Напольная акустика — Gold Note XS-85

The XS-85 is a three-way full-range floorstanding speaker from Gold Note of Italy, based on a curved modular design with high rigidity and built as a double cabinet. The shape of its panels follows the curved catenary line, a recurring Gold Note design feature that the company links to the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, and the panels are finished by Italian craftsmen during production. Gold Note links the cabinet styling to its Tuscan origins.

Key specs that matter

Listed frequency response is 30 Hz to 30 kHz, a sensitivity of 89 dB SPL at 2.83 V and 1 m and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm, which the maker describes as semi-resistive. The suggested amplifier power is at least 30 W, and maximum power handling is 300 W RMS. Crossover points sit at 200 Hz and 2200 Hz with slopes of 12 dB per octave. Each speaker measures 357 mm wide, 1280 mm tall and 665 mm deep, and a pair weighs 180 kg net, or 90 kg per speaker, and 200 kg boxed.

Engineering and use context

Five drivers are used in each cabinet. A handmade 1 inch silk dome tweeter without ferrofluid damping handles the top band, two 6 inch midrange units cover the middle, and two 9 inch woofers work below the lower crossover point. All cones in the midrange and bass sections are made of treated paper with a Nextel coating, and Gold Note states that the drivers were developed in cooperation with SEAS using ultra-light treated paper. Bass loading uses a rear double bass reflex. According to the maker, the catenary shape of the cabinet avoids parallel surfaces, a choice that the company says raises the rigidity of the structure to its highest level. The panel finishing is the part of the build where Gold Note puts its catenary curve concept into physical form. The main cabinet is black, and the side panels come in gold leaf, ultra-glossy Italian walnut or a glossy grand piano black. Speaker cables connect through Gold Note rhodium binding posts. In the United States the XS-85 is listed at USD 53,995 to USD 66,995 per pair.

Pairing

Gold Note names no specific amplifier, source or cable for the XS-85, and its matching guidance is limited to the power and impedance data. Any amplifier chosen therefore has to meet the minimum power and stay within the maximum handling figure given in the specification section.

Alternatives

A slimmer option in the Gold Note range is the A6 EVO II, a three-way floorstander with a downward-firing internal subwoofer.