Floorstanding loudspeakers — Audes Llc. U80

The U80 is described by Audes as a magnetically shielded, very slim floor-standing loudspeaker with high power handling, meant for large installations such as big home cinemas and commercial spaces including hotels, halls and conference rooms. It comes from the Universal line of the Estonian company and shares its design with the U70, a shorter version that Audes proposes as the centre channel when U80 pairs are placed at the front or rear of a surround setup.

Key specs that matter

Two 6.5-inch polypropylene cone woofers, designed and produced by Audes, are joined by a 1-inch fabric dome tweeter, and the hand-over between them happens at 2,600 Hz. The stated frequency range is 80 Hz to 22,000 Hz within plus or minus 2 dB, and output falls by 6 dB at 70 Hz. Sensitivity reaches 93 dB with 2.83 V at 1 m into a nominal impedance of 4 ohm. The cabinet accepts up to 120 W continuously, with a 160 W ceiling for brief bursts. The column is 1,423 mm high, 240 mm wide and 145 mm deep, it stands on a base measuring 330 x 330 mm, and it weighs 20 kg.

Engineering and use context

The U70 uses the same driver complement, crossover point and sensitivity in a cabinet 900 mm high that weighs 15 kg, and Audes lists it for in-wall, on-wall or small shelf-stand mounting. Using both models in one room therefore places identical woofers and tweeters across the front channels and the centre. Magnetic shielding of the drivers allows placement beside flat screens, and the Universal family is aimed by Audes at systems using LED, LCD or plasma displays and projection screens. The maker offers wall mounting, in-wall fitting, floor placement and stand mounting for the line. Standard versions are painted black, silver or white, and buyers can specify real wood veneer or high-gloss treatment for the front partition. The enclosure is only 25 mm deeper than that of the smaller U40 while carrying larger bass drivers.

Pairing

The U80 is best driven by an amplifier that is comfortable with demanding loads, with continuous output kept within the long-term limit. For a full multichannel installation, the SW U4 or SW U2 subwoofer from the same range can handle the band below the lower limit of the U80.

Alternatives

For smaller rooms, the Audes U40 is the more compact floorstanding model of the Universal line, built around two 5-inch paper cone mid-woofers and weighing 8 kg.