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Written by Michael Lankton
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
 Spendor Audio is not the only loudspeaker maker with a BBC pedigree, but perhaps no other line is as synonymous with the British sound.
Spendor Audio has added two loudspeakers to their lineup. The Spendor SA1 (inset) is a bookshelf model using brand new drivers. The 6" woofer boasts a magnesium alloy chassis and a new magnet. The 22mm tweeter is a textile dome with a wider than usual surround. The Spendor SA1 does not have a provision for biwiring, which seems to be a growing trend. The SA1 is available in light oak, walnut, ebony, zebra wood and gloss black. The 40" tall Spendor ST1 is a floorstanding design that gets the job done with a 7" kevlar composite woofer coupled with a new 7" Spendor midbass driver and a brand new 29mm wide surround textile dome tweeter. The enclosure of the ST1 is high gloss black lacquer, and the baffle sports an attractive inlay. Choices for the inlay include a range of wood veneer, leather and metallic.
Pricing on the ST1 is approximately $10,000/pair and the SA1 will set you back $2,000/pair. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
 AV123 has made their new X-Statik loudspeakers available through their online store.
The 48" tall AV123 X-Statik loudspeaker is a 3 way, open baffle design. The driver complement consists of four Peerless 6 1/2" paper cone woofers with polymer chassis, two of which are in a sealed enclosure and two of which are mounted open baffle. A 1" Peerless textile dome handles the delicate frequencies. The AV123 X-Statik loudspeaker is an easy load of 8 ohms and 90.5dB efficiency. The frequency response of the X-Statik only plumbs to 65 Hz, so a subwoofer will be necessary for bass heads. Removable metal grilles are supplied for the front and rear of the X-Statik.
The AV123 X-Statik open baffle loudspeaker sells for $699.00 in black satin and $799.00 in palisander rosa satin, palisander natural satin, moho satin or cherry satin. An open baffle center channel, the X-Voce, will be available shortly for those looking to construct an open baffle home theater system. The price of the AV123 X-Statik would be astonishing, but AV123 has made a business of offering incredible audio values at prices that are even more incredible. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
 era Speakers has garnered a reputation for offering spectacular loudspeakers for very little money. Their bookshelf models have received unanimous praise, and recently they were joined by two new floorstanding models.
The era Speakers D10 (inset) is a 34" tall 2 1/2 way that utilizes two 5" woofers and a 1" textile dome tweeter. The D10 represents a light load of 8 ohms with 87.5dB efficiency. The era D10 is front ported, so placement closer to a wall won't represent as much of an obstacle. The era Speakers D14 is a 38 1/2" tall 3 way that adds an era 4" midrange driver to complement the two 5" woofers and 1" textile dome tweeter. Like the era D10, the D14 is receiver-friendly at 8 ohms and 88.5dB efficiency. The era D14 uses a tuned slot on the rear of the enclosure, so this model will need more breathing room than it's D10 sibling.
The era D10 and D14 floorstanding loudspeakers are available in cherry or rosewood veneer. The era D10 will set you back $1700 a pair, and the era D14 $2300 a pair and are almost sure to be two of the more compelling floorstanders available in that price tier. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 25 February 2008 |
 Stereophile's John Atkinson has given some unusually strong praise to flagship floorstander in the KEF Reference line, the KEF Reference 207/2.
Normally I don't link to equipment reviews as they are so abundant and equipment evaluation is entirely subjective. Steophile's editor John Atkinson has heard a loudspeaker or two in his day, and when I saw last week's review of the KEF Reference 207/2 on Stereophile's website, it piqued my interest. In the review John states the KEF Reference 207/2 is "overall the best-sounding full-range speaker I have used in my current listening room", which is extraordinary praise considering the number of loudspeakers John has evaluated over the years.
Sounds to me like the 207/2 deserves a spot on everyone's audition list, and those of us fortunate enough to be able to plunk down $20,000 on a pair of loudspeakers should take special notice. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Friday, 08 February 2008 |
 Canada's Focus Audio has updated their Signature series of loudspeakers, adding four new models for 2008. The have also rolled out a new line, the Prestige series, which for now consists of just one loudspeaker, the Focus Audio FP 90.
The new Signature models introduced have abandoned the familiar Eton hexacone drivers in favor of what appear to be Peerless nomex cone units with phase plugs. The tweeters appear to be modified Vifa ring radiators, or something very similar. The Focus Audio Signature FSC 1 center channel, FS 6 bookshelf and FS 8 floorstander all utilize a combination of this tweeter with 5 1/2" woofers. The 38" 2 way Focus Audio FS 7 uses a 7" nomex cone mated with the same tweeter, and will descend to 35Hz on the low end. The FS 6 bookshelf and the FS 7 floorstander are 8 ohm 86dB loudspeakers, whereas the FSC 1 center and FS 8 floorstander are 4 ohm loads, but a more efficient 91dB.
The 43" tall Focus Audio Prestige FP 90 is a 3 way floorstander that is practically full range, plumbing all the way down to 25 Hz. It's an easy load of 8 ohms, and has average efficiency of 87dB. Driver complement consists of 1 1/8" ring radiator tweeter, 5 1/2" midrange and 9" woofer. Power handling is a robust 500 watts.
No details are yet available on pricing or finishes for these new loudspeakers from Focus Audio.
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