Floorstanding loudspeakers — Ascendo D7 Active

The D7 Active is a fully active floorstanding loudspeaker from Ascendo of Heilsbronn, Germany. It is the powered form of the passive D7 and is delivered as a system with two DNA 1000.2 HE amplifiers, one for each speaker. Ascendo builds it around a coaxial point source, two bass drivers and a rear-facing TOS unit, and lists it in two cabinet versions, the D7 and the slightly taller D7-C.

Key specs that matter

Ascendo counts the D7 Active as a four-way design with its SASB MKII technology when the TOS unit is switched on, and as a three-way when it is off. The coaxial unit is shielded and pairs a 25 mm neodymium soft dome tweeter with an 18 cm midrange driver on an XP membrane. The bass driver module holds two internal 18 cm drivers with NRSC membranes, and the woofer section reaches 32 Hz at -3 dB. At the back sits a 27 mm magnesium tweeter that works without ferrofluid. System power is 1,000 W per speaker. The D7 measures 23.2 x 106 x 41.5 cm and weighs 36 kg, while the D7-C is 23.2 x 108 x 41.5 cm and 41 kg.

Engineering and use context

According to Ascendo, the amplifier output is fed straight into the drivers. The DNA 1000.2 HE works in three modes - stereo at 2 x 500 W sinus, double mono at 500 W plus 500 W, or mono at 1,000 W sinus. Its input and output channels are adjustable, so the response can follow listening levels, styles of music, personal taste and the speaker's own characteristics, and the maker says the time behaviour of the speaker is corrected as a result. Each amplifier measures 360 x 155 x 255 mm depending on how it is oriented, plus 15 mm for its feet, and weighs 16.3 kg. Four detachable magnetic bases let the chassis stand in any direction. In mono operation every amplifier in the system can be controlled from one web browser page. Both cabinet versions are finished in high-gloss black or white piano lacquer, and other lacquer colours are made on request.

Pairing

Because the two amplifiers come with the speakers, the owner adds only a source or a preamplifier. Over an AVB network, a DNA 1000.2 HE converts whatever input it receives into a stream of up to 8 channels and sends it losslessly through CAT wiring, and the receiving end may be another DNA unit, an active Ascendo loudspeaker or an Ascendo subwoofer, so cable length stops being a limit. The same amplifier can also drive passive speakers, so it stays useful if the system changes later.

Alternatives

The Ascendo D9 Active is the larger sibling with a Double TOS rear array and a woofer section rated to 30 Hz.