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Bookshelf speakers B&W XT2Have you noticed that in recent years the term "design speakers" is used less and less?
She is now almost all of this - super-slim TVs glossy interior style is set, in which there is no place bulky rectangular boxes. And in essence, this definition was inaccurate - the design of any column, no matter how it looked, certainly had a hand specialist in industrial design.
Incidentally, the main design of the word in the English language - the "project" and "construction", rather than appearance, so that the designer in the company primarily engineer.
And the best result is obtained when the style is set constructive, as in the line of XT from Bowers & Wilkins. It is a classic in composition, but unusual in appearance a 5.1, in which all models - floor XT4, center channel XTC, rear monitors XT2 and subwoofer PV1 with two 8-inch head - made in the same style with a mix of brushed and polished aluminum, black plastic and yellow Kevlar.
By the way, 5-inch drivers have been specially developed for this series in order calculation to get a convincing depth bass while working in a relatively small volume. As much as possible, we will check in the course of listening to the example of bookshelf monitors XT2, which take a closer look.
The housing is made of aluminum alloy, and it proved advantageous solution both in terms of design and design considerations. Abandonment of the traditional MDF allowed to create a one-piece solution with the shape, prevents internal reflections - all vertical faces are rounded, the back wall has a parabolic cross-section. Inch tweeter mounted in a streamlined upper compartment completely isolated from the main volume. To suppress unwanted resonances aluminum dome uses a proprietary design Nautilus - Rear waveguide in the form of a tube, a column of air which acts as a buffer.
Bass reflex port which launched forward, a private development Bowers & Wilkins, patented under the name Flowport. Output channel is designed as a funnel with an internal small hemispherical depressions. Arising in these eddies reduce the speed and energy of the air flow at high bias diffuser.
On the seriousness of approach in the design of these monitors indicated by the data presented in their passport: in addition to the standard list provided THD on the 2nd and 3rd harmonics, as well as the variance (beamwidth) in the horizontal and vertical planes.
Crossover Frequency bands chosen quite high - 4 kHz, so that the entire range in which our ears are most sensitive to all sorts of distortions, played one emitter. Two output terminals, so that the Two-wire signal is eliminated.
Rear speakers are often hung on the wall, so complete XT2 has special brackets pretty impressive weight. For the open space, you can use 70-centimeter proprietary racks FS-XT ($ 440 per couple). By the way, as shown by pre-listening only on massive pillars, these monitors will show everything what they can do.
On the method of installation depends on this bass - surprisingly deep it will be, in any case, but a good legibility can be achieved only by thorough support. If you can not spare money on Sediment rack, the XT2 repay clear and textured bass, so essential to the emotional perception of music.
In general, the sound monitor has a very low coloration and convincing dynamics in the middle and upper band. Even at extreme levels of distortion can not be heard, to preserve the purity and clarity, although fragments with powerful bass lines felt overtones reflex.
The upper range is clear and very verbose - especially if a tweeter remove protective grills. In tonal balance by ear noticeable only one error - emphasized bright spectrum bands in the area section, because of what the brass instruments in the orchestra begin to dominate. However, such nuances quite forgivable even more expensive monitors.
To soundstage fault not impossible - panorama deep, well-focused and has a clear separation in the depth and scope of the right of image sources. To obtain a three-dimensional picture, it is not necessary to enclose a multi-channel system - a pair of monitors would be sufficient. |