Cubette Mk 2 Review

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Quarknosis
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Cubette Mk 2 Review

Unread post by Quarknosis »

This review is long overdue but to be honest I have been struggling to assess the new version of the Cubettes. That is not a negative because I really like what they do which is play music in such an enjoyable way that I do not feel the need to listen critically.

There are a couple of examples where I have heard clear improvements though. For example on a track from on Aswad's second album the sound of the tambourine's cymbals could be clearly heard for what they were from within the mix when it hadn't been clear what they were on any of my previous speakers. On another Reggae track that I have been listening to for years and singing the words Heavy, heavy monoset and wondering what it was supposed to mean it finally became apparent that the words are "Heavy, heavy manners, yeh" which makes a whole lot more sense in a Reggae song, both of these examples and others like them making the music more enjoyable.

It isn't just Reggae that I listen to though and listening to recordings of Big Bands seemed to make more sense, as if the the sections within it were communicating with each other rather than just all playing along, unfortunately I can't describe this feeling/experience any better than that.
The Cubettes might be small but bass is excellent, the certainly beat the larger Epos ES11s that I was using beforehand. Acoustic bass is natural and electric bass sound fluid, fast and sounds like it should, never overblown. The Cubettes are tigher, faster and deeper than the Epos which are also infinite baffle speakers with just a resistor and capacitor just like the Cubettes. The Epos seem to be warmer speakers overall but the clarity of Cubettes wins that day letting the recording dictate performance rather than the speakers.

To note some comparisons with Docs other speakers, I have heard heard Cubette Mk1s and Cube 3s in my own home and Cube 1s at Savvy's. Although it is a good while since I heard the Cube 1s, in comparison the new Cubette's can't produce the prodigious bass of the 1s, but compares very well everywher else considering the cost and driver differences. Against the previous version of the Cubettes I think the new ones are far better in every department, I would consider the improvement enough to justify the upgrade but I have to admit that I haven't been able to compare them side by side. In a previous review I mentioned that the earlier version couldn't produce the deepest bass and for that reason I couldn't live with them. The new version still can't produce the very deepest electronic sub bass but everything else from "real" instruments is totally satisfying which didn't seem to be the case with the originals. One thing I did criticise the originals for was a lack of "scale", I didn't find this to be a problem with the new version. Remembering that it is quite a while since I heard the Cube 3's at home so don't have a direct comparison between them, I feel that I have been able to get better performance from the new Cubettes than I could from the 3s.

So my conclusion is that the Cubette Mk 2s are a brilliant speaker and a fantastic bargain that definitely need to be heard and given a chance to show what they can do. I personally prefer the plain box styling of the Cubettes over the Cube series and for that reason they are keepers.
Main System. Amp - Luxman LV-120, CD - Pioneer PDX505 & Hitachi DA 401. Turntable - Trio KD-2055/Denon DL-110 & Ortofon VMS20E. Cassette Deck - JVC KD A55. Speakers - Arcam Alpha connected with NVA LS3.

Headphone System - Little Dot Mkiii headphone amp, various vintage CD players into NVA P50 with Sennheiser HD600 and Beyer DT 880

Ukulele Sam
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Re: Cubette Mk 2 Review

Unread post by Ukulele Sam »

Interesting, thanks for the informative review.

I have a pair of the mk1 Cubettes and really like what they do but had been considering the new ones, just because I preferred the look and clean lines of the acrylic but it seems it could be a worthwhile jump in quality as well.

Only thing is I guess it would not be an 'upgrade' in trade in terms, so mine might be going on Ebay soon!

BillyBones
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Re: Cubette Mk 2 Review

Unread post by BillyBones »

I'm really pleased with my MkII Cubette's. A steal for the price, I bought a pair of "B" stock so an even bigger steal!

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