The scent of an old summer morning.
The first thing I could feel was the fresh, warm air. A slight breeze was coming through my bedroom’s opened window. It was soft, preserving the silence like a white puffy cloud. An absolute calmness surrounded me, and before opening my eyes, all I could hear was the rustle of bedding, sensing the whiteness of the morning light through the mellow scent. It just smelled like summer, with infinite embroidered aromas in the velvety morning air; I can not describe it like anything else. It was the smell of the first vacation day of that year. It smelled of soft quietness, total calmness, no thought, and just being there.
The morning scent, in particular, is a potent evoker of emotions. Our brains store smell and emotions as one memory, making even a faint scent a powerful trigger for vivid and distant memories. It is the only sense that binds everything else together; the olfactory signals take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory. That is why I remember that day; the uniqueness of perfect equilibrium and pure happiness starts with the scent of the first morning breath – a clean and warm golden summery smell.
Opening my eyes, I met a shadowy morning light. Not too cold, not too warm, a slight breeze moving slowly along the curtain, and even if the sound of the not-so-busy street started to enter my senses, the morning quietness and softness persisted long after I left the bedroom. It is so strange how I can remember every smell of that day: the smell of the bed, of the fresh air, of the cheap pressed wood furniture, and later, the crispness of the soapy and much colder air from the bathroom. Even the bird’s chirp had a smell from that day, the tram rolling loudly but distant on the old track, the so rarely heard car engine; everything melted into a perfect softness of that summery scent. And I can still remember every smell of that house with an astounding clearness. I can remember the fancy and expensive soapy perfumes of my mother’s armoire, the antiseptic smell of the kitchen upper cabinets holding the medicines and medical buttocks, the wooden furniture from my parent’s bedroom, the library’s dense and musky smell of books from the living room, even the old crappy Russian vacuum cleaner dusty smell. I can remember every scent vividly as I walk through the house, in my mind, and I can not stop wondering how much of my perception I lost with aging. But I know it is not just that; it is about the intertwined memories with every sensory anchored with a unique scent.
It was the mid-eighties, just to put it in context. In a behind-the-curtain Eastern European country, I knew nothing about politics other than the mysterious whispering of adults and a sense of seriousness and secrecy surrounding that kind of talk. It was not for kids. My reality was much simpler: no mobile phones, no TV (we had only 2 hours a day of national broadcast in the evening), and no fancy, motorized, glittery toys. No coffee (I was still a child, and there was no coffee anyway), fancy tea, or cake in the morning. Believe it or not, that period of my life is still my happy place to return to in the open eyes of daydream reverie… I sensed no ugliness, missed nothing, no harmful thoughts, only perfect happiness.
The perfect freedom.
Above all, now I know why I cherish the memory of that day so much. Beyond the calmness, the softness of light, and the quietness of that morning, it was something else. Stretching my body just before going out of bed, I felt a pure, heart-melting joy. I felt the joy of the first vacation day, the joy of being home alone (with my little brother) without anyone telling me what to do, the joy of a new beginning, the joy of infinite time and possibilities, the joy of nothing and all to be done — the joy of freedom.
That day was about perfect, unadulterated freedom. I had no plan, no urgency, nowhere to go, and nothing to complete. All I had was a genuine now moment. Looking back now, I understand that reality drastically limited my choices. But not in my mind; this is another discovery I had later in life. We can be free in our minds and expand our souls to the extent of the universe if we find the courage to do it. This is how magnificent ideas are born; this is how hope is kept alive, and this is how dreams become reality. That was still a lesson for later times. On that day, I felt only the extremely rare joy of being alive, free, and happy. As years passed by, I found it impossible to recreate that day. And probably this is how life is…
But why am I telling you all this? You may be wondering.
Well, it is not a hidden agenda or an emotional catch. This is how it all happened. The subject of today’s review left me with an incredibly emotional and vivid remembrance of that perfect day in my life. Blumenhofer horns speakers transported me unexpectedly to that space in time in the first minute. It created an incredible feeling of freedom and joy; I felt like I had stepped out of reality and entered a world of so much clarity and sensory information. It triggered all the memories with a vividness that I thought was long gone and forgotten. It overwhelmed me with emotion and gratitude for having the most treasured day brought back with such clarity. I could not tell you all this without sharing my precious moments.
I now know why and how it happened. It was all about the sense of infinite freedom and the clarity of performance. It was like I stepped into that perfect, discerning myriad of known scents. It was like all my memories came back at the snap of my fingers, and I could feel, see, hear, and smell everything again with an incredible acuity. I was free of thoughts, problems, desires, fear, and ugliness. I dreamt again, big, in vivid colors.
Blumenhofer Acoustics
Blumenhofer Acoustics was founded in 2006, making it an established brand, but the owner has over 30 years of experience in the audio business, primarily professional audio. His previous company, Blumenhofer & Schraub, designed and installed audio systems for theaters, restaurants, clubs, and discotheques. After more than 20 years in commercial audio, Thomas Blumenhofer decided to pursue his teenage passion for building home audio loudspeakers. He established Blumenhofer Acoustics in a natural park in southern Germany, near Munich, to create high-quality and high-efficiency loudspeakers.
Why high-efficiency?
What are the main qualities of such speakers? I have two solid arguments for choosing this path. One is based on purely sound characteristics. The other is based on fantastic opportunities showing up when one opens that door.
Unlimited sound.
Unlimited dynamics, immediacy, speed, and purity of sound are outstanding characteristics of horn speakers. However, achieving these goals is not limited to one way. Another option would be building multi-way, massive, expensive loudspeakers suitable for very few systems playing in vast spaces. However, one can develop smaller speakers, usually two-way, high-efficiency speakers, to get the same performance. Not so easy, though. Otherwise, everyone will do it…
Opportunities.
The high-efficiency factor can open incredible doors to audiophile fellows who venture on this path. The opportunity to use a low-power tube amplifier with a rich, warm triode sound for a clean, transparent performance with colorful, open, and dynamic sound. Yes, a good 300B SET amplifier, with just 8 Watts per channel, can perform true miracles with this kind of speaker. Incredible results can be achieved with so little power. This path is less complicated, and the reward could be enormous. But… there is always a but; high-quality components, proper placement, and control are required to achieve true quality.
Not all high-efficiency speakers sound the same.
There is always the other side of the coin. Some of these speaker designs can sound boxy and add unwanted color to the sound. It takes a lot of work to design a woofer that can keep up with the speed and transparency of such a fast, detailed horn tweeter. So, there is a slippery slope, and only a few have succeeded in avoiding it.
GENUIN FS 3 MK2
The FS 3 model MK2 is part of the second-highest series of Blumenhofer loudspeakers, known as GENUIN. This model is a two-way design, a common characteristic of all Blumenhofers. It is relatively compact, standing at less than 1 meter in height and weighing 25 kg. It features a 10-inch (250 mm) paper woofer, an upgrade from the first version that used a 200mm driver, and a 1-inch Mylar compression tweeter. The tweeter is mounted on a waveguide that can be adjusted forward or backward with a precise scale to ensure consistent settings.
I loved how these speakers looked right when I first saw and listened to them in the Rockna showroom. Yes, Rockna – the fantastic R2R DACs creators from Suceava, Romania are using in one of their listening rooms a very nice setup with a Blumenhofer GENUIN FS3 mk2 powered by a Trafomatic 300B SET incredible beautiful amplifier (worldwide acclaimed Rhapsody integrated). I found it very interesting how the speakers showed their compression horns mounted on top of the cabinets, which some will find audiophile-authentic, myself included. Others may also see it as a DIYish look, which I do not mind. It was a sense of expert crafting and high-quality hand manufacture. I have always loved to see the human touch on a product of such quality. The current Blumenhofer GENUIN FS 3 MK 2 can be adjusted back and forth for time alignment; the clearance is about 36 mm. Luckily, I enjoyed a Makassar veneer version of the GENUIN FS 3 mk2, a beautiful-looking natural wood with high contrasts. The octagonal shape of the cabinet has a wider, slightly tilted front panel and a narrower back, set on three solid, adjustable spikes. Blumenhofer will call this a “harmonious construction,” which should minimize standing waves in the loudspeaker cabinet and ensure that no dominant housing resonance is formed but only several “harmonic” distributed resonances at the lower level. FS 3 mk2 features dual speaker jacks that allow users to bi-wire this loudspeaker. The manufacturer provides users with decent jumpers made from a piece of cable that will enable them to use a single binding speaker cable (I used the jumpers provided by Marohei cables, handcrafted like my speaker cables).
With a declared efficiency of 92 dB in 8 Ohm, almost any amplifier can drive these beautiful horns, even a low-powered tube one. And that opens incredible possibilities for experimentation. Blumenhofer features one additional trick — a jumper that enables an impedance linearization circuit, which is recommended for use with tube amplifiers. This is extra help provided by the conscious manufacturer for experimenting with low-powered tube amps, for which a high swing of the impedance of the speakers can drastically affect the confidence of the bass driveability. Compared to the mk1, Blumenhofer GENUIN FS 3 mk 2 has remained a two-way concept with high-frequency horn and bass reflex housing, whereby the reflex channel now aims at the ground, no longer forward.
Proper placement in the room is a significant factor if you want to get the most out of GENUIN speakers. It will take a little time and effort, but it will definitely pay off. A proper distance from the wall behind and the right toe-in angle will reward you with a vast and precise soundstage. I was initially set aback by the adjustment of the horn’s tweeter time alignment. I found good guidance online for an easy way to do that. Still trying to figure out my capability of discerning apparent differences, I tried it nevertheless. I was amazed by how easy it was to perform. Let me share what I learned.
You will need, first and foremost, to find the proper placement in the room where the soundstage is apparent and the bass is well-defined and not overwhelming. After the time alignment exercise, you must do it again if you move the speakers. Next, play a piece of a classic audiophile piece with a lovely lady voice and some beautiful guitars. The first step will be to position the horns in the middle of the scale at an 18mm point. Listen attentively and then move the tweeters to the extremes, once a time, at the front and back. Listening each time, you must decide where a good equilibrium lies for the highs and the lows. The sound should not be too bright, and the upper bass should not overpower the highs. When you decide which of those two extremes sounds more natural and less bloated without becoming too harsh, you have two minimum and maximum points of reference again. The middle location, tested initially, will become the new minimum or the maximum. The next step will be to divide the new scale again in half and listen for the new middle position. Comparing to the extremes further will guide you to the following maximum or minimum position. Commuting the horns around new points with smaller and smaller step widths than before and listening to differences will help you define the perfect positioning point. It may seem completely overwhelming initially, but trust me, it is much easier than you think. The differences are audible, and the search for where the impulse of sound is more natural and balanced and the soundstage is more precise will come quite naturally. Let your ears guide you; trust them 🙂
Design & Build Quality
MK 2 Genuin FS 3 has not received a pure “facelift”; as one might suspect, almost everything is new about it: driver equipment, crossover, and housing design. Blumenhofer Genuin FS 3 MK 2 has remained a two-way concept with high-frequency horn and bass reflex housing. The cabinets are built from natural 18 mm thick birch plywood with true-wood veneers in a vast pallet: cherry, walnut, dark walnut, oak, maple, apple, olive, ebony, Makassar, ulm, and smoked cherry. I received a fantastic Makassar version with almost hand-painted veneer, which looks bold in the octagonal shape of the cabinet.
The level of finishing is beyond reproach. The speakers have grown, which is the result of installing a larger 25-cm driver. The crossover (set at 1200 Hz) consists of air coils and Intertechnik resistors. Fischer&Tausche Cap provided bipolar polypropylene capacitors. The elements were combined with the Harmonic construction method in mind.
On the back of the cabinets is a black anodized panel with two pairs of terminals featuring copper posts covered with a layer of gold and tellurium. The nuts are made of transparent acrylic. Between the terminals is a short cap with a pair of banana plugs. This activates the circuit mentioned before, which linearizes the speaker’s impedance. According to Thomas Blumenhofer, this setup works best with typical tube amplifiers that prefer fairly even impedance characteristics. The sides and back consist of a total of seven planes, except for the central one. They are paired, combined at different angles, and tuned to respond to specific frequencies. This construction significantly reduces the risk of standing waves and precisely controls the behavior of the bass chamber. Instead of suppressing it as much as possible, Blumenhofer decided to distribute the excess energy in properly selected housing elements. Metal elements are integrated into the bottom of each box, to which three massive spikes are attached: two at the back and one at the front. One can control the bass response by adjusting the height of the spikes (that will control the distance to the floor).
Review Context
As much as I praised using a pure triode tube amplifier, I did not have the chance to listen to it in such a configuration in my home. It’s such a pity. Instead, I used my solid-state, plenty-of-power Chord Ultima 5 power amplifier. And it was perfectly fine, as the GENUINs handled the solid state gracefully. It showed the advantages still kept by this configuration: perfect bass control, among others.
Starting with my custom Roon server, the music is guided through the Lumin stack (Lumin L2 and Lumin U2 streamer) and further will reach Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC. The preamplifier and amplifier are CHORD Ultima 2 and Ultima 5, respectively. You can check the entire configuration of my system at the end of the article. The only comparison was with my beloved Raidho TD 1.2 stand mounts. My room is small, around 27 sqm, and I have to position the speakers on the long side of it. That brings advantages and disadvantages. Without going into too much detail, I do not have all the space to position the speakers as further as I would want from the front wall.
I recently heard one serious senior, well-known reviewer speaking about the need for more musical references in some reviews and how this renders that review more or less pointless. I took note of that, and I will try to put it into context. That is why, this time around, the sound impressions will be defined by the music.
Sound Performance
Playing lively, energetic, in a fresh way.
I started with Marcus Miller’s “Laid Black” (2018, Blue Note Records), nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. To cite Dan Bilawski of JazzTimes, mixing R&B, trap, funk, and hip-hop with jazz, Miller manages to play all of these genres for what they have in common while extending the originality of each. Blumenhofer FS3 started lively and energetic with a nice punch on the Miller’s bass. It was about speed and energy and not about going deep into the abyssal seismic levels. FS3 played it very convincingly, fast, dynamic, and energizing. The scene depicted was charming, and the clarity and speed of the horns provided excellent precision. Initially, I got the impression that these speakers operate mainly in the mid and upper bass areas, except when there comes a moment when there are some more profound bass notes in the recording. One realizes that they are very present. That is why I started to adjust the distance from the floor, raising the cabinets. Quickly, I understood that it could be too much height as the bass loses the precision and that excellent kick energy. The Blumenhofer is not earth-shaking but fast and with a tight bass. And, of course, they are like that; the large driver has to keep up with the speed of the horns, regardless of the cabinet size.
Presence and naturalness.
This beautiful and now legendary recording date between iconic Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and Tom Jobim is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian pop recordings: Elis Regina & Tom Jobim – “Elis & Tom.” From the first track, “Águas de Março,” I felt an extraordinary presence of clean, natural, and illuminated voices. Regina’s voice is among the most loved in the history of Brazilian music. The voices have a clear liveliness and an elegant and natural tonality. I listened to the entire album, and that lively presentation energized me like a cup of Brazilian beans, Italian perfect espresso.
Speed and energy-rich performance
Recently, I discovered this great piece of New Orleans R&B – Dr. John’s “Creole Moon.” God bless Roon and its Radio discovery functionality. I loved it immediately as it sounded so full of energy. The attack on instruments was quick, and the metal clashes sounded exciting and lively. Most of the songs are little more than those loose grooves, but the whole album is full of energy, and Blumenhofor FS3 mk2 kept up the beat very engagingly. I learned to like the quick bass by now and the “lightness,” speed, and energy of the presentation. The exceptional spaciousness of the presentation is truly remarkable when the FS3s are correctly positioned in the room, rewarding you with a large three-dimensional sound stage. The highly dynamic and energetic performance will keep you actively tapping out the rhythm.
Precision of strings
Well, this is where horns are exceptional, right? Jumping into Eric Clapton’s Lockdown Sessions (Live) of “The Lady In the Balcony” was a glorious show of plucked and stroke strings with Blumenhofer’s beautiful horns. The proportion between the fast attack phase, good sustain, and flawless decay shows a lovely house-sound culture and experience. These are not some afterthoughts put together, shelf drivers. Blumenhofer’s horns denote understanding, knowledge, and passion. The strings are gorgeous with FS3. Voices will follow nicely with openness and presence. You feel that the singer is in the same room, in front of you. I missed a little the more convincingly low-end taps on the guitar body the way I was used to from Raidho. They are there, quick and tight, but not in such fulness.
Colorful, not colored
The saturated voices continued to amaze me with an incredible album featuring Shirley Horn’s heartwarming voice. “Loving You” is a masterpiece of intimate music. Full of subtle emotion and sensuality, Shirly de-emphasized her piano, and it should be consumed in small doses. Too much of it can become easily heartbreaking. Blumenhofer FS3 offered a tangible, natural, and organic presentation. These speakers are all you will ever need for acoustic music, vocals, and especially live albums recorded in small clubs. When it comes to this type of loudspeaker, it seems fair to assume that the midrange is their massive advantage, and it is. The voices are rich, colorful (not colored), smooth, and amazingly palpable.
Deep soundstage.
Lou Reed’s “Live at Alice Tully Hall January 27, 1973 – 2nd Show” started full of energy with electric guitars fully saturated and nicely delineated and precisely positioned on the stage. Being a live representation, it fully showed the depth of the soundstage. Everything started to happen behind the line of the speakers. Everything was happening behind it, and the presence of singers and musicians was spectacular. Blumenhofer mastered presenting a ton of information, the tiniest details and subtleties. A lot of concert space was nicely presented, such as audience reactions to the live recording and vast information about the room’s acoustics.
A dynamic and perfect all-rounder.
I missed the highly expected pinch of tenderness and sweetness of the good 300B tubes with Blumenhofer FS3. I know the speakers could have completed it in such a fantastic way. But, we still get a beautifully lit presentation, fresh and crisp without becoming bright, never. Sounding in such a clean, open, and vibrant manner, the FS3 was never aggressive or rough. A recently discovered Bandcamp record – Namina “Un Udol,” showed a perfect recorded album and a spectacular dynamic with a touch of honey-sweet. The presentation was colorful and vibrant. It proved that a warm voice with a piano or guitar can make the most emotional music.
Coherent, smooth performance.
I have listened to many recordings, and I was eager to start the listening session every evening. I listened to a lot of jazz and contemporary R&B — you got it, I have a sweet spot there. From D’Angelo & The Vanguard – “Black Messiah,” the highly dynamic and brittle in some places, Prince – “The Vault – Old Friends 4 Sale” to “uNomkhubulwane” (Blue Note) album of the South African pianist, composer, healer, and educator Nduduzo Makhathini, Blumenhofer FS3 mk2 showed constantly a series of unique qualities.
The second edition of FS3 has an incredibly addictive and energetic sound and a vivid, detailed, and colorful presentation. Both acoustic and electronic notes sound remarkable, and when combined with the natural presentation of vocals and instruments, they bring the recording to life, resulting in an exceptional, convincing, and engaging performance.
Priorities and Side Effects.
There is always a priority and a compromise, and we should talk about it more often in the context of hi-fi instead of being uncompromising. Every design and development sets priorities and must, therefore, be ready to make concessions in other areas. For example, bass: one can’t maximize the efficiency and depth of a passive box simultaneously with a given speaker size. Only my lack of experience guided me on false tracks. It is obvious now that a carefully considered balance should be maintained between speed, depth, and quantity.
Blumenhofer FS3 speakers have a fast, immediate, and pleasantly differentiated tone, which is, unfortunately, still rare in woofers. They also possess a “lightness” and instant response to bass, likely due to the minimal driver area. If the design priority for the speakers were different, it would have been possible to achieve even greater depth and substance in the lower frequencies from speakers of this size. However, this would have resulted in a loss of balance and cohesion among the drivers. I should have known that there is a fine line between speed and quantity. Mastering a perfect equilibrium is not easy, and this is, in fact, the mastery act of the creator. Lesson learned.
I have a dream
I dream of having a small cabin somewhere quiet and green, smelling of freedom and my childhood’s first day of summer vacation. I dream of an entire attic for my happy place of listening to music. I see a pair of outstanding Blumenhofer GENUIN speakers in a minimal, gorgeous system – just a pure 300B SET integrated. I can see the wood of the cabinets, the minimalistic wood rack, and the roof barns above my head. I can smell the wood of the cabinets, sense the texture of Makassar veneer, and feel the tubes’ warmth and their light reflection on my skin.
If I ever get to my cabin, I know now what I will have—definitely some high-efficiency, small horns with the purest amplification in the world. I may be brave enough to have a small vinyl collection. If not for having all the time in the world, at least for the love of a few precious albums depicted here. Sometimes, it seems that the convenience of skipping tracks is an act of blasphemy upon such pristine pieces of creativity and emotion.
In conclusion
What else is to be said? First and foremost, I want to thank a lot to the wonderful team of Audioprime, who made all this possible, not just my listening test but also the chance to see and hear Blumenhofer masterpieces in their showroom in Suceava, Romania.
You can check the price with Audioprime for Romania and with worldwide distributors and partners of Blumenhofer, as it is highly dependent on the veneer and finishing required. But these great high-efficiency horns will set you free for about 9.500 €. This is a well-deserved price point for the performance.
I will not give up on my dream. I will continue to hope for a pair of Blumenhofer FS3 in a perfect space where they can glow and thrive. I will just bear witness to the beauty of the music they create. Thank you for following me all the way.
Associated Equipment
- Digital source: a custom passive server with Euphony, Roon, JCAT NET XE powered by linear power supply – FARAD Super 10
- Transport: Lumin U2 streamer, Melco N100 powered by FARAD Super 3
- D/A concerter (DAC): Mola Mola Tambaqui
- Amplifier: CHORD Electronics Ultima 5
- Preamplifier: CHORD Electronics Ultima 2
- Loudspeakers: Raidho TD 1.2, Raidho TD 2.2
- Headphones: Meze Elite
- Headphone amplifier: Trafomatic Primavera
- Speaker Cables: Marohei Statement SE
- Interconnects: Marohei Statement SE balanced, Crystal Reference2 Diamond XLR
- Power cables: Marohei Statement SE, Crystal Ultra2 Diamond Power, Roboli Charlin
- Power: Keces IQRP-3600
- Network: Melco S100/2 switch powered by FARAD Super 3, Lumin L2 switch/music library
- Racks: Woodyard Suspended Triple, Woodyard Baby Modular
- Anti-vibration accessories: Viablue UFO DOME Cable holders, Viablue UFO Vibration Absorbers
