Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 Review

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Build Quality

The build quality of Radiant Acoustics debut is nothing short of perfect. My walnut sample is beautifully finished without a single blemish in the wood veneer or the aluminum front. You can clearly see that this speaker has been produced with meticulous precision.

The walnut finish leaves nothing to desire, and even my carpenter brother was impressed with the work and looks of the Clarity 6.2. These speakers come in a very compact form and are considerably smaller than my KEF R3 Meta or DALI Epikore 3. They each measure 222 x 364 x 266 mm (WDH) and put 12.45 kg on the scale. This translates to 8.74 x 14.33 x 10.47 inches and 27.45 lbs for our non-metric readers.

On the back of the unit, you will find the speaker posts to hook the Clarity 6.2 up to your amplifiers. These are recessed and are only compatible with banana plugs. You cannot bi-wire or bi-amp these speakers, as they don’t feature a secondary set of posts.

Even if they don’t feature a bass reflex port, make sure to put them on dedicated speaker stands and at least 30 cm away from the wall. The sound quality will thank you for it.

One more thing about the PURIFI drivers and passive radiators. I have grown to become a real fan of their unique design. Conventional drivers have a uniform ring supporting the membrane’s movement. The PURIFI however, features a mountain-shape like support which really helps them achieve a more physical and robust low-end extension and sound without putting too much stress on them. I think these look gorgeous, but I am a little afraid of little hands wanting to press them. Especially since Radiant Acoustics doesn’t provide any protective grilles for the Clarity 6.2.

Sound

The Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 does take careful amplifier matching and I suggest you stay with their power recommendations. The Chord Electronics Alto, which outputs 50W into 4 ohms, for example was not a good match. It couldn’t control the low-end, delivered a slightly washed up sound and just couldn’t deliver the refinement of more powerful amps, like the M700.

Radiant Acoustics recommends a break-in time for the Clarity 6.2 of 24 hours, though this is more for brain-burn-in, since the distortion free sound might take some getting used to, according to Radiant Acoustics. During the past weeks the Clarity 6.2 was placed in my stereo chain, being driven by a pair of PS Audio M700 mono blocks. The entire system consists of a Chord Electronics Hugo TT2, an Eversolo DMP-A8 and DMP-A10. All my gear is connected to the Audioquest PowerQuest 707 power conditioner and connected with Audioquest NRG-Z power cables as well as Black Beauty XLR interconnects and Robin Hood speaker cables.

My self-built Roon ROCK server provided local music and streaming from TIDAL.

The Clarity 6.2 is a powerful, energetic and highly enjoyable speaker that boasts a transparent, yet organic midrange, a deep and authoritative low-end and a delicate and well extended top. Its key strengths are in its technical performance, where especially instrumental separation and sound stage dimensions were off the charts for a speaker their size.

Let’s go a little deeper.

The Clarity 6.2 possesses a deep, authoritative bass response that packs a mean punch, especially for a speaker of their size. The low-end extension of them is fantastic and impressed me on several occasions. Those PURIFI drivers really do some magic in that regard.

Clarity’s bass is full, dense, powerful and organic. It has a natural and life-like appearance, where each note is full of resolution and offers immaculate texture. What I particularly love about the lows is how incredibly fast and accurate they are but staying lush and rich and the same time. Often there is a trade-off in between, but Clarity 6.2 manages to realize the best of both worlds.

Lower pitched instruments sound full bodied and realistic to me. They deliver excellent levels of dynamism and speed. The impact and thunder are astonishing for compact speakers like the Clarity 6.2.

To me, the PURIFI drivers show their full force in tracks like You Only Like What You Know by Beardyman, Angel by Massive Attack, Aphex Twin’s Donkey Rhubarb or Underworld’s Jumbo. In those tracks you get excellent drive, authority, speed and impact as well as sub-bass extension and precision. Of course, more traditional tracks with real-life instruments also sound superb. Cellos and other bass string instruments have wonderful texture, resolution and body. For example, in the track Mi Corazon by Brandt Brauer Frick the Cello’s have perfect weight, extension and resolution, where you can hear and feel the strings vibrating in the low-end notes.

The midrange has a clean, transparent and polished sound to them, where again precision and resolution is most impressive. Each note is portrayed with the highest care and accuracy. Every instrument and tone is full, rich and has perfect body and shape.

The mids are transparent but come slightly warmed up for a lusher appearance. They don’t sound dry or analytical in any sense to me. Singers and instruments feature great body, weight and density. Vocals come across with superb air in them, giving them a grander presence, while they also feature room filling emotions and body. This goes for both male and female singers, though female voices sound a tad richer and nicer to me.

Good examples here would be The Time is Now by Moloko, Wandering Star by Portishead or Björk’s Hunter. Here the vocals have top level richness and emotions in them, enabling these tracks’ fascinating sound. Male singers like Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa or Iggy Pop do share a similar emotional depth, though they appear a touch more neutral in richness to me.

Clarity 6.2 has a midrange tuning that convinces with its richness. Songs like Lullaby by The Cure, Flutes by Hot Chip or Nina Simone’s Sinnerman all sound lush and rich throughout, making each of these a joy to listen to.

Where Clarity 6.2 impressed me the most is probably in its high precision and rendering. The image it creates is very sharp and detailed. Every instrument gets highlighted on a pitch-black background. The Clarity 6.2’s ability to dissolve complexities is also one of the finest I have heard in that price range and category. It always stays in full control, even in information overloaded sections of songs.

It creates a vastly wide, tall and deep stage. I found the high resolution, perfect imaging and rendering particularly excellent. The Clarity really shows its strength when displaying instruments in front of you. The layering in depth is also astonishingly precise and accurate. Live recordings, like Damon Albarn’s Girls & Boys (Live at Union Chapel) or Eagles’ Hotel California (Live on MTV) have excellent staging and imaging.

The treble of the Clarity 6.2 is very fast, highly extended and precise. It is crisp and clear and features high levels of energy. Which can become an issue with hi-hat hits and cymbal crashes. Though it strongly depends on the track’s mastering. Violins and other higher pitched instruments have a certain softness to them, which makes them very delicate and silky.

Though I noticed that the Clarity can become a touch hot on tracks like Snoop Dogg’s Gorgeous, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Give it Away or Run DMC’s Walk this Way. Here the hi-hat hits have a lot of energy, and a slightly lower brightness level might be more pleasing to the ear. The violins in This Must Be the Place by Kishi Bashi, or The Time Is Now by Moloko have great body, texture and weight and never sound harsh or bright to me. Also, the bells in the opening sequence of Pink Floyd’s Time stayed clear of any discomfort. So, the treble really asks for good level mastering as it will show you the quality in its most honest form.

More about the Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 on page three!