Напольная акустика — Blumenhofer Acoustics Classic 1722

The Classic 1722 is the entry model of the Classic series from Blumenhofer Acoustics, the loudspeaker maker founded by Thomas Blumenhofer in 1977 and co-owned since 2001 by Andrea Vitali. The Classic range came out of a joint project with Old School HiFi, whose request was for vintage-looking loudspeakers that still work the Blumenhofer way. The company admits the development took longer than planned and produced some useful spin-offs along the way. Three models made up the series - the two-way 1722, the three-way 1733 with a 380 mm woofer and the 1743 at the top with two 380 mm woofers and a 3 inch titanium compression driver. Blumenhofer now lists the whole Classic family on its archive site for discontinued products.

Key specs that matter

Two drivers make up this two-way layout. Bass and lower midrange are handled by a 250 mm (10 inch) woofer with a paper P2F sandwich membrane, and above 1,200 Hz a compression driver takes over through a horn with a 1 inch throat and a 44 mm (1.75 inch) Mylar membrane. Blumenhofer rates the frequency range at 40 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 2 dB. The cabinet is 60 cm high, 34 cm wide and 35 cm deep, and one speaker weighs 17 kg.

Engineering and use context

Each cabinet is built from 18 mm HDF complex board, and internal structural bracing ties the panels together. The bass section is tuned as a reflex box, with the vent placed at the front of the cabinet. The horn-loaded compression driver covers the whole range above the crossover, while the cone woofer handles everything below it. The 1722 is a compact cabinet, and Blumenhofer states that a small foot is needed to raise it to proper listening height; unlike the larger Classic models, it comes without spike feet. The speakers are packed two to a carton. Blumenhofer describes its wider range as high-efficiency designs and names Impedance Linearization, Floor Effect and Bass Horn as technologies it developed in-house.

Pairing

Efficiency is 93 dB and nominal impedance is 8 ohm, and Blumenhofer gives a maximum power input of 100 W RMS, which sets the upper limit for the partnering amplifier. Wiring runs through a single pair of terminals made of gold-plated tellurium copper, so the 1722 takes one cable per side and cannot be split for bi-amplification.

Alternatives

The Blumenhofer Classic 1733 is the three-way model above it, adding a separate midrange to its larger woofer, with 95 dB efficiency, a 150 W rating and a weight of 35 kg.