Richter Wizard Series 6Plus
Loudspeakers
Yo u know that a loudspeaker design has achieved iconic status when audiophiles discussing it don’t mention the name of the manufacturer but just the model name (or number) of the speaker itself. Which means that Richter’s Wizard speakers have achieved that status because they’re almost always referred to simply as ‘Wizards’.
It could be argued that one reason behind the Wizard design gaining such prominence is due to it having been on the market for close to 40 years in one incarnation or another. Another reason might well be the number of awards it has garnered over that time. Yet another may be that, according to Richter at least, more Wizards have been sold in Australia than any other loudspeaker designed in this country.
Curiously, despite the many significant changes between this latest Series 6Plus version of the Wizard and the Series 6 variant that preceeded it (which I’ll detail later in this review), Richter has settled on the ‘6Plus’ moniker rather than what I believe would have been the more obvious choice — ‘Series 7’.
One thing that has risen inexorably, along with the model numbering, is the retail price of the Wizard, but according to Richter’s Brian Rodgers, the company has pulled out all stops to keep the price as low as possible. “The fact that the new WS [Wizard Series] 6Plus speakers are only $200 more than the previous S6 model is quite astounding... or maybe foolish in today’s world of increasing costs!” he said.
THE EQUIPMENT
One thing that hasn’t changed on the new Series 6Plus model compared to the ‘standard’ Series 6 design is that the two mid/bass drivers are configured in a 2.5-way arrangement. This means that both drivers work in unison to produce low frequencies, but only the uppermost driver operates to deliver the midrange. The beauty of this approach lies in the advantages of having an increased cone area, higher efficiency and greater power handling at low frequencies, as well as the benefits of having a ‘point source’ for the sound at mid frequencies — better stereo imaging and an overall more realistic sound.
While you might imagine that any loudspeaker using two mid/bass drivers might take advantage of such an arrangement, the unfortunate truth is that most manufacturers do not; they simply connect the two drivers in parallel so that they both operate over their entire designed frequency range. With this method, the crossover network is less complex (and thus less expensive to manufacture) and also allows
manufacturers to use lower-cost drive units.
Of course, it would be better to go the full, ‘pure’ three-way route — two dedicated bass drivers handling the low frequencies and a third driver solely devoted to mids (plus of course a single tweeter for the highest frequencies) — but this requires a considerable increase in cabinet size, and greater component costs and manufacturing complexity, all of which push the price (and size!) of three-way designs beyond the comfort zone for most loudspeaker buyers. Finding a similar design in Richter’s line-up would have you investigating the Excalibur S6SE, which is a five-driver, 3.5-way design and so actually steps up a little from a standard three-way in terms of crossover design and the fact it has two dedicated midrange drivers, mounted MTM-style around a central tweeter.
But going back to the Wizard Series 6Plus’ drivers, the two mid/bass units are exactly the same diameter as those used in the Wizard
Series 6 design (which were slightly larger than those found in the Series 5). They also use the same unique pulp mix for the cones, comprised of paper, hemp, kapok, wool and engineered chemical fibre — and, just in case you were wondering, you cannot smoke it! Richter says it chose these materials to ensure that the cone is extremely lightweight and stiff, qualities that are important in minimising the effect of cone breakups and roll-off resonances. However, the company says that the drivers’ magnetic system in this new model has been redesigned to make the drivers’ response considerably more linear, particularly across the 1kHz region, and that there has also been a 10% reduction in nonlinear distortion compared to the previous model.
This supposedly delivers ‘a smoother cleaner performance where it matters’.
The Wizard Series 6Plus’ 25mm soft-dome tweeter is not exactly new as it’s the same one Richter developed for its Wizard Series 6 ‘Special Edition’ range, but it is different from that on the standard Series 6. According to Richter, the ‘SE’ tweeter has ‘improved sensitivity, a lower resonance frequency and double the powerhandling ability, resulting in a new level of clarity and engagement’. Its appearance is enhanced by a shiny edge trim around the mounting plate which is designed to harmonize with the trim around the two Richter badges, which can be found on the grille and on the cabinet itself (so you’ll still see a badge if you don’t use the grilles).
...more Wizards have been sold in Australia than any other loudspeaker designed in this country
The improved mid/bass drivers and ‘borrowed’ tweeter meant that Richter’s designer, Martin Gosnell, had to redesign the crossover network. Rather than reinvent the wheel, he instead reworked the network he’d designed for the premium Wizard Series 6SE, except that he omitted that design’s bi-amping capability. Therefore, the crossover network in the Wizard Series 6Plus uses high-quality acoustic polypropylene caps with air-cored and ferrite-cored inductors for the uppermost driver and tweeter, and a large separate laminatedcore inductor for the lower driver.
The Wizard Series 6Plus cabinet has the same dimensions as the older model — 96.5cm tall, 22.1cm wide and 35.9cm deep — and is available in the same two Matte Black and Walnut finishes. It’s still a rear-firing bass-reflex design, but whereas the older model came with only a single port plug to convert the ported bass reflex cabinet to a sealed cabinet, the Series 6Plus comes with an extra port plug that, if used, blocks o only about half of the bass reflex port. Rodgers says: “The Wizard Series 6Plus now also comes with an additional bass port foam puck which provides an ideal middleground bass response catering for dierent room sizes and conditions as well as the user’s preferred taste. It’s the Goldilocks eect: when having the bass plugs inserted reduces the bass response too much, but the bass response is too energized when there are no plugs, inserting the new bass port puck (which is designed to be inserted sideways) provides the perfect middle ground.”
It must be said that many loudspeaker manufacturers provide exactly the same ‘half-bung’ option, but most do so by providing a single ‘two-part’ plug, where a separate ‘slug’ in the centre of the foam plug can be removed. Richter’s implementation is more like one that the fabled Heath Robinson would have designed; it’s neither elegant nor pretty... but it works!
Also far from pretty are the outrigger feet that improve the sturdiness of the fairly tall Wizard Series 6Plus, elevating their stability to what Richter says is ‘furnitureindustry standard’. One reason they aren’t exactly lookers is down to them having slots for the mounting screws rather than holes. This allows them to either be retro-fitted to older Wizard designs that weren’t supplied with outrigger feet, or to floorstanding models from other manufacturers (which is why they are available for separate purchase). So if you already own tall floorstanders that don’t have their own outrigger feet for improving stability,
I’d encourage you to see if Richter’s fit and, if so, buy them.
The outrigger feet not only increase stability but also make it easier to adjust the tilt of the cabinet, should you wish to aim the tweeters at a specific point in the room, and also to level the speakers if your floor is not perfectly flat. I should say that the front-most outrigger has been upgraded to further improve stability, too. Whereas previously it was straight, it now has an almost boomerang shape, which I guess is very appropriate for an Australian design!
Richter also provides two sets of feet to screw into the outriggers — metal spiked ones (along with protective floor pucks, should you need them) and soft conical rubber ones.
IN USE AND LISTENING SESSIONS
Since Taylor Swift was in town when this review was being written, I felt compelled to start my auditioning with her ‘Midnights’ album from 2022. It was also suitable as I wanted to experience how much the bass response had improved on the new Wizard Series 6Plus, and there’s certainly a lot of bass on that album.
Right from the opener, Lavender Haze, I could hear — and feel! — the impact of the track’s thumpingly deep bass throb. Yet despite the all-pervasiveness, Taylor’s voice was fresh, clean and unadorned up in the midrange, so the sonics were perfectly separated. I was also captivated by how clearly the Wizard Series 6Plus revealed that the sound of the snare drum is the real thing, whereas pretty much everything else on the track issues from one or more synthesisers.
On Maroon, the synth bass is even lowerpitched, but the Series 6Plus still came to the party and delivered the goods. This track also served to show how well the Wizards distinguished the tonal qualities of Taylor’s voice from those of Zoë Kravitz (which they did yet again on Snow on the Beach, though this time around with the under-utilised voice of Lana Del Rey.) Sandwiched between these two tracks is the stunner that is Anti-Hero, a perfect example of the superiority of Swift’s songwriting abilities and lyrical skills. On this track I also heard how superbly the Wizard Series 6Plus handled the myriad sibilances incorporated into the lyric — indeed there are so many words with the letter ‘s’ that I wonder whether it was actually a personal challenge she set herself to include them, or the result of a bet! Irrespective, whereas you’ll simply hear ‘hissy’ sibilances from lesser speakers, the Richters deliver them cleanly and without any
overlay so that I was barely aware they were there — proof positive that the new tweeter in is a definite upgrade over the old! (You can also hear perfectly how she transitions from singing ‘snow at the beach’ to ‘snow on the beach’, such that I wondered why the changes existed.)
I auditioned real bass instruments with various albums from Queens of the Stone Age, one of my favourite bands not only for their music but also the titles of their albums. I mean, you have to love titles such as ‘In Times New Roman’, ‘Songs for the Deaf’ and ‘Lullabies to Paralyse’ — and don’t get me started on the song titles! The hard-hitting bass lines and percussion on Paper Machete were delivered raw and unadulterated by the Wizard Series 6Plus, as was the trademark scream of Josh Homme’s guitar. But if you want bass innovation along with great bass sound
(and terrific syncopated percussion), Negative Space should be your go-to track on ‘In Times New Roman’ — it’s a masterpiece of understated
... the pianism of Pour le piano. The fleetness of, and power in, his fingers were made perfectly clear...
stoner rock, though the same is also true of
Time & Place. But the standout on that album is Emotion Sickness, and if listening to its intro through the new Wizards doesn’t knock you for six, I don’t know what will!
I went from sublime album titles to ridiculous ones by switching to Ed Sheeran who, much as I love his music, lyrics and politics, does not have a clue about album titles. That said, I think Richter could have adopted his album’s use of the symbol ‘+’ for the naming of this latest Wizard iteration, rather than spelling it out! All of which is the long way around of explaining how the track The A Team came to be coming softly and sweetly from the Richters. The song’s lyric is anything but sweet dealing as it tells the story of a young girl selling herself to finance her drug addiction (‘struggling to pay the rent/long nights/strange men’). The ballad is beautiful nonetheless, as is Sheeran’s acoustic guitar and voice, which were accurately delivered by the Wizards within an intimately realistic presentation. It’s only a pity he doesn’t apply his talents to weighty topics more often (as Swift does, since we’ve mentioned her), though to give him his due he has given his public support for many serious issues, including the US’s Equality Act, and Ukraine.
To hear how well the Wizard Series 6Plus reproduced the beautiful but extraordinarily difficult-to-reproduce sound of the piano, I reprised the sound of Steven Osborne’s Steinway that is captured so authentically on his album ‘Debussy: Etudes & Pour Le Piano’, on Hyperion
(CDA68409). I don’t know how he does it so reliably, and so often, but there’s no doubt that Hyperion’s engineer, David Hinitt, is a sound magician. Of course, it’s Osborne who has to take credit for the music, and it’s a credit to him that he makes the Etudes so interesting and so listenable, particularly as they can sound like Hanon exercises under lesser fingers. But impressed as I was, nothing quite prepared me for the pianism of Pour le piano. The fleetness of, and power in, his fingers were made perfectly clear by the new Wizards. Listen carefully as the Prelude closes, too, before the start of the Sarabande, where Debussy calls for single notes to be played, solo, in the piano’s highest octave, and then for thunderous full-bodied chords in the piano’s second-lowest octave. Whereas lesser loudspeakers quail under the onslaught, the Richters rose almost effortlessly to the challenge. The Sarabande provided further opportunity to hear how well the speakers could deliver the sound of the piano’s entire keyboard, though I enjoyed the musicality of the Toccata that follows even more.
I followed this up with more sonic magic from David Hinitt by listening to Steven
Layton’s recording (with the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge) of several Herbert Howell compositions, including his Requiem (also on Hyperion). The choral sound is absolutely
gorgeous, and was lushly and lovingly delivered by the Series 6Plus. Even if you aren’t a fan of classical music or pipe organ, I guarantee you will be entranced by this CD, which very deservingly has been bestowed with multiple prestigious music awards. The sound of the sopranos on Four Anthems to the Blessed Virgin will bring tears to your eyes, and the Nunc dimittis of ‘The Gloucester Service’ has one of the most beautiful and peaceful Amens you will ever hear. But while the Richters so accurately and authentically delivered the sound of the choir and organs, what was even more amazing is how clearly they revealed the differences in the acoustics between the Ely Cathedral, in which four of the works were recorded, and Lincoln Cathedral, where the other six were recorded. Absolutely luminary... this is a must-have album for any self-respecting lover of music! One reason for the eye-wateringly beautiful sound is Howell’s stated musical philosophy: ‘I compose for the sheer love of trying to make nice sounds.’ (Howell died aged 90 on 23rd February 1983.)
You may have been wondering whether I preferred the sound of the Wizard S6Plus with their ports open, closed or indeed in ‘Goldilocks’ mode. In my listening room, I preferred the ports completely closed o¤ with the foam plugs. I also preferred the look — and sound — of the loudspeakers without their grilles fitted, although unlike the decision about the ports, which was chalk and cheese, my decision about the grilles was a disputed line ball one. If you (or your important other) prefer the look with the grilles on, go for it.
CONCLUSION
Given that Richter named this speaker ‘The Wizard’, it was very — very! — tempting to conclude this review with a cheap play on words, such as by stating that the Wizard Series 6Plus design ‘is the company’s best trick yet’ or that it’s ‘one right out of the hat’. But concluding that way would be doing a serious disservice to the work of Richter’s long-serving designer, Dr Martin Gosnell (BEEng Honours), who has not only been granted numerous patents for his work but has also won the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Award for Science and Innovation. (And besides, the editor has indulged in a little wordplay on the front cover already!)
It would be far more accurate to say that the new Richter Wizard Series 6Plus are the culmination of more than four decades of Gosnell’s experience in designing loudspeakers, the last 27 years of which were for Richter Audio. They are, without any shadow of a doubt, the best Wizards yet, delivering cleaner, tighter and more extended bass, enhanced tonal accuracy across the midrange, and a sweeter, fractionally bouncier and rather more lively high-frequency presentation than previous incarnations have been capable of. So can you improve on a design that’s already won multiple awards for its performance? Yes, you can!
TECH SPECS & CONTACT
Brand: Richter
Model: Wizard Series 6Plus
RRP: $2,899 (per pair)
Warranty: Five Years
Design: 2.5-way
Frequency response: 40Hz – 20kHz ±3dB Sensitivity: 90dBSPL
Nominal impedance: 4Ω
Dimensions (hwd): 96.5 x 22.1 x 35.9cm Distributor: Richter Audio
Address: PO Box 231
Church Point NSW 2015
T: (02) 4962 1594
E: info@richteraudio.com.au
W: www.richter audio.com.au
On Maroon, the synth bass is even lowerpitched, but the 6Plus still came to the party and delivered the goods