In the latest review, I’m taking a closer look at the proud loudspeaker creations of Miguel Lorenzo Castro from Spain, the Lorenzo Audio Labs LM3 speakers.
Philosophy
“Everything you can imagine is real” –Pablo Picasso–
Based on this premise, Lorenzo Audio Labs envisioned what the best loudspeakers ever developed should look and sound like. To realize this vision, the team studied the sound of reference products from the golden years of the hi-fi industry as well as the best that science and technology have to offer today. As a result of research, science, hard work, inspiration, and experience, Lorenzo Audio Labs was born.
The goal and mission of Lorenzo Audio Labs is to get as close as possible to the emotions at the heart of music – from recreating the delicate nuances of a baroque harp to the spontaneity and power of a jazz quartet with all its presence and dynamics to the sound of a large philharmonic orchestra and the fascination of the human voice.
The Lorenzo Audio Labs Way
Lorenzo Audio Labs’ obsession with music and its perfect reproduction inspires them to push the boundaries further and further, with a deep desire to excel and unbridled perfectionism that forces them to accept only the best.
They achieve their goals by combining classic technology with the latest advances in materials, software, components, and manufacturing techniques. After countless simulations and computer calculations to determine the best circuit design, and thousands of hours listening to the results after each improvement and final adjustment, they have reached their conclusion that the human ear is the best possible tool and the only one that can give them the ultimate certainty of a perfect result.
The Lorenzo Audio Labs team firmly believes that only dedicated craftsmanship can deliver an exceptional level of quality. This is evident in the manufacture of the hand-welded crossover (without PCBs and with the best components available on the market), the bass reflex ports (hand-turned with special tonewoods), and the Panzerholz parts designed in-house and used in critical places (such as the nuts and knobs of the speaker terminals, the insulating discs on the feet or the solid parts that hold the drivers so that no metal screws touch their drivers and transfer the vibrations from the cabinets to the drivers).
The fascinating exterior finish of Lorenzo Audio Labs’ products deserves special mention. It is 100% handcrafted by a fourth-generation artisan whose family has been working with marquetry and inlay techniques since 1888. This masterful art makes the products exquisite, unique, timeless jewels.
The cabinets are enveloped in natural wood veneer, carefully selected for their beauty and durability, as well as handcrafted inlays of various woods and mother-of-pearl. Finally, the cabinets are finished with no less than 7 layers of high-gloss lacquer.
Lorenzo Audio Labs deliberately does not follow trends but goes it’s way. The paper cones and Alnico magnets are used in the construction of their top speakers for one simple reason: They produce the best sound.
The latest developments were also used in the making of the crossovers, and only the best quality was accepted, regardless of cost. The crossovers are made with high-end components from Duelund, Jupiter, Mundorf, and Pathaudio.
The extensive energy control in the Lorenzo Audio Labs loudspeakers allows the drivers to unfold their full potential and reveal even the finest details and delicate overtones. Otherwise, these remain hidden and limit the final listening experience. To achieve this, the solid phenolic plywood cabinets are fitted with a limited elastomer layer that absorbs the disturbing vibrations transmitted by the drivers. The horns, front, and rear parts are manufactured on 5-axis CNC machines.
Lorenzo Audio Labs attaches great importance to the internal wiring of the speakers, which consists of high-purity copper and gold wire in various sections.
The solid steel feet are used with a Panzerholz base that filters the floor vibrations. When the system is placed on a carpeted floor, these Panzerholz disks can be removed to achieve a firmer stand. (In this case, the feet rest on a steel base).
Lorenzo Audio Labs has paid attention to every little detail in the development of the LM3 loudspeakers from the very beginning, following the philosophy that only by laser-sharp focus and dedication in executing all the countless details in the design and construction of a loudspeaker can a product as special and unique as LM3 be created.
The LM3
It’s a well-known fact that a well-designed 2-way loudspeaker sounds great, but always accepts some limitations due to its 2-way design: a somewhat limited frequency response in the high and low frequencies and some dynamic limitations.
Lorenzo Audio Labs pushes the boundaries of a standard 2-way setup by using the best drivers, an innovative crossover design, high-quality components, and an in-depth study of energy and its control.
Thousands of hours of listening and no faux sonic orientation have yielded the LM3, a splendid speaker that does not compromise on performance and Lorenzo’s unparalleled design.
Highlights
- LM3 is manufactured in two parts, the monitor itself and the stand, which are joined together and presented as a single unit.
- A solid 41 mm thick cabinet made from phenolic laminate wood.
- The cabinet and horn tweeter is manufactured using 5-axis CNC machines.
- Two down-firing bass reflex ports
- The cabinets are clad in natural wood veneer, carefully selected for their beauty and durability, and 100% handcrafted by a fourth-generation craftsman whose family has been working with traditional techniques that have become legendary since 1888.
- Selected drivers with paper cones and Alnico magnets in the woofers and AMT horn tweeters
- Hand-welded passive crossover without printed circuits.
- High-quality components from Mundorf, Jantzen, and Pathaudio are used in crossovers.
- Solid steel feet were developed in-house, with a base made of Panzerholz to dissipate floor vibrations.
- Other wood surfaces are available on request.
The Music
With the LM3 loudspeakers from Lorenzo Audio Labs, I didn’t need additional and longer listening sessions to decipher their potency. It quickly became clear that they offer a thoroughly distinct, deeper immersion in the music, often enhancing familiar pieces in a way that invites you to listen again.
Listening became revelatory and heartening, and across various musical genres, the LM3 speakers have proven to offer a very special kind of vibrancy.
As always, here are some reference tracks and albums that highlight the merits of the Lorenzo Audio Labs.
Stokowski, Wagner, London Symphony Orchestra – Orchestral Masterpieces From The Ring Of The Niebelung (Decca – PFS 3341 16)
Many reasons make “Entrance Of The Gods Into Valhalla (Das Rheingold – Finale)”, the final track on the first side of the record, so unique and captivating, but the most important quality is recording credibility. When everything is set on the proper plane, there is that rare moment of clarity and lucidity where the grandeur of live momentum can be partaken and experienced.
The Lorenzo Audio Labs LM3 loudspeakers mastered the subtle drama and the power of the music with swelling grandeur and ferocity that was remarkably embodied given the sheer size of the LM3 loudspeakers. No forced, artificial dynamics, but a masterfully presented orchestra with an unmistakable formation in perfect balance of the golden trinity of timbre, tone, and color.
When two dynamic antipodes’, subtlety and intensity are in a fast or slow intermezzo, it presents an enormous challenge, and speakers instantly induce instability if everything is not properly balanced.
The LM3 rose to this challenge impressively by the most unique act of juxtaposition, decoupling two dimensions without cluttering any of their fundaments. An impressive achievement that is worthy of praise in itself.
Dona Dumitru Siminica – Romanian Retro Music / Dona Dumitru Siminica, Volume 2
The singing of Dona Dumitru Siminica poses another challenge, as his pitch is very unique, almost in the realms of woman soprano. The LM3 speakers reproduced “Inel, Inel de Aur” beautifully, focusing on the tantalizing vibrancy without anything in between disrupting the flow of the music.
With Lorenzo Audio Labs’ LM3 speakers, there is an instant connection to the melody, a locking, resonating tie, and a multi-sensory rush that solely arrives when the music flows naturally.
What can be deemed as relatively simple music needs and requires a rather sophisticated speaker to bring out the spirit of the Siminica.
Many speakers, regardless of price, lack the immediacy needed to enhance the emotional impact of Dona Dumitru Siminica, but the LM3 speakers rendered a viable framework for this traditional Romanian music to properly evoke. Lorenzo Audio Labs stand mounts smoothly took over the emotional experience, instead of creating a different kind of interpretation of its own, as many loudspeakers do.
Weather Report – Sportin’ Life
Nuances matter, and the maestro among keyboardists, Joe Zawinul, has always incorporated so much music movement, and so many layers of sound in his compositions that the system and therefore the speakers are pushed to their limits. Especially with Sportin’ Life, the dynamic challenge represents a formidable task to accomplish for any loudspeaker regardless of the size.
Great speakers can and should produce infinite nuances of music to be considered masterpieces, and the LM3 rendition of Sportin’ Life, the American jazz fusion band’s thirteenth studio album, neither disappointed nor fell into the realm of merely portraying the instruments and performers.
The Lorenzo Audio Labs speakers provide a precise, rewarding, harmonically rich, and room-filling experience. Quite a challenge for relatively small speakers, but thanks to the large 12-inch woofer and dual bass ports, it moves some serious air.
On the opening, mighty “Corner Pocket”, the all-around sonic balance can all too easily start to sound murky, and transients begin to blip, attack, sustain and release of chords slip away.
Sportin’ Life kicks in full frontal. Either the narrative develops, or it drifts off. Boldly and unapologetically the Lorenzo Audio Labs LM3 speakers evoked a Weather Report vibe at high octane.
The LM3 loudspeakers deliver a completely different effect, allowing the listener to view these timeless compositions with different eyes and an emotionally charged level of reference.
The Conclusion
At first glance, the LM3 from Lorenzo Audio Labs may seem radically simplified, but as soon as you take a closer look at the specifications, features, and aesthetics, there is no doubt that Miguel Lorenzo Castro conceived the LM3 loudspeakers from the ground up to be something extraordinary.
Miguel Lorenzo Castro seeks the beauty of the purity of the music with profound astuteness, and the LM3s represent an objective materialization in speakers that offers countless hours of unadulterated musical enjoyment that can instantly raise the listener’s temperature on the emotional barometer.
Every speaker needs a suitable system and room attuned to the balancing act, and while I tested a wide range of electronics, I found a seamless sweet spot and balance with the Aries Cerat Protos integrated amplifier and the Aries Cerat Ithaka TriodeFet DAC, topped by the Taiko Audio Extreme music server and Tellurium Q cables.
It takes highly potent speakers to handle voltages and currents that produce almost endless tonalities, and the LM3 speakers deliver them with spades. The Lorenzo Audio Labs LM3 has an intriguing dynamic balance, is wonderfully rich in vibrancy, and enchants with a unique listening experience, creating a deep bond between the music and the listener.
With the LM3 loudspeakers, there is no need to consciously re-examine the music or break it down into data streams. The Lorenzo Audio Labs speakers are a kind of product of an entire ecosystem that benefits from its virtues. It is a high-caliber product that offers a purely visceral experience.
We live in a tyranny of choice, but audiophiles and music lovers are looking for more products to connect with every day, not in pursuit of deriving mere sound from electronics and speakers, but in search of true inspiration. As an antipode, the LM3 speakers epitomize the peril of being seduced into the sweet intoxication of music and losing countless hours “in aural escapism.”
I am a proponent of Art Deco style design, and the LM3 speakers from Lorenzo Audio Labs, supported by contemporary engineering, present classic and timeless avant-garde, in a cutting-edge form. LM3 is a pragmatic speaker with an enticing sound that represents the pinnacle of luxury audio and these Spanish speakers have already been domesticated in quite a few top-tier high-end audio systems.
Sometimes the adage “less is more” is too much of a good thing, but LM3 speakers proudly and boldly return to the era when even radios were properly sonically balanced to reproduce music with the necessary foundation to evoke emotion and maintain strong interaction with the music core. LM3 builds on these premises adds a soulful connection, and raw immediacy, and solves many of the problems, juxtapositions, and appearing irreconcilable concepts with its multi-dimensional concept. It comes with highly impressive openness and dynamic flexibility, driving the air with unique mojo that can instantly create an emotional connection with the music.
Many contemporary speakers lack the immediacy and explore other areas instead of exploring the depths of the music, by zooming into the details, laser-pointing out artificial details, etc.
Not that LM3 speakers are not capable of precision and density. On the contrary, LM3 seamlessly blends both micro and macro details but also can maintain the flow of the music without sacrificing sonic richness. Their natural vibrancy makes it immediately clear that you can not argue against feelings when they’re evoked.
Lorenzo Audio Labs’ speakers are simply more relatable to the music without fetishizing about specific aural nuances. LM3s physically resonate and have been designed from the ground up to be as engaging as possible.
For what they represent musically and esthetically, I am pleased to award Lorenzo Audio Labs’ LM3 speakers the prestigious 2024 Mono and Stereo Upper Echelon Class Award.❖
Price
- 55.000 EUR for pair (VAT included)
Specifications
- 2-way-system with phase-optimized crossover.
- Drivers: Woofer 12 inches, AMT Tweeter
- Sensitivity: 94 dB.
- Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohm.
- Enclosure Type Woofer: Double down firing bass reflex ports.
- Frequency response: 25 Hz to 23 kHz.
- Recommended amplifier: 20 to 300 Watts.
- Dimensions: Height 46,06 inches (117 cm), Width 20,28 inches (51,5 cm), Depth 16,34 inches (41,5 cm).
- Net Weight: 121 lbs (55 kg) each.
Contact
Lorenzo Audio Labs
Paseo De Los Basilios 8
18008 Granada, Spain
+34 655 820452
Email: info@lorenzoaudiolabs.com
Web: www.lorenzoaudiolabs.com