Напольная акустика — AudioNec Diva XL

The Diva XL heads the Classic range from the French maker AudioNec, which sits alongside the Crystal and the Diva. The company presents it as a no-compromise loudspeaker for buyers with a large listening space, and it was first shown to visitors in Munich during 2018.

Key specs that matter

Each cabinet stands 2 m tall, 45 cm wide and 60 cm deep and weighs 175 kg. The system is specified from 15 Hz to 45 kHz within 3 dB, with an overall efficiency of 92 dB/W/m and an impedance of 8 ohm. The layout is three-way, combining two 38 cm bass drivers, the in-house HP DuoPole M1 midrange and treble unit covering 200 Hz to 20 kHz, and a super ribbon tweeter working from 20 kHz to 45 kHz. The two bass drivers sit in separate sealed chambers with a resonant frequency of 14 Hz. AudioNec quotes an efficiency of 98 dB for the DuoPole M1. The European suggested price was EUR 248,700 per pair including 20 percent VAT.

Engineering and use context

The DuoPole is an open-backed dipole driver that AudioNec manufactures itself. Its moving part consists of two flexible tubes pressed together and deformed by a magnetic field of 1 Tesla, which lets a single unit cover almost the whole audible band above the bass region. AudioNec also builds this driver into its Evo line, and the company describes the idea as combining traits of electrostatic panels, horns and box speakers in one design. A passive version exists, and in the setup shown in Munich a DSPV4 processor supplied the digital crossover and the amplification for the bass drivers, and the complete system with that electronics was priced at around EUR 250,000. Visual customisation is extensive, with coloured lacquers and materials such as aluminium, stainless steel, copper, brass, oxidised metal, exotic wood, marquetry, leather, shagreen, carbon and Corian, plus options including piano lacquer, straw marquetry, carbon and gold leaf.

Pairing

With the bass section powered by the processor, an external amplifier drives only the DuoPole and ribbon, and AudioNec demonstrated the system with Jadis JA-80 Mk II valve monoblocks in that role. AudioNec is led by its founder and CEO Francis Chaillet, who started the company with a high end audio server before moving to loudspeakers.

Alternatives

The AudioNec Evo 3 is a floorstanding model from the Evo line, rated from 18 Hz to 25 kHz.