Bookshelf Speakers — Audes Llc. Reference System7

Audes LLC, a maker based in Jõhvi in north-eastern Estonia, lists the System7 as a two-way design for stand or shelf placement in its Reference range, alongside the floorstanding Orpheus and Orpheus CS. The company traces its roots to 1935, when the RET factory was founded to develop and build radio, sound and cinema equipment.

Key specs that matter

A 6.5 inch paper cone woofer of in-house design and manufacture handles bass and midrange duties, while a 1 inch fabric dome tweeter takes over above a single crossover point at 1,800 Hz. The rated frequency range is 56 Hz to 20,000 Hz within 2 dB, and the response is 6 dB down at 46 Hz. Sensitivity is quoted as 87 dB with 2.83 V at 1 m, and the nominal impedance is 8 ohm. Audes recommends amplifiers rated between 50 W and 150 W. Each cabinet stands 340 mm high, 218 mm wide and 380 mm deep - the depth exceeds the height - and a single speaker weighs 10 kg.

Engineering and use context

Audes produces the key parts of its speakers in its own plant, which has occupied the same site in Jõhvi since 1959. Drivers, crossovers and cabinets are all made there. Each crossover network is hand-wired without a printed circuit board, and its inductors are wound to the specification of each individual model. Enclosures are built from MDF and pass through a multi-stage finishing process. For the System7 the finish list includes piano polish and deep matte surfaces, and Audes distributors supply information on other options. The loudspeaker design engineer at Audes is Aleksei Tjurin, who holds a master's degree in acoustical engineering from the University of Southampton, while the firm is run by managing director and owner Igor Tjurin. Beyond its own catalogue of around 40 models, the factory has also built loudspeakers as an original equipment manufacturer for other brands under non-disclosure agreements.

Pairing

Its nominal load and sensitivity let the System7 work with a wide choice of solid-state integrated and power amplifiers inside the recommended power window. Audes itself also builds valve amplifiers and power conditioners, so an all-Audes system can be assembled around this speaker.

Alternatives

The Audes Studio from the Credo line is another two-way bookshelf model with a 6.5 inch woofer, crossing over at 2,200 Hz in a 14 kg cabinet.