Напольная акустика — Ayon Audio Ayon BlackHeron

The BlackHeron is a floorstanding speaker from the Austrian tube electronics maker Ayon Audio, positioned in the full-range Black series between the smaller BlackRaven and the five-driver BlackFalcon, BlackEagle and BlackCrane. It follows the same ceramic driver concept as its siblings and pairs it with an unusually low recommended amplifier minimum. In August 2019 the European price was EUR 18,900 per pair, and the current North American price is USD 19,980.

Key specs that matter

Ayon arranges four drivers per side as a 3.5-way system. A 1.2-inch Cell-Ceramic tweeter is joined by three 6.7-inch ceramic cones - one covering bass and upper midrange, one covering bass and lower midrange, and one working as a pure woofer. Ayon lists four crossover points at 180 Hz, 400 Hz, 1,000 Hz and 2,500 Hz. Frequency response is 34 Hz to 30 kHz at -3 dB, impedance is 4 ohm nominal and sensitivity is 93 dB at 1 W and 1 m. The maker recommends amplifiers between 5 W and 120 W. Cabinets measure 116 cm high, 36 cm wide and 25 cm deep, and each one weighs 38 kg.

Engineering and use context

Resonance-optimised instrument plywood forms an elliptic enclosure with convex front and rear baffles and concave side walls, so no two walls run parallel, which works against standing waves inside the box. Because of that shape, only minimal internal damping is used. The bass drivers carry voice coils wound to a specific impedance, which Ayon uses to keep the acoustic crossover at a simple 6 dB slope, and the company calls the overall concept an Airflow Damping System. A flip switch on the rear panel has two positions, marked transistor and 4 ohm tube, and Ayon stresses that the tube setting is not a simple impedance linearisation but draws on its long experience building valve amplifiers. A separate switchable bass boost is also fitted. Terminals are WBT NextGen and the internal cabling is custom made.

Pairing

The low recommended minimum brings small single-ended tube amplifiers into range, and Ayon states the speaker also suits low-powered solid-state designs as well as larger amplifiers up to the maker's upper limit. When a valve amplifier drives the pair, the rear switch goes to its tube position.

Alternatives

The Ayon BlackRaven is the compact 2.5-way floorstander of the range, with one fewer 6.7-inch ceramic woofer, 92 dB sensitivity and the same recommended amplifier window.