Status Acoustics Voce Fina Bookshelf Set Up and Sound Quality Tests

I tested the Status Voce Fina speaker in my 6,000ft^3 Audioholics Showcase theater room utilizing our reference gear such as the Marantz PM-11S3 integrated amplifier, Pass Labs X350.5 two-channel amplifier, Marantz TT-15S1 turntable and Oppo BDP-105 Universal Blu-ray player.  Speaker cables were Kimber 8TC and Bluejeans 1694A interconnects.  The speakers were placed on my 30” sand filled Plateau stands though RBH offers matching granite stands for a $3k premium.  Personally if you’re going to shell out $12k/pair for speakers, you might as well just spend the extra cash and get the matching stands.  Look at how stunning they are and I think you will agree.   Whatever stands you chose, it’s important to properly mount these speakers on a sturdy stand that can accommodate the almost 53lbs heft of these speakers.  If you go with the matching granite stands be prepared for some heavy lifting as the speaker + stand combo weigh a whopping 120lbs. 

FLAC:  Beatles - Various

I dumped a boatload of music onto my 4TB hard drive that I now have mated to my Oppo BDP-105.  This allows instant access to virtuously an unlimited selection of music.  What good would a speaker be if it didn’t sound great with Beatles music? Rubber Soul is one of my favorite Beatles albums so I cued up track #7 “Michele”.  The Voce Fina speakers threw off an almost unbelievably wide and expansive stereo effect.  The sound was pure and “out of the box” so to speak, meaning it didn’t sound like I was listening to a pair of speakers confined inside of a cabinet like so many lesser designs often do.  Paul’s voice was pinned towards the right and George’s guitars popped out at you to paint a very three-dimensional soundscape.  The projected imaging these speakers were producing belied their size.   I flipped around my Beatles collection and next settled on track #12 “When I’m Sixty Four” from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Again the stereo effect was incredibly expansive.  I toed the speakers in just a tad more to provide a bit more focus and it was sounding great.  The crickets at the beginning of Track #10 “Sun King” from Abbey Road sounded so lifelike it had me reaching for a can of Raid.  The depth of the bass really surprised me on this track.  I didn’t expect this from such a small speaker sporting only a 6.5” driver.  I didn’t feel the need for a subwoofer on any of these tracks so far.

Beatles Rubber Soul (left pic) ; Depeche Mode Playing the angel (right pic)

FLAC: Depeche Mode – Playing the angel 

On track #4 “Sinner in Me” the bass output floored me.  I wasn’t expecting the Status Voce Fina speakers to output this level of tactile bass, especially since my Decimo’s don’t do it to this level using a very similar driver compliment and cabinet size.  What was truly impressive was the very deep soundstage and clarity in the vocals, despite the 6.5” Beryllium beauties getting quite a workout.  Track #10 “Damaged People” revealed the last ½ octave of bass would have really benefited from a subwoofer.  That being said it was still a very satisfying experience just listening to the speakers by themselves.  The keyboard effects seemed to radiate out and around the speakers and the ping pong effect towards the end of the song was quite hypnotic. 

FLAC: Herbie Hancock – Possibilities

Track #3 “A Song for You” featured the vocal talents of Cristina Aguilera, who is arguably one of today’s best female vocalists.  I listened closely, as many speakers simply don’t do female vocals to my satisfaction.  Thankfully this was not the case with the Status Voce Fina.  This song exemplified the very best in this speaker, which was fluid and incredibly accurate, with a neutral and articulate midrange, along with the uncanny ability to clearly separate each of the instruments.  Christina’s voice was literally bringing tears of joy to my eyes.  The vibrato and the clarity in her voice were reproduced on this speaker system with pure Borg-like perfectionism.  Resistance to enjoying this sonic experience is futile!  The snap of the drum was impressively tight and lifelike.  It was obvious the incredibly inert cabinet was largely responsible.  The cymbals were so liquid they seemed to just pour off the baffle of the speakers while the triangles were just tickling my funny spots giving me the goosies.  Track #6 “Sister Moon” featured Sting on vocals.  You just can’t get a bad sounding recording when Sting in involved.  The percussion popped out of the speakers while the guitars radiated around the front soundstage.  The woodblocks sounded like they were right there in the room with me.  I was having that “better than being there experience” that is only achieved with the very best audio equipment properly setup and playing exceptional source material.  Sting’s voice exhibited no chestiness, which is often the case on lesser speakers not properly applying a low pass filter to the mid woofer or providing a cabinet with enough inertness.  Vocal clarity was tops on these speakers no matter who I was listening to.

LP: Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (180G)

Kind of Blue is my go to LP not only because it’s a classic, but also because it’s a stellar recording despite it being from 1959.  Track #1 “So What” sets the tone for this album, which is just a feel-good laid back aura that is best accompanied by a nice brandy or good class of red. Jimmy Cobb’s cymbal brushes were delicate and airy while the back and forth between Miles on trumpet and Coltrane on sax was exhilarating. While the Status Voce Fina can’t quite match the dynamics of my reference 8T towers, the tonality was very similar. The Voce Fina sounded effortless and had no problems extracting the realism on this recording. Closing my eyes, I really felt like I was in a jazz cellar in NYC listening to this sextuplet grace me with their phenomenal performance. Track #2 “Freddie Freeloader” is my favorite song on the whole album. It just oozes coolness while Bill Evan tickles the ivories with a surgeon’s precision. When Miles’ trumpet kicked in things really started to heat up. I couldn’t get over how authentic and vivacious it sounded, especially when Coltrane answered back in his solo. It was clear to me now that the Status Voce Fina speakers were masters of all musical domains.  They excelled with techno/new age, rock, jazz and intense vocal music.  Best of all they brought a level of excitement and realism to the music that only the very best speaker systems are capable of doing.

A Final Note on Listening Tests

It was only when I played very bass intense music at high output levels like a few tracks from Muse’s 2^nd Law album where I noticed a slight buzzing sound emanating from woofers.  This was not driver bottoming, but instead a noise caused by excessive air turbulence moving through the gap between the cone and phase plug.  Bass managing the speaker and mating with a powered subwoofer would resolve this issue and is recommended for those that listen to lots of bass heavy music at high output levels. This is the same caution I recommend when reviewing virtually any two-way speaker with or without a phase plug driver.

When I directly compared my Status Decimos ($2899/pr) to the Status Voce Fina, I was a bit surprised to hear differences since both utilize the exact same crossover components and very inert cabinets though the Decimos have the standard aluminum phase plug driver. I felt the Decimo’s were a bit more forward sounding in the upper registers while the Voce Fina had more pronounced and deeper bass and a slightly more laid back sound.  Both speakers sounded fantastic, but it’s interesting how much the cabinet density and shape played a role in the sonic results.  While the differences between these speakers weren’t night and day or even significant enough to warrant the 4X price increase, sadly the Decimos are no longer available.  You’re gonna have to step up to the Voce Fina to get to this level of performance and aesthetics.