September 2026

Gershman Symphonia Loudspeaker Review — Reference-Grade Dynamic Loudspeakers With Advanced Isolation & Back-Wave Control
Find out how SASS isolation, resistive bass loading, and tuned venting deliver transparency, depth, and lifelike musical realism.
Review By Brett Rudolph

   First, spending time with the Gershman Symphonia reference floorstanding loudspeakers at the Florida International Audio Expo (FAIE) was mind-blowing. I remember thinking that these things were extraordinary, and that it would be a dream to get them in-house and do a full-scale review of them myself. So, towards the end of the show, when my editor and longtime friend, Steven R. Rochlin, helped to set up the opportunity before the event was over, it felt like winning the lottery! Of course, nothing comes without a bit of work, and this was no different. The FAIE occurs every February, and it took until April for us to finally work out the details and logistics. So, when Ofra and Eli Gershman came to drop off the speakers in April, I was more than ready. It was one evening, just after Passover, and they came with two very large crates in tow. These things are not small.

We had a very enjoyable evening, and I learned a great deal. Eli, the engineer and husband of Ofra Gershman, set up the speakers for me, which was a great service. They are amazingly flexible, and without his help it would've been much more difficult to understand the process. It is not hard, but with increased flexibility and choices comes the chance to get it wrong, and that is not something you want to do on a review.

The floorstanding loudspeaker itself contains what they call a SASS Isolation System (SASS). It effectively means that above the bass enclosure is a separate enclosure that holds the tweeter and midrange. This is isolated, preventing vibrations from the bass enclosure from reaching the midrange and treble. It also lets you angle the enclosure to better focus the sweet spot in rooms where speaker placement can be challenging. A totally novel approach to a true nightmare of a quandary. Of course, that also means that it takes a bit more work to dial it in.

The speakers also incorporate Back-wave Control Technology. (BCT) Along with the resistive line in the main bass enclosure, BCT is designed to make the bass drivers behave as though they are operating in a larger enclosure than they physically are. The combination of tuned venting and the internal matrix constructed within the base creates a pressure differential between the main cabinet and the base. This draws back-wave energy into the acoustically and mechanically separate base, where it is dissipated, reducing both intermodulation distortion and the re-radiation of energy through the driver cones.

Between the tweeter/mid-range and bass enclosures, Gershman includes a pair of jumpers to connect them. Eli was adamant that while they were okay with customers using bi-wiring in their system configuration, they did not recommend bi-amplification. They had spent a great deal of time and energy getting the crossovers correct, and bi-amplification or bi-wiring circumvented that. It would work, but it would take away some of the design choices made during speaker creation. It wasn't planned, so it didn't affect this review.

After the speakers were set up, the first thing I noticed was how stunning they were. Ofra designed the exterior grill herself to fit into a room so that they would look more than just like speakers, and she succeeded. I know that this might not mean much to those of you who are all about the sound, but those of us who must live with others in the house appreciate it. Eli mentioned that if you want to play them loudly, you should take off the covers, as they may come into contact with the bass drivers. Personally, I never play music that loud, but it was good to know. Besides, if you are an audiophile, you take them off regardless; they change the sound.

We sat and talked for a little longer, but it was clear that their job was done and mine was just about to start. So, I wished them farewell, and once they left, I sat and admired the speakers they dropped off. They were and still are impressive. They are large and have a presence, but they are not overwhelming; as mentioned earlier, they just fit into the room.

Trial Before Review
Normally, I would go through an entire break-in period. In fact, I pride myself on going through them, but these speakers came without that need. However, the speakers arrived a bit earlier than the cables I planned on using for the review. I do have reference cables, but with these speakers I felt the need to use ones in a higher range, and they would not arrive for a few weeks, so I started with the ones on hand.

It was an excellent choice because one thing that a setup period allows, along with the ability to break things in, is time for the consumer to get used to the product. The change from my electrostatic speakers to these speakers was surprisingly simple, but it was a change, nevertheless. It was also an experience I won't forget, because I never thought I would decide that I could like dynamic speakers as much as electrostatic ones until I really had the chance to work with them.

It is always nice to hear a claim that speakers can generate a truly three-dimensional soundstage. It's been made so many times, in so many ways, that it is almost laughable anymore. The closest has always been with the electrostatic speakers, and, admittedly, that is primarily because they are omnidirectional and do have an advantage. It is part of their nature to begin with.

However, imagine my surprise when the Symphonia's started to generate the same presentation as my beloved electrostatic speakers. It was a humbling experience. Now, that isn't to say that it hasn't happened before, but it certainly wasn't expected. Especially since they were running at a disadvantage because I hadn't even put the correct cables on them yet. Yet here they were already shattering my expectations, and there weren't any to start with. It kept going like that; no matter what material I gave them, they just made it sound better than I had heard it. Sometimes it was subtle, and other times it was more pronounced, but it was always better, or at least as good as I had heard about from the electrostatics. Again, it wasn't anything I'd experienced, and I've been doing this for a long time now.

Joyous Listening Highlights
It wasn't that long after that the cables arrived that the actual review started. The difference to the already impressive sound made me smile, but that was all. These already impressive speakers simply shone brighter and carried more weight than they did earlier. It was exactly what you would expect from cables that are of the highest quality. See the Kimber Kable review for more information.

It was challenging to decide which material to spotlight in this evaluation. There were so many good ones that the time spent listening critically to these speakers was simply staggering. Each speaker seemed to hold new or certainly subtly improved information, so it was hard not to include them all, but let's face it, that would have been long and boring to read. So, without further ado.

The first album selected was Pink Floyd's The Wall. I tried to keep the mix of my albums different from the three reviews that were being done this month. However, Pink Floyd represents my favorite material. Their songs are fantastic because each one is a challenge for any system to reproduce. The rock opera's peaks and valleys blend into themselves long before you even start to worry about the detail you never knew you missed.

First impressions are always the most lasting. Mine was that The Wall seemed to come alive when I heard the album start to play, even from the beginning, with the Symphonia speakers. It started with a soundstage that could only be described as a tapestry, an impeccable blend of layers of music and vocals set within the perfect framework. This framework is a creation of no small feat.

The framework for The Wall's soundstage reproduction required no small amount of finesse. The Symphonia floorstanders accomplished this task exceptionally well. Their ability to exude a sense of depth was uncanny. Once you added a sense of width, you could imagine a sense of the world you were hearing the material within. It was impressive. The individual layers of vocals and instrumentals were no less detailed or focused on their presentation. The ability to capture the pristine beauty of each layer and render it became apparent the longer you listened. They drew you in with beauty and kept you there with intricacy. It made everything seem so incredibly immediate and alive. The way one layer wove into another was artistry in the making, and it unfolded before your eyes and in your ears.

The soundstage was a three-dimensional marvel.  These soundstages are difficult for any speaker to create and maintain, but even harder to achieve with challenging material. The Gershman Symphonia succeeded with an apparent ease that seemed almost childlike. Yet the detail left me speechless and even offered insight into parts heretofore unexplored. It was a humbling experience to be sure.

Another notable impression from the album was the degree of transparency these speakers achieve. The ability to get out of the way is always hard, and with this album, it seems even harder. The more I play it back on various systems, the more this seems true, but the Gershman Symphonia seem to be the exception. They were able to do it without any problem, even with the most challenging material. Everything had a lifelike immediacy.

The second selection I'll mention in this review is The Wellermen Hoist the Colors (A Cappella). This might seem like an old sea shanty, but it was written for Pirates of the Caribbean by Hans Zimmerman and Gore Verbinski. The a cappella version is something of a find from a Florida International Audio Expo (FAIE) show a few years ago, and it humbles nearly every system that has the misfortune of meeting it. The reason is simple: it is just hard a cappella to reproduce, and this performance is a killer. The music is haunting from start to finish. Their voices weave in and out of your mind like thin strands as you struggle to grasp the meaning, yet you can hear each word as it is uttered. The world comes into focus clear as a bell, though you wish it wouldn't because you just don't want to handle the reality as it unfolds before you. That is how the music makes you feel as you listen to the tale through the speakers with startling accuracy.

The Gershman Symphonia excelled at their ability to reproduce the mid-bass and bass. The Wellermen are a bass-heavy group to start with. Their lowest bass a sound that makes my teeth rattle at times, but on this track, it is more like the sound of a forlorn foghorn. It is sad and hopeless. It is also low enough that, without a good amplifier and an exceptional pair of speakers, it would be lost, but it is played perfectly in this case. Further, it is joined with the rest of the group to create a harmony of such force that you can't help but be moved. It is an inexplicable feeling, one that speaks volumes about the speaker's ability.

The midrange, which ties everything together, was likewise the perfect example of how a speaker should perform. There seemed to be no coloration even when the material reached its hardest parts. The male vocalists, who are often the most difficult to reproduce, sounded natural and lifelike as they sang about a sorry, sad situation. The longer the shanty went on, the deeper the sound. This, interestingly, made me smile, as the speaker's performance shone brighter, making it even clearer how well it controlled mid-range energy. It is important to note that this control enabled accurate separation between treble and bass.

Musical Fun In A Class By Itself
This was a fun and interesting review. It is always great to review high-end speakers. They are almost always in a class by themselves right from the start. The materials, workmanship, dedication to detail, and the design set them apart. Once you really dig into the nitty-gritty, you find yourself in a world of complexity that can humble even the most seasoned veteran, speaking personally. The Gershman Symphonia fit into the high-end speaker category for certain, but they turned out to be a great deal more as the review unfolded and, in the end, revealed themselves.

The Gershman Symphonia are in a class by themselves. They are not only one of the most visually appealing speakers that have come into my workplace in quite some time, but that was only the start of my fascination. The moment the music started flowing, they showed just how much of a step up they are from any speaker that has graced my place in too many years to count. Their beauty might start on the outside, but it extends through their design, implementation, materials, and finally their performance. They are nothing short of exceptional.

Of course, these loudspeakers aren't inexpensive, and they are incredibly revealing. These are two factors you need to take very seriously when considering these speakers. One, because if you hear them and can't afford them, then you might regret it forever. Personally, they have redefined what I thought was possible from a dynamic speaker in a way that I will carry with me forever into all further reviews. It sets the bar just that much higher for everyone else.

The fact that they are revealing is also a mixed blessing. The most revealing speaker will not only expose you to everything your music has to offer but also to all the flaws in your system. These speakers are a double-edged sword, and including them in your system might mean making other changes as well. Of course, that is all part of creating the best possible playback system, so enjoy the ride and accept that these speakers are part of the solution.

Ultimately, the choice to purchase the Gershman Symphonia floorstanding loudspeaker is yours, but if you have the means and the system, you owe it to yourself to try them. They are simply one of the best speakers I have ever experienced. They redefine what is possible.

Specifications
Type: Three-way sealed enclosure loudspeaker design
Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m
Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms
Power Handling: 250 Watts RMS
Tweeter: 1" double-chambered silk dome tweeter
Midrange: Custom-paper driver designed for stiffness and speed
Woofers: Dual custom 8″ drivers featuring rigid aluminum cones / double magnets

Gershman SSAS (Separate Sub Alignment System): Fully decouples and floats the high-mid module from the bass enclosure using integrated IsoAcoustics isolation components.

BCT (Bass Control Technology): Features a dual patented bass trap chamber layout. Each woofer communicates with its own isolated compartment to dissipate back-wave energy.

Adjustable Alignment: Outfitted with built-in levelers that alter the pitch of the upper module, allowing the listener to mechanically adjust time-alignment.

Price: $70,000

Manufacturer
Gershman Acoustics
8707 Dufferin St. #331
Thornhill, Ont L4J 0A6
Canada

Voice: (416) 561-2399
E-mail: gershmanacoustics@yahoo.com  
Website: GershmanAcoustics.com