Напольная акустика — Legacy Audio Aeris XD

The Aeris XD is a hybrid tower from Legacy Audio, the company founded in 1983 in Springfield, Illinois, by designer Bill Dudleston. It combines an open-air dipole midrange with a powered subwoofer base and DSP control, and it was the first Legacy speaker to use the Dual Air Motion Tweeter. The upper section is passive and driven by an external amplifier, while the bass is powered internally.

Key specs that matter

Six drivers form a 4.5-way system, namely a 1 in AMT super tweeter, a 4 in AMT tweeter, an 8 in titanium-encrusted midrange with a 2.7 kg magnet, a 10 in midwoofer with a 4.5 kg magnet, two 12 in ultra-linear subwoofers with a 6.8 kg motor and a 10 in mass-loaded passive radiator. Crossovers are at 80 Hz, 2.8 kHz and 8 kHz. Frequency response is 18 Hz to 30 kHz (+/-2 dB), sensitivity is 95.4 dB at 2.83 V and impedance is 4 ohms. Internal amplification totals 1500 W. The upper cabinet measures 1473 x 349 x 406 mm and the base 483 x 446 mm, and each speaker weighs 83 kg.

Engineering and use context

The midrange works as an open-air dipole, radiating front and rear. The bass section uses a hybrid cardioid alignment with dual rear ports, which shapes low-frequency radiation. The Dual AMT pairs two pleated diaphragms, which Legacy says displace four times more air than conventional tweeters. The processor offers eight-band parametric EQ on each of its four inputs and eight outputs. The upper-section crossover uses silver high-frequency wiring, Clarity capacitors and point-to-point OFC connections with a star ground, and it can be lit by a switch to display its construction. Inputs are one pair of binding posts for the upper range and one balanced XLR for the bass. Finishes include black oak, walnut, natural cherry, rosewood, birdseye maple, curly maple, olive ash burl and sapele pommele, with exotic and custom colours to order. The DSP runs at 24-bit resolution, and each speaker ships at 137 kg in its packaging. The two subwoofers are crossed over actively and time-aligned by the supplied Wavelaunch processor or the optional Wavelet 2 processor.

Pairing

With its high sensitivity, the upper section needs as little as 15 W from an external amplifier, so low-power valve designs work, while the internal amplifiers handle the bass. The Wavelet 2 processor acts as preamplifier and crossover in a complete Legacy system.

Alternatives

Legacy Audio's Focus XD is the four-way tower with the same Dual AMT and dual 12 in woofers in a conventional box.