Floorstanding loudspeakers — Perlisten S7t

The Perlisten S7t is a large floorstanding speaker that sits near the top of the brand's 36-model line. Perlisten is a young company dating to the mid-2010s, and the S7t is based on its proprietary DPC-Array (Directivity Pattern Control) mid/high driver assembly, developed over 18 months of Comsol acoustic modelling with engineers in the USA and Sweden. No loudspeaker line before the S-Series had gained THX Dominus certification, which is the top reference-level rating in the THX scheme.

Key specs that matter

In bass-reflex mode the S7t reaches 22Hz at -10dB, and in-room measurement extends to 16Hz, while Perlisten's own literature quotes bass down to 20Hz. The nominal 4 ohm load should get 100-600W RMS of amplification, according to Perlisten. The DPC-Array places a 28mm beryllium dome tweeter between two 28mm TPCD (Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm) domes. Bass comes from four 180mm (7-inch) TPCD woofers. Each speaker stands 51 inches tall, is 16 inches deep and weighs 122 lbs.

Engineering and use context

Beryllium was chosen for the tweeter for its high damping and low distortion over a wide bandwidth. The two flanking ultra-light domes allow a lower crossover frequency than in typical dome designs while keeping speed and control. The woofer cones are made from TexTreme carbon fibre, roughly 30% lighter than standard carbon fibre. Supplied port plugs let the owner switch the bass section from bass-reflex, for maximum extension, to sealed acoustic suspension, which gives tighter bass and integrates more easily with subwoofers. The cabinet has a 50mm front baffle, seven internal braces and 1/8-inch thermoacoustic damping throughout to suppress unwanted resonance.

Pairing

The 4 ohm load and wide power window call for a powerful amplifier with strong current delivery.

Alternatives

Perlisten's S7t Special Edition is a further developed version of this same floorstanding platform, placed at the very top of the S-Series.