Напольная акустика — Wlm Diva MK IV

The Diva MK IV is a passive coaxial loudspeaker from Wiener Lautsprecher Manufaktur (WLM) of Austria, offered either as a monitor or as the floorstanding version covered here. Designer Martin Schützenauer presented the fourth generation in early 2015, with a Swiss premiere on 31 January of that year. Earlier Diva monitors used a 10-inch Eminence coaxial driver, while the MK IV moves to Eton drivers and adds a separate woofer. At launch the monitor cost EUR 4,800 without stands and the floorstander EUR 5,800.

Key specs that matter

This is a vented three-way design using three drivers. An 8-inch hard-suspended paper coaxial unit from Eton carries the midrange behind a horn, with a 1-inch phenolic tweeter mounted in its centre, and an 8-inch Eton woofer with a Hexacone sandwich membrane handles the low end. WLM quotes a range of 30 Hz to 20 kHz, an efficiency of 95 dB and a nominal impedance of 8 ohm. The tower measures 116 cm high, 25 cm wide and 35 cm deep, and weighs about 29 kg. The monitor version measures 26 x 56 x 35.5 cm and weighs about 20 kg.

Engineering and use context

With the tweeter placed on the axis of the paper cone, treble and midrange leave the baffle at one point instead of two separate positions. The added Eton woofer is what lets this generation reach deep bass with no subwoofer in the system. The reflex port in the low and mid section fires downward rather than through the front or back panel. Wall thickness varies between 1.9 and 3.8 cm. A passive control built into the coax allows the treble level to be reduced by up to 6 dB. Cabinets are available in maple, birch, cherry or linoleum, and custom finishes can be ordered, with the linoleum version using that material on the front and rear panels. WLM notes that the dimensions can differ slightly between solid wood and veneered MDF cabinets. The company develops and builds its speakers in Vienna and has a further studio with assembly in Innsbruck.

Pairing

According to its designer, the high efficiency lets the Diva run from most valve amplifiers, and the nominal load is an easy one for transistor designs as well. WLM also describes placement as undemanding, from close to a wall to fully free-standing, and the matching monitor version shares the same driver set on a smaller cabinet.

Alternatives

The Rudolf is another passive WLM floorstander, rated at 94 dB with a 30 Hz to 31 kHz range and a dipole AMT tweeter in a 98 cm tall cabinet.