Напольная акустика — Davis Acoustics Ariane 7

The Ariane 7 is a passive floorstanding column from the Ariane range of Davis Acoustics, a French loudspeaker company founded in 1986. Named after the European Ariane rocket, the series is described by Davis as the entry point into the brand's hi-fi line-up. Davis designed this model for listening rooms of 30 m2 and larger, with more bass extension than the smaller Ariane 5. The suggested price is EUR 600 per speaker, and it comes in American walnut, light oak or black.

Key specs that matter

The Ariane 7 divides the spectrum into three bands handled by four separate drivers. Two cellulose pulp woofers work in the bass, a woven fibreglass unit takes the midrange, and a 20 mm soft dome tweeter with a foam surround covers the treble. The quoted response is 37 Hz to 20,000 Hz within plus or minus 3 dB, with an efficiency of 93 dB. Impedance has a minimum of 4 ohm, and power handling is 100 W nominal with 180 W maximum. Each cabinet stands 103 cm tall, 19 cm wide and 31 cm deep, and weighs 17 kg.

Engineering and use context

The woofers are treated and damped cellulose cones driven by substantial magnet motors. The braided fibreglass midrange is the yellow cone used across the Ariane range as its visual signature. Tweeters in this series move on a 19 mm voice coil with a partly copper core and use cellulose domes on foam supports. Crossovers in the range use low slopes of 6 and 12 dB per octave, and the enclosures lean back slightly so that the drivers line up in phase. The cabinet is tuned as a vented bass reflex box. At the back a single pair of terminals accepts heavy-gauge cable, banana plugs and spade connectors.

Pairing

Given the low impedance minimum, the partnering amplifier or AV receiver needs a rating that covers such loads, and the nominal power figure gives the ceiling for its continuous output. The high efficiency means that modest amplifier output suffices for ordinary levels. For a home cinema layout, the same range supplies the Ariane C and Ariane C2 centre channels and the Ariane 2 bookshelf model in matching finishes.

Alternatives

The Davis Acoustics Ariane 9 is the bigger floorstanding model of the Ariane range, aimed at listening rooms of 40 m2 and larger, with two 21 cm woofers, 94 dB efficiency and a 108.5 x 23.5 x 33 cm cabinet at 20.5 kg.