Напольная акустика — Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA.nine

The ULTRA.9 is a floorstanding loudspeaker system from Von Schweikert Audio, first shown to the public at RMAF, the Denver show, in October 2018. The company describes it as sharing essentially identical technology with the larger ULTRA.11 but in a smaller footprint and at a reduced height, and it sits in the ULTRA range alongside the ULTRA.5 and ULTRA.7.

Key specs that matter

Von Schweikert quotes a frequency response of 16 Hz to 40 kHz, a sensitivity of 92 dB at 1 W and 1 m, and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm, with 60 W given as the least amplifier power to use. Each cabinet measures about 1270 mm high, 533 mm wide at the rear and 826 mm deep, and weighs about 227 kg. Per channel the launch driver complement comprises two 9 inch reinforced ceramic woofers, one 7 inch midrange of the same reinforced ceramic type, a beryllium dome, two ribbon super tweeters with one facing front and one facing rear, a magnesium horn-loaded tweeter on the rear and a 15 inch compound woven subwoofer, also on the rear.

Engineering and use context

The maker states that the ceramic cone drivers for midrange and bass come from Accuton of Germany, while the beryllium tweeters are Danish. The rear subwoofer was announced with a dedicated 1,000 W amplifier, and the current Foundation Hybrid Bass System option lists an 800 W woofer amplifier with an upgrade to 1,200 W RMS. The full range of the signal still passes through the analogue crossover network rather than a separate digital filter. The cabinets use a triple-wall laminate first developed in 1994, in which HDF, synthetic stone and a damping layer are bonded to a thickness of roughly 76 mm, with internal bracing, and the launch material refers to version 2.0 of Aktive Cabinet Vibration Control with new materials and layering. Internal wiring is MasterBuilt Audio ULTRA wire on point-to-point hand-built networks. The rear-firing drivers form what the company calls Rear Soundfield Creation, a bipolar radiation pattern with adjustable ambience retrieval, and the design is built for time alignment and phase consistency.

Pairing

Given the high sensitivity and the modest power floor, the passive sections do not call for a very large amplifier, but it should be comfortable with a low impedance load. Bass below the main woofers is handled by the powered subwoofer section, so the partnering amplifier drives only the passive drivers.

Alternatives

Within the same ULTRA series, Von Schweikert also offers the ULTRA.7 as a smaller floorstanding model.