Loudspeakers

Elsewhere in the product sheet, Perlisten gives the S4b its own personality: 'I am the overperforming little guy who will demand your respect'. That's cute, but what the literature doesn't suggest is where exactly you should set up this little guy. The wall-mounting fixings imply a speaker that's happy with its back to the wall, using boundary reinforcement to add some bass heft. And if you are to install on speaker stands, as I did, positioning them close to wall is a good idea. I soon settled on around 20cm, and with a toe-in toward the seating position.

Go Loud!
The S4b isn't the most user-friendly of smallform speakers because, as expected, those sensitivity and impedance figures make this something of a tough drive. A negative for owners of low-power amplifiers, sure, but I'd credit that sealed construction for this loudspeaker's wonderfully smooth bass handling, and if Perlisten's driver choice and crossover design is essential in creating the S4b's even-handed, detailed presentation, then I can't bemoan too much its hungry-for-power attitude. Long story short: this is a high-performance speaker that warrants a high-performance amplifier, particularly if you intend to listen loud.

This bit of housekeeping over with, I can move onto the good news – Perlisten's bookshelf/standmount really is a chip off the not-so-old block. Like its S7t sibling, it excels when it comes to mid and high details, resolving the most subtle of musical moments and nailing the feel and tone of instruments. The sense of immaculate resolution coming from the DPC array then bleeds into its imaging prowess. Centre-field vocals hang in the air, while the soundstage ventures wide with retained focus. It's a revealing listen.

Metallica's 'Halo On Fire', from the album Hardwired... To Self-Destruct [Blackened 00602557156263], did show a shortfall in that feeling of dynamic low-end attack we found with the S7t, even with a Primare A35.8 power amp [HFN May '22], in bridged mode, backing it up. But this is an unfair comparison, and the S4b still gets to the meat of the composition, presenting the rhythm section with a deep, rich, resonant tone and the crunchier midrange guitar riffs with no hint of brittleness.

Furthermore, while it doesn't sound as big and dramatic as Perlisten's larger model, it had me in a state of heightened awareness. The S4b pairing extracted information from this mix that I often don't notice – from the way James Hetfield's vocal appears to emanate from the back of a stage, to the juxtaposition of the widely spaced twin guitars and centralised drum kit. It all sounded wonderfully three-dimensional.

There's clarity and nuance here by the bucketload, but the speaker doesn't adopt a softly-softly approach. Leading edges are in full force, meaning Hans Theessink and Terry Evans' 'Gotta Keep Moving' [Visions; Blue Groove CD] showed off the musicians' playing prowess. The twang of plucked strings and the slaps of palms on acoustic guitars made it easy to visualise the duo in the studio, as did the inflections of their baritone vocals. And for the speaker's ability to convey the snap of percussion, look no further than Rush's 'Tom Sawyer' [Moving Pictures; Mercury 96kHz/24-bit], which featured clean, precise hi-hats and a snare drum sound to die for.

Vocal Triumph
So, like the S7t, I was faced with a loudspeaker that from the outside looked potentially pugnacious, but revealed a delicate, naturalistic and audiophile bent. It's sound always seemed to be perfectly proportioned, that superlative mid/high presence not overtly prominent and basslines finding no errant cabinet colouration. Letting my hair down (what's left of it) with 'King Of The Beats' and 'Stalker' from the eponymous album by drum 'n' bass producer/DJ Aphrodite [V2 Records VVR1006952], I was impressed by how fluidly the basslines were reproduced, and how much depth and output Perlisten's single 180mm driver could deliver.

If you're partial to electronic music where effects are thrown across the soundstage, then you'll appreciate this speaker pairing's ability to lock in step for such acrobatics. With '100' by Jon Hopkins [Contact Note; Linn Records; 96kHz/24-bit] it was a delight to follow the synthesiser effects as they moved smoothly between the speakers.

Not that such production techniques are new-fangled, as proven by the woozy breakdown of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' [Led Zeppelin II; Atlantic; 96kHz/24-bit]. Coming after two minutes of hard-hitting blues rock framing Robert Plant's triumphant vocals, this near-psychedelic section felt like it was from another planet. Perlisten's small(ish) cabinets concocted a wall of sound bigger than you might expect, casting Plant's wails high and wide. Then Jimmy Page let rip on his Les Paul and I was grinning from ear to ear.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
Perlisten Audio's precision-made standmount manages to play like a miniature version of its floorstanding brethren, offering the same transparent, balanced sound book-ended by sweet highs and smooth bass. Beefy amplification is a necessity to get the S4b firing on all cylinders, but find the right partner and it'll sing. Superb build, purposeful styling and sumptuous sonics make for a winning combination.