Полочная акустика — Wlm Sissi

The Sissi is a fully active monitor from WLM, the Austrian loudspeaker and electronics workshop whose full name is Wiener Lautsprecher Manufaktur. The company operates in Vienna and Innsbruck, reached its 25th anniversary in 2026, belongs to Andreas Steiner and has its development and production led by Martin Schützenauer. WLM describes the Sissi as a precise monitor in solid wood. The active part of the WLM speaker range also includes the floorstanding Franz, Franz S, Elisabeth MK II and Maria, so the Sissi gives the same self-powered concept in a much smaller cabinet.

Key specs that matter

Each enclosure houses six units in total. Two 6x9-inch racetrack woofers with paper cones and a stiff suspension handle the deep bass, two 5-inch woofer/midrange units use papyrus membranes, a 5 cm cone tweeter relies on a graphite diaphragm, while a 6 cm AMT unit is mounted in dipole form. Built-in amplification delivers 800 W per side, and WLM specifies a frequency range from 28 Hz to 31 kHz. Each cabinet is 50 cm high and 36 cm deep and weighs 18 kg. Its width is 15 cm at the front and back and grows to 20 cm in the middle of the body.

Engineering and use context

The racetrack woofers feed a transmission line whose outlet radiates toward the rear, while the lower midrange range uses a bass reflex volume that vents downward. The enclosure begins as a hand-built block of wood that is then shaped by high-precision CNC milling, and the walls vary between 0.8 cm and 4.8 cm in thickness depending on position. The wider centre section tapers toward the baffle and rear panel, following the WLM approach of narrow front panels to cut edge diffraction. Pairing a cone tweeter with an AMT that radiates both forward and backward spreads the treble across two different transducer types, and the dipole AMT adds rearward output in the top octaves. Two separate low-frequency loadings let the racetrack pair and the 5-inch papyrus cones work in chambers sized for different frequency ranges.

Pairing

Because the power stages sit inside each cabinet, an external power amplifier is unnecessary, and a preamplifier or digital front end can connect straight to the pair. WLM treats loudspeakers, electronics, digital sources and room acoustic treatment as one package and offers custom installations, which suits buyers who want a complete system from a single supplier. The cabinet depth calls for a sturdy stand or shelf with a matching top.

Alternatives

The WLM Ella MK2 Purifi Monitor is a passive compact model from the same maker, built around a 6.5-inch Purifi mid/bass driver.