A room full of Lab12 gear from Greece? Hey, I got that at home already. I didn’t travel all the way to Chicago to replicate my home system, dangit. I’m currently reviewing the Lab12 Integre4 integrated amplifier ($4,450), and Fidelis Distribution also lent me the Melto2 phono stage (also $4,450) that I reviewed (and loved) a few years ago so I’d have the complete set. But a Fidelis and Lab12 room was still a primary reason to attend AXPONA 2022 because of a very cool-looking loudspeaker from a company called Heretic.
Heretic Loudspeaker Company features two models, the A612 and the A614–those numbers, of course, should mean something to anyone who’s ever placed an Altec driver in a big cabinet. Heretic, which is located in Montreal, has taken those basic Altec designs and brought them into the 21st century with a compression tweeter mounted inside the big, big driver. The A612 (prices start at $6.500 pr USD) in the Fidelis and Lab12 room are heavy (125 pounds each), efficient (97 dB) and can go down to 35 Hz, plus or minus 6 dB.
The Fidelis and Lab12 room might have been a little small and a little crowded with equipment–my instinct was to put as much space around these stocky beasts as possible, but I’m still intrigued. First of all, Lab12 gear makes everything sound right, as I’m finding out at home, but the Heretics capture all of the magic of a classic Altec design–powerful, direct and exciting–with more extension at the frequency extremes.
As I put the finishing touches on my Lab12 Integre4 review, however, I have to step back and admire the Lab12 gear. Got an Altec-based speaker with high efficiency? Fidelis and Lab12 will have your back.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2022, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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