Floorstanding loudspeakers — Piega Classic 5.0

The Classic 5.0 is a slim 2.5-way tower speaker from Piega, based in Horgen on Lake Zurich, belonging to the more affordable half of the Classic Series introduced in 2015 in reference to the company's first wooden speakers. Piega describes it as suited to smaller and mid-sized rooms. The Classic Series comprises seven models - five floorstanders of different sizes, one bookshelf speaker and one centre speaker - with three luxury towers and four lower-cost models.

Key specs that matter

Piega lists a frequency range of 36 Hz to 40 kHz, a sensitivity of 91 dB at 1 W and 1 m and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm, with a recommended amplifier output of 20 to 150 W. Drivers are two 130 mm MDS bass and midrange units and one AMT-1 tweeter. The cabinet is 93 cm high without its base plate, 18 cm wide and 28 cm deep, and each speaker weighs 20 kg. Connection is by bi-wiring terminals with multi-connectors.

Engineering and use context

In the 2.5-way layout, both MDS drivers reproduce bass while only one also handles the midrange band up to the tweeter. The AMT-1 tweeter was newly developed for the entry models of the Classic Series and is an Air Motion Transformer design, which Piega says brings much of the benefit of its ribbon technology at the production cost of a dome tweeter. The MDS drivers are specially designed versions of Piega's own long-throw bass and midrange units. The series revisits the look of the first four Piega speakers, which appeared almost 30 years before the range with a piano finish as standard and the first LDR ribbon tweeter made by the company. Classic cabinets are rounded and pressed into a C shape towards the rear, echoing the aluminium Coax and Premium lines. Cabinets come in black or white piano lacquer fitted with black covers, and a Makassar piano lacquer is available as an option. The Classic Center Large uses the same driver arrangement as the Classic 5.0 in a horizontal cabinet, and Piega gives a six-year warranty on its loudspeakers.

Pairing

The low load suits amplifiers built for demanding speakers, while the bi-wiring terminals permit two cable pairs per speaker. For home cinema, Piega proposes a set made of two floorstanders, the Classic Center Large and a pair of Classic 3.0 bookshelf speakers for the surround channels.

Alternatives

The Piega Classic 7.0 is the taller tower above it in the same entry range, pairing the AMT-1 tweeter with two 180 mm MDS drivers in a 104 cm cabinet rated down to 34 Hz.