I’ve considered Göbel High End speakers from Germany among the world’s best transducers, especially after I heard them for the first time in Munich a couple of years ago. I awarded them Best Sound of Show that year–I’ve never heard a pair of speakers, albeit huge ones, deliver the unrestrained dynamics of big percussion in a more natural way. Since then I’ve seen Göbel at many high-end audio shows. I was enjoy listening to them but I always find their size to be quite daunting. Enter the Divin Comtessa.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
The Divin Comtessa is a relatively small speaker, but still quite large to most non-audiophiles. Göbel High End installed the same system they usually reserve for the behemoths–Kronos turntable, Wadax digital, Pilium amplification and even one of Göbel’s $30K subwoofers. That latter addition probably helped the Divin Comtessa reach the type of performance you’d usually expect from the Divin Noblesse, the model I heard that first time at Munich 2022. Nevertheless, I felt that I was hearing an honest-to-goodness Göbel High End speaker with all of the power, authority and control I expect.
The dimensions of the Divin Comtessa suggest that this might be the first Göbel High End product that I could request for a review without being laughed at. The Divin Comtessa costs 59,000 euros per pair, modest by Gobel standards but reasonable within the big picture. In fact, the Göbels were surrounded by more costly products–those Pilium monoblocks are $174K euros/pair, the Kronos Discovery turntable is 100K euros, accompanied by a phono stage that runs 70,000 euros, still more than the Divin Comtessa.
I even find it comforting that the Divin Comtessa loudspeakers only weigh 75 kilos each, which means I can move them around the room with relative ease. I know, all of this sounds like I’m buttering up Göbel for a potential review of the Divin Comtessa, but I’m really impressed with this brand. The idea of waking up in the morning, strolling into my listening room and seeing a pair of Göbel Divin Comtessa loudspeakers waiting patiently for me–it’s now entered the realm of possibility for this humble reviewer.
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