Once every few years I get to listen to these amazing little glass enclosure speakers from Perfect8, known as The Cube. The first time I heard these Swedish monitors, many years ago, I couldn’t believe the soundstage on these things. It feels like you’re sitting in the middle of the performance, like headphones, except you can walk around and explore. The only downside to these see-through masterpieces was the price–$70K pair.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
Perfect8 seemed to disappear from the scene for a few years, and then I encountered them once again at the 2019 Capital Audiofest–Perfect8 not only provided a first-rate and informative demo, but he announced a new lower price of just $20K for the monitors and an additional $15K for the subwoofer. Now here it is, more than four years later, and they’re at FLAX 2024. The price for the Perfect8 The Cube with the subwoofer is a still reasonable $40,000 complete.
If you look at my 2019 show report, you’ll see that this is still the same exact system Perfect8 used–Ypsilon Phaethon integrated amplifier and DAC 100. It’s a simple system, but very high-end. The sound is no less magnificent than before, but I will make one comment–I was treated to “Chocolate Chip Trip” and it sounded very different than with most systems. The Perfect8 and Ypsilon system seemed to present a slightly different perspective than usual, and drummer Danny Carey seemed a bit larger than life (which he already is).
But do I care? The Perfect8 The Cube doesn’t sound like any other speaker I’ve heard, so I don’t expect it to fall in line with my expectations. I love The Perfect8 The Cube because of its uniqueness, the soundstaging and the imaging that seem impossibly vivid, and the low frequencies that are low and truly satisfying. You know I want to review these. BADLY.
