Напольная акустика — Audiovector R 5 ARRETÉ

The R 5 Arreté is a floorstanding loudspeaker from Audiovector of Skovlunde, Denmark, and the maker describes it as five years in the making. Within the R Series it was the first model given technologies inherited directly from the R 10 Arreté, and it is designed, engineered and hand-built in Denmark.

Key specs that matter

This floorstander uses a 3.5-way design with bottom-mounted bass reflex loading. Crossover points sit at 200 Hz, 600 Hz and 2,800 Hz. All the cone drivers are 6.5 inch AFC carbon sandwich units, split between bass, lower midrange and midrange duties, while treble comes from an Air Motion Transformer with a 3,800 mm2 diaphragm working from 2,800 Hz up to 53,000 Hz. Audiovector quotes a frequency response of 23 Hz to 53 kHz, sensitivity of 90 dB per watt, an average impedance of 8 ohms and a minimum of 3.6 ohms. The cabinet is 111 cm tall, 22 cm wide and 41 cm deep, the plinth widens the footprint to 26 by 48 cm, and each speaker weighs 32.1 kg. Standard finishes are Black Piano, White Silk, African Mahogany Piano and Italian Walnut, and custom paint can be ordered, with a black cloth grille supplied.

Engineering and use context

Each of the two woofers has its own job. One covers the full bass range, while the second is dedicated only to the deepest frequencies. The AMT tweeter is the latest evolution of the brand's design, inspired by the principle Dr Oscar Heil set out in 1970. The Accelerated Force Concept and Low Compression Concept are intended to reduce driver inertia and minimise air pressure build-up behind the diaphragm, and a rear radiation concept releases controlled output from the back in phase. Second-generation Freedom Grounding routes unwanted currents between the drive units to ground, and NCS treatment freezes components to -238 degrees C to realign the copper structure and lower resistance. The cabinet is hand built from high-density wood, and the new Arreté plinth has precision-milled spikes and an integrated decoupling system.

Pairing

A three-position damping adjustment lets the owner match the speaker to the amplifier type, with settings for transistor, high-power transistor and valve amplification. The terminals are high current gold-plated copper and brass binding posts that accept 4 mm plugs or spades.

Alternatives

The R 8 Arreté steps up to a five-way layout in a taller R cabinet, using an isobaric 8 plus 6.5 inch bass system and a 4 inch rear firing driver.