By Juan C. Ayllon Real estate tycoon Donald Trump, 46, was honing his brand with his new book, Trump – the Art of the Deal in 1989. His 58-floor, 664 feet high (202 meters) tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, was the world’s tallest reinforced concrete shear wall core structure when completed in 1983, and like his helicopter, bore his name in all caps—a perfect metaphor for the 80’s, with its overblown hair, music, attitude, and art. Back then, I pitched second mortgage and consumer loans in suspenders, coat and tie, smelling of Grey Flannel cologne, and coveted a pair of Bose 901s that Ben, a friend in commercial loans, owned. Seated on tulip stands, the 901s had a chic, low slung Mid Century Modern look, sounded quite good, and struck me as the apex of audio. But like many, for me it was mostly about the brand name, and Bose was a marketing master. However, having worked as a stockbroker during my senior year of business school, I had come to appreciate undervalued assets, and after my baptismal experience of discovering Pro Musica in Chicago in 1993, my journey eventually led me to Usher Audio with their startling combination of performance, aesthetics, and value. Ushering in a New Era By 2014, I was a veteran teacher in Chicago’s northern suburbs when Usher speakers tantalized me with their looks, but they weren’t a household name, and I mistakenly assumed that they were a pet project of R&B pop megastar, Usher Raymond IV, and hence didn’t take them seriously-–at first. However, after extended research, I reached out to Fred Kat of Usher USA in 2018 to review their Mini Dancer 2 DMD speakers (you can read that HERE). I found that not only were they visually stunning, but at $5,300, they played well above their price point. Enthralled, I purchased my review sample. I subsequently reviewed the Usher TD-10 towers and their SD-500 monitors (you can read that review HERE). Fast forward to several years ago, an excited Fred Kat raved on the phone about Usher’s new speakers that feature the strong and ultra lightweight metal, magnesium—used in spacecraft and sports cars–in their tweeters and midrange drivers. “You’ve got to hear them!” he gushed. "Magnesium is extremely lightweight and fast, making for an extremely detailed and accurate speaker," he said. "They sound magical! Normally, you'd have to pay $40,000 to hear them in a premium speaker, but with the ML-801 and 802, you can hear them for a whole lot less!" Eventually, I was able to arrange a review of the Usher ML-801s for another periodical, where I wrote the following: Suffice it to say that the ML-801s are extremely nice; featuring shimmery highs, an almost tactile and vivid midrange, and a robust deep presentation, a friend in the industry observed that they easily performed like $30,000 speakers, except they don't carry the expensive brand name. He added that if you opened up a pair of ML-801s and a $30,000 pair, they'd look remarkably the same. In audio, pricing isn't always commensurate with quality. I noted that I could have been extremely happy with the Usher ML-801s, however, I ultimately chose to review and purchase the larger Usher ML-802. Standing several inches taller, they come equipped with two -- versus the ML-801's one -- eight inch carbon fiber woofers, to accompany the magnesium implementation. “Not only do they produce more bass,” I noted later, “but they also possess a subtle tonal difference that I really like.” Built for Speed and Performance Dark and swept back like an Orca’s dorsal fin, the cabinet of the sporty three way, four driver Usher ML-802 loudspeakers look rugged and aerodynamic. At a subliminal level, they appeal to the angst of lost youth, taking us back to the 80s when a young Tom Cruise as an F-14 pilot in Top Gun, quips with his radar intercept officer (Anthony Edwards), “I FEEL THE NEED -- THE NEED FOR SPEED!” Capped by a black glass pane, there’s serious sound served up with attitude by a 1.25" magnesium alloy tweeter, a five inch magnesium-lithium alloy midrange driver, and two eight inch hybrid carbon fiber woofers on the bottom half of a two tier front baffle that’s sloped for time alignment. Horizontal elliptical waveguides surround all four drivers for wider sound dispersion, and at the bottom beneath the Usher name plate, a long rectangular front port, gives full expression to the bass. Two pairs of high quality binding posts on the back are equipped with jumpers that are removable for bi-wiring or bi-amplification. Finished in transparent lacquer, the ML-802 is available in walnut and Macassar ebony satin or high gloss wood finishes. (The review pair arrived in high gloss Macassar ebony). At the bottom, it sports a thick steel plate, and in between, it is multi-layered and curved to control resonances—with internal bracing milled from a solid block of MDF. A pair of modern, oblong stainless steel supports on conical spikes anchor them to the floor. "The front baffle and bracing is made from MDF, while the main, U-shaped frame of the speakers that curves around back is made from thin, laser-cut layers of walnut using very heavy pressure and heat treatment to bend it," Fred Kat said. "It's just one piece from front to back, and it's more of a flat U shape than the sharp U shape of the Mini Dancers." The Down Low on Usher Audio So, the question remains, if they're not designer speakers commissioned by the R&B singer, Usher, then who exactly makes these gorgeous, great sounding gems? I'm glad you asked! The Usher brand started in 1972 from a small audio shop in Taiwan and over time grew into a respected, value driven audio manufacturer. Lacking the marketing muscle of a Bose, Usher remains largely unknown to many in the U.S., but nevertheless continues designing and developing excellent speakers and amps from their new factory in Taichung, Taiwan. "We believe that no-compromise audio components can and should be friendly price-wise to all music lovers and audiophiles," Usher’s website touts, adding, "They should be a luxury that most people can afford." With solid engineering, extensive experimentation, and excellent quality control, they assert that "many of the Usher amplifiers built in the 70s are still actively serving their owners today." Play Time The Usher ML-801s were a hit in our home with their astonishing looks and performance, but after I hooked up the larger ML-802s, the improvement was noticeable. They definitely sounded bigger and a smidgen better perhaps due, in part, to their extra cabinet volume. Belle was especially struck by the extra beefy delivery. Often after work, I squeeze in 45 minutes of music listening before Belle arrives home, and after catching up with our days and the 5:00 o'clock news, we migrate downstairs and enjoy dinner in front of the large flat screen TV and the 802s. Binge watching HD shows or a movie are our staple and, afterwards, we sometimes listen and dance to music videos on YouTube. Regardless, with quality electronics like Pass Labs amplification, the Schiit Audio, Yggdrasil OG DAC, and Straight Wire cabling, the Usher ML-802 experience is rich, vivid and visceral (you can view the comprehensive system by clicking HERE). Listen Up Pete, then a publicist for Chicago's Mercantile Exchange and friend of a friend, first turned me onto this one man act, and having seen him perform with him, Belle and another couple at Woodstock, Illinois' Opera House in 2010, I am transported back there again with Willy Porter's brilliant finger-picking style and the rich, buttery tones of his baritone, nine string guitar in "Breathe" (Willy Porter. High Wire Live. Qobuz FLAC 44.1 kHz, 16 Bit. Six Degree Records, 2003). The warble of a bended string, the transients and decay of plucked nylon strings, resonant in the guitar's hollow and hanging in the hall, accelerate to a frenetic blur, while the breathiness and rasp of Porter's baritone vocals, rising from chest to head voice, effuse emotion, enchanting and assuring those in attendance -- and in my family room -- that all is well. Rendered over the ML-802s, it's a magical, soothing, and altogether satiating session. The twinkle of piano keys, the brush of a Matt Skelton's ride cymbal, the lightness of Stacey Kent's sprite, mezzo-soprano vocals articulating Kazuo Ishiguro's lyric, and the sparkle of a triangle usher in an upbeat samba treat, "The Ice Hotel" (Stacey Kent. Breakfast on the Morning Tram. Qobuz FLAC 44.1 kHz, 16 Bit, Token Productions/Blue Note Records, October 2007). Accompanied by Graham Harvey's piano, Dave Chamberlain's bass ,Matt Skelton's drums John Parricelli's electric guitar, the tone and textures come through true to form. The thud of the kick drum alternates with the floor tom. A couple measures later, John Mayer's Fender Stratocaster, with its warmth and edge, eases in the main riff, with Pino Palladino's electric bass locking in the low end. Next, it's Mayer's scratchy vocals intoning, "Some of us, we're hardly ever here...", then switching to falsetto with "down to the wire/I wanted water..." seconds later in "Vultures" (The John Mayer Trio. Try! Qobuz FLAC 44.1kHz 16-bit, Columbia Records, November 22, 2005). Recorded live at Chicago's House of Blues, the faint whistles and cheers, instruments, John Mayer's vocals, the atmosphere are all rendered with transparency, vitality and power via the Usher ML-802s. Enjoined by woodwinds and brass— the string section is rife with textures as it crescendos, with the tympani drum serving as an exclamation point, during the opening moments of "Menuetto, Allegro Molto e Vivace" (Yannick Nezet-Seguin/Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Beethoven: the Symphonies. Qobuz FLAC 192kHz, 24-Bit. Deutsche Gramophone, July 15, 2022). The woodwinds and strings are delicate one moment, and powerful the next as the orchestra rises in the refrains. Swirling strings trading leads with woodwinds in quiet moments, followed by surging orchestral swells, and their performance at Germany's largest opera and concert hall, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, is captured precise and palpable.
Concluding Remarks I noted in my review of the ML-801s my initial impressions of them were greeted with skepticism by a poster when I shared them in an audiophile group on Facebook, but after I offered that the ML-801 features better crossovers, internal components, more rigid bracing and deeper cabinets than my Mini Dancer 2 DMDs (not to mention the magic of lightweight magnesium alloy tweeter and the additional midrange driver, which enhanced midrange articulation), he went silent. The same benefits apply to the ML-802s, but with an additional woofer and larger cabinet cavity to breathe, it's even more impressive. Through the years, I've had quite a number of speakers come and go through my various dwellings. Some departed very quickly, while others stayed welcomed for years. For their wonderful balance and clarity throughout the sound spectrum, for their power, and versatility in handling all sorts of music and home theater demands thrown their way, the Usher Audio ML-802s are keepers. Barring any sort of mishap (i.e., fire, tornado, or other cataclysmic event), they'll be sticking around for years. As such, I highly recommend them for use in medium to larger spaces. Usher ML-802 Loudspeakers Retail: Satin wood finish $14,300; piano gloss $15,950 Usher USA http://usheraudio.us Usher Audio https://www.usheraudio.com.tw
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