Tonal Fidelity

Tonal accuracy is most important, and is much more difficult to obtain in speakers than in electronic components. It requires the selection of good drivers with smooth, natural rolloffs; a custom designed crossover to evenly integrate the response of the drivers; and a rigid, damped cabinet to control resonances. Lyrita Audio uses drivers especially developed for us, using extensive listening tests. The crossover uses premium components and provides a smooth and uniform frequency response.

Dynamics

Speakers should reproduce the full dynamic range of music. From the softest of passages to the loudest of crescendos, music should be presented clearly and without compression. Nuances and subtle musical details, and the rise and fall of music's transients should be clearly delineated. It is these that lend realism to music.

Bass Dynamics

Clarity and definition in the bass region is very important in reproduced music. A common misconception is that bass energy should be present in abundance for it to have an impact. All that does is to attract attention to the speakers, and make the music seem artificial. The impact actually comes from the accurate depiction of transients - the drum whack, the plucking of the string bass. Balanced with the rest of the music spectrum, these bass dynamics give you the feel of real instruments. The Minuet, Allegro, Sequel, and Sequel Reference excel in bass dynamics.

Imaging and Soundstage

Excellent matching of drivers, and well controlled phase behavior, help the Minuet, Allegro, Sequel, and Sequel Reference throw a coherent and spacious soundstage. This is an accurate rendition of the acoustic space of the performance. The speakers seem to disappear, with the sound extending well beyond and behind them. This is another important aspect contributing to realism in reproduced music.

Design

All the designs are two-way systems in a bass reflex or ported cabinet, with the port augmenting the lower bass response of the speaker. The bass/midrange and high frequency drivers are custom built for us. These drivers are combined through a custom designed crossover, using computer optimization techniques, to give a uniform integrated frequency response.

The cabinet is rigid; braced and damped to control resonances. The drivers are mounted flush in the baffle to avoid problems with dispersion of the high frequencies. For this reason too, a grill is not provided. The grill always causes irregularities in the high frequency response, and is best avoided.