Vimberg Tonda D

Germany’s Vimberg loudspeakers are designed, built, and distributed by the same people at the same facility who make Tidal Audio speakers. Indeed, Vimberg partly came about as a way of making Tidal’s design, build, and craftsmanship available to a wider audience at a lower price point. Though less boutique, the Tonda loudspeaker has a shape and look that are reminiscent of the $255,000 Tidal Akira. For Vimberg, the Tonda is the largest and best-performing speaker in its portfolio. Its price ranges from $39,500 for the matte/Velvetec finish up to $53,000 for the pure diamond-tweeter-equipped Tonda D in real piano finish that is the subject of this review.

Visually, from the forward-facing position, the front and rear of the Tonda D are sloped backward with the lower edge closer to the listener and the top edge farther away. Rather than a completely rectangular front face, the Tonda D is gracefully angled on the front-side edges. Additionally, the top and bottom of the Tonda D are lower in the front than they are in the rear. As a result, the rear footbar (outrigger support bracket) is shaped to compensate for the extra tail height. The footbars receive threaded isolation balls (instead of spikes) at all four points. These isolation balls are secured with isolation clamps (threaded caps) and rest in isolator gliders (ball cups). These all combine to form a 5-point isolation device that is used on all floor types (including hardwood, tile, and carpet). 

The front face of the Tonda D houses a vertical array of five Accuton-branded drivers (tweeter, midrange, and three woofers) sourced from renowned manufacturer Thiel & Partner. To create more affordable loudspeakers, the drivers for the Vimberg line are quality production models from the Accuton catalog, rather than the custom OEM models used in the Tidal line. The tweeter is an expensive 30mm (1.18″) Accuton Cell pure-diamond unit (hence the “D” in Tonda D), and the midrange is a ceramic 168mm (6.61″) Accuton Cell. The three 190mm (7.48″) Accuton Cell woofers are long-excursion designs with 3D-shaped honeycomb sandwich diaphragms that, according to Vimberg, are built to operate in the Tonda D’s cabinet with dual-tune, bass-reflex ports, resulting in low port noise and selectable F3 bass-tuning via a removable port plug. Those dual ports are located at the top and bottom of the rear of the Tonda D. Also on the lower backside of the Tonda D is a vertically oriented single set of high-quality, Argento silver binding posts.

The Tonda D’s cabinet is made of waterproof HDF-laminate material with additional damping to further reduce resonances. Both the tweeter and midrange drivers are mounted on a substantial aluminum faceplate. The assembly is then mounted in the Tonda D’s cabinet for reinforced structural coupling. 

The internal crossover uses high-quality components from Mundorf and Duelund, exclusively. Vimberg calls the design of this crossover “monopulse” technology, which is said to have linear frequency response in addition to optimized impulse response. Vimberg also says that the crossover is designed for the specific drivers and cabinet of the Tonda D, which results in smooth blending of drivers for superb off-axis performance and excellent timing, without a penalty of impedance drops and low efficiency. The latter claim should make the Tonda D’s nominal 4-ohm impedance a little more amplifier-friendly.

Because these Tonda D’s are the North American distributor’s demo and exhibition pair, they arrived in Vimberg’s larger and heavier ATA flightcases, which put the weight of each flightcase/speaker combination around 313 pounds. This proved to be something of a challenge to unpack and setup alone. Most individuals who order a pair of Tonda D loudspeakers will most likely opt for the standard packaging. Removal and assembly of the Tonda D from the standard packaging is covered in the owner’s manual with step-by-step instructions to make the process much more straightforward and user-friendly. Additionally, I would expect the dealer to handle this set-up procedure in most, if not all, cases. Once the speakers were unpacked from the ATA flightcase and assembled, I followed the lucid set-up and placement instructions in the Tonda D’s owner’s manual. A few small location and toe-in adjustments to my preference were all that were required afterwards.

Earlier, I mentioned the two rear-mounted bass-reflex ports. One of these ports (user’s choice) can be closed off with a supplied plug. In listening tests, my preference was for the port plug to be installed in the upper port. In my installation, the sound with the plug installed there proved more linear and true-to-life. When the port plug was removed, the bass level increased—it was never overbearing in my digs—and the lowest-octave extension was diminished enough to reduce perceived linearity throughout the low-bass range. In other installations, the user may prefer the sound without the plug, or in the bottom port. Vimberg says there is no right or wrong way to make the selection, and what is “better” is what the listener prefers.

General impressions of the Tonda D show the speakers to have notably excellent imaging, resolution, detail retrieval, transient behavior, dynamic contrasts, and undiminished energy as one goes higher in the frequency range. The sound is smack dab in the middle area of balanced playback, with an ever-so-slight tilt towards the cool side of neutral in my particular setup. Much of that ever-so-slight tilt can be attributed to my personal preference for a smidge more lower midrange fullness, and because my listening room refuses to overload with bass (a good thing, IMO), where a smaller and more enclosed space would fill that particular cup a bit more completely. None of these preferences detracted from my enjoyment of the Tonda Ds’ excellent performance during their time here.

Eric Bibb teamed up with Maria Muldaur and Rory Block to create the always enjoyable album Sisters & Brothers on the Telarc Records label (SACD-63588, SACD/CD). The classic song “Gotta Serve Somebody” is an excellent composition, and still relevant as it spans the generations since Bob Dylan originally penned the lyrics. In Bibb’s version, the Tonda D captures the bloom within the music on both vocals and instruments. The soundstage is big and expansive yet very precise and detailed. Examples of this resolution could be heard on guitar fingering, on vocals (with overdubs easily observed), and on piano tone, whether single notes or chords. Instruments were portrayed with captivating realism on the Tonda D. Listeners could experience this realism with little effort on the sound of the kick-drum skin, the tight snare, or the tambourine’s full motion and impact from the upswing, downswing, and body strike. Background instruments like organ and some guitar licks were effortlessly distinguished. Bibb’s vocals serve as the lyrical focus and center of the song, with Block (left) and Muldaur (right) singing chorus. Each vocalist’s placement within the mix was clearly identifiable in location and vocal timbre. 

For timing and pacing, the drums and bass lay the foot-tapping foundation. Though bass quality was discernible, easy to follow, and appropriate given the musical flow, the mastering of this recording makes the bottom octaves less crisp and upfront than they are on other songs in my collection that use different recording techniques. The Tonda D made these recording and mastering decisions clear.

The quality of timing and dynamics could also be heard on Duke Ellington’s album Blues In Orbit (CS 8241, Classic Records LP). The title song showed the speaker’s capability in these areas well. Exceptional timing was immediately captured in the clear and precise cymbal work that starts the tune. Bass playing, while in the background, was also clear. (This clarity served as a contrast to the bass-range recording and mastering on “Gotta Serve Somebody.”) Duke’s piano strikes were sharp, accurate in timbre, and quite suitably dynamic on fortes. With reserved horn playing, the piano takes center stage as the most macro-dynamic instrument on this tune, and Ellington pulls off his star role incredibly well. The next track on the album, “Villes Ville Is the Place, Man,” does a role reversal with horns dominating the dynamic fortes and the piano playing more at the medium-to-background level. On this tune, the horns soared with abandon and cut loose with macro-dynamic swells that were impressively reproduced by the Tonda D. This is the type of dynamic contrast that a speaker in this performance class should be able to elicit with ease.

The final and more focused piece of music I tested with was the Sonata for Solo Cello by Gyorgy Ligeti. This recording was captured on analog tape by Yarlung Records using a custom-designed SonoruS ATR12 recorder. My 15ips, ¼”, 2-track duplicate is a one-to-one copy of the original (or running) mastertape. (The tape is available from Yarlung Records, and is an excellent recording with no post-processing of any kind.) The purity of sound from this tape is refreshing and comes through exceptionally well with the Tonda D. On the tape, the less reverberant sound of the Alfred Newman Recital Hall is correctly on the dry side. This acoustic lends itself to capturing the direct timbre of the cello without too much of the hall’s sound influencing what is being played—thus avoiding a wetter presentation. The Tonda D was able to convey the realistic sound of the cello as heard at the microphone. The bowing motion and direction changes, fingering, and intricate sound of the action of playing were all startlingly apparent, if one chose to focus on those aspects. On the other hand, the listener could just immerse himself in the music, and enjoy the incredibly stark contrasts in Ligeti’s composition (and Rosselet’s playing) between the delicately flowing Dialogo and spritely, aggressive Capriccio, which was written several years later. The Tonda D captured it all, and delivered the goods as Frederic Rosselet poured his passion and skill into the performance.

In closing, the Tonda D has a sleek and refined appearance to match its sound. Like the lovely and refreshing feel of an early morning breeze in the heat of summer, the Tonda D reproduces music with a cooling, fresh, pure, and welcoming vibe. As a result, well-produced music sounds great, mediocre music sounds mediocre, and less than well-engineered music has no place to hide. The three different playback sources (digital, vinyl, and 15ips reel-to-reel tape) used in listening examples above show the Tonda D to be capable of revealing multiple delights and contrasts with different genres of music. While staying generally neutral in presentation, the influence of upstream components, room interaction, and the music itself are what the Tonda D most clearly presents to the listener. This level of transparency is often craved by listeners who value fidelity to sources. If that is you, the Tonda D should be on your audition list. 

Specs & Pricing

Type: Three-way dynamic loudspeaker
Drivers: 30mm (1.18″) Accuton Cell diamond tweeter; 168mm (6.61″) Accuton Cell ceramic mid/woofer; 3x 190mm (7.48″) Accuton Cell woofers
Impedance: 4 ohms (3.4 ohms at 100Hz)
Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V @ 1 meter/1kHz)
Dimensions: 17.28″ x 56.69″ x 25.59″ (including footbars)
Weight: 212 lbs. ea. net
Price: Tonda (in matte/Velvetec finish) $39,500; Tonda (in piano finish) $42,500; Tonda D (in matte/Velvetec finish) $50,000; Tonda D (in piano finish) $53,000

VIMBERG
Immendorfer Str. 1
50354 Hürth
Germany
+49 2233 966 9226
info@vimberg.de
vimberg.de

WYNN AUDIO (USA & Canada Distributor)
Unit 31
20 Wertheim Ct.
Richmond Hill
Ontario L4B 3A8
Canada
(647) 995-2995 (Canada); (212) 826-1111 (USA)
info@wynnaudio.com
wynnaudio.com

Associated Equipment:

Analog tape: Otari MTR-10 Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck with custom Flux Magnetic Mastering Series repro head and secondary custom tube output stage, Studer A820 Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck (x2), Studer A80VU MKII Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck, Stellavox SP7 (¼” 2-track) tape deck with ABR large reel adapter, ReVox G-36 (¼” 4-track) tape deck
Analog vinyl: Basis Audio Debut Vacuum with Synchro-Wave Power Supply, Basis Audio 2800 Vacuum ‘tables; Basis Audio SuperArm 9, Basis Audio Vector IV (x2), Graham Phantom III tonearms; Lyra Atlas, Lyra Atlas SL, Lyra Etna, Lyra Etna SL, Lyra Titan-i, van den Hul Colibri XGP, Hana SL cartridges
Phonostage: The Raptor (Custom), Ayre P-5xe, Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ w/Linear Charging Power Supply.
Preamp: Dual Placette Audio Active linestage
Amp: Custom/Modified solid-state monoblocks

Speaker: Vandersteen Model 3a Signature with dual 2Wq subwoofers and dual SUB THREE subwoofers using M5-HPB high-pass filter, Vimberg Tonda D
Cables: Assortment of AudioQuest, Shunyata, Tara Labs, Acoustic Research, Cardas, and custom cables
Racks/Accessories: Minus-K BM-1, Neuance shelf, Maple wood shelf, Symposium Ultra, Aurios Pro, Pneuance Audio, Walker Audio, Klaudio RCM, Kirmuss RCM, VPI RCM, Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional Sonic RCM
Room: 18′ (W), 8′ (H), 43′ (L)