Encore ENC5
Mini Japanese of great luxury

The generic concepts can be misleading, but thefascination of sure idioms it can turn out
irresistible. “Small it is beautiful” it can seem (andoften it has been demonstrated) a mere lexical
trick, done it on purpose to justify minimalist
experiences that are not always rewarding. I am
speaking in general terms, one agrees. The idea
can be applied for example to the world
automobiles, where a mini-car as the famous
Smart has collected over the years an unexpectedsuccess. By remaining about generic frequently
hears the expression celebrating the good wine as
the one in the "small packages." Sometimes istrue, but it is certainly not a rule. In the audio
sector, things are different, with importantvariations on the topic. If we speak of speakersystems it is quite intuitive that in order to movethe major air masses requires a device driver oflarge diameter and a decent size cabinet. It is aquantity fact, not necessarily a quality one. It istrue, however, that the majority of the musicalcontent (in the sense of "Music" as opposed to"sound") does not interest frequency ranges so
deep as to require necessarily large speakers. By
Mozart to Beethoven, by the jazz to the folk, thespectral content in lower frequency range to 60/70
Hz it is statistically reduced. The shots of the bass
drum of the "Spring Festival" represent more theexception (even if fascinating) than the rule.
But there’s more. If one has small environments
for listening it is probably true that a compact
speaker which is tonally and musically correct
performing, can provide for the effective
reproduction of a disk pleasant feelings and ainsufficient interaction with the acoustic
characteristics of the environment in low
frequency. This is particularly obvious in thedesign and development of professional studio
monitors to use in smaller rooms. Some famousmini-monitor produced at thetime for the needs of theBritish BBC are now part of theaudio history. It is notnecessary to make examples,even if perhaps it helps also
the topic of the actual"portability" of the monitor
speakers. However, the legend
is still alive and kicking. TheCombak Corporation is Kazuo
Kiuchi's Company, music loverand Japanese entrepreneur
who is best known as joint
owner of XRCD brand. As weknow in the last twenty years
this label has produced
hundreds of records
The central tweeter, an aluminum dome 25mm
remastering with painstaking
dramatic way from the original master quality, andcare master pop, jazz and classical of the best
more still by the artistry of the music it wasmoments of analogic one. Many of theserecorded. We can therefore be sure that ourrecordings have been submitted on the music
Kiuchi knows his as to the way in which a good
pages "audiophile" of our magazine, always
album should be reproduced, a personal view but
keeping in mind that the final result of any
with deep musical roots.
restoration or remastering it depends in direct andFrom professional monitoring requirements foruse in the home "intimate" is a short step. The
idea behind the design of Encore is to realize adetailed and authoritative sound field in a close
listening. Whether in a traditional position, onsupports, both in what is referred to as listening"near field". I am reminded once again the classic
recording mobile “studio" in which the recordingdirector places the monitor speakers on the shelfof a wide writing desk, the listening position not
more than 150/180 cm from each speaker. It is
not a theoretical case. Without going too far backin time I have followed a few months ago theDeutsche Grammophon recording carried out,
with the Sistine Chapel Choir, inside the Sistine
Chapel. Tonmeister one of Erdo Groot caliber
signature (Polyhymnia / Pentatone). In an
adjacent room (the one where to the Pope ismade official the decision of the Conclave, noless!) had set in record time a recording studiowith the console and a pair of monitor speakers
systems (of which I can not reveal the name) put
to the corners of a large writing desk. Between
the sacred and the profane soon we will listen theyields of this recording resume in a truly uniqueenvironment to the world .
The Seas coaxial driver, with the glass fiber cone

But back at the Encore, a speaker who presentswith a significant pedigree and a very high price inrelation to the size. As it appears from the photos
it is a compact enclosure closed box systemequipped with a coaxial driver from the Seas 175mm in diameter, large in relation to the cabinet.
Tweeter with aluminum dome from 25 mm,
fiberglass cone. The cabinet seems to be thefocus of attention of the designer. It is made withdifferent types of wood, while inside there areother wooden elements placed so as to optimize
the resonances of the cabinet. Just the control of
the resonances is the basis of Kazuo Kiuchi
design, which in addition to the cure for thestructure of the cabinet it also uses the vibration
damping of resonances made from Combak,
appropriately placed in the interior space as wellas in the outside on the basis of extensive studies
that go under the commercial title of "Harmonix
Resonance Technology". The same "frieze"
exposed on the front panel with the company logo
it is itself one of these dampers; other two areplaced on each of the side panels. What is inside
we do not know, not having been allowed todisassemble the speaker (not that I am usually
make it). Here we find the concept of "fine tuning"that it appears to be a recurrent topic in someembodiments of the High-End Japanese, a topic
that they are not able to deepen here. I believe
little, but it works, I could tell with my usual
cynicism. The efficiency appears quite contained,with a declared data of 86 dB, the frequency
response (within 2 dB) is pushed to 70 Hz, thecut-off frequency between the mid and tweeter isplaced to 2,800 Hz. It is important the given
impedance (8ohms) with thehouse declaring
never below 7ohms, for amanageable
speaker evenby vacuum
tubes. Data arein line with aproject of thistype. As always
I would leavethat to speak is
the music, inthe sense thatHere is one of "tuners" Harmonix, placedat the end ofat key points in the cabinet
the story what
affects most of us is the driving performance,ensure the reliability of the reproducer to play, infact, as a record player. If you do not accept thissimple test, each talk is useless, just as withancient disquisitions about the sex of angels.
Even a careful check in laboratory there would noteven tell us of how a violin, a guitar or an
orchestra is returned.
A first advantage in dealing with a compact
speaker weighing about seven kilograms is thefact of being able to carry it home and cuddle as
you want in different listening situations. The
Encore were made to sit on a pair of solid
construction stands about a meter tall, a classic
location for a stand system into a fifteen square
meters environment. More intimate and almost I
could say "intimate" the bold
accommodation in a writing
desk, a solid piece offurniture from ministerial
dimensions that served
perfectly to give a sense of
the studio monitor andlistening in the near field. If
the idea were that to make apoint source in a positionable to focuse a wide andcare image, we can say
without reservation that theresult has been achieved.
Consistency is the typicalone among the bestcompact systems, a source
in a position in order toThe input terminals are somewhat distant from each otherextrapolate environmental information from thebest recordings. Listening to some piano songs
indicates a smooth and natural flow between theaudio band portions entrusted to two-way, in a
precise reconstruction of the execution meaningful
way that offers through graceful transparency ofthe media range considered in the broadest sense.
The overall sound level can be fairly highaccording to available power amplifier. Here withpre and power amplifier AM Audio we have noproblems in this regard and we succeed tosqueeze firmly the small woofer with energetic
piano recordings signed recently by Baglini for
Decca home.
The Baroque instrumental groups are good sap
timbre, with just slight body in the medium-low
and the trend (from monitor?) to bring up someparts, while maintaining a fresh and gentle
depiction of the whole. Instruments are not always
easy like oboes, flutes, bassoons are aninteresting enamel and a very euphonic central
portion, free of nasality and fastidiousness
audiophile. The issue is ready to follow therhythmic pattern of the sheet music, with young
dynamic contrasts that they mark in a meaningful
way the interpreter, rendered with diligence and a
bit of refined pleasure that can not fail to excite. A
more Mozart system that a Mahler one, just to
stay in theme song, Encore does not fear thegreat symphonic music but of this certainly has aversion compared to scale, in a representation
suitable for more intimate domestic environments.
The analysis of the musical text is however
remarkable in its ability to extract the more hidden
details of the software. If the recording is indeed
good the result is satisfying for the true lover ofmusic and the voices appear very proposed, fromthat of Bartoli in the CD "The Dance" (Decca),
ductile and expressive, that of Patrizia Laquidara
recorded by Velut Luna, clear and present.
Friendly and pleasant support of acousticinstruments. Thus the Mozart of Horn Concerts
presents a healthy balance between theroundabout heading the natural horn and thetypical harmonic liveliness of the originalinstruments. The freshness of the medium-highsection does not hide the soft sensuality of cellos
and double basses, in a harmonic and rhythmic
carpet. The reduced mass of small midwoofer
offers a fast answer to the transitory signals. It
appears the attacks of the instruments (thatmagical moment in which silence becomes sound),key moments that characterize the sound timbre
and the contribution of the performer. Even withthe most vibrant jazz groups it is possible to haveuse of a sound level addictive and more thanadequate. There amaze the listening quote from ahistorical Decca incision that is Bernstein and theVienna Philharmonic engaged with Mozart. Hereproves the correctness of the bottom in the gentle
and reliable performance of the Viennese
instrument body, while the soloist appears on hispart well placed in a scene from the solidboundaries. The ability to reconstruct coherent
image also emerges in powerful rendition of
Lakathos (DG violin) made in the right size. Talland well centered, the violin has a rich harmonictexture, phrasing clear, the first consisting eighthin the realistic way of which we realize when wehear the true instrument within walking distance. Ifa disc sounded good 40 years ago, it is the casethat sounds too good today? I would say so withthe acoustic bluegrass of "Confederation" ofSheffield (a rare LP live recording here listening
with the help of the coupled EAT/Ortofon), with its
old voices America and especially an instrumental
carpet where banjo and guitar enjoy a still
unpublished today transparency and naturalness.
Therefore it is interesting the scenic setting and asense of airiness, once again demonstrated by
Czerny Sonata for horn and piano. It is a difficult
coupled this one and here Baumann horn (asplendid recording Philips) can show spurious
resonances and any defect in the interaction
between the different drivers. It requires an
unexpected power in handling midrange and I canassure you that it is a step that we always follow
with a sure apprehension. Everything it is solved
with a sense of heroic prowess, away from noisecode and defects of form and substance, so thatto demonstrate the solid construction of this luxury
compact system.

AUDIO REVIEW no.378 August 2016
By Marco Cicogna (translation from Italian to English by Giovanna d’Amato)Specifications
Name

ENCORE ENC-5 Two way Speakers

Company: Combak Corp., Kanagawa, Japanwww.combak.net

Details

Distributor for Italy: Ethos srl, Via della
Fonte Meravigliosa, Roma Tel. 065192128
www.ethosfineaudio.com
Price: €5.990.00 the couple

Drivers

176mm fiberglass midrange, coaxial
aluminum dome 25mm.
*One-point source driver controlled
dispersion patterns and balance for ultrasmooth spectral.

Frequency response

70-25,000Hz +/-2dB; 55Hz -6dB.

Sensitivity

86dB/2.83V/1m

Impedance

8 ohms

Crossover frequency

2800Hz

Choice of amplifier

20 – 150W

Enclosure closed box

217 x 300 x 217mm

Weight6.16 kg/pce, 12.32kg/pair.