The last of our Cabasse Murano Alto in white remain one of the best deals we have.
"All the finishes are absolutely stunning in person..."
...but the mahogany Cabasse Murano is everyone's favorite. Or should we say was everyone's favorite because they're all gone now. They were a great standmount at $4,400 a pair, but when they went on sale at 50% off, they became an essential purchase. The first bites became a feeding frenzy when YouTuber Nemo Propaganda gave them an excellent review, calling the Murano the best deal in hi-fi for 2024.
We sold out of the Murano in days, fuelled not just by Nemo's video, but viewers who came back to his channel with comments such as:"
Many of Nemo's viewers correctly understood that his opinions would apply to the floorstanding version as well, the Murano Alto. At $7,190 a pair, the Alto matched good looks with phenomenal performance, at a level you expected at this price. But once we dropped the price to $3,596 for the pair, the Alto also became one of those all-time great deals that Upscale Audio is famous for. When the mahogany was gone, our advice was, just get the black. And now that the black has gone, we say, just get the white.
We talked to Nemo about how white speakers had their day, and seem to be less popular again. Nemo observed, "I think most of us forget that contrast is important for a beautiful home." Black might make sense for the theater-focused customer who uses a projector, "but for the music listener I strongly encourage stepping out of the comfort zone and exploring white or other non-black finishes."
From Stand to Floor
So, what did Nemo like so much about the standmount Murano, most of which we can apply to the floorstanding Murano Alto since both models have the same coaxial mid and tweeter? Down low, the Alto adds two 6.7" woofers in a 67 lb. cabinet.
Don't look at the finish, that's sold out. Notice the Cabasse Murano's beautiful coaxial mid-tweeter.
In his video, Nemo described the Murano as being ever so slightly on the forward side of neutral, yet with a character that he really appreciated: "Detail doesn't get pushed forward into your face, but remains layered within the soundstage."
On hearing so much detail, Nemo feared hissy esses, but found that "sibilance control is awesome." He repeatedly called the treble region of the Murano "highly refined." He also observed a huge height to the soundstage, helped no doubt by the coaxial design which is far less bothered by room reflections.
"Tonally rich in the midrange," he added, "this speaker has some soul to it still, yet has the expansiveness of speakers that are known to be hyper-analytical."
The Cabasse woofers have massive motor sections and bass is powerful and effortless. "Fantastic note to note distinction," said Nemo of the standmount, and we promise the floorstander does not lose any of that agility.
More Customer Comments
"I don't understand how these speakers can have such detail and play so loud without being fatiguing. The soundstage just gets enormous as you play them louder!!"
"Dude! These Cabasse Murano Alto’s sound freakin’ amazing!! So much more realistic sounding than I even imagined! Heavy as can be. Getting them out of the box by myself was a challenge, but I managed. I’m just blown away! Lifetime deal for the current price...nothing beats this..."
White speakers may not be your thing, but once you hear the Cabasse Murano Alto, you're probably not going to care. Grab them while we have them.
Who Is Nemo of 'Nemo Propaganda'?
YouTuber Nemo seen during his review of the Cabasse Murano bookshelf speakers in the mahogany finish.
With just over 30,000 subscribers, Nemo Propaganda is a smaller hi-fi review channel (at least compared with Darko and Steve Guttenberg), but based on how his video sold out the Murano over a weekend, reviewer Nemo is clearly loved and trusted.
Nemo (as he is known publicly) has a full-time career and his YouTube channel is a side project he started "to avoid wasting my Sundays playing video games." He shoots the entire thing on an iPhone, and when he's not listening to review gear or his own system, he reads a "TON of science fiction, about 20 books a year!" (One of his favorites is The Final Architecture trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky.)
He also hangs out with friends, going boating in the summer and hitting the Glamis sand dunes in the winter. "Quality time with quality people, that's what life is all about."
In terms of music, he has been recently getting back into Creed. "Their lead singer's voice is just so powerful and has so much emotion in it." He also likes female vocals and EDM, and 'Lily' by Alan Walker has been on repeat this week.
We respect that while Nemo has great contacts in the industry, he prefers to stay independent. "I like finding out about new products around the same time the general audience does."