Floorstanding loudspeakers — Songer Audio S1x

The S1x is a floorstanding point-source loudspeaker from Songer Audio, a maker that builds its range around field-coil drivers energised by external power supplies rather than permanent magnets. It is a full-range ported design and the updated counterpart of the S1, sharing that model's cabinet size while moving to the newer V4 Nova driver. Songer sells it as a pair together with its power supplies.

Key specs that matter

One 10-inch field-coil unit handles the entire frequency range, so there is no crossover splitting it between a woofer and a tweeter. Songer rates the response at 27 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 6 dB and the sensitivity at 95 dB for 1 W at 1 m. Each cabinet measures about 381 mm wide, 1,194 mm high and 508 mm deep and weighs about 63.5 kg. The field coil is fed through a 3-pin Cardas XLR power connection on the speaker.

Engineering and use context

The V4 Nova motor reaches a flux density of 1.9 tesla, equal to 19,000 gauss. Its pole piece is made of permendur, a cobalt-iron alloy that Songer describes as having the highest saturation flux density of any commercially available metal, and the carbon content of the motor steel has been cut by more than 50 percent compared with the earlier V3 driver. A solid copper phase plug sits at the centre, where it also draws heat away and acts as a faraday ring. The cone is handmade from specially treated washi paper with an all-curvilinear profile for radial strength. Total moving mass, including the suspension, is 12.25 grams and the free-air resonance is 17 Hz. Before assembly the voice coil wire is held in liquid nitrogen for 48 hours at about minus 184 degrees Celsius. Songer says its supplies remove superimposed AC ripple and shunt the electromagnetic back-force of the coil to reduce parasitic distortion. The cabinet has a solid hardwood lining with revised internal damping, and the S1x stands on bases of a high-mass composite built on phenolic resin.

Pairing

Because a single full-range cone runs without a passive crossover and the rated efficiency is high, the S1x is aimed at low-powered amplification. Songer's own partner is the A3, a 300B single-ended triode integrated amplifier rated at 6 W per channel. The company also offers the PS1 regulated DC supply, adjustable from 9 to 12.5 V with up to 2 A of constant current.

Alternatives

The Songer Audio S1 is the earlier floorstanding version in the same cabinet, rated at 29 Hz to 20 kHz and 93 dB efficiency.