Floorstanding loudspeakers — HECO In Vita 9

The In Vita 9 is a three-way passive tower speaker from HECO, announced in May 2023 as the tower of the In Vita range, which also includes the smaller two-way In Vita 3. Its layout uses three separate woofers under a dedicated midrange in a slim cabinet. The German list price was about EUR 1,499 per speaker, or EUR 2,998 per pair, with black and white versions offered.

Key specs that matter

The In Vita 9 carries five drivers. Three 170 mm woofers and a 170 mm midrange all rely on HECO kraft paper cones, joined by a 28 mm silk compound dome for the treble. Crossover frequencies are 350 Hz and 3,000 Hz. HECO quotes a range of 23 Hz to 43,000 Hz and an efficiency of 92 dB. Impedance lies between 4 and 8 ohm, power handling is 240 W RMS and 380 W maximum, and HECO advises amplifier outputs from 30 to 380 W. The cabinet is 205 mm wide, 1120 mm high and 375 mm deep, and with base and terminal the footprint grows to 290 x 1150 x 393 mm. One speaker weighs 27.7 kg.

Engineering and use context

Spreading the bass over three cones gives a large combined radiating area while the front stays narrow. Because the midrange takes over well above the woofers, it is spared the heaviest low-frequency excursion. All the cone drivers sit in aluminium baskets. HECO describes the tweeter as a new design with ferrofluid cooling for higher power handling and a strong double ferrite magnet, mounted on an aluminium faceplate with Fluktus geometry. The enclosure is braced at several points, and three reflex tubes on the rear panel are flow-optimised at both ends and screwed in place. The crossover is tuned for both amplitude and phase. Aluminium traverses at the base carry height-adjustable metal spikes, and rubber feet are included for delicate floors. The finish combines high-gloss lacquer on the front and top with silk-matt lacquer on the sides and back. A front cover of acoustic fabric attaches with hidden magnets, and a switch lets the treble level be set to linear or +2 dB.

Pairing

With its good efficiency the In Vita 9 plays loudly on modest power, and HECO names 30 W as the lowest suitable amplifier output. Since the impedance can drop to 4 ohm, an amplifier that is comfortable with 4 ohm loads suits it best. The terminal carries sturdy gold-plated, encapsulated screw clamps and is prepared for bi-wiring and bi-amping, so a second stereo amplifier can later take over the woofer section while the first one drives the midrange and tweeter.

Alternatives

The HECO Direkt Premium is a two-way HECO floorstander with a 275 mm woofer and 94 dB efficiency in a 78-litre cabinet.