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RE: "and deliver superb results with tube amplification of as little as 30 watts per channel" No they don't

Posted by Larry I (A) on November 25, 2014 at 10:28:58

In Reply to: "and deliver superb results with tube amplification of as little as 30 watts per channel" No they don't posted by Awe-d-o-file on November 23, 2014 at 09:48:01:

I heard the version with the Lowther field coil driver. I believe that the drivers go for something like $5,000 per pair. I don't know about the current prices for AER field coils, but, about five years ago they were in the $4,000 per pair price range. The Lowther-based model I heard had a very nicely made head unit with a tapered back chamber for the driver (not a typical DIY construction). The sound from this unit was MUCH better than what I have heard with any other Lowther implementation (I have heard the field coil Lowther in an open baffle and found that WAY too peaky and shouty).

I too have some concern about the quality of the Crown bass amps, but, bass from the speaker I heard was really quite good. Thus, it may be the case that, as good as this speaker sounds, it could be upgraded with a different amp. Another possible area of improvement might be the field coil power supply. I have heard remarkable improvements with Western Electric field coil 555 drivers when a really good Tungar power supply replaces a solid state power supply. I also heard an improvement to a Feastrix system with an upgraded Feastrix field coil power supply. It appears that poswer supply is a big deal with field coil drivers.

The bass driver configuration of this speaker is not something one finds in conventional speakers. The drivers are paired facing each other in a vertical array, with a baffle directing the backwave of one driver toward the forward direction, and another baffle directing the output of the other driver in the opposite direction. I believe the two facing drivers are in opposite phase so that the acoustic loading of the driver is sort of like an isobaric arrangement. This is NOT an arrangment that one would find in a typical DIY speaker.

The overall construction/appearance of the speaker itself is quite good and certainly not "homemade" in character. The bunch of extra boxes--the active crossover, the crown amp, the field coil power supply--do have a DIY character to them that is not as appealing as it would be if these components were more neatly packaged in a single chassis.

In terms of what I heard, I like this speaker a lot. Someone looking for an extremely dynamic and lively speaker that avoids most of the gross tonal problems with fullrange and horn systems, should give these an audition. For my taste, there are WAY too many analytical, thin and bloodless speakers, or their opposites (the rich sounding but dynamically constrained speakers) on the market and this is a terrific alternative.

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