of the dramatically larger membranes. And if not, will they try to mask any possible performance limitations? Meanwhile, the tweeters used by the Gediminas ruthlessly dealt with the 28 mm Esotar² from Dynaudio, making it clear that size does not always matter. While maintaining a pleasant sweetness and at the same time enriching it with a solid injection of resolution, AudioSolutions offered truly holographic precision and palpability of crystal clear treble, without even a trace of glassiness, not to mention graininess. Let me warn you right away, that this is not yet the level to which the phenomenal Canton Reference GS Edition soared, but the direction in which both designs are going is most in line, which to my ear sounds like a pretty good compliment and recommendation for AudioSolution. However, in order for this collection of my purely subjective observations and conclusions not to resemble an overly sweet greeting card, as if in an act of despair, and really wanting to pick on something, I reached for the last resort, namely a double album with… solo harpsichord – „Jean Baptiste Loeillet – Six Suits for the Harpsicord” performed by Maria Banasiewicz – Bryła, and please imagine that even on such a repertoire, usually sounding as if someone was throwing silver cutlery onto stone stairs, I never managed to catch the L2s on irritating hardening or offensiveness. It was similar on the still warm and fragrant „The Reclamation of I” by Imminence, where Eddie Berg, screaming as if skinned alive, lavishly embellished the metalcore cacophony with parts of… Violins. And although there was plenty of offensiveness here, its presence was not only fully justified, but also 100% consistent with both the intention of the artists and the recording, and the Lithuanian speakers, not afraid of operating in this extreme environment, showed the work of destruction in all its glory, reaching the limits of endurance of both the Swedish band and the listeners.

Well, it’s high time for a concise and possibly unambiguous summary. The only problem is that a human being, and therefore supposedly also me, although there are those who have some doubts about it, is a creature that gets used to good things surprisingly quickly. And the AudioSolutions Figaro L2 are good, damn good. They sound good at low volume levels, during evening and night sessions, and when loud, when I know that there are no neighbors, at least those with whom we (still) like each other, I can turn up the volume to almost concert levels of decibels. They are not afraid of both the baroque actions of Jordi Savall and the metal Armageddon of Nergal and similar antichrists. As if that would not be enough, they are able to sound with a several-hundred-watt solid-state and a single digit watt tube, and they do not really care about the proximity of the rear wall, which somehow gives them a few points advantage over the competition from the very beginning, at least in the eyes of the lady of the house. Therefore, since for the last two months, when they stayed at my home, by strange coincidence I have become close to them, my wife stopped complaining that they are much deeper than the slender Danish speakers, I mean the Dynaudio, and my rebellious offspring, usually barricading himself in his solitude, somehow keeps us company during evening movie screenings more often than before, and adding to this the fact that that somehow I don’t really feel strong enough to drag these 75 kg speakers to the car again, I feel in my bones that you will see them more than once or twice in my photos and in the editorial footer …

Marcin Olszewski

Opinion 2

As the title suggests, in this episode we will once again take a closer look at the speakers of a very well-known, at least to us, Lithuanian manufacturer. Importantly, the manufacturer has always paid the maximum level of effort to ensure that the designs brought to life defend themselves from the price/quality perspective, which is important for the buyer. Where do such conclusions come from? Well, I assure you, the thesis I have presented is not a duplication of marketing claims of the manufacturer, or behind-the-scenes stories of the brand’s principal, but a conclusion from many tests similar to today’s. And to be clear, from test to test, they are clearly becoming much better. This is such a strong trend, that during the last test I expressed the opinion, that the current products from AudioSolutions have dumping prices, compared to their global competition. Yes, yes, many brands ask much more for what you get with the Lithuanian loudspeakers. Is it in every case? Well, today we have a chance to verify it, because thanks to the Sopot-based distributor Premium Sound, the AudioSolutions Figaro L2 floorstanding speaker sets, which sounded interestingly during the last Audio Video Show, arrived for the test. Therefore, all those interested in whether the previous meetings were only a positive, but accidental occurrence, or will this one maintain the status of a good price-quality ratio, I invite you to read the text below.

The titular Lithuanians are medium-sized (just over 1.2 m), but they boast a solid weight (75 kg), floorstanding speakers. How is it possible that they achieve such a weight result with such a size? Naturally, this is the aftermath of the duplication of cabinets used by the designer for years now. What does it mean? The idea is actually quite simple and is based on the flexible integration of the internal and external structure holding the drivers, what minimizes the harmful resonances. The result of this action is a vertical strip visible on the side walls, hiding the connection between the front and back of the external enclosure of the loudspeakers. And when we count the weight of both boxes with the elastic binder between them, plus the weight of a large number of speakers, it suddenly turns out that the seemingly slender speakers have a lot of weight as a remedy for the occurrence of unwanted mechanical distortions. But these are not the only measures to make the speakers sound phenomenal. Another is the placement of all the drivers – one tweeter, a midrange above it, and two bass speakers below – in a kind of waveguides that cause a slight amplification of the given frequencies. This is a common procedure and if done well, it works nicely. The next step in obtaining a good, controlled sound in the area of bass is to place the speakers not on soft feet, but screwed into slightly spaced aluminum feet, adjustable spikes and appropriate washers. To conclude the list of activities for the quality of sound, I am also obliged to mention, that after the aforementioned purely mechanical ideas, the final sound of the L2 is tuned by two bass-reflex ports oriented in the upper part of the back plate. When it comes to the set of connections that allows our speakers to be powered with a signal, a double set of WBT terminals can be found right next to the bottom of the case. And when it would seem that this is the end of the efforts put into meeting the needs of the target customer, this could not be further from the truth. Namely, it is about the external finish. Well, the designer was aware that in addition to providing the listener with good sound, it was necessary to take care of the looks, so he finished the test version with a beautiful, pearl-shimmering, glitter gold at the front and the frontal parts of the sides of the cabinet, and a motif of shiny, black scales on the rest of the case. Of course, this has its price consequences, but I assure you, the photos do not give it enough credit, but every zloty or euro spent on such finish is fully justified, because we pay for a work of applied art worthy of the „Made in Italy” tag. Looking at the section of the Figaro L2 technicalities, most important for the potential amplification, it turns out that they are not particularly difficult to drive, as they can boast an sensitivity of 92db at a load of 4 Ohm. Also, when it comes to the available finishes, the test one was the most expensive of all, but, do not worry, there are equally interesting, but much less costly versions, which you can easily find on the manufacturer’s and distributor’s website.

What do I think about the way music is presented by the tested AudioSolutions? First of all, slightly ahead of the final conclusions, I once again state that for even the most demanding music lover, this is a rare opportunity in the current times when most manufacturers are just chasing money. Already during this year’s Audio Show, playing with electronics completely unknown to me and in a dramatically acoustically difficult room, they showed that they can create an excellent musical spectacle – in my report I described this system on the occasion of the presentation of original album project by Bartłomiej Oleś. Therefore, when the proposal was made to check how they perform in controlled conditions, I was more than curious whether the exhibitor at PGE Narodowy was just extremely lucky, or whether the speakers really present the highest level of sound quality. So how do they fare on our battlegrounds? Well, in my opinion, very good. First of all – they sounded with great freedom, which is the way I like it, without the effect of forcibly embellishing the world of music in a place where the artist did not force it, which is often the bane of even the best constructions. Secondly – they showed that they can go low with a strong, controlled, vibrating bass, which avoids any coloration. Thirdly – they offered a midrange well embedded in timbre and essentiality. Fourthly – the whole thing was embellished with brilliant (something like a spark emphasizing the appropriate expressiveness of a given phrase), but avoiding overinterpretation. And fifthly – easily similar to the best bookshelf speakers, they built the depth of the virtual stage. Everything was so well balanced that the visualized world of music not only stole my soul without restrictions – I wrote that also on the occasion of testing the bigger sisters of the L2 (XL2), that in the event of parting with the Gauders I currently own, I could live with this kind of sound without any problems. Without any stretching of the facts, they showed the best features of every kind of creativity, from rock, through sacred music, to electronics. Naturally, this is due to the components of the final sound mentioned above, which allowed for the recreation of even the most acrobatic musical passages.
Let’s take for example the first Christmas production by Jordi Savall, „Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Baroque Christmas”, which is now also available in streaming. In this production, you don’t need bass descending to Hades, but a suitably ethereal, and at the same time skillfully colorful presentation of these sacred notations, something that was easily achieved thanks to the articulated features of the speakers. I heard not only beautiful phrases of the female vocalize, but also appropriately spiced up with the saturation of the instruments, as well as the aura of the large cubature surrounding the artists. The music flowed, and I could easily follow both the resounding melodic line and the emotional vocal line with a pleasant duplication of some sequences by the ubiquitous echo. In one word, maybe in a few words, it was not only a spiritual, but also an audiophile feast.
To test different sonic stimuli I used a really demanding presentation of high energy, signal rise rate and resolution, in the form of the material of the Infected Mushroom formation „Head of NASA and the 2 Amish Boys”. This is madness in its purest form. And the whole difficulty is not to cause an unspecified earthquake, but to show the rumblings that initiate it by separating fast, dense and energetic pulses. Any problems with maintaining the rhythm or the lack of contour of individual sounds would doom the whole presentation to failure, in the style of one tiring magma, because it spreads boringly on the floor. Meanwhile, the speakers, thanks to the low reach and bass control showed that even if you are not a fan of similar musical genres, they can draw you in for a few minutes spent with pleasure with a given material. I sometimes like to put such a repertoire to the test, which is why it was not the only album of this type. However, what the tested speakers showed, allows me to assume that many of you would also have a big smile approving their capabilities. In this case, unlike the previous material, I made a successful attempt to induce my heart arrhythmia. And since I have a very healthy heart, I classify the presentation as one of the model ones.

To whom would I dedicate the speakers described today? One thing is certain, they will not suit the eulogists of putting saturation above all else. Painting the world of music with the transgression of good taste – don’t worry, we are talking about absolute values – is not in their nature. They will rather try to show it as it is. Of course, with a margin for corrections with wiring and cooperating electronics, but always with good timing, weight and freedom, which means that apart from the fans of the BBC radio sound school, I do not see the slightest contraindication for anyone. These are also so evenly playing speakers, that if something does not „pop” between you and them, colloquially speaking, it will only be the result of minor differences in views as to the final vision of creating a virtual performance, and not a general quality problem. And if you like the sound, thanks to the beautiful finish provided by the manufacturer, there is also the option of placing a work of art at your home. A cliché, because loudspeakers are supposed to sound well, not look well? Please, don’t make me laugh.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII + 2 x Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Blue fuse
– Network player: Lumïn U2 Mini + Farad Super3 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable + Omicron Magic Dream Classic; I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Turntable: Denon DP-3000NE + Denon DL-103R
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII + Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Violet fuse
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S; phono NEO d+ RCA Class B Stereo + Ground (1m)
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Furutech DAS-4.1
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Vermöuth Audio Reference USB; ZenSati Zorro
– Speaker cables: WK Audio TheRay Speakers + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF; Esprit Audio Alpha
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Switch: Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super6 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Laboratory Anort Consequence, Artoc Ultra Reference, Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Polish distributor: Premium Sound
Manufacturer: AudioSolutions
Price: 55 900 PLN (pair) basic config.; 75 600 PLN (pair) reviewed ver.

Specifications
– Sensitivity: 92 dB @ 2.83V 1m
– Suggested amp power: 20-500 W
– Nominal impedance: 4Ω
– Crossover frequency: 400 Hz; 4000 Hz
– Frequency response (in-room environment): 24-25000 Hz
– Drivers: 19mm silk dome tweeter, 18.3cm ER paper cone mid, two 23.3cm ER paper cone bass
– Dimensions (H x W x D): 1240mm x 336mm x 581mm
– Weight: 75 kg each