Davis Acoustics Hera 250 Review
Getting to know Davis Acoustic Hera 150 floor standers left me with a feeling of some understatement. The presentation of musical material, which I noticed at the exhibition where the Hera 250 was demonstrated, was somewhat different from what I heard during the testing of the Hera 150. You can attribute this feeling to the difference in listening conditions because the Hera 250 played at the exhibition and The Hera 150s are virtually identical in every way except for the number of speakers. But why guess if you can listen to both pairs of outdoor speakers in the same conditions and draw more specific and unambiguous conclusions?
Acquaintance #2
Let's start with the fact that we have the same "Davis". A completely original set of speakers of our own production, excellent workmanship and assembly, and most importantly - "made in France" and not in China, as is usually the case in low and medium budgets. At the same time, unlike the previously tested Hera 150, the model with the 250 indexes is the flagship of the series and, in theory, should surpass the younger one, at least in terms of the sound picture and the ability to sound large spaces.
In terms of design and components, the Hera 250 acoustics are as close as possible to junior floor standing speakers, even the caliber of the woofers is the same - just two of them are installed instead of one. However, this does not mean at all that the Hera 250 will have twice as much bass, it all depends on the crossover setting. We can definitely only say that the developers doubled the surface area that emits low frequencies, but how they disposed of it is a completely different question.
If desired, you can proportionally reduce the return and stroke of each speaker, thereby achieving a tonal balance identical to the version with one speaker, or you can use more tricky schemes, amplifying only part of the bass range - it all depends on the goals, objectives, and imagination of the developers. The honest three bands are officially announced, but you have to listen to how they are set up.
Like the Hera 150, the 250's woofers have pressed cellulose cones with a smooth surface, rather elastic rubber suspensions, and a large voice coil operating in the field of powerful magnets. The gimbals help to minimize the free vibrations of the cone, and the efficient “motor” helps the amplifier move easily and precisely control it during operation.
Since two speakers need more acoustic volume, the cabinets of older floorstanders are slightly larger. The developers increased the columns due to the height and depth while maintaining the width of the facade - therefore, visually, the Hera 150 and Hera 250 models are very similar. The size of the phase inverter port and its location also does not differ at first glance, but the port is configured differently.
The main purpose of the front-facing bass reflex is to better control the spread of bass and make the acoustics less dependent on the location in the room since the port works in open space even if the speakers are near the wall. However, the manufacturer still does not recommend abusing the frontal arrangement and placing the speakers close to the walls. Just because the wall in any case amplifies the bass, regardless of whether the acoustics have a phase inverter and where it is directed.
As for the MF/HF section, there doesn't seem to be any difference from the junior model. All the same fabric dome tweeter in a shallow horn waveguide of exactly the same caliber 25 mm. A mid-range driver with a fiberglass cone on an elastic rubber suspension and a phase-equalizing bullet also does not differ in size.
And, by the way, the closest location of the acoustic centers - such that we even had to make a cutout in the tweeter flange - is not at all accidental. This is one of the tools for fine-tuning the frequency and phase characteristics, which allows you to achieve the very solid sound that the Hera series acoustics are pleased with (I have not listened to the rest so carefully, but it is believed that this property is one of the signature features of Davis Acoustics).
Double kick bass
For the purity of the experiment, I used the same components and cables and the same speaker layout as when listening to junior floorstanding speakers - about three meters between the speakers with the radiation axes turned almost parallel to each other, according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
The scene turned out to be somewhat different. If in the case of Hera 150 sound images were located mainly in the space between the listening point and the system, Hera 250 moved the stage away from the listener: now the conditional center of the sound picture is located somewhere in the region of the components, and the possible scale of events that acoustics can reproduce is clearly more. Concert recordings and symphonic classics sounded more grandiose and convincing, while Hera 150 gave a more chamber and intimate sound, closer to the listener.
As for the work of the dual bass section, the bass of the Hera 250 turned out to be more articulate and clear, the control of the lowest notes is better and does not give reasons to ask questions. But most importantly, in the bass range and in the lower mids, that density and “punch” appeared that I lacked in the sound of the Hera 150. At the same time, the bass did not become radically larger in quantity, the lower frequencies do not dominate, do not buzz, and do not pull the rhythm to the fore-section.
By improving the intelligibility at the lowest notes, there is a feeling that the older floorstanders sound more informative in general. And despite the fact that there are no noticeable differences from the younger model in the work of the midrange / treble section, the general character of the sound has changed somewhat. If Hera 150 coped best with jazz, chamber classics, vocals and, in principle, any live music, then Hera 250 plays rock, metal, electronic music, modern pop and r'n'b more effectively.
Separately, the presentation of the one that the other model feels quite balanced, and the nuances emerge only in direct comparison. So, for example, "Zeppelins" and AC \ DC performed by large floor speakers sound more catchy and driving, while the younger ones convey the energy and performance skills of Thelonious Monk more vividly and excitingly.
An invariable property of both models are excellent rhythm, thanks to which both reggae and experimental jazz sound great. A significant contribution to the formation of the sound is made by the exceptional integrity of the sound when not a single emitter manifests itself individually and does not give a specific coloration - in Hera 250 this property is manifested to the greatest extent.
Tonal balance and good timbre elaboration provide acoustics with high sound fidelity and make music truly exciting. At the same time, Hera 250 does not create artificial warmth or other coloration, so it will not revive boring or poorly recorded music. But the things made with soul and with a twinkle are revealed to the maximum, literally forcing you to listen to the track from beginning to end.
Non-budget resolution
Perhaps the most impressive quality is that the entire Hera series (and the 250s in particular) proved to be very good in terms of resolution. So good that it allows you to clearly hear not only the artistic, but also the technical component of the recordings.
If you're the proud owner of multiple versions of The Wall or Brothers in Arms mastering, the Hera 250 can easily gauge the pros and cons of each release. For its price range, the property is truly outstanding. Greater detail can only be achieved in direct comparison with models of much higher cost - but they are supposed to be more transparent and accurate by status. And among equals in price, the Hera 250 demonstrates an amazing combination of musicality and high resolution, thanks to which the acoustics themselves can be used as a reference.
It remains only to understand why most manufacturers, creating acoustics in the same price category, prefer to tint the sound, thereby masking the shortcomings of budget speakers, and Hera 250, in principle, does not cause a feeling of simplistic sound and does not give reason to suspect its creators of trying to save money.
In fact, there are no secret technologies here. When the development of radiators and acoustics as a whole is carried out by one company, it is not difficult to coordinate the radiators at the stage of their creation or modify them for a specific model during the production process. This eliminates the need for a complex crossover circuit, and even in a three-way model, it is as transparent as possible to the sound. Add to this the low cost of self-produced speakers, and it becomes clear exactly how acoustics with such unique sound properties are born on a limited budget.
Outcome
Direct comparison is the most effective way to dot the i’s and once again helped get to the bottom of it. There really is a difference in the presentation of musical material between the Hera 250 and Hera 150: the older speakers sound more ambitious, energetic and dense, and the younger ones reproduce music more academically, accurately and chamber, thanks to which they focus more on small details and nuances.
But you need to understand that the identified differences are only shades and subtleties, and there is also the main palette, which, of course, is the same for all models of the Hera series. Their main advantages are an even tonal balance, high detail, excellent coordination of all drivers, and exceptionally good dynamics and rhythm.
Demonstrating high detail and accuracy for its class, Hera speakers do not tend to be dry and analytical, which makes them very musical - provided that the components and reproduced content also meet this criterion.
An important factor for unlocking the potential of this acoustics are precisely the components. The optimal sounding system with Hera 250 can be assembled with higher class electronics.
In a system with budget components, there will clearly come a time when the amplifier or source wants to be improved, and the acoustics will survive several upgrades. Not a bad setup growth strategy, by the way.
Pros
natural and accurate sound, excellent dynamics, high detail, the ability to sound in a large room, but not to buzz in a small one, high sensitivity, excellent price/quality ratio
Cons
no significant shortcomings
OFFICIAL SITE
Specifications Davis Hera 250
Frequency range: 37-21000 Hz
Tweeter: 25 mm, fabric dome
Midrange driver: 170 mm braided fiberglass cone
Woofer: 2 x 170 mm, cellulose cone
Power: 150W
Sensitivity: 92 dB
Impedance: 8 ohm
Dimensions: 1030x190x310 mm
Weight: 17 kg
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