Description

Ease, coherency, large staged sphere-like presentation, virtually unlimited full-range dynamics, high resolution and transparency, and natural tonality are the core traits pursued and achieved.

"Full-range" with a proviso; to some what is full-range covers down to or even below 10Hz at full click, but in my use of the term I "merely" refer to honest 20-25Hz, which my corner-loaded tapped horn subs will be able to achieve up to +125dB's - at the listening position. I never use their full SPL envelope even when being "liberal" with the volume control, but that's the whole point behind ample headroom: it translates into absolute effortlessness at any desired volume, while also making you more comfortable at higher SPL's (but be sure to project your hearing and avoid extended exposure to higher SPL's). 

Some may ask: why actively driven and frequency extremes-augmented pro cinema main speakers in a home environment? To put it shortly, because well-implemented - which goes for all speaker categories - they can sound great in most any audible aspect, absolutely effortless at that, and at a price level that calls for one to self-scrutinize when comparing them to "high-end" speakers/subs costing a downright fortune. 

So, what's the catch? Mainly it boils down to looks, size and conjecture. Aesthetics are very important to many audiophiles, more so than many will admit, and very large pro cinema speakers with their typically black Duratex surface and rugged industrial looks don't appeal to audiophiles with interior decoration demands, be they self-inflicted or by their spouse. Even if it doesn't concern interior design audiophiles often want or expect their speakers to have a particular "audiophile" look, which typically translates into a slender and deep enclosure with smaller, inefficient drive units. Finish-wise high gloss lacquer surfaces with (concealed) wood or other beneath it, are very popular. That's HiFi speaker looks in a nutshell. 

Size and preconceptions: audiophiles at large would rather pay dearly for smaller high-end category speakers than have much larger, cheaper and less "fancy" looking alternatives with pro or DIY origins in their homes. It feeds the association that high-end speakers of limited size are refined, cultivated, voiced-by-ear and naturally adapted to home environments, whereas large pro cinema speakers and horn-based subs are coarse sounding brutes and only about playing hellishly loud. What's mostly incorrect are the assumptions aimed at the latter, while the former severely lacks dynamics, presence, scale, fullness and effortlessness of reproduction - something the latter has in spades in addition to (and this is fooling many an audiophile) resolution, coherency and refinement - not least actively driven. It's about letting physics have their say, prioritize proper implementation, and cutting loose conjecture and vanity. 

The fact of the matter is that with care taken implementing a pro cinema speaker setup and not least driving them actively, they will serve up a sound that in previously named core aspects obliterates most any lower eff. high-end speakers. Add to that a great source/DAC, care taken with cables, wall power, coupling/decoupling and acoustics - something, I take it, most audiophiles wouldn't fully consider with this segment of speakers - and you'll end up having a speaker package with no severe limitations in most aspects of sound reproduction. 
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Room Details

Dimensions: 19’ × 16’  Medium
Ceiling: 8’


Components Toggle details

    • Marian Seraph D4
    Digital AES/EBU output pro soundcard, 24-bit/192kHz. Used in a DIY Windows 10 Pro 64-bit music server. JRiver MC34 playback software. Fidelizer Pro. Local files on NVMe M.2 drives, and streaming via Qobuz and Tidal.
    • NuPrime Evolution DAC-2
    DAC/preamp with digitally controlled, analogue volume control.
    • Xilica XP-3060
    Digital crossover, 3 inputs and 6 outputs
    • MC² Audio S800
    2 x 475W/8 ohm / 950W/4 ohm class A/B fully differential balanced studio amp, vertically bi-amped over one channel EV main speaker with JBL 2405 Alnico tweeters.
    • MC² Audio S800
    2 x 475W/8 ohm / 950W/4 ohm class A/B fully differential balanced studio amplifier, vertically bi-amped over the other channel EV main speaker with JBL 2405 Alnico tweeters.
    • MC² Audio T3500
    2 x 1000W/8 ohm class A/B fully differential balanced studio amp, driving the tapped horn subs.
    • Electro-Voice TS9040D LX
    2-way pro cinema speakers, actively driven. Electro-Voice DH1A 2" exit and 3" titanium diaphragm large format compression driver and DL15W woofer/mid. The DH1A is loaded with the large format EV HP9040 Constant Directivity horn and is used from ~625Hz on up. JBL 2405 Alnico tweeters are configured passively from ~11.5kHz to augment HF. LR6 slopes over the EV's, and 1st order high-pass over the JBL 2405's. 
    • MicroWrecker Tapped horn
    Tapped horn subwoofer x 2, ~23Hz tune with 15" B&C 15TBX100 driver. 20 cubic feet volume per cab. 97dB sensitivity. Covering 20 to ~85Hz. BW6 HP and LR6 LP.
    • Mundorf Silver/gold XLR
    AWG 20, braided interconnect fed between the NuPrime Evolution DAC-2 output and Xilica DSP input.
    • Mundorf Silver/gold XLR
    XLR Interconnects, with Neutrik connectors. Teflon insulated AWG 20, 99% silver/1% gold solid-core conductor, braided. Fed between the 3 Xilica DSP stereo outputs and each of the MC² Audio amps' inputs.
    • Mundorf Silver/gold and CUW210
    AWG 16 (i.e.: 1.5 mm diameter) Silver/gold solid core conductor with teflon insulator used over the EV HP9040 Constant Directivity horn + DH1A compression driver, and AWG 18 (i.e.: 1 mm diameter) solid core lacquered copper conductor with teflon insulation used over the JBL 2405 Alnico tweeter.
    • Cordial CLS 425
    EV TL606DW bass cab and subwoofer cable with Speakon connectors. 4 x 13 AWG stranded copper cable.

Comments 12

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Nice system. How do you like your Belles? I have the SA100 amp and the Belles A28 preamp and think they're great!

dadork

Nice system! How do you like your Belles? I have the SA100 amp and the Belles A28 pre amp and I think they're great.

dadork