Полочная акустика — Vestlyd V12C

Vestlyd calls the V12C a Power Monitor, and of the two such models it is the more compact one from this Danish brand that Nordic Hifi A/S set up as its debut venture, wholly owned by and grown out of the Hifi Klubben chain. Development of the design in Denmark took three years. The design takes its cue from large 1970s monitor boxes, and the maker lists the V12C at EUR 1,398 per pair, aimed at normal-sized living spaces while the bigger V15C targets larger rooms.

Key specs that matter

The speaker is built around a two-way coaxial driver. A 12 inch paper cone woofer on a ferrite motor covers bass and midrange, while a 1 inch laminated titanium dome tweeter with a high-power neodymium motor sits at its centre, loaded by a small aluminium horn. The crossover point is 1,100 Hz. Vestlyd quotes a frequency range of 39 Hz to 22,000 Hz, a sensitivity of 93 dB and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm, with a maximum recommended amplifier power of 500 W and a maximum sound pressure level above 130 dB. The cabinet measures 62.2 cm high, 39.2 cm wide and 36.7 cm deep.

Engineering and use context

Placing the tweeter inside the woofer's motor system puts both sources on the same axis, which solves time alignment between them and spreads output widely, so the maker says the speakers need no toe-in. The tweeter is a custom compression driver with a 2 to 1 compression ratio and a solid aluminium waveguide, while the woofer motor was optimised by finite element analysis and uses aluminium rings to counter nonlinearities at high excursion. The heavy MDF enclosure has a 3 cm front baffle, horizontal and vertical bracing and is vented through two large ports on the front baffle, so the box can stand nearer a back wall than a rear-vented cabinet could. Connection is single-wire only, through terminals that accept banana plugs or bare wire. Two finishes are offered - oak in PVC and black synthetic leather - and front covers plus rubber feet come in the box. Despite being a bookshelf model, the size means a sturdy low stand or a solid piece of furniture is the practical support.

Pairing

The high efficiency means modest amplifiers can drive the V12C to high levels, including low-powered valve designs, although the low nominal impedance means the amplifier must cope with that load. At the other end, the high power ceiling leaves plenty of room for large transistor amplifiers. A single pair of speaker cables is all that is needed, since there is no bi-wiring option.

Alternatives

The Vestlyd V15C uses the same coaxial layout with a 15 inch woofer, 36 Hz extension and 95 dB sensitivity in a larger cabinet.