The Absolute 2 marks Spirit's entry into the ultra-competitive nearfield monitor market, but does it have the firepower to outgun its rivals? Chris Kempster puts on his flak jacket and dives for cover...

I've lost count of the number of new nearfield monitors I've listened to in the last year, and the fact that still more models are emerging shows that even in the most humble of recording setups, a decent pair of monitors is seen as an essential item, not a luxury.

And that's good news, as it seems the message has got through that cheap hi-fi speakers just can't cut it when it comes to recording music. PMC, Alesis, Richard Allen, JBL and Tannoy all have models under the £400 mark, so you might think that a new kid on the block would make the buying decision even harder. Paradoxically, the new Spirit Absolute 2 might actually make it easier...

Déjà vu

The Absolute 2 was first unveiled at last year's APRS show, and although a quick listen at the show gave the impression of a serious contender in its market, it was hardly the place to make a judgement (amid the hubbub of 100 sound systems).

Six months later in the peace of the studio, and I'm instantly impressed by their appearance. With their sleek lines and solid construction, the Absolute 2 wouldn't look out of place in the most professional of studios.

The ferro fluid cooled soft dome tweeter and low frequency driver, with solid cast chassis, are complemented by a bass port. This not only extends the speaker's useful low frequency response, but is supposed to "reduce air turbulence, contributing to the Absolute 2's smooth, uncoloured LF characteristics." We shall see.

Moving to the back, you first notice that the option of bi-wiring the speakers is available, via the twin sets of gold-plated binding posts. If you intend to use this facility, then you need only remove the shorting links between the posts, to utilise two sets of parallel cables. For normal operation, leave the shorting links in place.

The terminals themselves are straight-forward, allowing the use of either banana plugs or bare wire. So that's the physical attributes of the Absolute 2, now let's check out the ones that matter...

Listening

Most people find a certain characteristic in a monitor that they particularly like, and I'm no exception. For some people, it's an impressive bass response that turns them on, or maybe a sizzling top end that gets them going, but for me it's an uncluttered, spacious sound.

Not the easiest of characteristics to describe. I admit, but if you've heard speakers with it, you'll know what I mean. Well, the Absolute 2 certainly displays this trait, and an important point it is too, since it makes mixing so much easier when you can really hear what's going on.

Spirit recommend using the Absolutes in an upright position, and although you would normally expect to get a more accurate impression with the drivers on the same level (i.e. with the monitors on their sides), in practice they worked line in this orientation.

To those people who need a pretty heavy bass end, and I know there's a lot of you out there, I can assure you that the Absolutes are well up to scratch. As the enclosed literature promises, the LF response is very smooth indeed it seems those 'carefully chosen dimensions' of the bass port paid off. Lots of uncontrolled bass is no good to anyone, and will lead to mixes that won't travel further than your studio door, so it's a relief that the impressive bass response of the Absolute is not achieved at the cost of accuracy.

If anything, the Absolutes seemed slightly 'middy', but certainly not as much as NS10s for example, and this impression can also be due to the 'airiness' characteristic that I described earlier. So, no bad thing.

Verdict

If these monitors cost £400 then they'd warrant serious attention from anyone in the market for nearfields. When you consider they're selling for £258.50, then you have to put them at, or very near the top of, any list that you make. While sounding very easy going to the ear, they are pretty honest as well, and that's not a combination that you find too often. It's dangerous to go overboard in recommending monitors, since it is a personal thing, but what I will say is that this is a very good monitor, and simply has to be auditioned before you make your final choice.