Floorstanding loudspeakers — Davis Acoustics Courbet n°4

The Courbet n°4 is a slim two-way tower speaker made by Davis Acoustics, the French firm set up by Michel Visan in 1986 and based in Troyes. It is the smallest floorstanding model in the Courbet range, which also takes in the Courbet n°3 compact model, the n°5, n°7 and n°8 floorstanders, the Courbet C centre speaker and a later S2 generation. Davis presents the n°4 as a design that sits between a shelf speaker and a full-size tower, carrying over the visual cues of the rest of the Courbet line in a narrow cabinet.

Key specs that matter

This model is fitted with just two drivers. A 28 mm soft dome tweeter, the TW28CD that Davis fits across the whole Courbet range, handles the top octaves, and a 13 cm woofer with a Kevlar cone reproduces everything below the 4,000 Hz crossover point. Depending on the finish, the woofer membrane is either left in its natural yellow with a clear varnish or given a black coating. Davis rates the frequency range at 51 Hz to 25,000 Hz within 3 dB, sensitivity at 90 dB and impedance at 4 to 8 ohm. Nominal power handling is 90 W with a 130 W maximum. The cabinet stands 82.5 cm tall, 16 cm wide and 22 cm deep, and each speaker weighs 12 kg.

Engineering and use context

Because the cabinet volume is unusual for a two-way floorstander, Davis developed a dedicated woofer for this model rather than reusing a stock unit. Kevlar was chosen for that cone for its ratio of mass to rigidity. The enclosure is tilted backward so that its inner walls are not parallel, a measure the company uses to stop internal standing waves from forming. It rests slightly forward on a wide and thick base. Bass loading is reflex, and the circular tubular port exits through the front panel, so the back of the cabinet carries no vent. The tweeter has a tubular damping chamber behind the dome. The n°4 is manufactured in France, with Davis producing its drivers in its own Troyes facility.

Pairing

With the impedance quoted down to 4 ohm, the amplifier should be rated for 4 ohm loads, and the nominal power figure marks what the speaker is built to accept continuously. The Courbet C centre model allows the pair to be extended into a home cinema layout with drivers from the same family.

Alternatives

The Davis Acoustics Courbet n°5 is the next model up, a three-way design with two carbon cone woofers under a Kevlar midrange of the same size.