Напольная акустика — Cessaro Horn Acoustics BEETHOVEN II

The BEETHOVEN II is a five-way horn loudspeaker system from the German company Cessaro Horn Acoustics, and each unit weighs about a metric ton. Compared with the Gamma II, which relies on an external back-loaded bass horn, this model builds its front-loaded bass horns into the structure itself and drives them actively.

Key specs that matter

Cessaro specifies a range of 28 Hz to 45,000 Hz, sensitivity of 107 dB, and an impedance of 8 ohm. Power handling is given as 60 W, while maximum output exceeds 130 dB. Each unit is 215 cm high, 220 cm wide and 220 cm deep and weighs 1,000 kg.

Engineering and use context

The bass range relies on four 16 inch TAD Alnico drive units, with four 18 inch drivers offered as an option, loaded by a front-loaded horn of mixed materials with a length of 230 cm. These woofers are powered by four dedicated solid-state amplifiers, each built around a 1,200 W transformer. Above them, a bespoke 11 inch paper cone driver with an alnico magnet works in a sealed enclosure with a 103 cm horn for the low-mid band. The midrange is handled by a 2 inch alnico compression driver with a beryllium diaphragm, cited as the TAD TD-4001, on a 58 cm spherical composite horn. A 1 inch alnico compression driver, the TAD TD-2001 or TD-2002, also with a beryllium diaphragm, covers treble through a 26 cm spherical composite horn. At the top, a 0.5 inch cobalt compression driver with a beryllium diaphragm works into a brass horn of spherical profile, 9 cm long and machined from solid. That top unit is a modified TAD ET-703. The composite horns can be ordered in any colour, and the cabinets are available in a choice of wood veneers. Cessaro asks for a room larger than 50 m2 and at least 4.5 m between speakers and listener, so that the five horn sections can integrate at the seat.

Pairing

Because the bass horns carry dedicated amplifiers, any external amplifier handles just the four upper sections, where the high sensitivity allows low-powered designs. Cessaro advises high quality, fast amplifiers for this role. One watt already produces a high level, so a small single-ended valve amplifier is a practical choice, and the power handling limit sets the ceiling for more powerful units. The model also carries over the refinements Cessaro introduced with the Beta II.

Alternatives

The Cessaro LISZT II is a four-way horn system offered by Cessaro with one fewer way, rated at 100 dB at 1 W and 1 m and weighing 450 kg per unit.