Improving home theater: TOP-5 floor-standing Hi-End systems 2.0 with a ribbon radiator

The Swiss company Piega produces acoustic systems that are reliable, like Swiss banks, and accurate, like Swiss watches. Manual assembly, elite materials, a unique branded ribbon tweeter were embodied in the Classic 5.0 — Ni-End system, which became the hallmark of Piega.

The columns are under a metre high and only 18 cm wide and are clad in a massiveMDF housing with a wall thickness of 25 mm, mounted on a stand with spikes, which together guarantees excellent stability and no distortion.

The Piega looks elegant and expensive, mainly due to the glossy coating with piano varnish. They are offered in three colours: black, white, and black Makassar wood. The latter looks simply luxurious, but you will have to pay almost 30% of the cost for it.

The front panel is closed with a black removable grill, and on the back panel at the bottom you can see two pairs of contact terminals and a phase inverter port.

The system has a 2.5-band configuration: a proprietary AMT-1 ribbon tweeter and two 13-centimeter 2-woofer MDS speakers are installed here, forming a surprisingly accurate and open sound in the range of 36 Hz – 40 kHz.

The bass is not too deep, but quite collected, and dense, and the high ones are fast and clear, without excessive brightness, but with a light specific colour. The sound stage is clear and transparent with excellent elaboration of all the nuances of the composition. The only thing that a demanding listener can reproach Piega with is the lack of dynamics. No, they rock very well, but sometimes the sound seems to lack confidence, expression.

Another feature of the system that should be taken into account when buying: demanding quality and installation location. In order not to lose the volume of the stage, the speakers should not be placed close to the walls, there should be enough space around, and the stands should be set to the level and the spikes should be securely screwed, otherwise the quality of the bass and the accuracy of the stereo panorama may suffer.

Well, don't forget about the amplifier. Here he needs to be quite solid and confident. For example, Roksan Caspian M2. Then you will fully enjoy the splendor of Hi-End sound.

With all the advantages of Piega Classic 5.0, the price for it is quite democratic. About $1200. For this, perhaps, you can forgive her all the shortcomings.

For almost 100 years, the German company ELAC has remained true to its traditions. All its acoustic systems are assembled exclusively in Germany and meet the highest requirements. Therefore, it is not surprising that for a pair of ELAC FS 247 floor pads they ask about $ 3,000. Let's see what is being offered in return?

The speakers are installed in a solid MDF housing, equipped with a well-developed system of struts inside to minimize vibrations. The front panel can be closed with a small grill, but without it it looks much more spectacular due to unusual diffusers.

The speakers are mounted on a massive podium and raised above it on special supports, this is done so that the lower port of the phase inverter, directed to the floor, has space for air to escape. Another port is located on the back panel at the top, and at the bottom there are two pairs of massive terminals for Bi-Amping/Bi-Wiring connections, filled in plastic.

The speakers are available in three basic colour solutions: mocha, cherry veneer and black lacquer, but it is possible to order in any colour from the Ral palette (a generally accepted table consisting of 213 colours).

The design of the FS 247 is based on a 2.5-band circuit, which made it possible to obtain quite impressive bass depth (from the 30 Hz limit) and an incredibly beautiful upper register up to 50,000 Hz, for which you need to thank the famous JET ribbon emitter of the third generation. The sound turns out to be unusually light, detailed and plastic, with good dynamics and without excessive tonal coloring. The sound stage is disassembled to the smallest detail, the localization of individual instruments is beyond praise.

FS 247 is a real sound station wagon that will perfectly cope with any musical material.

To become the owner of the Dali Rubicon 6 speaker system means to cross the rubicon on the way from a good sound to an perfect one. After listening to Rubicon 6, you definitely won't want to go back. And here's why.

Dali's motto "In admiration of music – Admiring Music" is fully reflected in its models. Rubicon 6 does not leave even scanty chances for skeptics to identify any flaws in them.

3-way acoustics received a dual RF module consisting of a dome and ribbon tweeters, and two low-frequency speakers with a diameter of 165 mm. The hybrid design of Twitter gives an amazing rendering of high frequencies, and SMC technology (framing the coils of woofer drivers with a soft magnetic compound) eliminates almost all unwanted distortion, optimizing the woofer for a long stroke, and the midbass for a large useful frequency range. Two phase inverter ports on the back panel provide excellent synchronization with woofers, and two pairs of powerful Bi-Amping/Bi-Wiring terminals guarantee stable connection of cables with a wide cross section.

As a result, the system demonstrates an almost flawless sound of compositions of any style with excellent detail even at a low volume level, a stunningly voluminous and transparent scene with precise localization of each instrument.

Rubicon 6 is also flawless externally. The massive MDF case is offered in four types of finishes throughout the area: white and black glossy varnishing, rosso and walnut. The package includes a set of legs (rubber and spikes), and a napkin to maintain shine.

Dali Rubicon 6 is an excellent in every way, although an expensive choice. The price of the kit starts from $ 4000. But Rubicon is worth it. With it, your favorite music will sound as delicious as you could not even imagine.

The speakers of the British company ProAc Response D20R have become a successful continuation of the popularResponse D18. In fact, this is the same pair of "tweeter-midbass", but with improved high frequencies. If the D18 has a 19-millimetre squeaker with a silk dome, then the D20R has a ribbon tweeter, previously considered an attribute only of the older ProAc Carbon Pro and Response D40R models. Let's see how good the D20R is for its $4,500.

The system plays in the range of 28 – 33000 Hz with a sensitivity of 88.5 dB. The recommended power of the amplifier is 20 – 180 watts. And what the sound will be, largely depends on it. On transistor amplifiers, attacking styles with high dynamics of power tools will be better revealed, and acoustic and vocal performances will be revealed on tube amplifiers. In general, the sound of the Response D20R can be described as follows: beautiful open and extensive midrange, assertive bass, pleasant and detailed treble, voluminous sound stage.

The exterior of the D20R demonstrates the exemplary classic style of the British Hi-End. The construction of the MDF case is characterized by high damping properties and high-quality veneer finish. The colour scheme is impressive: black ash, maple, mahogany, cherry, yew, ebony, bird's eye maple.

The 26-kilogram speakers are stably placed on the floor and do not respond to vibrations even at high power. The phase inverter directed to the floor provides a voluminous output palette of the bottoms. Although in fairness, many fans of a pronounced bass section will miss it here. Still, the absence of a woofer affects how well the 165 mm midbass would not do its job.

ProAc Response D20R will undoubtedly attract fans of high aesthetics and branded British style. Those who focus more on sound quality are unlikely to give them preference as the main speaker for the stated price tag.

The series of top British acoustics Monitor Audio Gold is not updated often. Since the appearance of the first model in 1998, only 5 generations have changed. How will the listener be pleased with the new Gold 300, and will he regret spending as much as $7000 on it?

To begin with, the Gold 300 is a three—way speaker with 4 speakers. These are: an MPD (Micro Pleated Diaphragm) tweeter based on a Hale emitter, a 64 mm midrange driver and a pair of 203 mm RDT II bass drivers borrowed from the flagship Monitor Audio Platinum II line. The tweeter membrane and speaker diffusers are made of C-CAM material: aluminium-magnesium alloy with ceramic coating. Two HiVe II ports are displayed on the back panel of the Gold 300, providing smooth airflow and sufficient bass amplification. There is also a block of four gold-plated screw terminals for two-wire connection.

The system is ideally matched with an amplifier with a power of 100 — 250 watts and is designed for large rooms. The sound is transparent, open, dynamic and powerful with excellent detail, correct tonal balance, fast deep bass and a large-scale scene.

Stability and uniformity of sound is also achieved due to a strong damped MDF housing with a thickness of 20 mm and two cast metal stands supported by spikes or rubber feet. The curved profile of the cabinet sidewalls enhances rigidity and allows you to effectively combat diffraction and standing waves.

The system impresses not only with its sound, but also with its appearance. The elegant finish with piano lacquer and natural veneer turns the SPEAKER into a stylish piece of premium furniture and guarantees a harmonious combination in any interior. There are 4 options to choose from: Piano Black, Piano Ebony, Satin White, Dark Walnut.

Monitor Audio Gold 300 fully justifies its name. This is really gold, and of the highest standard. And the noble metal, as you know, has no drawbacks.