엄격한 DXOMARK 네트워크 스피커 테스트 리뷰 결과, 더 펄 아코야가 글로벌 랭킹 7위를 기록했습니다.
강렬한 사운드 다이나믹을 보여준 더 펄 아코야에 대한 상세한 테스트와 리뷰가 궁금하시다면 아래 기사를 참고하시길 바랍니다.

The Pearl Akoya wireless speaker by Cabasse is a smaller version of the original Pearl, which was about the size of a regulation basketball. The Pearl Akoya is about the size of a volleyball (22 cm in diameter), but there is a lot packed into that modest orb, which weighs a hefty 6 kilos. Elegantly designed and sleek, it nonetheless can blast out 115 decibels, according to Cabasse, which says the speaker “offers exceptional acoustic quality and power that is comparable to that of a classical orchestra, all from a small package.”

We put the Pearl Akoya through our rigorous DXOMARK Wireless Speaker test suite. In this review, we will break down how it fared at audio playback in a variety of tests and several common use cases.

Key specifications include:

• Medium-tweeter, 13 cm coaxial BCI; woofer, 17 cm HELD; tweeter, 300 W RMS / 600 W peak; medium, 300 W RMS / 600 W; bass, 450 W RMS/ 900 W peak
• Connectivity: Ethernet/WiFi – Bluetooth – SPDIF Optical – RCA Analog – USB for music on external hard drives — jack
• 22 cm x 22 cm x 22 cm (8.6-inch diameter)
• 6 kg (13.2 pounds)

Test conditions:

• Tested with Apple iPhone for music /Xiaomi Mi TV Box S for movies
• Communication protocol used: Cabasse App version 4.0.2 via wifi/3.5 mm jack input for movies
• Firmware version: 20.03.17

About DXOMARK Wireless Speaker tests: For scoring and analysis in our wireless speaker reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluation under controlled lab conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. Note that we evaluate playback using only the device’s built-in hardware. (For more details about our Speaker protocol, click here.) Cabasse the Pearl Akoya falls into the Premium category of devices in the DXOMARK Speaker rankings.

The Pearl Akoya, with its global score of 144, is among the highest-performing devices in the Premium category of our wireless speaker database, eight points down from the current top score holder, the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Edge, but just three points down from the previous, longstanding No. 1, the Harman Kardon Citation 200. Our engineers were impressed by the Pearl Akoya’s midrange and treble performance, calling it excellent. At almost all volumes, these frequency ranges were even and pleasant. The attack was great at all volumes — clear and concise. Bass precision was good at low and nominal volumes, and the localizability and distance performances were also singled out for praise. 

Cabasse the Pearl Akoya had great attack at all volumes. 

While the device can be paired with another Pearl Akoya or other compatible speaker to create stereo sound, it was tested as a single device, thus it was mono, with no wideness.

As for drawbacks, the low-end compression and low-end limiting seriously affected the bass performance of the Pearl Akoya. The louder the volume, the more limited the bass became in our testing. At full volume, bass was almost inaudible. From 100 Hz to 300 Hz, there was a notable lack of bass and midrange. The volume steps weren’t very consistent: the highest three volume steps were the same.

The Pearl Akoya earned a very good score in timbre, with overall good tonal balance. But the timbre of the device was extremely volume-dependent, meaning that the tonal balance shifts markedly as volume levels change. At low volume, the Pearl Akoya suffered from a lack of treble, causing sound to be muffled. But on the other hand, bass was good at this level because it was no longer inhibited by low-end compression. At nominal volumes, there was a lack of low-end extension, a lack of low mids from 100 Hz to 300 Hz, and slightly less treble than other top performers at nominal volumes. 

Cabasse the Pearl Akoya had a bit less treble than other top performers at nominal volumes. 

At loud volumes, the lack of bass and low-end extension becomes very evident. And at maximum volume, the bass and low-end becomes almost inaudible compared with the high mids and treble. The top-end portion of the sound spectrum, however, is very clean and pleasant to listen to.

The Pearl Akoya earned an excellent score for dynamics. It demonstrated good attack characteristics at all volumes, but did suffer when extremely dynamic content was played. In that case, attack blurs into the background, and everything occurs at the same volume. Bass precision is good at low and nominal volumes, but the performance is hindered by limiting issues at high levels. Punch is also affected by this same limiting issue in the party use case, even if the overall performance is good. At maximum volume, compression makes bass almost unintelligible. 

The Pearl Akoya is mono, so it received a 0 for wideness. Because of the design of the device, with a front-firing treble speaker and a rear-firing bass speaker, directivity performance is very limited. The speaker didn’t do well in 360-degree testing because of inconsistent tonal balance. 

Cabasse the Pearl Akoya can be paired with a second device to create stereo sound; otherwise it’s mono, with no wideness. 

The Pearl Akoya earned an average score for volume performance. The volume consistency, in fact, was below average. The last three volume steps are virtually the same, as you can see in the chart above. Considering the size of the Pearl Akoya, the maximum volume was good. 

Cabasse the Pearl Akoya has an input jack. 

Here are a few sound pressure levels (SPL) we measured when playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:

Listening to Cabasse the Pearl Akoya while relaxing. 

Conclusion

Low-end limiting had a big impact on the bass performance of the Pearl Akoya — the louder the volume, the more limited the bass, and at full volume, bass was almost inaudible. Volume consistency was another issue; the last three volume steps are the same. Nevertheless, with excellent midrange and treble performances at almost all volumes, great attack at all volumes, and good localizability and distance, Cabasse The Pearl Akoya is deservedly among the elite performers in our database of premium home wireless speakers.