2Cellos, In2ition

“In2ition” is the name of 2Cello’s second studio album and was first released in Japan in 2012. The Croatian cellist-duo that consists of classically trained cellists, Luca Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, had managed to secure a record deal with Sony in the previous year and have since released five albums. 

The duo’s entry ticket to stardom was their 2011 cover of Michael Jackson’s song “Smooth Criminal” which received millions of views on Youtube within just a few weeks. Their cello renditions of world-famous tunes continue to captivate audiences worldwide though their juxtaposition of rawness, immediacy, and delicacy, a combination that is not often found.

“In2ition” is a great album for audiophiles to test the ability of their HiFi system to breathe. When I bought the album following my first exposure to 2Cellos on Youtube, I was sad to find that most of the songs sounded loud, harsh, and compressed. Only the slow and highly melodic passages stood out to me, seemingly as masterpieces of the album. “So they have a few good recordings”, I thought to myself at the time and placed the album on the shelf.

Many years have passed since my first listening, and with every improvement I made on our system, another song opened up its magic to me. What first sounded loud turned to dynamic, the harsh passages became sweeter, and what had appeared to be compressed became more spacious. Cellos offer lots of natural dynamics and can become very loud very quickly. Systems that have been set up to fully exploit their dynamic headroom will not only muster the energy it takes to swell, but also be able to subside quickly, thus leaving enough space for the music to breathe, even in passages that are loud and fast.

Can your HiFi system breathe? Why don’t you find out with this CD and send me your report of your experience in the comments section below? Your input is much appreciated. Enjoy.