Floorstanding loudspeakers — Volti Audio RIVAL

The Rival is a floorstanding horn loudspeaker from Volti Audio, whose owner Greg Roberts builds each speaker by hand in his American workshop and sells without intermediaries. It is a three-way hybrid design that combines horn loading for the midrange and treble with a bass reflex enclosure for the woofer, and it uses the same drivers as the Volti Vittora in a less elaborate cabinet.

Key specs that matter

Volti lists a sensitivity of 100 dB, measured with 2.83 V at 1 m, and a frequency response of 32 Hz to 20 kHz. Impedance is 8 ohm. Recommended amplification runs from 3 W per channel minimum to 100 W per channel continuous maximum. Each cabinet measures 41.5 inches tall, 19 inches wide and 16.75 inches deep, and weighs 135 lbs. The price is USD 22,000 per pair with black stretch grilles, and custom crating is offered for USD 700, with shipping charged at USD 750 to 1,200.

Engineering and use context

The low range comes from a 15 inch high-sensitivity, high-power paper-cone woofer loaded by a port that opens on the front baffle, whereas the Vittora places a woofer of the same 15 inch size in a folded bass horn and adds a separate horn section on top. The midrange uses a 2 inch exit compression driver with a 3.5 inch phenolic diaphragm and a neodymium magnet, which feeds a hand-built wooden horn with a Tractrix flare. A 1 inch compression tweeter covers the top of the range, fed through its own horn. The cabinet is made from 1 inch Baltic Birch plywood with full internal bracing. Volti presents the combination of horn and reflex loading as a way to gain dynamic range while keeping the woofer under control. Real wood veneer is vacuum-applied to the cabinet and finished with catalyzed lacquer, and the buyer chooses the veneer. The standard grille is a black stretch cloth, and woven grille fabrics in several colours cost USD 500 extra.

Pairing

With a stated minimum of only 3 W, even single-ended triode amplifiers of very low output meet the maker's recommendation, and the 8 ohm load matches the 8 ohm tap found on many valve amplifiers. The 100 W continuous figure is the upper boundary Volti sets for any amplifier connected to it. Volti positions the Rival between the smaller Razz and the Vittora system in its range of horn loudspeakers.

Alternatives

The Volti Audio Razz is a smaller floorstanding horn model with a 12 inch woofer and a 97 dB sensitivity rating.