Quantum physicist and audio component designer Mark Porzilli’s first loudspeaker system was called Pipedreams. Introduced in 1991, Pipedreams received multiple awards and one respected audiophile reviewer at the time called it the finest speaker system on Earth. Porzilli’s next offering was the original Scaena, first introduced in roughly 2000, which was a tall line array with a vertical column of unique tear-drop-shaped speaker drivers. Scaena received awards all around the world and won Best of Show in five consecutive U.S. audio shows. Next up was 2019’s Laufer Teknik The Note (read review here), which has been my reference speaker system since its introduction.
In early December 2024, I took possession of Porzilli’s latest, and very likely his finest, speaker creation to date, the Laufer Teknik Grand Note. Like all of Porzilli’s speakers, the Grand Note is a tall line array with multiple drivers. What sets these speakers apart are the many things they do so exceptionally well, plus a noticeable lack of detriments.
What Makes the Laufer Teknik Grand Note Loudspeakers Special?
- The Laufer Teknik Grand Note is 100 percent omni-directional throughout its rated frequency range. It is also bi-emissive and, due to its radiation pattern, it is a true omnidirectional loudspeaker. There have been a number of speakers that have tried to do a 360 degree approach to sound like Bay Audio, MBL and a few others.
- The overall cabinet size is five inches wide, 20 inches deep and seven feet tall. Seven feet is a very tall speaker but, at five inches wide, it isn’t as visually imposing as gigantic tower speakers of yesteryear.
- There are 54 one-inch tweeters on a separate tweeter bar, spaced about five inches away from the speaker’s main body on the front of the cabinet. Behind this tweeter bar are 20 three-inch midrange drivers. On the backside, or the rear-facing five-inch-wide section, are 20 more three-inch midranges and a second free-standing tweeter bar with 54 one-inch drivers. The Laufer Teknik Grand Note has, in total, 296 drivers, all linearized to function as one tweeter and one midrange.
- The frequency range of the Grand Note is 50Hz to 27,000Hz. The nominal impedance is four ohms, and it rarely dips below three ohms. The efficiency is rated at 89dB with an internal crossover and, if a 31-band graphic equalizer is used, which is the option I chose, the efficiency increases to 95dB. As to power capability, it is officially rated at 5000 watts. Of course, no human could be in the same room with this resulting decibel output and not experience hearing loss, deafness, or perhaps even worse.
- The Laufer Teknik Grand Note displaces massive amounts of air and likewise delivers substantial dynamics. Moving the equivalent amount of air as four 18-inch woofers across both towers, the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes will give the listener chest-pounding dynamics at listening levels of about 70dB and up.
- This massive movement of air also tends to translate as extremely low distortion and, consequently, provides an incredibly realistic and lifelike portrayal of a well-recorded musical track.
- With 296 total drivers linearizing each other’s performance, the audio signal never leaves the magnetic gaps, normally a state which exists when no power is applied. In the Grand Notes, this means the drivers operate at their fastest and lowest distortion position, which delivers an amazing portrayal of microdetails. I have heard these details on countless tracks – details I had not noticeably heard prior to the Grand Notes. In fact, transients sound like an actual instrument, not some unknown sound that comes and goes so quickly I cannot easily be identified.
- Because of the significant number of drivers, none ever operates beyond a negligibly small fraction of their capability. Overhang is essentially eliminated. With so many drivers, each one barely even moving, distortion is effectively reduced to completely inaudible levels. This lends itself to the incredibly clean and remarkably clear sound these speakers produce.
- The image presentation is among the finest I have ever heard on any speaker at any price. The separation of instruments, operating from a completely black background, are layered from front to back, side to side, and imaging well behind the speakers themselves. Instruments may be precisely located down to a mere couple of inches from as much as 25 feet away, as opposed to conventional speakers that locate imaging in a general, non-specific area of the listening space. I also noticed most of the image presentation takes place much higher off the floor, and out into the room itself, not necessarily on a wall, as compared to more conventional speakers. In fact, imaging is so precise, and so natural-sounding, it gives the listener the uncanny feeling of watching and listening to a stage performance. Musicians appear to occupy a tangible, physical, definable space, as opposed to being a sound somewhere in a room.
- With the drivers operating at a fraction of their capability, the speakers display remarkable speed, effortlessness and vanishingly low distortion. There is no realistic distortion level that negatively affects imaging and the overall musical presentation. Dynamic compression is also effectively eliminated, which makes higher-frequency sounds come alive. Cymbals, for instance, have a significant attack and decay. Dynamic compression is theoretically possible, but the amplitude would need to be so high, any listener would not be able to stay in the same room to find out. Bottom line, the speed and basically the elimination of audible distortion and compression delivers an unnerving effect of realism. Singers, particularly female vocalists, sound as if they are in the room with you. And any track with spoken vocals will, again, sound as if they are in the room live.
- The moving mass of the drivers (the mass/weight of the drivers in motion vs at rest) is one milligram for the tweeters and four milligrams for the midrange drivers. In comparison, it is not uncommon for a large set of floorstanding speakers to have a moving mass of several hundred milligrams on the midrange drivers. All these factors contribute to the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes’ amazing performance and facilitate a clean, clear, distortion-free sonic presentation. With such a fractional percentage of the overall capability of each driver being utilized, the likelihood of driver failure is very low.
- According to Porzilli, the Laufer Teknik Grand Note has lower distortion than any floorstanding speaker of any type, including planar and electrostatic designs. It also has ribbon tweeter-like speed throughout its entire frequency range of 50Hz to 27,000Hz.
- A subwoofer, designed by Porzilli to fully complement the Grand Notes, is included. A second subwoofer for stereo utilization may be purchased separately. The customer may, of course, furnish their own subwoofer.
- Aesthetically, the Laufer Teknik Grand Note has a variety of cabinet and customization options for customer personalization. You could paint it in an automotive paint, like many other speakers in this class. In terms of wood options, the sky is the limit. Say what you would like, and the speakers will be made to your bespoke specifications.
A Brief Word Regarding Crossover Options
From day one, Porzilli was in favor of a 31-band graphic equalizer (also included in the retail price) placed between the preamp and the amplifier. This creates several notable improvements. One, it gives an amazing control of 31 specific frequencies in a manner no internal crossover could ever match. Two, it raises efficiency from about 89dB to 95dB. This markedly improves the dynamic presence. Three, an EQ allows the use of nearly any source component. Lastly, it raises the damping factor from one to 1,000. With this incredible level of control the amp can place on the drivers, the drivers are barely taxed in their performance, and this fact alone helps delivers superior sonics. Other options are available, such as passive and electronic, as well as DSP crossovers. Each of these crossover options presents certain challenges, and all crossovers cause some level of sonic degradation. Because electronic and passive crossovers typically cause more harm than an equalizer network, the 31-band EQ was chosen as the best option with the least harmful effects. Laufer Teknik will work with the customer to utilize the most favorable crossover network in order to best suit the listener’s needs.
Why Should You Care About the Laufer Teknik Grand Note?
Any audiophile in search of literally the finest sonics available, and obviously with a generous budget, should consider the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes. They do so many things right, combining the best from more popular designs, without many of the negative issues common to different types of speakers.
Any audiophile with commensurate electronics, and a masterfully constructed audio room, could easily make the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes a speaker system that will deliver a stunning, world-class musical presentation, to be enjoyed for years to come.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes
- The Laufer Teknik Grand Notes like to be placed well into a large room and not jammed up against a wall.
- While the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes are quite thin, they are very tall. As such, they may be too large for a very small audio room.
- While the available customization is a plus, it also means each pair is built to order. There are no finished products sitting in a warehouse waiting to ship. How long this lead time takes depends on the options, but it is worth noting there is a wait time for the delivery of the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes.
- Prepare to have music you once thought sounded miraculous possibly sound surprisingly bad. The Laufer Teknik Grand Notes are exceptionally accurate and, when paired with highly resolving electronics, the listener will hear a stunning as well as lackluster musical presentation. This may be presumably attributed to an accurate portrayal of the recording. Likewise, I never knew I had so much poorly-recorded music. However, this is exactly what I want and expect from my audiophile system, not a canned, homogenized, one-size-fits-all version some audio component engineer wants me to hear.
Listening to the Laufer Teknik Grand Note Loudspeakers …
I must admit the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes take some getting used to. Their hyper-accurate image placement, paired with planar speaker clarity and accuracy, yet also delivering astounding dynamics, are contrary to the typical D’appolito speaker system. Also, a fair amount of work goes into optimal positioning, subwoofer placement and settings and, if one chooses this option, graphic equalizer settings beyond what Laufer Teknik does when the speakers are built and tested. Once these conditions have been met, these speakers deliver. I have never heard such clarity in a set of dynamic speakers. Clarity and accuracy levels on the Grand Notes are on par with what a very well-made pair of planar and electrostatic speakers generally deliver. Dynamic prowess, something difficult to organically obtain in planar and electrostatic designs, are in abundance with the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes. In fact, dynamics on some recordings can at times be so powerful and forceful, the listener may even feel like they are at a live concert.
Another amazing achievement is the portrayal of the overall level of detail and accuracy. Transients are transformed from a “here and gone” sound to an actual instrument. Due to the 108 tweeters per tower, I’ve heard bells and chimes go from a whisper to positively exploding with sound. I’ve heard detail and imaging of instruments on well-known songs I had previously never heard before. I’ve heard live recordings where the singers seem to be moving around the stage, just as they would in a real-world setting. And the imaging is presented well behind and far wider than the placement of the speakers themselves – ensuring these massive speakers completely disappear. Mine are spaced about 60 inches apart and they project a lateral image presentation as much as 22 feet across. In fact, the imaging is as much bound by the walls as the system. Yet I can stand behind the listening chair on one side of the room, move sideways one small step at a time to the opposite side, and discover the imaging barely even changes, particularly the center image, which remains absolutely locked in the middle.
Hall and Oates are one of the bestselling duos of all time. Formed in 1970 and officially breaking up in 2024, the pair released a string of highly popular hits. Daryl Hall, not surprisingly, has also had a successful solo career. His hit song “Laughing Down Crying” from the Live from Daryl’s House release is a tribute to T-Bone Wolk, who played guitar on several tracks. Sadly, he died prior to the album’s completion. Hall plays an acoustic guitar and, with the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes, the varying tonal differences may be readily heard as he strums the strings. The song has flavors of pop, R&B and rock, but manifestly is representative of Hall’s storytelling acumen. Towards that end, the vocals are clear, clean, and very precise. All in all, this track flows smoothly along like a stream in the forest, and the Grand Notes help to make this all the more obvious and enjoyable.
Some music is essentially timeless and “Just You and Me” from the album Chicago VI, released in 1973 was, and remains, one of my favorites. Trombonist James Pankow wrote the tune during a disagreement with his then-future wife Karen. Peter Cetera’s vocals come through perfectly, and his somewhat high-pitched voice is perfectly displayed by the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes. World-class guitarist Terry Kath uses a wah-wah pedal, a popular device of the day. This alteration to his guitar track is readily heard and a prominent part of the music. The horn section, which always differentiated Chicago from other rock bands of the era, weaves seamlessly in and out from the guitar and drum tracks as well as the vocals. At the end, drummer Danny Seraphine makes the cymbal positively shimmer as the track closes. This song has long been considered a romantic ballad. This emotive description is supported by the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes’ ability to present an emotional musical presentation as well as technically correct sonics.
Will the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes Hold Their Value?
Because these speakers are a virtually brand-new design, and they have not been available long enough to generate a thriving used demand, this is a difficult question to answer. However, because of their amazing performance, I strongly suspect most owners of the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes will not be thinking about replacing them for quite a long time. For this reason, and despite the cost, I see them as a positive value proposition in commensurately priced systems, and acquisitions that will be enjoyed for many years.
What is the Competition for the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes?
The Radialstrahler from MBL is very likely the most well-known omnidirectional speaker manufactured today. There are several versions at various price points, culminating with the four-enclosure, decidedly massive nearly half-million-dollar 101 X-Treme MKII. Pricewise, the MBL 101 E MKII, priced at $91,000 per pair, is a very accurate comparison to the Grand Notes. Like all MBL designs, the 101 E MKII are both omnidirectional and full-range.
Slightly less costly, and not absolutely defined as being completely omnidirectional, the McIntosh Labs XRT1.1K, priced at $70,000, is also a reasonably close competitor. Like the Grand Note, the McIntosh offering is a line array. However, it also has a crossover network and woofers, midranges and tweeters. Our publisher heard these last summer at the McIntosh House of Sound in Manhattan and was impressed with their large tower speakers.
Final Thoughts on the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes …
If we can agree the main goal of the audiophile hobby is about enjoying music, and perhaps more simply to just have fun, then these speakers are a superior means towards that end. In track after track, I have been captivated by what I must presume is the process by which the studio engineered the recording. I have heard soaring high frequencies that, surprisingly, completely matched the amplitude of the more powerful bass notes. This is called dynamic linearity, something typically only accomplished with live music. The midrange portion is equally and amazingly presented. And the bass section is clear, tight, precise, and yet sounds uncannily natural. Make no mistake, Porzilli’s goal is to recreate a natural-sounding musical presentation. The Laufer Teknik Grand Note accomplishes this goal.
My audiophile listening room has been transformed with a level of sonic quality it has never heard before. The incredible level of detail, in fact on a level not typically associated with D’appolito-style dynamic speakers, is abundantly apparent. The presentation may easily range from whisper soft and intimate to dynamically ferocious without making any system changes. Because I am able to hear my music, the music I most enjoy in a manner not previously experienced, I find myself just enjoying the song and not what the room or the system is doing. I am effectively no longer listening to a recording on a stereo, I am listening to music.
Overall, there is a relaxed and easy feeling with the Laufer Teknik Grand Notes portrayal of recorded music. With such amazing pinpoint imaging, equally amazing clarity, accuracy and real-world dynamic power, it is easy to convince oneself of being in the company of live music and not a recording. The Laufer Teknik Grand Notes offer the best of what may be derived from dynamic, planar, electrostatic and horn speakers in one package. Given concomitant electronics and sources, the combined system will make for an unbelievable audiophile experience.
I have found the speakers I want to take into the future. Until, that is, Porzilli thinks of another new and innovative way to recreate even more faithfully and accurately what the recording wants me to hear. Or, perhaps, I actually hire a live band to enter my audio room to play me a song. If your system’s electronics are highly resolving, and your overall budget allows, audition these speakers. You will be treated to a resplendently amazing musical experience, one that will remove the bonds of the system, room, settings and placement. Best of all, they will simply provide glorious music. In my view, this is exactly how the audiophile hobby should be enjoyed – gloriously.
