Floorstanding loudspeakers — Audio Physic TEMPO

The Tempo is a compact three-way floorstanding loudspeaker from Audio Physic, the German maker based in Brilon. Its cabinet is slim and tall, leans gently backward and has tapered side panels, a shape the company uses to cut stray resonances in the enclosure walls and to hold back standing waves in the enclosure.

Key specs that matter

The rated range spans 32 Hz to 40 kHz, a sensitivity of 89 dB and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm. Amplifiers from 20 to 150 W are recommended. Each cabinet is 1000 mm high, 187 mm wide and 320 mm deep, and needs a floor area of 290 x 430 mm once the outriggers are fitted. Four drivers are used - a 39 mm HHCT III tweeter, a 150 mm HHCM SL midrange and two 180 mm woofers with aluminium cones. Finishes are black or white high gloss, plus real wood veneer in ebony or walnut.

Engineering and use context

The two woofers sit on opposite cabinet sides in a push-push arrangement, so the forces they put into the enclosure are symmetrical and cabinet vibration stays low. Their cones are ceramic-coated aluminium with active cone damping. Instead of conventional damping material and standard bracing, the bass chamber is filled with open-pored ceramic foam, whose porosity of over 85 percent costs very little internal volume while making the box extremely rigid. Tweeter and midrange use the company's HHC hybrid basket, which pairs the damping of modern polymers with die-cast aluminium stiffness so the voice coil system does not interact with its frame. The midrange works without a centering spider, has its own chamber and uses a dual-basket layout with a fixed aluminium phase plug that ventilates the voice coil, removing heat and lowering compression behind the diaphragm. The revised crossover uses components shielded against micro-vibrations, and internal wiring was optimised. Solid aluminium outriggers shared with the Avanti give stable footing, and their M8 threads accept the optional VCF II Magnetic Plus feet.

Pairing

The moderate power window lets the Tempo work with a broad range of stereo amplifiers built to handle low-impedance loads. Connection is through WBT nextgen PlasmaProtect binding posts mounted on a resonance-damped aluminium base plate via structure-borne sound dampers, and bi-wiring terminals can be ordered on request. A magnetic black fabric grille and a spike set are supplied.

Alternatives

The Audio Physic Avanti is a further tower in the current lineup, fitted with the same solid aluminium outriggers.