Floorstanding loudspeakers — YG Acoustics CARMEL 3

The YG Acoustics Carmel 3 is the smallest tower in the Reference range, built in the company's workshop in Arvada, Colorado, from aerospace-grade aluminium machined in-house. This is the third-generation Carmel, a two-way tower whose earlier versions used modified Scan-Speak drivers before YG moved to its own. Over the Carmel 2 it gains a new hybrid Lattice tweeter and a revised crossover, drawing on technology from YG's larger XV, Sonja and Hailey models.

Key specs that matter

The Carmel 3 is a passive two-way that combines a 26mm Lattice hybrid tweeter with a 185mm (7.25-inch) BilletCore mid/bass driver with neodymium motor magnets. The Ultracoherent crossover operates at 1.75kHz and holds the relative phase of the two drivers within +/-5 degrees from 700Hz to 3.3kHz. Usable output extends from 32Hz to 40kHz, sensitivity is 87dB and impedance is 6 ohms average with a 3.2-ohm minimum. Each speaker measures 103 x 23 x 31cm and weighs 39kg, in silver or black as standard.

Engineering and use context

Each BilletCore diaphragm starts as a 2kg billet of aircraft-grade aluminium and is machined down to a cone 0.2mm thick weighing about 10g. YG machines the cone instead of stamping it, because stamping leaves microscopic stresses and irregularities, while machining gives a more uniform, rigid structure with very tight tolerances. The company states that its in-house machining is precise to better than 0.001mm. The Lattice tweeter keeps a fabric dome but reinforces it with a bonded alloy airframe, machined from an 80g billet into a lattice of only 0.03g, which stiffens the dome without significant mass. YG says this lowers distortion and widens dispersion. The low crossover point relies on the wide bandwidth of the tweeter and keeps the mid/bass driver below the range where its directivity narrows. YG designs its crossovers with its own software to optimise frequency and phase response together. This one uses custom capacitors, including pure metal-foil types, copper-manganin foil resistors and resonance-damped inductors, on a board laid out by computer to minimise interaction between parts. Pairs are closely matched.

Pairing

Since its sensitivity is only moderate and its impedance falls quite low, the Carmel 3 calls for a capable amplifier with good current delivery. The compact aluminium tower fits medium-sized rooms, and its weight and rigid enclosure need solid coupling to the floor.

Alternatives

The YG Acoustics Hailey 3 is the larger three-way Reference tower, with more drivers and a bigger cabinet.