Floorstanding loudspeakers — Joseph Audio PERSPECTIVE2 Graphene

The Perspective2 Graphene is the updated version of the Perspective, a slim floorstanding model that Joseph Audio of Melville, New York, introduced in 2013 at USD 12,999 per pair. The second edition keeps the look of the original but changes the woofers, and the price rose to USD 14,999 per pair. After its first public showing at Axpona in Chicago, the model had its European premiere at the May 2019 High End event in Munich. Joseph Audio describes it as carrying much of the Pearl3 design into a compact enclosure that is easy to place.

Key specs that matter

Three drivers work as a two-way system in a vented tower. The tweeter is a SEAS Excel unit with a 1 inch Sonatex impregnated fabric dome, which the maker calls the Sonatex Hexadyn. Below it sit two 5.5 inch woofers from the SEAS Excel Graphene series. Listening window response is within 2 dB from 35 Hz to 20 kHz, and the impedance is 8 ohms nominal with a 5.5 ohm minimum. The tower stands 915 mm tall, 216 mm wide and 330 mm deep, and one speaker in its carton weighs about 38.5 kg. Finish options have included natural cherry, white, and a black and sapele combination.

Engineering and use context

For the graphene woofers SEAS coats its cast magnesium alloy cones with a graphene-based nanomaterial, aiming for a diaphragm that is light, stiff and well damped. Graphene is a form of carbon made of a single layer of atoms in a hexagonal lattice. The two woofers are not driven identically - the lower one rolls off earlier than the upper one, and the upper woofer hands over to the tweeter at about 1.8 kHz in measurement against the nominal 2 kHz. All three units are wired in positive acoustic polarity. The network uses the brand's Asymmetrical Infinite Slope filters. The rear-panel reflex port is tuned to 29 Hz and is supplied with foam liners, which give a slightly overdamped woofer alignment that Jeff Joseph prefers for bass control and extension. Inside, the cabinet has a complex rigid structure with several braces to keep the panels quiet. Compared with the first Perspective, the bass impedance peak grew from 15.6 ohms to 34.4 ohms at 59 Hz.

Pairing

Measured voltage sensitivity is about 83.6 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, which is low, although the impedance magnitude and electrical phase make the speaker an easy load for the amplifier. The maker notes that true 8 ohm designs partner with a broad range of amplifiers, tube models among them. Jeff Joseph recommends Cardas Clear speaker cable for this model.

Alternatives

The Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene is the bigger floorstanding brother of this model, built as separate enclosures for the tweeter and midrange and for its dual woofers, linked by brass points.