Floorstanding loudspeakers — Audes Llc. U40

The U40 is presented by Audes as a slim floor-standing loudspeaker with magnetic shielding, designed for small and medium listening rooms and suited to both stereo systems and home theatre. It belongs to the Universal line of the Estonian manufacturer, a family of panel-shaped speakers that Audes builds with parts of the grade found in its Credo series, and it stands shorter than the other two towers of the range, the U80 and U100.

Key specs that matter

Two 5-inch paper cone mid-woofers work together with a 1-inch fabric dome tweeter, and the crossover divides them at 2,000 Hz. The published frequency range runs from 80 Hz to 22,000 Hz within plus or minus 2 dB, while the low-frequency corner sits at 64 Hz at the minus 6 dB point. Sensitivity is 91 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and nominal impedance is 4 ohm. Power handling is listed as 70 W long-term and 100 W for short peaks. Its cabinet measures 1,293 mm in height, 188 mm in width and just 120 mm in depth, it sits on a square base of 290 x 290 mm, and it weighs 8 kg.

Engineering and use context

Because the drivers are magnetically shielded, the U40 can stand next to a display, and Audes positions the whole Universal range for systems built around LED, LCD and plasma televisions or projection screens. The shallow depth keeps the column flat against a wall, and the maker lists wall mounting, in-wall fitting, free standing on the floor and shelf placement on stands among the installation options for the line. The basic painted versions come in black, silver or white, with real wood veneer or a high-gloss finish available for the front partition of the enclosure. The U30 from the same range uses the identical pair of 5-inch mid-woofers, the same tweeter and the same crossover point, and it can be mounted horizontally as a centre channel or vertically for surround duty, so a U40 pair and a U30 form a front stage built from matching drivers.

Pairing

Any partner amplifier for the U40 must remain stable with a low-impedance speaker, with output kept within the long-term power rating. Since bass extension is limited, the SW U4 or SW U2 subwoofer from the Universal line can take over the lowest range in a home theatre or music system.

Alternatives

The Audes U80 is the larger floorstanding option in the Universal line, using two 6.5-inch polypropylene woofers and rated at 93 dB sensitivity.