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<\/p>\nListening<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> That summary still applies to the new 2.2 but is augmented by even greater resolution, ease, and general facility. The sonic sum of the Sonja 2 changes seem to amount to more than their updated constituent parts would initially indicate, although the new BilletDome tweeter certainly is an obvious\u00a0technological advancement. The level of resolution of fine detail is improved. Initial transients and timbre are better fleshed out. Decays and spatial cues are clearer and easier to follow. Loud peaks are more explosive while also sounding more composed or \u201ccleaner.\u201d In short, music simply sounds more present and impactful\u2014as the recordings themselves allow. A real bonus with the new version\u2019s increase in fine resolution is that it is not accompanied by a tonal emphasis shift, which can make a speaker sound as if it is forcing details on the listener, a flaw too often associated with speakers with \u201chigh-resolution\u201d ambitions. In fact, the Sonja 2.2\u2019s greatest strength, in my opinion, is its uncanny level of resolution and its lack of apparent artifice or strain. One can more easily relax and enjoy the music as it unfolds because there is so little hardness in the upper frequencies. \u201cDetail and ease\u201d seems to be a theme that a select group of excellent speakers embody to a much greater extent than merely good speakers do. Count the Sonja 2.2 among that select group.<\/p>\n The outer extent of the soundscape is also expanded, especially horizontally. This expansion is not overwhelmingly better than with the previous version, in which soundstaging was already a strong point, but it does impart an impression of greater openness. Recording and upstream system quality permitting, the stage extends well outside the cabinets in a room-boundary-defying display that helps mitigate the limitations of my smallish 12.5′ x 17′ room. Compared to most other speakers, the soundstage sounds as if the YGs were placed about two feet farther apart and in a slightly larger room than they actually are. Individual images within the larger soundscape are focused, not in an exaggerated, hyped-up way, but in a manner that simply makes subtle musical elements more discernible. On the Stravinsky Song of the Nightingale<\/em> LP [Oue\/Minnesota, RR], I could easily visualize the orchestral sections arrayed before me, and there was enough information to convincingly portray individual instruments within those sections. Overall soundstage depth and height were also strong points, as were individual image depth and image density. Perhaps the most salient soundstaging characteristic lay in the continuousness of its entire sound envelope such that the speakers are sometimes not discernible as the source of the sound. On some recordings, like the Classic Records LP reissue of the Prokofiev Lieutenant Kije<\/em>[Reiner\/CSO, RCA], it is as if the 2.2s just happen to occupy the same part of the room where the soundscape exists, so complete is the apparent detachment of the sound from the speakers.<\/p>\n Complex passages sound cogent and discernible. The timpani part in the RR Nightingale<\/em> uses flams and short rolls in the opening section of the \u201cChinese March\u201d movement as if to say, \u201cbrrrum…brrrum…brrrum\u201d instead of \u201cboom….boom…boom.\u201d Details like these emerge readily through the 2.2 but can become swallowed up in a less differentiated mass of sound through less revealing speakers. Subtle fingers-on-strings or singers\u2019 lip sounds in small, intimate music come through very clearly, thereby allowing a higher level of the human expressiveness in the music to be readily conveyed to the listener. Again, nothing sounds forced to achieve this lovely resolution. Music unfolds in a balanced way\u2014tonally, dynamically, harmonically, and visually proportionally realistic within its overall soundscape.<\/p>\n Basically, the Sonja 2.2 carries through whatever the characteristics of the upstream system give it and does so with a kind of assuring competency. Of course, if you play a bad recording or a system mismatch exists upstream, the 2.2 will let you know. Neither of the two Sonja models I have lived with fall into the \u201ctwitchy racehorse\u201d category of speakers, requiring only a relatively narrow selection of partnering electronics and cabling to make them rewarding to listen to over the long haul. On the contrary, I find the 1.2 and now the 2.2 to be a great all-rounders with both tonal neutrality and affording flexibility in system-matching. The only caveat on this point is that\u2014even though the crossover has been updated to accommodate less powerful amplifiers\u2014I would still recommend using an amplifier with at least 100 watts (YG recommends at least 60), and I would still favor high-current solid-state amplifiers or higher-powered tube amps over other types.<\/p>\n As already mentioned, the new version has a bit more low-end weight. The characteristic YG\u00a0bass speed and articulation are still there, but the low end is now just filled in a little better. Dynamic punch is also a touch better. Some of this dynamic precision may come from the easier load presented to the powering amplifier via the 2.2 crossover adjustment, but it may also stem from the new tweeter. It is simply able to handle the acceleration forces better. Even though much of our sense of dynamic force comes from power and speed in the bass region, the upper frequency range has to keep up and maintain its composure as well, or the whole illusion of a grand dynamic sweep won\u2019t be convincing. The Sonja 2.2 is just a little more exciting to listen to than the 1.2\u2014not that the 1.2 was a slouch by any means. Rock and pop music both have a hair more drive, and orchestral crescendos have a bit more impact.<\/p>\n Like many sealed-cabinet (air suspension) designs, the Sonja 2.2\u2019s bass performance favors agility, tunefulness, and pitch-definition over raw bass power and the \u201croom loading\u201d quality more typically associated with ported (bass-reflex) designs. The 2.2\u2019s lower frequency extension is indeed very low\u2014full-range for all intents and purposes in my setup\u2014but it does not overtly \u201cpressurize\u201d the room with gut-moving bass like some similarly sized ported speakers do. Very low notes on electronica by artists like Bj\u00f6rk and Aphex Twin are projected into the room with exhilarating impact, but they are not overblown or out of control. YG lists the frequency range as, \u201cusable output extends from below 20Hz to above 40kHz.\u201d I presume this means the listed bass response takes into account how the speaker interacts with typical domestic room boundaries and may be more meaningful than traditional -\/+3dB anechoic chamber specifications. All I can say here is that bass extension and power are excellent in my setup\u2014as are bass tunefulness and articulation. I have also heard the older Sonja 1.2 in a few other rooms\u2014usually larger than mine\u2014and the bass performance never sounded deficient in those systems.<\/p>\n Just like the Sonja 1.2, the 2.2 does not have an obvious sonic personality. Some recordings sound a bit calmer and more \u201corganized,\u201d less strained and jumbled, than they do through many other speakers. So, this clean and organized quality is about as close to a sonic personality as I can determine. Other than that, the sound I heard through the 2.2 seemed to be more determined by the upstream gear than by the speaker\u2019s own intrinsic sonic signature. The word calm might imply polite or even boring to some readers. The Sonja 2.2 is not at all sedate. On the contrary, the Sonja 2.2 allows music\u2019s innate artistic qualities to be expressed in large measure. Subtle, contemplative music like some of the Third Stream material on the ECM label sounds evocative and moving, not merely moody and slightly quirky. Hard-driving rock selections from bands such as Tool take on near-frightening acceleration through their sheer intensity. Classical music sounds rewarding in its timbral complexity and structural richness. The Sonja 2.2 does not favor\u2014nor is it limited to\u2014a particular kind or scale of music, at least not in the confines of my room and even in some larger ones. If you really like the big stuff, played on a grand scale, and you have the spacious room and the rest of the system to support it, you\u2019ll need a bigger speaker. (This is where the YG dealer will steer you towards the Sonja 2.3 or Sonja XV models.) For most listeners, though, I believe the 2.2 will be all that is needed. The technology YG likes to cite in its marketing material, like ToroAir (toroidal inductors), ForgeCore (driver motor system), and ViceCoil (vise-like housing for large inductors) draw attention to its differentiating engineering elements, but at the end of the day, the product needs to serve music reproduction, and, in my experience, the Sonja 2.2 does so admirably.<\/p>\n Considerations<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> Conclusion<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> Driver complement:<\/strong> One 1″ YG BilletDome tweeter, two 6″ YG BilletCore mid-woofers (main module), one 10.25″ YG BilletCore woofer (bass module) YG ACOUSTICS LLC <\/strong>
\nIn my review of the original 1.2, I wrote the following to frame my overall impression, \u201cthe Sonja 1.2 is simply stunning\u2014dynamic range, frequency extension, tonal purity, transparency, soundstaging, and imaging…all stunning and sometimes goosebump-inducing and involuntary grin-forming as it calmly goes about its musical business. The Sonja 1.2 does not have an easily identifiable dominant sonic character such as \u2018liveliness\u2019 or \u2018silkiness,\u2019 nor does it have an apparent bottom-up or top-down tonal balance. Rather, the 1.2 seems to simply convey the content of the recordings it is tasked to play back\u2014and the characteristics of the gear with which it is partnered, of course\u2014without much apparent imposition of its own.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe nearly 275-pound weight of each speaker may deter some music lovers. Unloading, assembling, and placing the Sonja 2.2 is definitely at least a two-person job. (Your dealer will arrange to send one or two people out to your site to install them.) While the 2.2 does not dominate a room like many large speakers do, it is still a medium\/large, all-metal floorstander, so it may not please some folks\u2019 aesthetic sensibilities. As mentioned, the speaker favors high-current solid-state amplifiers or higher-powered tube amps over their lower-powered cousins. To really take advantage of the resolving and dynamic abilities of the Sonja 2.2, it helps to use the best partnering gear and cabling\u00a0one can assemble, which also adds to the cost of ownership. Some audiophiles may prefer the bass quality of a similarly sized ported speaker. I find the 2.2\u2019s bass extension, impact, and definition to be flawless in my setup.<\/p>\n
\nWhat I had said about the original Sonja 1.2 in my concluding remarks in Issue 256 also applies to the new 2.2: \u201cThe Sonja 1.2 is revealing without sounding exaggerated. It is dynamically alive without sounding forced. It is tonally neutral without sounding clinical.\u201d How can I top that sort of praise? I am now in the slightly awkward position of having to say, essentially, \u201cYes, what I said then, and now more…more detail, more dynamic ease, more expressiveness, more bass weight, more soundstage continuousness.\u201d The Sonja 2.2 is a speaker that serves the music, no matter what kind, with great facility and aplomb. And again, the new version gets my highest recommendation.<\/p>\nSpecs & Pricing<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFrequency<\/strong> response:<\/strong> Usable output below 20Hz to above 40kHz
\nSensitivity: <\/strong>88dB\/2.83V\/1m anechoic
\nImpedance:<\/strong> 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum
\nRecommended<\/strong> amplifier<\/strong> power:<\/strong> Minimum, 60 high-current watts
\nCrossover<\/strong> points:<\/strong> 65Hz and 1.75kHz
\nCabinet:<\/strong> Aircraft-grade milled aluminum
\nDimensions:<\/strong> 13″ x 51″ x 25″
\nWeight:<\/strong> 271 lbs. each
\nPrice:<\/strong> $76,800 per pair, available in black finish (silver by special request)<\/p>\n
\n4941 Allison, St., Unit 10
\nArvada, CO 80002
\n(801) 726-3887
\nyg-acoustics.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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