Напольная акустика — Pylon Audio Opal 20

Opal 20 is the shortest and lightest floorstander in the Opal family from Pylon SA, a Polish loudspeaker company incorporated in May 2011. Alongside it the Opal line holds the Opal 23 and Opal 30 towers with their newer mkII versions, the Opal Monitor stand-mount, the Opal Sat and Opal Center for home cinema, and the Opal Sub. The pair was listed at about EUR 725 in its early years and at EUR 990 in 2024, and Pylon covers it with a four-year warranty.

Key specs that matter

In this two-way box, Pylon pairs one 18 cm PSW 18.8 CS woofer with a 25 mm PST T-50/8 silk dome tweeter. Frequency range runs from 38 Hz to 20 kHz, nominal impedance is 8 ohm and efficiency is 86 dB. Rated input is 60 W continuous with a 100 W ceiling. Each cabinet measures 190 mm wide, 900 mm high and 280 mm deep and weighs 14 kg, and the factory suggests rooms between 15 and 25 m2.

Engineering and use context

Pylon gives the woofer a coated cellulose diaphragm, and a neodymium magnet drives the silk dome, which is a Monacor DT25-N sold under Pylon's own part number. An unusual choice is the driver order - the tweeter is placed below the woofer on the baffle rather than above it. The crossover is kept to the bare minimum of one capacitor, one coil and one resistor, so few parts sit between the amplifier and the drivers. Side, top and rear walls are 18 mm MDF, and the front plate is thickened to 22 mm to cut vibration of the surface that carries the drivers, with extra reinforcement added at the points under most stress. The inside is heavily damped. Low frequencies are tuned through a reflex tube that vents out of the back. Adjustable steel feet come fitted from the factory, and threaded spikes can replace them for hard floors. The grille clips on with magnets, and buyers choose between three foil finishes - wenge, walnut and black ash, all in PVC veneer.

Pairing

The Opal 20 is an easy electrical load, and a mid-power amplifier matches its rating, though the modest efficiency means low-power valve designs will run out of headroom sooner than with more sensitive speakers. Terminals accept a single cable per side as there is no bi-wire option. Since the reflex opening faces backwards, the cabinets should not be pushed flat against the wall.

Alternatives

The Opal 30 is a three-way tower that adds a dedicated 18 cm PSM 18.8 CS midrange above two woofers, reaching 35 Hz at 90 dB into 4 ohm in a 1030 mm cabinet.