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Hello everyone. This is Furukawa from Hi-Fi Do Fukuoka shop. Here in Japan, autumn is just on the corner. This season reminds me of my childhood wandering fields and forest in the neighborhood searching for four-leaf clovers, acorns, and pine cones. I used to look for insects turning big rocks over as well. I am now scared of insects so I feel a bit of respect for my younger self.
This time, respecting the brave kid, I will turnover speakers to find secrets that affect sound qualities even the parts are left unseen usually.

	Today's set up consists of DENON DCD-1650AZ (CD player) and TAOC 400DH (speaker stands, 20cm tall). I will use Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley(staple of my boss, president of Hi-Fi Do) for the test.

First, let's turn a speaker over and look at the structure of the skirt. The shape is simple rectangle and there are rivets on each corner. I, as a methodical person, cannot help niticing that the bottom and the inside aren't painted like the outside. It seems they didn't put time to parts that cannot be seen.
This speaker is ALTEC VALENCIA. One weigh 43kg. Only with the skirts, the sound is very clear and has modulation. The impression is light as Altec is known for. Balance is better with saran nets.
	With stands (TAOC 400DH), sharpness somewhat increased while harshness decreased allover. It is more suitable for comfort listening. I feel this set up produces rather nice treble and middle range. However, personally I preferr the sound with skirts only. Okay, let's move on to the next...

The next one has U-shaped skirt. Each corner has a rivet like the last one. Lack of the rear should produce a different effect on sound. The veneers feel less strong compared to those of Altec.
This one is Tannoy Arden2 which weigh 56kg per unit. Only with skirts, it sounds well and beautifully but lacks thickness and power to the front. However, its coaxial unit makes the sound very comfortable to listen to. I feel adding something can improve this a lot.
	With stands, the sound gained clearness and some bass. The range got wider and the sound got better intonation. Maybe the absence of the back skirt makes the sound stage wider with a larger path of the air. I preferred one with stands this time.

This one comes with a hexagonal skirt, which is same as the speaker. The gap is 5cm and has an open back like the last one. This time, I was surprised in a good way by the beautiful grains of the wood. It is surprising that such a difference in an unseen place can change the impression of the whole speaker.
The answer is JBL C34 HARKNESS. One weighs 50kg. As is, the impression of the sound is "fluffy". If I compare it to weather, it is cloudy. Drivers stands out and woofers come next. The overall mood is good so I have a feeling it could be well with better balance.
	With stands, the sound gained an expanse. As the sun came out behind the clouds, it became clearer. Now drivers and woofers are tie, it sounds. It is better this way.

The next one has a unique look with partly round-ish hexagon. The components seem very solid and it looks like the skirt has some weight by itself. Another surprise was five casters on the bottom. I didn't think there were this many. That is because it is not very smooth at all to move these. There is only gap of 3 to 4mm usually. Now it is obvious that this is a heavy weight speaker isn't it?
This is Tannoy Kingdom. Each weighs 170kg! Seriously, this was impossible. I am sorry. It was a hard labor to just move this big boy with my colleague. The effort wasn't unfortunately captured in the image but there is me holding up the big bad boy in the back. My thighs were vibrating and I could hear the scream. It was not funny at all. My little reward was discovery of little giants holding the crazy weight.
As you can see, sound characteristic changes depending on shapes of skirts as well as space in them. As the space gets larger, in my impression, sound became more dynamic and stretched. Open back of the skirts contributed to that as well I felt. However, sound is matter preferences. The best thing is to try on your own ears. Please visit any of our stores when you visit Japan! During this test, I was as curious as my young self. It is sad that I am now suffering from muscular pain and my body is telling me I am not young anymore mercilessly. But I will keep this curiosity about audio and go on this journey! That's it for today. See you again.

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