Полочная акустика — Venture Audio Charm

The Charm, listed by its maker as the Ultimate Charm, is a compact two-way design in the Ultimate Series of Venture Audio, built for stand mounting. The company was founded in 1986 by Njoo Hoo Kong, known as Didi, a physicist with a master's degree from the University of Frankfurt whose earlier research covered cryogenics and superconducting materials. After more than 35 years at the head of the firm he handed it over to his daughters, Lee Ming and Lee Ching. The Charm is a reinvention of La Charme, a speaker that has been in owners' homes since 1990, rebuilt around the newer generation of Venture drivers.

Key specs that matter

Venture pairs a 2 inch AGC dynamic tweeter with a 7 inch CFGC woofer that covers the rest of the band. Venture quotes a frequency response of 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz, a sensitivity of 87 dB and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm. The maker states the speaker accepts amplifier power of up to 200 W without clipping. Each cabinet is 42 cm high, 28 cm wide and 34 cm deep. The stated weight of 50 kg includes the dedicated stand. The cabinet is finished in Pearl White combined with ebony veneer under high-gloss polyester.

Engineering and use context

Venture fits a first-order network with a slope of 6 dB per octave, built with upgraded parts compared with the older model. A first-order filter uses the fewest components of any crossover type, so the signal passes through less circuitry on its way to each driver, although both drivers then overlap across a wider band around the crossover point. In the Venture range the letters AGC stand for abaca based graphite composite, a material Venture uses for both woofers and tweeters in its Ultimate Series. The matching H-111 stand is cast entirely from aluminium, and Venture designs it to isolate the cabinet from vibration, which is why every pair of Charm speakers leaves the factory with a pair of these stands. The maker specifies a minimum break-in time of 24 hours.

Pairing

The moderate sensitivity combined with the low nominal impedance needs a current-capable amplifier, and the generous power ceiling leaves room for large transistor designs. Low-powered valve amplifiers are a less obvious match for this combination of efficiency and impedance.

Alternatives

The Venture Audio La Vie is the compact model of the Ultimate Series intended for desktop or bookshelf placement, using a single 2 inch AGC full-range driver in a 20 cm tall solid acrylic composite cabinet with 86 dB sensitivity.