By In the world of uber-expensive audiophile loudspeakers, there are many exciting new players in the space, but perhaps none has come as strongly in recent years as Switzerland’s Stenheim. Their rectangular, Bauhaus-inspired all-aluminum speakers might look a little boxy; however, sonically, they are anything but. While an entry-level pair of Stenheim speakers costs a little under $15,000, there are many far more expensive models that include pricy options, and that is where we find the Stenheim Alumine 5SE.
A special edition offering, the Stenheim Alumine 5SE speaker is a large-format version of what Stenheim does. A pair has twin 10-inch bass drivers and an optional, crazy-heady base that makes them even more formidable. The parts used are from topnotch vendors, yet hand-tweaked for each speaker design on a bespoke basis. The competition in the $75,000 range for audiophile floorstanding speakers is beyond fierce. How do these Swiss stunners hang with the other big boys in the class? It is my privilege to find out.
What Makes the Stenheim Alumine 5SE Loudspeaker Special?
- What makes the Stenheim Alumine 5SE a “special edition” is the crossover, which is pretty dialed-in. While not the simplest of crossovers, it is relatively minimalist in design, with only the best possible parts used. The engineers point to this expensive parts cost upgrade as part of what makes Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers notably different and how this specifically impacts depth of imaging. Let me be clear: these speakers image as well as any at any cost.
- Stenheim aren’t the only uber-audiophile speakers made out of all-aluminum, but they might be the best. There is no MDF (plywood) used in Stenheim speakers whatsoever. Any audiophile who has ever tried the “knock test” on a Stenheim speaker cabinet will report what I’ve experienced with the Stenheim Alumine Two.Fives, as well as these Alumine 5Ses, as they are very possibly the most “dead”-feeling cabinets on the market today. Wood/MDF can resonate a bit with the drivers, but not with Stenheims, as they are super-solid in terms of build quality.
- The drivers used in the Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers are from premium component providers. They are also hand-tweaked by the manufacturer with Stenheim’s direction on a per-speaker (design) basis to perform to beyond exacting tolerances in the specific speaker that they get installed into. Few audiophile speaker companies can design and build their own drivers and, just because they can doesn’t mean that they are better than the drivers made by the best designers in that business.
- Bauhaus is a design movement based around German architecture that has inspired artists like Paul Klee. Stenheim’s design aesthetic is very much Bauhaus, with subtle red stripes that accent nearly-always gray (light or dark) paint on the speakers. Not everybody is a fan of the look, but for those who are, it is a big draw.
- The Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers that I got to evaluate have optional leather on the front baffle. I was told that this is a rare option, but it can have a slight sonic benefit that might possibly soften the high frequencies a little bit. As with my Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4s (read my review), the rich Corinthian leather (that’s what I like to call it) adds a more luxurious texture to the overall speaker.
- The feet on the Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers come with are excellent. Everything on the Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers is pretty much premium, but there is an additional base, for lack of a better term, that can be added to the Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers to make them just over $92,000. Before you spit your coffee all over your computer screen or your iPhone, remember these speakers are made in the most expensive location in the world and these bases start out life as three whole chunks of aluminum before they are crafted into something that makes the world’s most solid speaker even more solid. If you invest in the more expensive Stenheim Alumine Five.SX these insane bases come included with the higher price tag.
- Custom paint colors are available, as with pretty much every speaker in this price range.Stenheim speakers are pretty basic in their look, in that they are all-in on performance, which is admirable, but if you want a pair of Alumine 5SEs in matte metallic blue, just pick out the color from a car paint company like PPG and they will get it done for you. Obviously, this is at a significant extra expense, and with time delay, but it is absolutely on the table if that is the aesthetic that you are going for.
- The Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers are incredibly efficient at 94 dB sensitivity. As one famous audiophile icon once said to me, “You can drive these speakers with a nine-volt battery,” which is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. If you wanted to use some uber-exotic SET (single-ended triode) audiophile power amp, you are fine. It is much more likely that you will power these three-way speakers that have a reported low end of 28 Hz and weigh 220.5 pounds each, with a Class-A power amp that has tons of power but also warmth and sweetness. I used ASR, which is a somewhat new brand of German high-end audio electronics, for my review. Their gear is really resolved-sounding and matches up quite nicely with Stenheim, as you will find with, say, Pass Labs, CH Precision or other really well-respected audiophile electronics brands.
Why Should You Care About the Stenheim Alumine 5SE Speakers?
The audiophile who is in the market for the best-possible-sounding loudspeakers, and who has the money to spend to chase an option from an exotic locale like Switzerland, will be compelled by the Stenheim 5SE speakers. Clearly, this wouldn’t be any audiophile’s first speakers. Much more likely, it would be their last.
Sonically, the audiophile who is into the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs is one who loves dynamics paired with a stunningly open sound. The Alumine 5SEs are as open as, say, a MartinLogan ESL speaker,but without all of the physical limitations of an electrostatic design. The Stenheim Alumine 5SEs are some of the best-imaging speakers literally ever, and that will make some with the means to dig deep to fund our next speaker upgrade.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the Alumine 5SEs Loudspeakers
- The Stenheim Alumine 5SEs are boxy-looking. Your piles of money go into cabinet build quality, parts quality, and so on. Not that Alumine 5SEs are bad-looking but, at this price, you’ve got prettier options, like, say, Estelon speakers from Estonia. Note: Alumine 5SEs don’t sound boxy at all. Not one bit.
- You don’t need a subwoofer, but you might want one. Good subwoofers aren’t that expensive and a pair of them would go nicely with the Alumine 5SEs to get that lower octave of sound. For pipe organ and EDM (electronic dance music) folks, you need to go down to 20 Hz or lower, but the bass guitar dips to about 47 Hz, most say. The reason that you may want a subwoofer with the Alumine 5SEs is to give them full sonic performance and to lift the burden of reproducing all the low end inside the 220-pound speakers. It is the same concept as to why you might want a 500-watt power amp when you only ever really use 30 to 40 watts, even when you are playing your system pretty loudly. More power (or subs, in this case) gives you a little bit more headroom and, with DRC (digital room correction), you can get them matched with a world-class audiophile speaker like the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs perfectly without too much cost or effort.
Listening to the Stenheim Alumine 5SE Speakers …
You are going to have to forgive me, because I couldn’t take delivery of nearly 500 pounds of speakers that would have to sooner-than-any-of-us-would-ever-want go back into the crates, so I was able to evaluate the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs at my friend Sunil Merchant’s retail store, Sunny Components, in Covina, California. This is a very unassuming store from the exterior, but the interior has millions of dollars of all high-end goodies. Wadax, CH Precision, Rockport Speakers, Vinnie Rossi and a a pair of my reference Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4 speakers, which gave me a good reference point. We used some of Merchant’s new line of ASR electronics, which Merchant is just starting to import from Germany to the United States. The room is very familiar to me. It is huge and a bit deadened but, overall, it is a really great place to listen to music. We had a Brinkman turntable and WADAX digital on the front end, with an AudioQuest Niagara (read Paul Wilson’s review) power product, which Wilson uses in his rig.
One track that we were listening to a lot was “Hey You” from Pink Floyd’s The Wall via Qobuz. We used this to test the pluses and potential minuses of ASR’s external $4,650 battery power supply. That song easily ported over to the next system, and I really liked what I heard. Roger Waters’ fretless bass is incredibly detailed and full-sounding, but that’s not what blew me away. What was so impressive was the depth of field, as Stenheim Alumine 5SE speakers might have the ability to reproduce this better than any other speaker that I’ve ever heard. How is that for hyperbole?
On “You Never Give Me Your Money” from The Beatles’ White Album via Qobuz, I was again struck by the amount of space. This is an old recording that used relatively old recording techniques to create musical art that is as relevant today for young listeners as it is for the folk who were around when The White Album came out. Again, regardless of the age of the recording, you can’t help but to be impressed with the detail, depth and openness of the sound of the Stenheim Alumine 5SE. The resonance of the piano was enough to give you the feels. You could feel Paul McCartney’s bass in your chest cavity, but it never was out of place or bloated at any level. Not for one minute. The percussive details of Ringo Starr’s drums in the outro of the song was riveting. When the song was done, I played it from the start all over again. And then again. And again. Forget traffic, I had found the audiophile honeypot.
Moving on to a much more complex, ambitious and aggressive modern track “Voodoo Chile” from Tom Morello was in order. The former Rage Against The Machine guitarist is very possibly the best living rock guitarist today, and the idea of covering the most iconic Jimi Hendrix song ever is pretty musically ambitious. What I love about this modern cover song is that it is bombastic when it smashes through the dynamic window, as the song starts off muted and reserved but when the chorus hits, it hits hard. I’ve heard this cut countless times on my Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4s, and the larger cabinets and large drivers in the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs were just what I like: powerful, tight and controlled. The details of Morello’s effects-laden guitar trickery were more on display than I’ve ever heard, as we are speaking of musical details that are pretty far back in the mix. At higher volumes, the overall coherence of the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs speakers was as good as you will find at any price.
Will the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs Speakers Hold Their Value?
When we talk about super-affordable audiophile products, we talk about how there isn’t much room for them to lose value. At nearly $80,000, there is plenty of room for some depreciation, as you might see with an exotic car. The SE (Special Edition) helps make the speakers a little bit more valuable. The great ink that they’ve gotten from other audiophile publications helps, too. Stenheim is a blue-chip audiophile speaker manufacturer with vastly upgraded distribution in the United States over the past five-plus years. All these factors will help preserve resale value, but the magic elixir is the raw sonic performance of the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs speakers. They just sound so good that there will always be an audiophile willing to make these speakers the cornerstone of their audiophile system.
What is the Competition for the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs Speakers?
Priced at $75,000 per pair and with only 140 pairs to be made, the Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Edition speaker comes to mind as a good comparable. The legacy of being voiced by and used at one of the world’s most historically important working recording studios goes a long way. The limited edition “Signature” moniker gets you the most from a very refined Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series product. Both speakers use leather in their design, which is unique for both speakers.
Magico M2 speakers at $76,500 are at a similar price point as the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs and share a similar, insanely well-made and well-braced aluminum cabinet. I love the sound of Magico speakers, as they too have that visceral sound that I dig with the Stenheims. The Magico M2s come complete with more sophisticated outriggers (feet) without any additional cost, as you will find with the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs. The carbon fiber drivers are super-exotic and the cabinet form factor of the Magico M2s is quite appealing.
Estelon X Diamond MK IIs from Estonia are priced at around $78,000 per pair. The Estelons come with a very modern and more organic form factor. They have great imaging like the Stenheims, but they go about getting there from a very different design perspective. Estelon also has a three-way design, and the paint finishes of their speakers might be the most beautiful in the audiophile business today.
Final Thoughts on the Stenheim Alumine 5SE Speakers …
There are no shortages of truly world-class audiophile loudspeakers in the $75,000 price range. The Stenheim Alumine 5SEs should be on any audiophile’s short list, assuming that they realistically have the type of coin to invest that kind of money into speakers. The Stenheim Alumine 5SEs image as well as any speaker that I’ve ever heard. The company spends a lot of money and effort into getting the most performance possible from their loudspeakers, and their time and energy is clearly paying dividends.
It doesn’t matter what kind of music that you listen to: the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs are up for the challenge, as these are speakers that allow you to live inside of your art and, perhaps more than anything, that’s what the audiophile hobby us really about. Simply put, you aren’t going to find many better-sounding audiophile speakers at any price than the Stenheim Alumine 5SEs. They are just that good.
