Напольная акустика — T+A Criterion S 240

The Criterion S 240 is the larger floor-standing speaker in the Criterion S range built by T+A Elektroakustik in Herford, Germany, placed one step above the Criterion S 230. It combines a transmission line bass enclosure with a three-way driver layout, and the American price was USD 17,990 per pair. It comes in Macassar veneer, Arctic silver or rubbed lacquer, the lacquer available in white or black.

Key specs that matter

T+A fits two 220 mm woofers, two 150 mm midrange units and a 25 mm tweeter with a magnesium membrane, with crossover frequencies of 170 Hz and 1,800 Hz. T+A specifies 26 Hz to 45,000 Hz, 88 dB at 1 W and 1 m and 4 ohm impedance. Load capacity is 250 W nominal and 380 W music power. The cabinet stands 123 cm tall, 38 cm wide and 50 cm deep with base and spikes fitted, and one speaker weighs 55 kg.

Engineering and use context

The bass section loads the woofers into a carefully folded multi-resonator transmission line, which T+A describes as a structure that exploits internal standing waves to lift low-frequency output and to shield the midrange drivers from interference - its folds resemble organ pipes, and numerous internal struts keep the cabinet rigid. The front panel follows the Organic Baffle concept - it is fixed from within, with no fasteners showing on the outside, and its calculated shape prevents distortion in the treble range. All four cone drivers use die-cast aluminium baskets, and the midrange baskets have narrow struts that avoid air turbulence behind the cones. The membranes use a highly damped base material stiffened with amorphous wood fibres, and a StarStabilizer embossing prevents breakup. The magnesium tweeter dome is very light and stiff, a special process coating removes its resonances, and it can work up to 50 kHz. Two midrange units flank the tweeter symmetrically in T+A's Symmetric Directivity system, so each needs less excursion and produces less distortion, while the controlled radiation pattern cuts down on reflected energy from the room boundaries. The Fast Signal Response crossover is a double-sided three-way network with separate power planes for high currents. Separate terminal pairs allow bi-wiring and bi-amping.

Pairing

The low impedance and a high music power figure point towards a high-current transistor amplifier, while the divided crossover lets separate amplifiers handle the woofers and the upper range.

Alternatives

The more compact Criterion S 230 is the second floor-standing model in the T+A Criterion S range.