Peak Consult, the new Peak Consult, describe their raison d’etre as “a passion project.”
By the new Peak Consult I’m referring to the company’s change of ownership in 2021 that saw Lennart Asbjørn Jensen and former Dynaudio owner Wilfried Ehrenholz join forces to take Peak, a company that was founded by Per Kristoffersen in 1996, to a new place. A place that suited their taste using Kristoffersen’s cabinet-making expertise combined with Ehrenholz’s vast experience with drivers and crossovers as their foundation.
While Peak Consult employs measurements including laser vibrometry, Klippel analysis, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) as an important part of the design and manufacturing process, I would suggest they are but one tool used in the service of sound, the sound of music to be more specific when played through a system fronted by a pair of Peak Consult loudspeakers. While this is kinda obvious we have a faction of hifi enthusiasts who put the cart before the horse so to speak by moving measurements to the fore and our experience of listening to music to the rear. An assbackwards approach if you ask me seeing as we are the final arbiter of the effectiveness of a hifi’s ability to play music. Test equipment doesn’t know anything about music or passion.
Here’s a related quote from Peak:
A PEAK loudspeaker is balanced to such fine tolerances that unless the system is operating at the same temperature and all the elements have experienced the same burn-in time as the 2000+ hour prototype, the listener will simply not experience what our R&D team wants them to hear and feel.
And here is the strange thing – you can measure a brand-new off production Sinfonia loudspeaker and it measure the same as the 2000+ hour prototype – yet they sound vastly different. And because this can’t be proven scientifically (yet) there are still many sceptics to this subject.
Before I get going, I’m reminded of something David Chesky said back in 2012 during a seminar I hosted at the New York Audio Show which I remember as follows: “The great thing about working in this industry is it’s full of people who are passionate about what they do.” And I couldn’t agree more some 14 years later.
The Peak Consult line consists of five speakers (in descending price order)—Dragon Legacy, SunFyre, El Diablo, Sinfonia, and Sonora with the center channel Tonos filling out the small stable. Every Peak model comes equipped with proprietary drivers built to Peak Consult’s specifications and sourced from Audio Technology and Scan-Speak, both founded by Ejvind Skaaning who also co-founded Dynaudio along with Gerhard Richter in 1977. Oh what tangled webs we weave.
The Sinfonia are a 3-way, 3-driver, rear-ported design with a 26mm silk soft dome tweeter and an 11cm polypropylene midrange driver sharing the slanted top portion of the front baffle while a 20cm polypropylene bass driver sits perfectly vertical below. Frequency response reaches down to 35Hz according to the company while the Sinfonia’s 89dB @ 1w/1m sensitivity and a flat 5 Ohm impedance—the company actually calls it an “exceptionally flat curve” and refer to this aspect of the crossover design as Peak Loudspeaker Impedance Control (PLIC)—make for a friendly load for the accompanying amplifier.
The Sinfonia sit on adjustable outrigger footers which came in handy when dialing in the rake angle, I went with a slight forward tilt, height, and getting the drivers level from left speaker to right. All of this, and more, is explained in detail with photos in the 9 page setup guide. Those footers slid easily on the B-Side’s carpet so I was able to get the Sinfonia properly positioned relative to the side and front walls with relative ease, dialing in their ample bass response while making the pair sonically disappear. I will note that I use tape measures, a laser measure, self-leveling cross-line laser, bubble levels, and tape to assist in this process. Speaker setup may be most the important and most overlooked aspect of getting the best sound from your hifi.
As I hope you can see, the Sinfonia are made to a very high standard and their 170 lbs a piece weight speaks to robust cabinet construction that’s meant to minimize resonance.
I’ll let Peak talk about the cabinet construction:
The cabinets are constructed from multiple layers of high-density fiberboard (HDF), with wall thicknesses ranging from 36mm to 50mm depending on the model. The laminated layers are bonded using a special foam vibration-damping glue that never hardens, significantly reducing cabinet resonance while maintaining long-term stability.
Inside, precisely calculated bracing points make the cabinets extremely rigid. Two types of glue—a hard carpenter glue and a thick acoustic glue—are used in combination to further minimize structural resonances. Each cabinet is finished with a 14mm layer of solid hardwood and acrylic, bonded to the framework with an industrial-grade adhesive.
I’m reminded of Rockport’s approach to cabinet construction that seems to be at least as fanatical if not more so. The crossovers are hand-soldered, no PCBs, using high quality parts including multiple graphite resistors that cost over €50 a piece according to the company and reside on separate MDF boards for low, mid, and high frequencies each residing in their own sealed, sand-filled chamber “to minimise microphonic issues and heat buildup.”
To my eyes, the Peak Sinfonia exude a kind of old world charm with that rich and dark (and beautiful) walnut finish, they are also available in Ash and Wenge, while the black mirror acrylic stripes, black leather baffle, and aluminum footers let you know we’re not stuck in nostalgia.
During their 2-month Barn stay, the Peak Sinfonia were paired with three stacks from three companies—the recently reviewed Aragon Tungsten Preamp & Iridium Monoblocks (review), the Aesthetix Calypso Eclipse Tube Linestage & Atlas Eclipse Power Amplifier (more info), and the Esoteric Grandioso C1X solo Preamplifier & Grandioso S1X Power Amplifier (more info). Digital duties were handled by the recently reviewed and overachieving Wattson Madison Streaming DAC & Madison Power S (review), the Barn resident totaldac d1-unity (review), and the Mola Mola Tambaqui (review) fronted by the Holo Audio Red DDC & Network Streamer (review) with all cabling provided by AudioQuest (see full system and Barn details).
Let’s talk synergies and sound qualities. As reality would have it, each amplification partner brought out different sonic qualities from the Sinfonia which is one reason audiophiles enjoy building systems—to taste. The Aragon stack offered the most brute force and super fast control which brought out very tight and controlled bass as low as the music cared to go with a pristine sound image where each element had its own solid presence in space. These qualities made for real excitement especially at higher volume levels as music felt solid and certain with superb jump factor. Startling jump factor is more like it.
The Esoteric Grandioso S1X’s Class A goodness painted a more lush sound picture, shifting the sonic focus to tone and texture even at low volume levels while offering very good control, air, and space. Rich is the word that kept coming to mind, albeit not as highly resolved overall as with the Aragon stack.
Last and in no way least, the Aesthetix gear dipped more than a toe into both presentations offering great grip, super speed, crazy dynamics that kicked like a drum, while combining that with what struck me as a just right richness, not too fat or too lean. In many ways I am more of a Goldilocks listener as my preferences prefer this kind of middle ground sound.
Filling in the full system sound picture, each of these pairings could be further flavored by the DAC where the Mola Mola Tambaqui paired nicely with the Esoteric gear for its extra emphasis on resolution while the totaldac added its welcome richness when paired with the Aragon and Aesthetix stacks, a richness that was too much of a good thing with Esoteric. All to say we listen to systems not speakers or amplifiers.
The following listening notes are intended to focus in on what the Peak Sinfonia do regardless of partners unless otherwise noted. But first I’ll tell you about some standout qualities of the Sinfonia that remained consistent regardless of the other gear in play. Two things come to mind, a kind of one-two punch that became addicting over the course of their stay, I would describe as visceral then emotional. The Sinfonia make music sound and feel about as solid as I’ve heard with stunning dynamic impact and body which tips the sonic scales to the warmer side of neutral. This presentation drew me deep into the meaning of music, making singer’s words feel vital and impactful which led to a deeply felt emotional connection.
That being said, the Sinfonia are not dark sounding or lacking in resolution and when properly placed and setup they made music, any music, feel natural and well balanced and more importantly my level of engagement was always centered on the music, not the system. From my way of hearing, I tend to think about this kind of presentation as appealing more directly to the body while other more resolving-sounding speakers like the impressive Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero tickle my brain a bit more.
If you want an easy Sinfonia takeaway, take away that they make music feel full bodied, rich, and emotionally rewarding.
Kevin Morby’s latest, Little Wide Open is delightful for his way of twisting words around melodies like lovely dizzying loops with fiddle, guitar, and a host of great guests including Aaron Dessner, Amelia Meath, Andrew Barr, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, and Meg Duffy adding to the riches. Here the sounds of acoustic instruments rang out real, feeling fully formed in space with their whole voice—attack, tone, overtone, decay—arriving and fading away like live with their resonant bodies firmly in tact. And while I almost hate to go here, vocals stood out and felt reach out and touch it real drawing me in to whatever it is the singers were singing about. The level of engagement felt nearly like the warmest and most comfy bed you’ve ever slipped into on a cold winter’s night. That welcoming, that comforting, that inviting.
The Bug, aka Kevin Richard Martin, makes music that feels dangerous, deep, and strange like finding yourself in a William Gibson-inspired bleak city that never sees the light of day only the constant buzzing and throbbing of industrial and electronic life. The Bug’s Ladybug 1 EP was released last month on Martin’s own Pressure label and features Berlin-based producer and performer Dis Fig (aka Felicia Chen) on vocals. Before you hit play make sure your level is set, both volume and mood, because Martin’s love of deep bass is on prominent display in each of these mixes, all variations on “Vanishing”.
Here’s something I wrote about listening to the smaller Peak Consult Sonora at Axpona 2026:
This was an elegant system in sight and sound and my ears delighted in its surprising “where’s the subwoofer” fullrange reach and authority coming from a modestly-sized two-way (albeit one that weighs nearly 150 lbs which tells you something about what’s going on inside).
To carry on with this line of audiophile cliché, the Sinfonia may have you wondering where are the pair of subwoofers as their way with bass is impactful like a thump in the chest from the Jolly Green Giant (or, if you prefer a more Marvel analogy, the Hulk). Think deep impact which is what you want and need when listening to music like Ladybug 1 which lays the foundation, the rumble, for the bleak sonic landscapes and mesmerizing vocals from Dis Fig built above. Martin also loves describing, in sound, vast landscapes and the Sinfonia proved very adept at materializing that vision in space. Solid, specific, and vast.
I’m going to touch on The Body & BIG|BRAVE’s Leaving None But Small Birds again because I love this record the more time I give it. To quickly recap, we have two otherwise hardcore bands exploring their love of traditional folk music without loosing sight of their sound. Drone, repetition, and dirge are on display and you want this music to feel solid, grounded in the earth like some ancient moai. Here all of the Sinfonia’s strengths come together offering up among the most stirring renditions of this record I’ve had the pleasure to feel.
And feel I did as this music played through the Sinfonia had that life force like waves of sound pushing me and my thoughts around like a toy sailboat in rough seas. Perhaps the most important point to make here is that the Sinfonia make music feel believable and physically present, believable covering the various sonic check list items that typically get detailed and parted out in a review as if the parts are somehow more important than the whole, an approach I find as useful as words describing the brushstrokes in a painting. If rocking along, leaning into and out of the sound image to feel its full force, is any indication of sound quality the Sinfonia scored a perfect 10 out of 10.
In and around the Sinfonia’s price, we find a few Favorite Speakers including the aforementioned Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero Loudspeakers (review) and the Gauder Akustik Elargo 200 Loudspeakers (review) but I’m afraid that direct comparisons were not possible as they both left long ago in reviewer time. I can tell you, as I did in the reviews, that each of these fine speakers offer many outstanding qualities while none of these three sound anywhere near alike.
The recently reviewed Dynaudio Conference 60 (review) overlapped with the Sinfonia’s stay, a kind of meeting of…cousins?…and they are very different sounding speakers (I will note that this comparison is kinda moot as Dynaudio announced they shutting down North American operations next month). The Dynaudios, especially when paired with their perfect partners in the Aragon stack, are exciting speakers in that they jump with a light step and are capable of filling the Barn, i.e. a big room, with lots of full-range music energy. But I would say their appeal tilts toward the intellectual, a more resolving sound that appeals more to my head than my heart. The Sinfonia are nearly all heart.
When I settled in to listen to the Sinfonia, I was greeted by a level of visceral and emotional impact that I frankly didn’t see coming. Music kicked hard, cried, shouted, rocked, danced and had me in its grip first physically then the rest followed. No matter the music for as long as I had time to listen.
I know plenty of audiophiles who steer clear of ‘modern speakers’ because they feel something has been lost along the way, namely the kind of emotional appeal I found on full display in the Peak Consult Sinfonia, a modern speaker that’s fully capable of inspiring passion.
Peak Consult Sinfonia Loudspeakers
Price: $58,900/pair
Company Website: Peak Consult
North American Distributor: Bluebird Music
Specifications
Design: High-End 3-way ported design
Sensitivity: 89dB @ 1w/1m
Impedance: 5 ohms +/- 1 ohm, PLIC (Peak Linear Impedance Control)
Dimensions: (H x W x D) 114 x 30 x 46 cm
Weight: 78 kg each
Finishes: Solid hardwood/Acrylic, Pure White, Midnight Black
Termination: Single wire, bi-wire an option