Напольная акустика — Ascendo D9

The D9 is a passive Coax series tower from Ascendo, the German speaker maker then based in Ansbach, placed above the smaller D7 in that range. It reached the market around 2013, and in 2017 Ascendo revised it as the D9 2017, adding a new rear tweeter and a reworked crossover. The D9-C version of that update cost EUR 11,200 per pair, and existing owners could have their speakers converted for EUR 2,300.

Key specs that matter

The quoted response runs from 32 Hz (-3 dB) to 32,000 Hz, impedance is 6 ohm and sensitivity is 89 dB at 1 W and 1 m. Program handling is rated at 380 W minimum. A shielded coaxial driver on the front combines a 25 mm neodymium fabric tweeter with an 18 cm midrange that uses an XP diaphragm. Low frequencies come from a module of two 18 cm internal woofers with NRSC carbon fibre cones. At the back sits a pair of 27 mm Seas magnesium tweeters without ferrofluid, each switchable on its own. The standard D9 measures 24 x 112.5 x 45 cm and weighs 45 kg, and the D9-C is 114 cm high and weighs 50 kg.

Engineering and use context

Ascendo describes the layout as SASB MKII technology, working as a four-way system with the rear TOS tweeters active and as a three-way with them off. The rear toggle means the second tweeter can be dropped out while the three-way section keeps running. Because the coaxial unit places its tweeter at the centre of the midrange, both sections radiate from a single point, and the bass-reflex vent is placed at the front. For the 2017 revision, the crossover was redesigned with free wiring and high-current capacitors, and new internal cable came from the Franconian company High-End-Masterclass. Ascendo cleans, measures and assembles each speaker and checks it in its own laboratory before it ships. An optional C-decoupling system, priced at EUR 1,300 per pair and developed in-house by physicist and co-founder Juergen Scheuring, pairs solid double-layer steel feet with a set of three stainless steel and ceramic decouplers per foot, so that impact energy passing into the floor is split across parts with different resonant frequencies. Ascendo lacquers the cabinet in black or white as standard, and further lacquer colours can be ordered.

Pairing

Its impedance and sensitivity make the D9 an easy load for a transistor amplifier, and its high power rating means a powerful amplifier can be used without overloading it. Rhodium binding posts accept a single cable run, and bi-wiring is available as an option.

Alternatives

The Ascendo D7 is the smaller Coax floorstander, 106 cm tall and 38 kg, with one rear tweeter and a response rated down to 34 Hz.