ScottL
03-12-2015, 02:24
No, these aren't exactly a secret -they've been in development for a while, and have recently had their first outings at NEBO, and at a small meet at Colin's a few days ago. These are two models from our 'high-end' Norge range. The standmount is called Alfheim, after one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology (home to the light elves). The floorstander is Asgard -another of the nine worlds of Norse mythology, in which Valhalla existed, where Odin / Woden ruled. These will be joined by Midgard -an intermediate sized cabinet with 2 bass drivers + the tweeter in a TMM configuration.
The drivers are absolutely state-of-the art models, with probably the most advanced motor designs of any units on the market, and remarkable cones / domes. Distortion levels are as low as it gets, linear travel is high, as is sensitivity. The midbass driver cones incorporate Egyptian Papyrus, the front suspension / surround is soft rubber, helping give very soft damping, i.e. a high Qms which many are now gravitating toward, and an extremely open cast basket. The tweeter has an internally pinned dome, full symmetric drive and a two-piece decoupled faceplate. In my view, it's the best soft-dome tweeter on the market. If there was a better one, we would use it. There isn't. Crossovers are all designed in-house, and we're looking at providing two versions, one optimised for typical low output impedance solid-state amplifiers, and another for high output impedance types, such as most lower-power SET designs. We'll see on that score. The XO components are all high grade, and matched to within 2% tolerance. We're finalising which components and internal wiring will be used at the moment.
The cabinets are special. They are made from custom CNC machined laminations in a curved, boat-hull profile which is shaped to avoid issues with early reflections and internal standing waves. Trim in the prototypes is in solid oak, with real oak wood veneer, and our preferred oil finish. A range of veneers and solid woods will be made available of course. Internal damping is largely natural fibre and sheep wool. We will be offering various options for the front baffle, which can be inset to allow a protective grill to be used (as shown in the Alfheim standmount), or trimmed in real leather, as shown on the Asgard floorstander. The latter gets below 30Hz and with four midbass drivers, moves a huge amount of air, while the configuration helps reduce issues with floor-bounce. The standmount is no slouch on the low-frequency front either: a solid 40Hz from a modest sized cabinet. Suffice it to say -we're rather proud of them. Watch this space -they will be available early in the new year.
The drivers are absolutely state-of-the art models, with probably the most advanced motor designs of any units on the market, and remarkable cones / domes. Distortion levels are as low as it gets, linear travel is high, as is sensitivity. The midbass driver cones incorporate Egyptian Papyrus, the front suspension / surround is soft rubber, helping give very soft damping, i.e. a high Qms which many are now gravitating toward, and an extremely open cast basket. The tweeter has an internally pinned dome, full symmetric drive and a two-piece decoupled faceplate. In my view, it's the best soft-dome tweeter on the market. If there was a better one, we would use it. There isn't. Crossovers are all designed in-house, and we're looking at providing two versions, one optimised for typical low output impedance solid-state amplifiers, and another for high output impedance types, such as most lower-power SET designs. We'll see on that score. The XO components are all high grade, and matched to within 2% tolerance. We're finalising which components and internal wiring will be used at the moment.
The cabinets are special. They are made from custom CNC machined laminations in a curved, boat-hull profile which is shaped to avoid issues with early reflections and internal standing waves. Trim in the prototypes is in solid oak, with real oak wood veneer, and our preferred oil finish. A range of veneers and solid woods will be made available of course. Internal damping is largely natural fibre and sheep wool. We will be offering various options for the front baffle, which can be inset to allow a protective grill to be used (as shown in the Alfheim standmount), or trimmed in real leather, as shown on the Asgard floorstander. The latter gets below 30Hz and with four midbass drivers, moves a huge amount of air, while the configuration helps reduce issues with floor-bounce. The standmount is no slouch on the low-frequency front either: a solid 40Hz from a modest sized cabinet. Suffice it to say -we're rather proud of them. Watch this space -they will be available early in the new year.