Полочная акустика — RossoFiorentino Arno 20

The Arno 20 is a two-way speaker for stand mounting from Rosso Fiorentino, the Italian company founded in Florence in 2006 by the electroacoustic designer Francesco Rubenni. The Arno series is named after the river that runs through the city, and it also includes the larger Arno 40. The company uses La Sala del Rosso, a hall in Bisarno Castle near Florence, for recitals, recordings and listening tests. The price is about USD 7,000 per pair.

Key specs that matter

A 28 mm silk dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet works with a 165 mm treated paper woofer, and the crossover point is 1.7 kHz. Frequency response is 45 Hz to 25 kHz at ±3 dB, sensitivity is 87 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 4.8 ohm. The recommended amplifier power is 50 to 150 W into 8 ohm. The cabinet is rear-ported through aluminium vent tubes made in Italy. Each speaker measures 413 mm high, 220 mm wide and 342 mm deep and weighs 16 kg.

Engineering and use context

The woofer cone has a soft outer layer over a stiffer inner core, which combines stiffness with internal damping. The crossover combines coils wound in-house with parts from international suppliers, and it mixes filter types to keep the load resistive and stable for the amplifier. The cabinet is a multi-layer construction of HDF, rubber and aluminium with constrained-layer damping, so vibration in one layer is absorbed by the next. Inside, fibrous damping and air cushions absorb internal reflections. The terminals are pure copper plated in gold and palladium, with anodised aluminium bushings and a friction lock. The body is finished in soft-touch black, with a leather front panel and side stripes, and the side panels can be gloss black, natural walnut, leather, carbon fibre or a custom lacquer. The matching S-A20 stand is made of HDF filled with marble micro-granules, which turn vibration into heat, and it has adjustable spikes, a rear cable channel and an embossed leather band. On the stand, the speaker is 1145 mm high with a footprint of 247 x 385 mm.

Pairing

The resistive load and moderate sensitivity suit solid-state amplifiers and capable valve designs in the recommended power range, in a room of about 20 m2. The rear port needs some space between the speaker and the wall behind it, and the S-A20 stand brings the tweeter up to seated ear height.

Alternatives

The Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2 is the brand's entry-level stand-mount model.