New Joseph Audio Pulsar Graphene 2

The new Joseph Graphene speakers sure have received a lot of great reports, especially the perspectives. They seem to be featuring in many people’s Best Of Show for Axpona and Munich.

Jonathan Valin included them as BIS for Munich, Myles Astor as well, Part Time Audiophile, as well as great notices from many other audio web sites. It suggests Jeff Joseph has some real winners on his hands.

A couple more notices:

Positive Feedback:

https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/impressions-my-audio-oasis-awards-from-axpona-2019-par...

"Yep, a great room. Organic, musical, makes-you-glad-to-be-listening fine audio."

The Sound Advocate:

https://www.thesoundadvocate.com/2019/05/joseph-audio-perspective-and-pulsar-updates-axpona-2019/

the Joseph Audio “Perspective”and “Pulsar” updates heard at this years Axpona, but to one of the finest loudspeakers (Perspectives 2 Graphene) made today at any price!

The improved Perspective 2 Graphene was something that one does not hear to often, particularly at its relatively modest price. This is an ability to display an open, rich, natural and tonally neutral midrange to treble reproduction along with a firm, solid and almost “perfect” (not over blown or huge…. just naturally aligned and integrated within the complete design of the loudspeaker) bass response! The soundstage perspectives and image localization were just something to behold and totally inspiring. It is hard to say just how much of an improvement the new perspectives are over the original model, but there is no doubt that this is the “sweetest” no less audibly pronounced and close to perfect model in the Joseph lineup.

I just received my digital version of the July Stereophile in which John Atkinson does a follow up review of the new Perspective2 Graphene speakers.

JA’s review of the original Perspectives caused some head-scratching because it seemed somewhat reserved, with some obvious caveats - the speakers "didn’t work" in one reviewers room and JA, despite saying some good things about the clarity and imaging, mentioned concerns about too much high frequency presence leading to brightness and less than well controlled bottom end.


I’d say that I generally agreed with JA’s original review. Though I was far more smitten with the Perspectives than JA, I did find that some tracks I’m used to sounded a bit ear-squelching on the Perspectives, and the bottom end could get a bit bloomy. Those were my main concerns with the speaker - especially as I have sensitive ears - so I was very interested in JA’s follow up on the new version.

Turns out he was super impressed. He wrote that the high frequencies were now a bit more linear and less emphasized (both measurably and audibly), allowing him to listen at high levels with no discomfort at all, to the same recordings that he had found too bright in the first version.

He was really impressed with the bass punch and depth, saying the pitch control rivaled sealed-box designs.


As well, JA mentioned he could play the speakers very loud without a sense of compression or harshness or obscuring of fine orchestral detail.

Measurements showed the Perspective2 to be essentially the same sensitivity as the previous (even a tiny bit lower possibly), with slight changes in impedance here and there, and with a more linear high frequency.


Overall it seemed to me a clear, unreserved...even rave. review, saying the Perspective2 is a "superbly balanced" loudspeaker that he recommended over the original.

Sounds like just the ticket for me if I ever get the funds together!

It started a Stereophile Class A (lower frequence restricted) speaker. In the follow-up review, John Atkinson concluded, " I recommend it even more highly than I did the original."

@prof My favorite line from the review was "it send shivers down my spine." John Atkinson normally is fairly reserved.

Yes Mark, that whole review was as high praise as I've seen from Atkinson.  He was clearly taken by the speaker.

Funny how even a little tweak can change things.  I bet Jeff Joseph was eager to get the new speaker to Stereophile knowing it was tweaked in just the ways Atkinson would approve of. 

(Not that Joseph did the design just for Stereophile of course).

I would not describe it as a little tweak. The new drivers are something else