Floorstanding loudspeakers — Kharma Enigma Veyron 2D

The Enigma Veyron 2D, type EV-2D-1.0, is a floorstanding loudspeaker in the Enigma Veyron collection that Kharma launched in 2015 with new in-house drivers, a larger diamond tweeter surface and cabinets milled from Bulletwood. The collection covers the EV-1D, 2D, 4D and 5D speakers along with amplifiers, a preamplifier, a subwoofer, power distribution and an audio rack. Kharma says the 2D stands apart from its siblings through cabinet size and diamond tweeter area. A later EV-2D C-Driver version keeps the same ratings but moves to Omega-C drivers.

Key specs that matter

The driver arrangement is described by Kharma as a virtual point source 4-way system. Treble comes from three diamond concave tweeters - one of 1 inch and two of 2 inches - placed at the centre of the baffle, the midrange from two 7-inch Kharma Omega-F drivers and the bass from two 11-inch Omega-F drivers. Power handling is 500 W RMS and 1000 W program, the range spans 24 Hz to 90 kHz, and efficiency is 93 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, with a maximum of 120 dB SPL. Impedance is 4 ohm nominal and 3.4 ohm minimum. The speaker measures 1990 mm in height, 480 mm in width and 810 mm in depth.

Engineering and use context

In the Omega-F driver the F refers to zero Foucault currents. No iron is used in the magnet motor, so the voice coil cannot induce eddy currents in iron parts that would feed distortion back into the coil. A patented cluster of neodymium magnets creates a static field that needs no iron to focus it. The cabinet is built from 5-axis CNC-machined Bulletwood parts, which Kharma lists at 100 mm thickness across the collection. The stand integrates a diamond suspension in which tungsten balls rest on diamonds to reduce contact with the floor, and each of its four legs is levelled with a hex key inserted from the top. The standard finish is high gloss Piano Black with Macassar wood panels and gold trim, and Kharma also offers Aubergine paint, rose gold trim and other custom details. The owner's manual includes certificates of quality and authenticity plus a burn-in disc in the delivery, and the Kharma distributor warranty runs 5 years after registration.

Pairing

Kharma advises bi-amping or bi-wiring. The left connector feeds the mid and high drivers and the right one the bass drivers, and a single cable run needs Kharma bridge terminals, with the cable going to the mid/high side. The collection was planned with new wide band linear power amplifiers and a touchscreen preamplifier, and Kharma recommends its Enigma Veyron pure silver-gold speaker cable, identical in type and length for both channels.

Alternatives

The Kharma Enigma Veyron 1D is the larger floorstander in the collection, with eight diamond tweeters, four 11-inch Omega-F woofers and a higher power rating.