Floorstanding loudspeakers — Goldmund Apologue Ultimate Pinel et Pinel X Kongo

The Apologue Ultimate Pinel et Pinel X Kongo is a limited edition of Goldmund's historic Apologue floorstanding speaker. The Swiss company created it with the Parisian trunk and leather maker Pinel et Pinel and the graffiti-inspired artist Cyril Kongo, who has also worked with Hermès and Richard Mille. The original Apologue of 1987 was designed by the Italian artist Claudio Rotta Loria. Only 20 pairs of this edition are made, priced at EUR 1.5 million or USD 1.77 million per pair.

Key specs that matter

Each speaker has a dome super tweeter, a dome tweeter, two 7 in midrange drivers and two 12 in woofers. The super tweeter covers 13 kHz to 30 kHz, the tweeter 2.4 kHz to 13 kHz, the midrange drivers 200 Hz to 2.4 kHz and the woofers 24 Hz (-6 dB) to 225 Hz. Built-in Telos amplification supplies 300 W to the super tweeter, 300 W to the tweeter, 2 x 300 W to the midranges and 2 x 350 W to the woofers. Inputs are S/PDIF digital and wireless audio. Each speaker is 85 cm wide, 185 cm tall and 120 cm deep and weighs 360 kg. Power consumption is rated at 720 W per speaker at one-eighth output.

Engineering and use context

The 1987 Apologue was a three-way passive design. A 2013 Anniversary edition had already brought digital technology into the model, and this version keeps the identical exterior while incorporating 36 years of Goldmund development, turning it into a six-way active speaker. Goldmund gives every driver its own amplifier channel, so crossover filtering happens digitally ahead of amplification and each amplifier drives one unit directly. Thanks to the wireless input and digital processing, the speaker needs only a source, with no separate preamplifier or power amplifiers.

Pinel et Pinel wraps the enclosure in smooth calfskin leather, with 16 m of hand-stitched seams per speaker. Kongo paints the flat leather pieces before assembly, anticipating how they will come together in three dimensions, so no two pairs are alike. The first pairs were produced in pink and blue.

Pairing

As an active speaker it connects straight to a digital source over S/PDIF or wirelessly, and Goldmund's own streaming and control products complete the system. Its size and mass suit large rooms of 50 m2 and above.

Alternatives

Goldmund also builds the Rhea Passive, a three-way passive floorstander with a 7 in midrange and a 12 in woofer.