Напольная акустика — Gershman Acoustics 30th Anniversary Black Swan

The 30th Anniversary Black Swan is a Canadian floorstanding speaker by Gershman Acoustics, made to mark 30 years of the Black Swan model line. It made its public debut at Capital Audiofest 2024, and the price was USD 95,000 per pair. The standard finish is black, with custom colours available to order.

Key specs that matter

Gershman specifies a frequency response of 18 Hz to 24 kHz. Sensitivity is 88 dB at 1 W and 1 m, and nominal impedance is 6 ohm. Each speaker stands 132 cm high and 38 cm wide and weighs 65.8 kg. The upper enclosure carries a 1 inch soft-dome tweeter and a 5.25 inch midrange driver, while the bass driver has an enclosure of its own below.

Engineering and use context

Central to this model is the patented Separate Sub Alignment System, or SSAS. Instead of a single cabinet, the speaker consists of two entirely separate enclosures stacked one above the other. The lower box holds the woofer and stands on metal cones. Above it, an A-shaped enclosure for the smaller drivers rests on bridging and is suspended on IsoAcoustics isolation feet, so it does not rest directly on the bass cabinet. Keeping the woofer in its own box stops its vibration from reaching the smaller drivers, and it also lets the company time-align the frequency bands for this model. Each enclosure is built from two layers of 51 mm thick high density board and finished with 15 layers of Italian piano lacquer. Compared with earlier Black Swan versions, the anniversary model adds upgraded drivers, an internal bass trap and a revised crossover network. This model therefore uses three drivers in total, arranged so that the woofer and the upper pair can be positioned in time relative to each other rather than sharing one baffle. The resulting bass extension is unusually deep for a speaker of this height, so most rooms need no added subwoofer. The weight per side and the tall two-part structure mean that careful placement on a solid floor matters, and the lower cabinet should be levelled on its cones before the upper section is aligned above it.

Pairing

The moderate load and efficiency allow a broad choice of amplification, from powerful solid-state stereo or monoblock amplifiers to capable valve designs with enough output, and a room of about 20 m2 or more will give the deep bass space to develop.

Alternatives

The Gershman Grande Avant Garde is a separate floorstanding design listed in the Gershman line-up.