Stereo Magazine Issue 02

HIFI EXCLUSIVE FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKER S the ceramic/aluminum midrange drivimpedance peaks in the bass, but also ers chassis gradually start to unction the phase shifs so ofen associated with rom 300 hertz down, with the outer out er pair them, are removed, reducing the burden  joining in to handle the entire ent ire requency on the amplifier driving the speaker. I those advantages weren’t enough range rom bass to just above 3000 hertz. Te effect is that, all the way down (along o course with the slimline style o to around 180Hz, as the requency becomes deeper, more »HIGHEND WILL and more driver surace area is available, beore the 20-cenNEVER NEV ER BE “PLU “PLUG G & PLA PLAY” Y”. timeter side-mounted aluminum drivers add their efforts FORTUNATELY!« in the deepest bass range. Tis smooth and spontaneous progression is how the speaker responds the speaker), Borresen can still point out even to heavy, energy-sapping musical (with an impish smile) one urther effect: are, without placing a great burden on as he puts it, the environment in which it the amplifier. is playing is irrelevant to the speaker – it Te variable bass reflex system known eels at home almost anywhere. as “Flow Vent” – as used in the X3’s its smaller sibling the X1 – contributes to Time and patience this, releasing a different volumes o air Optimistic claims rom the designer conrom the housing depending on the re- cerning ease o set-up and positioning are quency and level, Borresen explaining one thing – the practicalities o optimizthat this makes the enclosure virtually ing the musical perormance are another. resonance-ree. It’s a amiliar experience, not only in At the same time, he says he has suc- our listening rooms, but also at many ceeded in converting his development dealers and presumably also in readers’ homes. And as usual, with the X3 speakobjective – to create a novel dynamic ers such a “plug and play” set-up lived damping system or his drivers – into reality. Not only the otherwise usual up to (or maybe that should be “down

to”?) our expectations, and proved that it always takes time to explore the maximum potential o a product or a chain. Like other Raidho designs, the X3 needs a very wide separation between the speakers, in this case a good three meters, and a strong “toe-in”, or angling to the listening position, the distance to which was eventually also set at just under 3m. Te X3 also likes some room to breathe both to the rear and the sides: both the 0.02-gram ribbon in its hal-closed chamber and the other drivers benefit rom some space around the speaker.

Acoustic hologram Despite very moderate 82.5dB/W/m efficiency, the X3 was by no means undered with the rather moderate (on paper) output o the Naim combination used or the listening here, but rather produced an outstandingly airy presentation. A vivid ‘acoustic hologram’ was created with Doug MacLeod’s “Run With Te Devil”, projected into the room in a manner you don’t hear every day. Te smallest details were brought to the ore, such as the tap o MacLeod’s oot on the floor, all adding to the revelatory sound. Similarly, with

Sturdy outriggers and the air outlet of the “Flow Vent” reflex systems. q

t The 20-centimeter-long ribbed

aluminum bass driver is mounted to the side of the enclosure.

19   STEREO MAGAZINE ISSUE MAGAZINE  ISSUE 02