I've known Leighton Holloway for a good number of years. When first we met, he was working for Pioneer Electronics as an installer of their plasma tvs.
It was he who arguably not only helped me transition into the AV Industry, but who also helped spark the passion for audio I have now.
It was also around that time, roughly seven years ago now, that Leighton started building his first pair of speakers.
Fast forward to 2014, and we find that Leighton has started his own business 'Holloway Sound' and has produced his first pair of consumer ready speakers, the 'Carmen'.
The speakers ship in a very sturdy, custom built road case to keep them protected during transit. Don't worry about heavy lifting too much though, as the case is fitted with wheels, a nice touch.
Upon opening, the smell of fresh leather exuded itself. Everything was packed in very tightly and there is more than enough padding to keep the speakers well clear of any damage during transportation.
I lifted the speakers out and recall being quite surprised by the size. These are a large Standmount speaker, even bigger than my previous standmount speaker, the Jamo Concert C803 ($1990 RRP).
I placed the speakers on my sand filled Atacama Nexus 6i stands in place of the Jamo's. I pulled out my sound dampening wall to reduce sounds bouncing around where they shouldn't, and began listening.
The first thing I noticed was that the treble had higher reach than the Jamo's and demonstrated greater control. This was obvious listening to a 24/96 ALAC of Norah Jones "Don't know why". The first phrasing of each line in the verses Jones has a greater emphasis on, she almost belts it out and where the C803s struggled, the Carmen's handled it with greater ease and competency.
After a little more critical listening, I found though that something was bothering me. A noticeable lack of bass. One thing you'll notice about the Carmen's is that they are front ported, whereas my Jamo's (and a rather large amount of bass reflex designs) are rear ported. As a result of this, I had my stands set roughly 50 - 60cm from the rear wall, this didn't do the Carmen's any justice. I then located the stands much closer to the wall so that the Carmen's were within 20cm of it and sure enough this helped with the bass, but again not as much as I would have liked.
It was then I got in contact with Leighton to ask him about the bass, to which he informed me that he tuned the Carmen's to have a flat frequency response from 1kHz right down to 45Hz. What this means is that the Carmen's are a very honest sounding speaker, bordering on monitor characteristics. I decided to experiment further with the Carmen's, and thought perhaps they needed some more playing in.
I popped in my pink noise cd and ran it for a number of hours while I ducked out.
Upon my return I sat down and took another listen. Eureka! The bass extension had improved drastically. It still wasn't in excess, but at the same time, it didn't leave me particularly wanting for more. This was especially evident listening to well produced and well mastered material. These are not the sort of speakers you want to throw low quality recordings at. Notice I said low quality RECORDINGS, not necessarily compressed files. My iTunes download of Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" hit with an authority and scale worthy of a good sized bookshelf speaker.
Making the switch to vinyl and Jack White's "Lazaretto" sounds as raw and edgy as it should. White's compression-free album really shines through the Carmen's.
I haven't mentioned yet the way the speakers are finished. Holloway has put a huge emphasis on the rather fashionable appearance of the Carmen's. The test pair I had were finished in a black real wood veneer across the top, front, rear and bottom, however the sides were bound in a beautiful brown Italian leather. The tweeter sits flush with the front baffle, albeit minus some mounting screws. The mid/bass driver had a nice silver outer ring and matching pole piece in the centre. There was a 3D printed "Holloway" logo in the bottom corner and the Carmen's are grill free. A nice touch, though not a speaker to sit near prying hands.
They are a very smart looking speaker. Not only that, but Holloway gives the option of a half dozen different timber veneer finishes, leather finishes, and matte/gloss for the timber. A very unique and customisable approach. And as if that wasn't enough, if you have a different colour scheme in mind, you can contact Holloway Sound about getting them custom built, tailoring the aesthetic to your needs.
The drivers used are Danish made Scan Speak units, the crossover is hand made by Holloway himself and the speakers feature high quality binding posts on the rear.
At a retail price of $1999, the comparison I feel I have to make is with the KEF LS50. This is where any startup speaker manufacturer is going to struggle. KEF have been around for over 50 years and have invested huge amounts into R & D. They have a team with years of experience and PhD's on staff. Heck, they have an idea how a speaker is going to perform before they even build a prototype, and this is where the Carmen's lose ground. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but they simply can't deliver the sort of transparency that the LS50s can at that price. The downside of being in direct competition with mass produced Chinese manufacturing.
All in all though, I did enjoy my time with the Carmen's and while their sonic presentation wasn't quite up there with the very best at the price, there is no denying that they are a good speaker and a commendable first for Holloway Sound at the consumer level.
For further information, please contact Hollowaysound@gmail.com
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