⌈ GAUDER AKUSTIK is a brand founded in 2012 on the basis of one of the oldest German companies producing loudspeakers - Isophon. Founded in Berlin in 1929, destroyed during World War II, it was then rebuilt and became one of the most important companies in Germany. In the 1980s, the brand was sold to Bosch, and the rights to the name were retained by its current owner, Roland Gauder. We test its smallest and most affordable loudspeakers - CAPELLA 40 Be. ⌋

ORTAL ALPHA-AUDIO, describing their visit to the Gauder Akustik factory, discussing their products simply said: aluminum, ceramics and diamond, referring these terms to - respectively - enclosures, mid-woofers and tweeters (more → HERE). And indeed, this company built its reputation on relatively expensive loudspeakers, featuring aluminum cabinets and Acuton ceramic and diamond drivers.

This was changed only by the series, in which, instead of expensive ceramic drivers others were used, with a diaphragm made of a combination of aluminum and polypropylene. First it was the Arcona series, and now, located in the price list above it, the Capello.

▌ Capello

IN THE PRESS MATERIALS, the manufacturer states that the loudspeakers from this series will be visually similar to the Keramik and Cassiano series, but they will be equipped with a different tweeter, and will use different crossover frequencies. What's more, owners of the version with an aluminum cone tweeter will be able to replace it with a beryllium dome tweeter at home without having to modify the crossover.

For the first time, Capello was presented at the 2022 High End Show in Munich. They had their official premiere in September of the same year. The series includes four models: free-standing "100" and "80", stand-mounted "40" and the Center speaker, which allows users to assemble a home cinema speaker system within this series. As the head of the company told Waldek Nowak from INFOAUDFIO.pl during the show, the technological changes introduced to the series "should result in a great step forward" (more → HERE).

▌ 40 Be Double Vision

WE TEST THE SMALLEST MODEL IN THE SERIES, the 40 Be Double Vision. This is its most "fancy" version, i.e. with a beryllium tweeter (Be) and better components (Double Vision), which will be discussed in a moment. These are bookshelf monitors, but still quite large. They feature two drivers in a two-way system, in a closed cabinet.

Detailing the most important features of the "40" model, the manufacturer mentions:
• double WBT speaker terminals,
• Bass Extension module for boosting low frequencies,
• new X-Pulse low-midrange drivers,
• new tweeters with aluminum or beryllium cone; the latter available as an option,
• new crossover system with "excellent impulse response",
• rigid cabinets in the "teardrop" shape,
• finishes in black or white piano varnish and in various wooden veneers,
• exclusive Double Vision version available,
• optional magnetic grille.

⸜ BASS EXTENSION As you can see, practically everything is new in these loudspeakers, maybe apart from the shape of the cabinets, which Gauder has been using for many years. The Bass Extension layout seems to be the most interesting feature. Several companies have offered this type of option before, let me mention Wilson Audio, where we could replace the resistors, but there it was about increasing the level of the selected frequency range. The Gauders are about extending the bandwidth. It was solved in such a way that on the back panel there are sockets permanently connected using a gold-plated jumper. However, instead of a jumper, we can use special modules available from the manufacturer.

Thanks to them, we modify the frequency response in the 30 - 70 Hz band, in six steps, by up to +4 dB. It's not about emphasizing the entire range, but only the descending part of the characteristics. As the manufacturer emphasizes, "the law of conservation of energy still applies here, so the extension of the low bass is paid for by lowering the impedance in the range of 25 - 35 Hz". The loudspeaker then draws more power, so a higher power amplifier should be used. In the larger models of the series, there is also the possibility of classic bass correction in three steps: -1.5, 0 and +1.5 dB, using jumpers; it operates in the range from 22 to 144 Hz. In Capello 40, these jumpers correct the amount of treble.

⸜ DIVERS Both drivers were developed together with specialist manufacturers. That’s what Gauder says about the tweeter:

The quality of the tweeter is decisive for the resolution and the true-to-pulse detail reproduction of a loudspeaker. In accordance with Newton's law, a low moving mass and a strong magnetic drive are required, and the diaphragm must of course be able to follow all these excursions. In cooperation with a German tweeter specialist, we developed a beryllium dome tweeter whose moving mass is only half that of all previously used tweeters. In conjunction with the ultra-strong iron-neodymium magnet, this results in a level of impulse fidelity that previously seemed impossible.

→ GAUDERAKUSTIK.com, accessed: 27.03.2023.

The problem with such fast drivers, additionally combined with a crossover designed for phase coherence, is matching the woofers and midrange drivers to them. The manufacturer indicates that large diaphragms are more susceptible to vibrations and resonances. In order for them not to affect the sound, the latter "must appear above the frequency range of the midrange driver" (>3400 Hz). Gauder achieved this by developing aluminum-polymer diaphragms, branded X-Pulse; this development has been patented by the manufacturer.

⸜ CROSSOVER Speaking of the crossover, let's add that Gauder Akustik uses crossovers with a very steep slope, often with a slope of up to 50 dB/oct, and builds them using really nice components from Mundorf, Audyn and Intertechnik. They are very complex - in the Capello 100 model we will find as many as 56 components. The company materials say that this is to reproduce the signal impulse as best as possible.

This crossover can be further improved by buying the Double Vision version, which we tested. The manufacturer talks about "extremely high quality components", including new components, new cabling and rhodium plated WBT NextGen speaker terminals. Unlike the tweeter, this version must be ordered from the start as it cannot be upgraded after purchase.

⸜ STANDS Capello 40 Be are bookshelf speakers (or stand-mount), so by definition they require stands. The manufacturer offers its custom stands and you may want to use them. First of all, because they set the loudspeakers a bit higher than usual. Their lower edge is at a height of 750 mm, including the spikes, while the classic ones are 650 mm high. These are, for example, the Sonus faber stands. Raising the speakers results in the fact that the ear is at the height of the mid-woofer, and not between it and the tweeter.

I mention the Italian manufacturer for a reason. One of the features of their bookshelf speakers was the possibility of screwing them together with stands, thanks to which they formed a mechanically stable structure. Capello 40 Be also offer this possibility. In the top plate with the same footprint as the speaker itself, proper recesses for four feet were milled and a hole for a screw was drilled.

The feet are made of metal and rubber, so by changing the screw pressure we also change the resonant frequency of the system, and thus - the sound. And the tighter we screw it, the higher the resonance frequency we get. After the possibility of replacing the tweeter, the module and jumpers used to control the extension and amount of bass, and the Double Vision version, it is another way to change the sound of the loudspeakers. Let's add that the stands stand on four spikes with knobs that are convenient to adjust. In turn, the spikes stand on small pads.

▌ SOUND

⸜ HOW WE LISTENED The Gauder Akustik Capello 40 Be were placed 230 cm from the listening position and 220 cm from each other (counting from the axis of the loudspeakers). They were 85 cm from the back wall, counting from their back wall. The treble level switches were set to "0 dB"; the frequency extender was not available during the test.

I determined the distance between the speakers and their leveling with a Bosch PLR 50 C rangefinder. Read more about aligning speakers in the article Mikrodostrajanie, czyli ustawiamy głośniki (Eng. Micro-tuning or speaker alignment), HIGH FIDELITY № 177, January 1st, 2019, → HIGHFIDELITY.pl, accessed: 08.03.2023. More on the acoustics of the HF room can be found in the article Pomieszczenie odsłuchowe “High Fidelity” w oczach Mariusza Zielmachowicza (Eng. “High Fidelity” listening room in the eyes of Mariusz Zielmachowicz), HIGH FIDELITY № 189, January 1st, 2020, → HIGHFIDELITY.pl, accessed: 08.03.2023.

⸜ Recordings used for the test | a selection

⸜ FRANK SINATRA, The Voice, Columbia/Classic Records CL 743, Quiex SV-P, „50th Anniversary”, 180 g LP (1955/2005).
⸜ CLIFFORD JORDAN, Hello, Hank Jones, East World EWLF-98003, „Soundphile Series”, „Jazz Direct Disc”, 180 g LP (1978).
⸜ KRAFTWERK, Tour de France, Warner Bros. /EMI Electrola | Kling Klang 591 708 1, 2 x 180 g LP (1983/2003).
⸜ MICHAEL JACKSON, Thriller 40, Epic/Sony Music Labels SICP 31586~7, 2 x BSCD2 (1982/2022).
⸜ WES MONTGOMERY, WYNTON KELLY TRIO, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve Records/Analogue Productions CVRJ 8633 SA, Super Audio CD (1965/2013).

THESE ARE COOL, REALLY VERY COOL, engaging loudspeakers. Immediately after the music starts, something "clicks" in the way they connect with the listening room and, through this room, with us. Their sound is incredibly orderly and precise in how they "assemble" information into a musical presentation. I mean that when we play something demanding, like monophonic material from FRANK SINATRA's The Voice with material recorded back in 1945, i.e. on 16" transcription discs, we get an extremely stable sound image, no waving, no inaccuracy, no blur.

I am sure that Ronald Gauder would attribute this property to the use of precise crossovers with a steep slope, and he would probably be right. The thing is that I also heard a similar effect with high-end loudspeakers featuring 1st order (6 dB/oct.) crossovers. Apparently, similar effects can be achieved in different ways, as long as it is done well. And Gauder does it very well, in a really outstanding way.

The precision in question is about building large bodies, not details. There are not too many of them, as it is the case in high-end designs, at least at first it seems so to us. Detail is a required feature, but in reasonable proportions - just like selectivity. But when we start to hear these details, distinguish them, and maybe even emphasize them, then something has gone wrong.

Capello 40 Be are different. The exact image drawing they offer serves building reliable sound sources, not extracting the smallest detail from the background, somewhere behind the back row of strings accompanying Sinatra, or the creaking of the stool on which the drummer sat. It allows you to describe the sound, not gut it. This applies to both the sound sources themselves and their acoustic environment. These are constructions that perfectly convey phase relationships between sounds, and thus help the listener in spatial orientation.

Starting the test of the Gauder loudspeakers, I knew that tonally it would be „my kind of sound”, so to speak. They offer a lot of information, and thus are rather warm in reception, than expressive. Usually, if something sounds clear, it's cheating and it's really missing sounds in presentation. Detailed sound usually means selective treatment of musical material. The Gauders are resolving, not detailed - in the way I am talking about - so they offer a rich sound.

However, when I started this test, I wasn't sure what I would find in terms of dynamics. Predilection of some companies to use the simplest crossovers has solid technical foundations. The latter suggest that the more elements there are in them, the steeper the slope we set in the crossover, the more we lose in terms of dynamics and micro-details; this is why loudspeakers with a single wide-range driver are the top choice for many music lovers, as they usually don’t feature any crossover.

The tested monitors are not as incredibly direct as this type of design. In fact, few classic loudspeakers are like that. You can hear that the impact of the sound is modeled by them in such a way that everything connects together, is smooth and homogeneous. The attack itself is slightly rounded. Interestingly, the differentiation of the loudspeakers in this respect is really good. When we play a direct-to-disc recording like Hello, Hank Jones by CLIFFORD JORDAN, we get an explosive, lively performance. It will be faster, more "here and now" than classic multi-track recordings.

The interesting thing happens with the bass. The speakers seem to be perfectly balanced tonally. Both when it comes to the equalization of the band, as well as the energy of high and low tones. However, these are closed-cabinet loudspeakers, so the low frequency response decreases faster in them than in bass-reflex, passive or labyrinth constructions. The advantage, of course, is the better impulse response. However, the low frequencies are not as strong as in other loudspeakers of this size.

And indeed - let's not expect low, wandering bass from the Gauders. These are not loudspeakers that while reproducing KRAFTWERK’s Tour de France or MICHAEL JACKSON’s Thriller will pump a lot of air into the room. It was a really good presentation, fun to listen to. I felt that the bass on the album of electronic pioneers is low and dense, and I was also aware of the strong extension of the bass in Billie Jean from the anniversary version of Jackson's album. Except that I also knew exactly where the strong low-frequency energy ended.

This can be remedied by placing them closer to the wall and in this way modifying their bass reproduction. In themselves they are well arranged and balanced. The bass boost does help to add some weight to them, but it somehow disturbs their perfect balance. Without that, they are beautifully balanced, which was audible in Sinatra's vocals, which I also heard with the recordings of WES MONTGOMERY and WYNTON KELLY TRIO from the Smokin' At The Half Note.

▌ Summary

WITH THESE SPEAKERS WE WILL GET SOUND in which there is everything we need. It will not be a universal sound, because with the Capello 40 Be I liked jazz and small sets of classical music including the piano best. However, these are also not excluding loudspeakers, because they will also play rock and electronics very nicely. Perhaps for the first time with this type of albums we will hear how individual sources were placed on the stage, what relationships exist between individual musicians, how their playing evolves over time.

Because these are not "detailed" loudspeakers. They are resolving. Their timbre is very even, because although the treble is a bit warmed up, I could hear it to a much lesser extent than usual with speakers with a beryllium diaphragm. Their dynamics is high and does not resemble the dynamics known from loudspeakers with crossovers of this type. The smallest micro-dynamic signals are smoothed out, there is no way around it. However, the whole thing has been so well thought out that we really won't pay attention to it.

The more so that from time to time the instrument comes out from the loudspeaker in such a strong way as we have not heard for a long time. No coloration, no "cushion" that makes us immediately know that this is not a live performance. And all this with perfect coordination of individual elements on the stage, creating a compact, homogeneous whole. Maybe they are the smallest in the series, maybe not the most expensive in the lineup, but they feature a big heart - Gauder Akustik Capello Be.

▌ DESIGN

CAPELLO 40 BE ARE MEDIUM-SIZE bookshelf speakers. Their cabinets is made of MDF boards, internally reinforced. Its stiffness is also supported by its shape - the so-called "tear-shape", i.e. with sides converging towards the back. In European design, the pioneer of such a form of cabinets was, if I remember correctly, Sonus faber. However, the Italian manufacturer referred it to the shape of a "lute", because the walls in its designs converged at almost one point.

The Gauder loudspeakers have a rear panel, although a small (120 mm) one. It features high-class WBT speaker terminals from the NextGen series and jumpers for modeling the bass response. Jumpers are plugged into banana sockets, which are recessed into the cabinet. Both these jumpers and the jumpers connecting the speaker terminals are worth replacing with better ones. The front baffle is wider (220 mm), because the mid-woofer has a diameter of ϕ 140 mm.

It is a very solid construction, with a cast, heavy basket, rubber top suspension and a strong magnet. The diaphragm with the company name X-Pulse was glued from two elements: polypropylene - at the front - and aluminum - at the bottom. It is therefore light and well damped. There is no dust cap here, because the diaphragm is homogeneous, without a cutout for the voice coil. The latter was glued from the bottom.

The tweeter is a dome with a diameter of ϕ 25 mm. Its diaphragm is made of beryllium. It is a very interesting mechanical material because its density is 2.5 times lower than titanium and 1.5 times lower than aluminum, while the stiffness is three times higher than titanium and five times higher than aluminum. Drivers of this type are currently used by many companies, for example Focal, and in Poland by AudioPhase, which used products sourced from SBacoustic (more → HERE). A protective mesh is placed in front of the diaphragm - beryllium is extremely fragile.

The crossover is made on printed circuit boards and we can find many quality components in it. Many, because it's a construction with very steep filter slopes. The components were purchased from Mundorf, Audyn and Intertechnik. It was divided into two parts - separately for the tweeter and low-midrange sections, screwed - respectively - to the bottom and top panels. The signal goes to the drivers through thick copper wires, and to the terminals with cables braided in a characteristic braid - these are solid-core cables; they are all soldered.

The stands are solid and matched in design to the drivers. Their tops have the shape of a "teardrop", thus repeating the shape of the speakers themselves. The upper one is 8 mm thick and the lower one is 20 mm thick. They are connected by a single, also aluminum, pipe. The bottom plate has holes drilled into where wide cones are screwed in. They are connected from the top with knurled nuts, which makes it easier to level the speakers. One can use small washers under the cones (spikes). ●

▌ Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer)

Design: 2-way, closed cabinet
Nominal impedance: 4 Ω
Power handling (continuous): 100 W
Power handling (peak): 350 W
Dimensions (H x W x D): 390 x 240 x 340 mm
Weight: 10 kg/pc.