Bookshelf Speakers — Davis Acoustics Ariane 2

The Ariane 2 is a compact passive speaker with two drivers, sold as a bookshelf model within the Ariane line of Davis Acoustics, the French loudspeaker brand founded in 1986. Ariane is the entry range into the brand's hi-fi catalogue and is named after the Ariane launch rocket. Davis calls the Ariane 2 the big sister of the smaller Ariane 1. The suggested price is EUR 300 per speaker, and the finishes offered are American walnut, light oak and black.

Key specs that matter

A single fibreglass cone covers the bass and the midrange, and a 20 mm soft dome tweeter with a cellulose pulp dome on a foam surround takes the treble. The rated response is 48 Hz to 22,000 Hz at plus or minus 3 dB, with a sensitivity of 90 dB. Impedance falls to a minimum of 5 ohm, and the power rating is 90 W nominal with 120 W as the maximum. Each speaker is 34 cm tall, 20.5 cm wide and 26 cm deep, and weighs 6.2 kg.

Engineering and use context

Across the Ariane range the crossovers use gentle filter slopes of 6 and 12 dB per octave, and the cabinets are slightly angled to align the phase of the drivers. The fibreglass cones are yellow, a visual signature shared by the range. The tweeter uses a 19 mm coil wound on a core that is partly copper. The cabinet is loaded as a bass reflex design through a tubular port at the rear, and it stands on anti-slip feet that tilt the enclosure slightly backward. The same model is presented for both stereo music and home cinema systems, where it can serve as a front or surround speaker next to the Ariane C centre channel from the same range.

Pairing

Davis describes the Ariane 2 as easy to drive, pointing to its efficiency as the reason it works with many different amplifiers. Because the impedance minimum stays above 4 ohm, a pair is within reach of typical integrated amplifiers and home cinema receivers without special current capability. The floorstanding Ariane 5 and Ariane 7 in the same series come in the same three finishes, and the Ariane C2 centre model is also listed in the series.

Alternatives

The Davis Acoustics Ariane 1 is the smallest Ariane bookshelf speaker, fitted with a 13 cm fibreglass driver and a 25 mm soft dome tweeter in a 28 x 16 x 20 cm cabinet.