When it comes to speakers, in some cases, the phrase “design-centric” can mean they are invisible to the customer, but it can also mean that they are in their faces with a stunning look that is accompanied by stunning sound. Here, we take a look at some of the more recent entries in those latter styles.
SoundTube Premier Lux
The Premier Lux audiophile speakers come in an array of configurations: bookshelf, center channel, surround, and tower. These speakers come equipped with one or more patented 6.5-inch tri-laminate Kevlar RPF glass fiber flat-piston woofers, and 28mm high-performance soft dome tweeter(s). The flat plane surface of the woofer coupled with SoundTube’s Absolute Phase crossovers amplifies vertical and horizontal dispersion patterns, introducing placement flexibility and a sweet spot that’s as wide as a concert hall.
Monitor Audio Gold Series 6G
Monitor Audio’s new Gold Series 6G comprises six distinctive loudspeakers. Gold Series 6G boasts a totally new metal cone technology in the form of Hexagonal Diaphragm Technology (HDT). HDT draws on the RDT III cones utilized in the Hyphn and the flagship Platinum Series 3G, which consists of a Nomex honeycomb layer sandwiched between aluminum and carbon fiber skins. The HDT cone employs a new hexagonal pattern to disrupt symmetries in the cone breakup, creating a cone that shifts the frequency up by 10% compared to the RST II cones found on the Silver Series 7G. The new cone also utilizes Monitor Audio’s proprietary C-CAM technology, which when compared to standard aluminum designs, produced a stronger, more fatigue-resistant cone. The result is that the new HDT, C-CAM cones are among the strongest, most piston-like cones Monitor Audio has ever engineered.
DALI RUBIKORE Series
The DALI RUBIKORE flagship series consists of five models: two floorstanding models, including the RUBIKORE 8 and RUBIKORE 6; one bookshelf, the RUBIKORE 2; an on-wall model, the RUBIKORE ON-WALL; and the RUBIKORE CINEMA, which is an LCR home cinema speaker. The RUBIKORE Series incorporates numerous innovations inspired by DALI KORE technologies. At the heart of these advancements is the Clarity Cone Technology bass/midrange driver diaphragm, ensuring a natural midrange clarity devoid of any artificial coloration. Complemented by the DALI SMC motor systems, these drivers achieve minimal distortion and optimal performance efficiency. The RUBIKORE 8 and 6 loudspeakers further enhance audio purity thanks to SMC KORE inductors within their crossover circuits to significantly reduce signal loss. In addition, the entire range also featuring high-performance Mundorf capacitors.
Sonus faber Concertino G4
Sonus faber Concertino G4 is the fourth edition of the brand’s Concertino speaker. The two-way passive high-end loudspeaker blends heritage and innovation to take audio performance to new heights while capturing the true essence of Sonus faber. The design of Concertino G4 is based on advanced acoustic research, cutting-edge materials, and technological improvements. Building on the success of previous Concertino models, this edition blends technology with the timeless principles of Natural Sound and artisanal quality — even leveraging a patented, plant-based leather alternative material from Italian startup Ohoskin in its finishings.
Waterfall Audio Niagara XT Series
The Waterfall Audio Niagara XT Series features three models that all produce a clear, richly detailed, and powerful sound. Contained within a unique, fully transparent platinum safety glass enclosure (XT2 and XT3: 0.39 inches thick; XT1: 0.24 inches thick), the Niagara XT Series comes alive in natural light, subtly reflecting and refracting sunbeams throughout the day. Custom-built mid/bass Atohm drivers appear as if they are suspended in mid-air and are under-pinned by an ultra-low-frequency 8.3-inch passive driver in a down-firing position in the solid, CNC-cut, brushed tapered aluminum base. The drivers in the Niagara XT series are equipped with JETSTREAM damping technology, developed in house by Waterfall Audio, to maximize performance and ensure the mechanical decoupling of the mid-bass driver from the glass structure.
JBL Modern Audio Stage 2
JBL’s Modern Audio (MA) AV Receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers are high-performance home theater solutions for the next generation of music and movie enthusiasts. JBL MA AV Receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers are crafted to blend seamlessly into modern home interiors, and designed to be simple to install, connect, and upgrade. Featuring intuitive functionality, ease of use, and seamless integration, the JBL MA AV Receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers have simplicity at their core. Using the EZ Set EQ mobile app, users can calibrate the system to match their space in minutes, while the Wi-Fi-enabled AVRs feature “Works with SmartThings” integration, allowing users to create automated routines that control their other IoT devices with a button press. The system is compatible with a wide variety of audio platforms. Whether they want to connect their music from their mobile phone via Apple AirPlay or Chromecast, Bluetooth pairing, or streaming from Spotify, users can count on a smooth and seamless audio experience.
ELAC Debut 3.0 Series
The ELAC Debut 3.0 line of home speakers build on the success of previous generations in the Debut family, with this new series incorporating a variety of innovative features, advanced technologies, and refined aesthetics. The newly developed aluminum dome tweeter in the ELAC Debut 3.0 speakers significantly enhances audio performance. The tweeter’s integrated aluminum phase plug provides a controlled dispersion pattern, delivering consistent sound quality throughout the listening environment. The inclusion of the newly developed aramid fiber woofers in the ELAC Debut 3.0 speakers elevates the overall audio experience. Aramid fiber is strong and rigid, making it an ideal material for woofer construction, enabling precise and impactful bass reproduction, with a high stiffness-to-weight ratio ensuring tight and accurate bass response.
Steinway Lyngdorf Model C Speaker
The latest iteration of the Steinway Lyngdorf Model C speaker combines an elegant aesthetic overhaul with advanced audio technology. The redesigned Model C speaker features a refined and sophisticated look that seamlessly integrates into high-end residential settings. A wide range of custom finishes and wood options are available. Its sleek design is complemented by bi-amplification, which enhances sound quality and performance by allowing for precise control over the speaker’s drivers.
Dynaudio Contour Legacy Heritage Collection
Dynaudio’s Contour Legacy is a floorstanding 2.5-way speaker that echoes the look of 2020’s Heritage Special. It tips a nod to the original Contour speakers from the 1980s and ’90s, while bringing everything up to date with Dynaudio’s latest drivers and acoustic technology. It uses Dynaudio’s top-level 28mm Esotar 3 soft-dome tweeter (including the Hexis resonance-defeating inner dome); dual 18cm woofers derived from the Evidence range (then tweaked and souped-up to a higher level); plus a crossover packed with select premium components. Contour Legacy is hand-made at Dynaudio’s headquarters in Skanderborg, Denmark.
SVS Ultra Evolution
The new flagship speaker series from SVS — SVS Ultra Evolution — consists of seven new models featuring advancements in driver design, cabinet architecture, and component materials, the speakers usher in a new era of reference quality sound for the audio brand. At first glance, the most striking design feature is the acoustically centered time alignment cabinet architecture. A curve in the front baffle aligns the sound emanation point of the tweeter and each driver on a vertical plane, ensuring sound from each driver arrives at a listener’s ear in the exact same instant. This maximizes phase coherence for a more convincing and immersive soundstage with pinpoint accuracy and imaging. For the tower models specifically, midrange drivers and woofers positioned above and below the tweeter allow for seamless crossover blending to create an idealized “point-source” where sound flows from a single point in front of the speaker to optimize dispersion characteristics.
Coastal Source Pathfinder Omni-Directional
So this one is more “lawnstanding” than floorstanding, but with the popularity of the outdoor category, we thought we’d include it. Pathfinder is Coastal Source’s patented omni-directional loudspeaker, designed to boast high-performance sound in a sturdy and discreet design. The loudspeaker is built to fill in the physical gaps of outdoor music experiences by providing an option for all traditionally bypassed outdoor areas, such as pathways, side gardens, and gazebos. The 32-ohm design enables eight Pathfinder speakers to be driven on one channel of a Coastal Source amplifier, offering installers the complete flexibility to deploy numerous Pathfinder speakers across the property. Installers can also complement multiple Pathfinders with a Coastal Source subwoofer for a complete musical experience.
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature
The larger model in the Bowers & Wilkins Signature range is the 702 S3 Signature, a three-way floorstanding loudspeaker that builds on the specification of the 702 S3, the flagship model in the 700 Series range. The heart of the design is its Carbon Dome tweeter, housed in a decoupled Tweeter-on-Top aluminum enclosure and enhanced in this model with the addition of a new protective tweeter grille mesh derived from the 800 Series Signature models, introduced in 2023. The decoupled Continuum Cone FST midrange drive unit — complete with its Biomimetic Suspension, which notably reduces unwanted coloration emanating from behind the drive unit — ensures clean, effortless insight into the midrange and an open, spacious sound. 702 S3 Signature also includes three 165mm (6.5-inch) Aerofoil Profile bass drivers for full, powerful sounding bass, complete with upgraded drive-unit suspensions (or “spiders”) that help improve bass clarity.
PS Audio aspen FR10
The PS Audio aspen FR10 loudspeaker is a slim, 3-way, floorstanding tower that brings the sound quality and driver design of the aspen Series to a wider range of listening environments, systems, and budgets. The new FR10 features PS Audio’s push-pull planar magnetic midrange and high-frequency driver technologies, complemented by ultra-low-distortion, linear-magnet woofers, high-excursion passive radiators, and a host of additional refinements. Like all the models in the aspen series, the FR10 has a sleek, refined appearance.
Pro Audio Technology CF-46.2 Speaker
At CEDIA Expo 2024, Pro Audio Technology (PRO) introduced five new speaker models that give integrators access to high-accuracy, high-output, and compact loudspeakers for premium commercial and video wall installations. Like the rest of the line, the new loudspeakers are built-to-order in the U.S. All five models are compact with ergonomic handles, multiple fly points, industry-standard mount points, and pole cups. Optional PRO SplitYoke Multipurpose Mounting Brackets can be used to install all PRO Commercial loudspeakers easily on the wall, ceiling, floor, and other surfaces. And the PRO SplitYoke Brack Kits works with all five PRO Commercial models — no need for additional accessories.
