Floorstanding loudspeakers — Phaze Audio TILIA 1

The Tilia 1 is a floorstanding loudspeaker from Phaze Audio, built with an exceptionally high sensitivity figure for the format. Where the bookshelf Tilia 2 is a conventional, moderate-sensitivity design, the Tilia 1 stands out for unusual efficiency even within its own product family, suggesting a deliberately different driver and crossover approach rather than simply a scaled-up version of the smaller model.

Key specs that matter

Rated response is 60 Hz to 20 kHz. Sensitivity is an exceptionally high 108 dB into 8 ohms with a 35-150 W window - among the most efficient domestic floorstanders available on the market at any price, a figure that puts it in rare company alongside a handful of specialist high-efficiency brands. At 95.5 x 20.0 x 29.7 cm and 14.15 kg it is a moderate-weight tower, notably light for a design capable of such high output from modest amplifier power, which suggests the sensitivity comes from driver choice and horn or waveguide loading rather than sheer cabinet mass.

Sound and use context

Expect an extraordinarily dynamic, effortless presentation - the 108 dB sensitivity means even a handful of watts from a low-power tube amplifier produces substantial volume, a different listening experience from a conventional 87-88 dB tower that needs tens of watts to reach the same level.

Pairing

The exceptional sensitivity makes this speaker a natural partner for very low-power single-ended tube amplifiers, the kind of amplifier that would be entirely impractical paired with the vast majority of floorstanding loudspeakers on the market.

Alternatives

The Tilia 2 is the bookshelf version of the same platform at a lower price and more compact scale, though buyers should note the sensitivity figures differ enough between the two models that they may not share quite the same underlying driver philosophy despite the shared range name. The unusually light weight relative to such a high sensitivity figure suggests this design leans on driver efficiency and possibly a horn-loaded or compression-style tweeter rather than a large box resonating chamber to achieve its output, which is worth bearing in mind when comparing it against a conventional tower that reaches similar volume through sheer displacement instead. A listener moving from a conventional 87 dB floorstander to this model should expect roughly a sixteen-fold reduction in the amplifier power needed for the same perceived loudness, a dramatic practical difference in real-world use.