Напольная акустика — Duntech SOVEREIGN

Duntech Audio builds the Sovereign floorstander. Duntech is an Australian loudspeaker company with its workshop in Lugarno, NSW, founded in the 1980s by physicist John Dunlavy, and the Sovereign name has run through several generations, including the Sovereign 2001 of 1987. The current model uses seven drivers arranged symmetrically on a vertical axis and time aligned through a stepped baffle.

Key specs that matter

The array comprises two 300 mm (12 inch) woofers, two 175 mm (7 inch) midrange units, two 54 mm (2 inch) tweeters and one 19 mm (3/4 inch) supertweeter. Measured at 3.5 m on the tweeter axis, frequency response is 27 Hz to 20 kHz within 2 dB. Efficiency is 90 dB SPL at 1 m for 2.83 volts, and nominal impedance is 4 ohms, varying between 3.0 and 4.5 ohms. Peak power for 10 ms is 1000 watts, and the recommended minimum is 100 watts RMS per channel. Harmonic distortion stays below 0.3% above 50 Hz, propagation time error is under 20 microseconds, and phase varies less than 25 degrees from 80 Hz to 18 kHz. Each cabinet is 1875 mm high, 360 mm wide and 862 mm deep, and weighs 125 kg.

Engineering and use context

The woofers have rigid diecast magnesium baskets, PHA cones, vented long throw magnet systems, hexacoil technology for high power handling and large diameter aluminium voice coils and formers. The soft dome midrange units are aperiodically damped and use ferrofluid for heat dissipation. The double chamber tweeter has a vented pole plate and pole piece built around a special high flux ferrite magnet, plus a hand coated textile diaphragm. The first order crossover sits on a fibreglass board in its own cavity and uses polypropylene capacitors, air core inductors and high power ceramic resistors. The cabinet is a sealed design in custom laminated wood up to 33 mm thick, braced with hardwood, and each driver is gasket mounted in a separate enclosure with hardened steel machine screws in metal threads. Organic felt shaped to the front baffle reduces diffraction, and the grille frame is part of the acoustic design.

Pairing

Gold on nickel terminals of Duntech's own design accept banana, spade or bare wire and support bi-wiring as well as passive bi-amplification. Given its low impedance minimum, the speaker suits high current solid state amplification. Veneers include Brazilian Rosewood, Black Oak and Jarrah, with custom finishes on request.

Alternatives

The Duntech Marquis is a smaller five driver floorstander with two 210 mm woofers and a 53 kg cabinet.