Floorstanding Speaker Buyers Guide 2022
Review by Dave McNair, PartTimeAudiophile.com
Hi-Fi reviewers like reviewing products that sound good to them. I’m no exception. If I can’t hear a component before actually getting it, I’m always a bit leery. So it was a welcome and pleasant surprise when I fired up a pair of Chario Constellation Cygnus speakers in my listening room. After the hit parade of excellent loudspeakers I’ve recently had the pleasure of reviewing, it was a relief to find out that the relatively unknown (in the US) and modestly priced Cygnus ($3,700/pair) is no exception.
Ciao mio adorabile amico
The Cygnus is a mid-level offering in Chario’s entry-level Constellation line of speakers. The gente at Chario have been using fine Italian craftsmanship to make a LOT of different speaker models, and they’ve been doing so since 1975. There are four separate lines including Academy S, Aviator, Constellation II, and a limited edition Belong series. Within the Constellation line alone there are four different models named Lynx, Delphinus, Cygnus, and Pegasus. Must be some frequent espresso breaks happening at the Chario factory to get all those speakers ready to ship.
The Chario Constellation Cygnus is a three-way comprised of a 1.5” soft dome tweeter with a waveguide-style, flared surround that Chario calls their T38 (38 mm tweeter, get it?). A 5” midrange driver and a down-firing 5” woofer complete the picture. Crossover points are 1500 Hz and 170 Hz. Sensitivity is listed as 87db with a rated impedance of 4 ohms. At 37.5” inches high, it’s not short but the front baffle width of a little less than 8” and an overall depth of 10.5” was not imposing in my listening room. The hardwood side panels give the speaker a decidedly craftsman-like feel.