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GRADIENT HELSINKI 1.5

GRADIENT HELSINKI 1.5

In 2007 the world of audio saw one of the most extraordinary loudspeaker ever designed. It had no box whatsoever, and yet managed to sound according to the best acoustic principles that have guided Gradient from the very beginning. Gradient Helsinki 1.5 has received many rave reviews and also the Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound - magazine.

Gradient Helsinki 1.5 reflects our completely unique approach to loudspeaker design. Several innovative technologies control the room-loudspeaker interaction. The loudspeakers as well as the room virtually disappear and take the listener middle of the original recording place.

Recommended Component 2012, 2013, 2014

Stereophile

Golden Ear Award 2008

The Absolute Sound

Robert E. Greene, The Absolute Sound (Jan 2009)

This speaker has things to offer that no other does, especially in putting you in the space of the recording venue. There is literally nothing else like it, and it is an indispensable audition if you care about the proverbial "state of the art".

Best Sound of the SSI Show (Montreal SSI 2010)

Marc Philip, Audio Magazine (March 2010)

Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+ (April 2010)

One of the most exciting and realistic-sounding loudspeakers money can buy.

Art Dudley, Stereophile (Aug 2010)

Though I was skeptical at first, I came away thinking that the Helsinki 1.5 is a must-hear for anyone with a taste for hi-fi adventure, and quite possibly a must-own for anyone for whom clarity of presence can tip the scale toward ecstasy.

John Atkinson, Stereophile (Nov 2010)

Gradients Helsinki 1.5 offers basically excellent sound for a not unreasonable price.

The Absolute Sound, March 2011

This unusual design from Gradient’s Jorma Salmi, with wave-guided tweeter, disc-mounted midrange, and side-firing dipole woofer, is intended to erase your listening room from the sound you hear. And it delivers the goods: Few other speakers can give you an equal sense of being transported to the performance venue. With the right setup, its spatial performance is at the top level attainable at any price.

Marc Philip, Magazine Audio (Aug 2011)

Vivre avec les Helsinki dans mon salon est une expérience qui m’a plu, je me suis bien amusé, je suis prêt à recommencer n’importe quand.

New York Audio & AV Show 2012 coverage

John Atkinson & Stephen Mejias, Stereophile (April 2012)

Gradient Conquers Room Acoustics - The sound was open, clear, and vibrant, with well-defined images placed across a wide stage. I heard no evidence of the bass problems that troubled many other systems.

New York Audio & AV Show 2012 coverage

Steve Guttenberg, CNET (April 2012)

The best of the best in high-end audio - The Gradient Helsinki 1.5 speaker is a "boxless" design, it sounds as amazing as it looks.

New York Audio & AV Show 2012 coverage

Scot Hull, Part-Time Audiophile (April 2012)

The sound in the Gradient room, with everything running, was quite simply unrivaled at this show.

HomeTheaterReview.com (April 2012)

Jeremy R. Kipnis

Several amazing pieces of organ music, live club jazz and female vocals proved to be intoxicating. The sonic imaging placed me in the room where each of the recordings was made, and each projected a different-sized space. Holographic would be the best word to describe this system. Whether sitting in front or standing in back of the speakers, the sound was so extremely visceral and huge that you could easily lose yourself in the illusion of being at a live music event. This was the most realistic and musical sound at the 2012 New York Audio Show.

Audio Excellence - award HIFICRITIC (7-9.2012)

Martin Colloms

This design is literally outside of the box, yet has a solid theoretical foundation, and an elegant inner tonal balance. A quirky mixture of aesthetic and sonic elegance, it’s maybe not for everyne, but it’s cogently engineered, makes a signiﬁcant contribution to the art of loudspeaker design and clearly deserves recommendation, especially in view of its decidedly modest price.

Editors Choice Award 2008. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

The Absolute Sound

Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound (April/May 2008)

The sound was beatifully clean, clear and open, with, always a hallmark of Salmi’s designs, a solid soundstage of very precise imaging.

Specifications
Downloads

Specifications

Make and model: Gradient Helsinki 1.5

Frequency response: 60-20000Hz +/-2dB, 35Hz -6dB

Crossover frequency: 200Hz and 2200Hz

Impedance: 6 Ohms, minimum 4 Ohms

Recommended amplifier power: 50-250W

Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/1m

Drivers: 1x300mm long throw woofer, 150mm pulp cone midrange, 19mm aluminum dome tweeter

Radiation patterns: Bass: dipole, midrange & treble: cardioid

Features: Bi-wiring, bi-amping ready (Applicable when Speakon chosen)

Connections: Binding posts, 2 pcs or four pole Speakon

Weight: 27kg

Room size: Medium - Large

Made in: Finland

Downloads

Helsinki 1.5 user guide

User guide in English

Download (1.66MB)

Helsinki 1.5 product sheet

Product sheet in English

Download (838.79KB)

Helsinki 1.5 tuote-esite

Product sheet in Finnish

Download (762.43KB)

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