Напольная акустика — Pylon Audio Opal 30

The Opal 30 is a passive tower loudspeaker from the Polish company Pylon Audio in its Opal series. Unlike the smaller Opal designs, it is a full three-way bass reflex speaker with a dedicated midrange driver, and all of its drivers carry Pylon's own brand. Pylon has since replaced it with the Opal 30 mkII, which keeps the same efficiency and cabinet dimensions but was rebuilt from the ground up.

Key specs that matter

Two 18 cm PSW 18.8 CS woofers handle the bass, an 18 cm PSM 18.8 CS unit with a coated cellulose diaphragm handles the midrange, and a 25 mm PST T-50/8 silk dome tweeter with a neodymium motor covers the highest frequencies. The quoted frequency range is 35 Hz to 20 kHz, with a nominal impedance of 4 ohm and an efficiency of 90 dB. Pylon rates the speaker at 100 W nominal and 150 W maximum. Each cabinet measures 190 mm wide, 1030 mm high and 360 mm deep and weighs 22 kg. The maker's recommended room size is 20 to 45 m2.

Engineering and use context

The enclosure walls, including the back panel, are 18 mm thick, while the front plate is thicker at 22 mm to reduce vibration of the baffle carrying the drivers. Inside, the midrange unit is housed in a separate chamber, isolated from the woofers so that their back pressure does not act on its cone. Reinforcements are added at the key structural points of the cabinet. Pylon describes the new midrange cone as designed for maximum uniformity in the most sensitive part of the band, while the pair of woofers provide the base for the rest of the range. The bass reflex port lets the woofers reach down to the quoted low limit from a narrow tower. Every speaker ships with a magnetic grille. The cabinets are finished in PVC veneer, with Black Ash, Walnut and Wenge offered.

Pairing

The Opal 30 needs a partner amplifier rated for low-impedance speakers, and its output should stay close to the nominal figure rather than exceed the maximum that Pylon specifies. The high efficiency means the speaker does not require an especially powerful amplifier to reach normal listening levels.

Alternatives

The Pylon Audio Opal 30 mkII is the updated floorstanding successor in the Opal series, with air-core crossover coils, a lower bass reflex tuning, a graphene-reinforced tweeter, a range extended to 30 kHz, a weight of 23.5 kg and ratings of 135 W nominal and 200 W maximum.