British loudspeaker stalwart Mission is about to take the wraps off their new 79 series of loudspeakers.

 

The 79 Series will be poised just below their high end Elegante line. The line will be wrapped in veneer as opposed to the vinyl clad their lesser lines receive. While sporting a more conventional look than the Elegante line, the 79 series does feature sleek, curved side panels on the enclosures. Also featured is Mission's trademark Inverted Driver Geometry (IDG), which places the tweeter below the midbass driver. The tweeters are mounted in a shallow waveguide, which may make for sound that is too forward for some, but likely gives the 79 Series the same prowess at home theater and harder music that it's predecessors enjoyed. The line consists of two floorstanding models, two bookshelf models, a center channel, a surround unit and a subwoofer.

 

Pricing is unknown at this time. As far as I know Mission, who is handled by IAG along with Quad and Wharfedale, does not have a distributor in the United States at this time. The 79 Series will be available in high gloss piano black and high gloss rosewood finishes.

British loudspeaker maker ProAc has revealed two additions to their Response loudspeaker line.

 

The Resonse TriTower is a slim floorstanding loudspeaker that stands 43" tall. Only 5.5" wide, the TriTower features three 4.5" aluminum woofers mated with a 4.5" midrange and 1" silk dome tweeter. ProAc claims the 4 ohm 90dB TriTower's frequency response covers 35-30,000Hz.

 

The Response D Two bookshelf model is a more conventional 8 ohm 88.5 dB design, utilizing a 6.5" woofer and a 1" silk dome tweeter. The woofer appears to be a Seas Excel unit, but with a glass fiber cone instead of aluminum. ProAc claims 30-30,000Hz response from the 17" tall bookshelf.

 

No pricing details at this time, the two models are available in standard ProAc maple, cherry, black ash and mahogany, with the Response D Two adding the options of ebony and bird's eye maple.

Salk Sound has unveiled a new floorstanding loudspeaker, the Pharos HET.

 

The obelisk-like Pharos stands 44 inches tall and sports a 12" JBL woofer mated with a 6.5" PHL midbass and Aurum Cantus G2 ribbon tweeter. The Pharos is rear ported with two 3" flared ports, and has a measured frequency response of 44-25,000Hz. The HET stands for high efficiency tower, and the Pharos boast an impressive 95dB efficiency rating, and present an 8 ohm load, making them a good choice for tube amplifiers. The tapered construction of the Pharos allows for the necessary enclosure volume, while presenting a loudspeaker that doesn't overwhelm the space it occupies.

 

Pricing on the Pharos HET is $7995/pair, and like the rest of Jim Salk's offerings, are available in just about any finish you can imagine.

In this installment of Spotlight we turn our focus to venerated British hi fi manufacturer Quad.

 

Known best for electrostatic loudspeakers and tube amps, Quad is one of the truly endearing names in high fidelity, with a history that spans seven decades. Today Quad is going as strong as ever, thanks to the relocation of their production facilities to the People's Republic of China, which gives audiophiles a chance to purchase Quad equipment for much less than it would sell for if they didn't have complete control over their manufacturing process. In addition, Quad's expansion into producing dynamic loudspeakers has helped them gain a whole new audience, and the Quad L Series has been universally hailed as an audio success at a breakthrough price.

 

Quad continues to produce their famous electrostats and valve amps at their Shenzhen production facility, but the company is no less British than it was before, with employees in the UK, and many relocated to the PRC to design and oversee production. It's a business model that has been a resounding success. And with that, let's turn the Spotlight on Quad Hifi: