Floorstanding loudspeakers — Audes Llc. Grand Blues

Audes LLC names the Grand Blues as the top model of its Credo loudspeaker line and describes it as a larger version of the Blues, the three-way tower on which it is based. The company says the bigger model keeps the efficiency of the smaller one while gaining capability, and it is intended for two-channel music playback as well as home cinema. Audes is based at Pae street in Jõhvi, north-eastern Estonia, where it employs around 85 people. The business descends from RET, a radio factory founded in 1935 by Friedrich Olbrei, Karl Reinmann and Hans Võrk, which operated as Funktechnische Fabrik Reval during the German occupation of 1941 to 1944.

Key specs that matter

The driver complement doubles up in the bass. Two 8 inch paper cone woofers, both of Audes design and manufacture, are joined by two 4.5 inch polypropylene cone midrange drivers and a single 1 inch fabric dome tweeter. The network divides the range at 200 Hz and 2,100 Hz, the same points used in the Blues. Frequency range is given as 40 Hz to 20,000 Hz within 2 dB, and output falls by 6 dB at 34 Hz. Measured with 2.83 V at 1 m, sensitivity is 91 dB, and the nominal impedance is 4 ohm. Audes states a maximum long-term power of 150 W and a maximum short-term power of 250 W. Each speaker is 1,565 mm tall, 232 mm wide and 480 mm deep, sits on a base of 326 by 494 mm and weighs 60 kg.

Engineering and use context

Compared with the Blues, the Grand Blues adds a second woofer, grows by about 355 mm in height and 22 mm in width, and gains 25 kg. Its bass extension goes deeper and its sensitivity is slightly higher. The base is wider and deeper than the cabinet itself. Buyers can choose walnut, cherry, black ash or mahogany veneer, while burl wood and other exotic finishes are available to order with matte or piano polish surfaces. Besides loudspeakers, the Jõhvi factory produces electrical assemblies and transformers, including toroidal, EI, UI and PCB-mount types, as well as ferrites and chokes, and the inductors in Audes crossovers are wound in-house to the requirements of each model.

Pairing

The low nominal impedance points toward solid-state or valve amplifiers whose output is specified into 4 ohm loads. Audes' own electronics range, which covers valve amplification and mains conditioning, offers a same-brand option for driving the Grand Blues in either stereo or multichannel use.

Alternatives

The Audes Blues is the smaller Credo tower, with a single 8 inch woofer, 90 dB sensitivity and a 1,210 mm tall, 35 kg cabinet.