Engelse Reviews 2007

Technical data Final Sound Acoustic Screen System Operating principle:

elec-

trostatic system for front, centre and rear screens and bass reflex for the subwoofer Response in terms of system frequency: 35-22000 Hz, +/-3 dB Recommended power for front screens, rear screens and central monitor:

75/60/50

watts continuous

High-performance audiovisual systems

Sensitivity of front speakers, rear speakers and central monitor: 86 dB/W/m Nominal impedance of front speakers, rear speakers and central monitor:

4 ohms

Power of internal amplifier in subwoofer:

110 watts continu-

ous Dimensions/weight of front screens:

275 x 1250 x 40

mm (W x H x D) / 10 kg Dimensions/weight of rear screens:

207 x 1250 x 25

mm (W x H x D) / 8 kg Dimensions/weight of central monitor:

782 x 207 x 25 mm

(W x H x D) / 3.5 kg Dimensions/weight of subwoofer:

325 x 325 x 325

mm (W x H x D) / 22 kg

Final Sound 400i + 300i + 150i Center + S110: “Electrostatic” elegance and naturalness They are one of the revelations of our times, as far as High End audio is concerned, since these screens are elegant, like very few others, and offer new and interesting solutions to the classical drawbacks associated with sound reproduction systems based on electrostatic panels. The key to all of this is the stylised flat panels governed by an exclusive design that goes by the name of “Inverter Technology”, a system that allows not only for a reduction in production costs without compromising on quality, but also

a drastic increase in operational reliability (the input signal levels handled are much lower) and the offer of an audio presentation of an outstanding naturalness. There is, however, a price to be paid, in the form of a markedly low sensitivity (86 dB/W/m), for which we have compensated in the traditional way: with plenty of watts.

As far as the S110 is concerned, this is very much an electrodynamic subwoofer (the original idea was to use the more opulent S220, but this was not possible), with a bass-reflex load that combines a transducer 203 mm (8 inches) in diameter with a 110 watt amplifier. Its synergy with the 400i, 300i and 150i Center panels is exceptional, although, to be honest, we could have used a subwoofer from any other manufacturer.

Banco de pruebas

Hi-Fi and High End

Speaker panels

Final Sound 600i The Dutch company Final Sound is a new player in the field of electrostatic speakers, offering an extensive range of models equipped with cutting-edge technology that are also very pleasing to the eye.

TEXT: SALVADOR DANGLAPHOTOGRAPH: XAVIER PLADELLORENS Any enthusiast that keeps up to date with developments in the world of high-end audio¬ systems will agree with us that electrostatic transducer technology is now the exclusive domain of a very small number of manufacturers that have managed to resolve – using both imagination and resources – the problems that are inherent to this technology, i.e. very low sensitivity (and the resulting need to use powerful amplifiers), a complex impedance curve and the need to link up to a power point to achieve the required electrostatic attraction and repulsion.

When we add to this the vital subjective criteria of the commercial success and viability of product design, the number of manufacturers decreases to two, namely the British brand Quad and the U.S. firm MartinLogan. However, a company has recently arrived in this country that will, in my opinion, alter the status quo: the Dutch outfit, Final Sound Solutions.

With an extensive range that combines compact monitors with columns and monitors for the centre channel based exclusively on the use of a type of electrostatic transducer with an ultra-light transparent diaphragm made of exclusive component parts, Final Sound provides a sophisticated all-round electrostatic experience for listeners with a discerning ear who are also particularly concerned with the speakers’ aesthetic appeal. Moreover, should the listener require a generous bass range, Final Sound also meets this demand in the form of two subwoofers equipped with electro-dynamic loudspeakers.

The 600i model, which I shall be focussing on in this article, is a stylised speaker panel (as opposed to a “cabinet”) with a striking presence – measuring over a metre and a half in height – which perfectly encapsulates the essence and technology of Final Solutions, a brand whose designs have won many awards in the most prestigious global competitions such as the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Outdone only by the mammoth 1000i – verging on a mighty two metres high – our featured model immediately stands out due to its aluminium frame which supports the diaphragm structure, and also due to its modest circular base (this comes in metal as standard, but is also available in glass and marble), which allows the listener to easily position the unit in any stylish setting.

However, the 600i, which in theory should be quite a complex speaker due to its rather low sensitivity, actually functions very reliably as the result of a series of exclusive technological solutions, the most significant of which is the "Inverter” technology, the workings of which I shall go on to explain here. The name of this new technology suggests that it differs from the electrostatic designs we have all been used to, and this is indeed the case, as the 600i’s audio signal is not in fact sent to the perforated metallic plaques – or stators – located on both sides of the mobile component or diaphragm that is responsible for the actual sound emission, but rather it is transferred directly to the conductive coating on the diaphragm (applied using a special technique known as “Sealed Audio”). This layer ultimately receives the audio signal generating correspondingly impressive results in terms of speed of response and, consequently, immediacy of sound emission (the mass of an electrostatic transducer is around 30 times less than that of a standard cone-shaped driver).

Due to this specific configuration, the impedance curve never drops below 3 ohms, even in the most testing scenarios (4 ohms in the case of the 600i), and the electrical input pulse system is much less complex and compromised than in conventional electrostatic designs. In fact, the 600i and all the other models in the range are equipped with a small 12 V/ 50 mA power source located in the base, in addition to a high tension generator whose job it is to “charge” the

stators (which are themselves isolated by means of a special coating of paint).

In terms of the quality of the speaker’s structure and its finishes, this is one of those products that aims to bring together customers with the highest aesthetic standards and those who demand perfection in their audio output.

Model: Manufacturer:

600i Final Sound Solutions, B.V. (the Netherlands)

Distributor:

Unión Musical Casa Werner, S.A.

Distribution start date:

2007

Duration of warranty:

two years

Basic operational system:

electrostatic panel

Frequency response:

45-20,000 Hz, +/-3 dB

Sensitivity:

86 dB/W/m

Nominal impedance:

4 ohms

Dimensions:

W = 360 mm, H = 1580 mm, D = 50 mm

Weight:

24 kg

Ranking: Benchmark Product.

Final Grade: 8.8 Quality/ Price Ratio: 9

Final Sound 600i Performance assessment and initial conclusions: I assessed these prestigious electrostatic speakers in combination with the Italian North Star Design Model 192 digital transport/ processor system and a VK-42SE/VK-250 preamp and amplifier set made by the US firm Balanced Audio Technology, using both balanced and unbalanced cables to link up the equipment, namely JPS Aluminata (modulation), JPS Ultraconductor (digital connection) and Siltech LS68 Classic MKII (loudspeaker cable).

What immediately impressed me about the Final Sound system is the sheer presence of sound that you experience, particularly when listening to vocals, which in keeping with the electrostatic tradition, gives the singer the voice of an angel. Another strong point is undoubtedly the range and linearity of the subjective frequency response curve, which was a lot more impressive than I had initially anticipated; it is in fact good enough that users do not even require a subwoofer for a wide range of applications.

Another advantage that is specific to the 300i speakers is that by combining a large surface area for emission, a slight tilt (backwards, of course) and dipolar emission (standard in models of this class), users can enjoy a sound experience with perfectly defined settings and nuances, although this can only be truly appreciated if you are sitting in the correct part of the room. The dynamics are impressive although inferior to that of models based on electrodynamic loudspeakers; in any event, I should point out that this opinion is not a conclusive one as any changes in the amplification electronics and loudspeaker connections cables – which, incidentally, I myself had to make – can cause significant variations in this critical factor.

All the speaker’s attributes that I have listed above are obviously valid for a wide range of musical genres, meaning that the notion that electrostatic loudspeaker systems are only advantageous for very specific types of recordings is unfounded in this case.

I admit that I would ultimately have liked to try out the Final Sound speakers with an up-to-the-minute surround-sound multi-channel audio system – i.e. of the 71-channel variety with Dolby True HD encoding and “HD” technology – but I suppose that if you are careful with the amplification electronics and you incorporate a pair of subwoofers you should be able to achieve similar results.

All in all, the 600i is a truly unique new offering that will meet the demands of a wide range of enthusiasts who are determined to put their faith in a new technology that Final Sound has rendered more attractive and affordable than ever.

Product review from: Audioforum.be Final Reference Series 1000i januar, 2007 Marco Lisi INTRODUCTION I published an on-line review of Final Sound’s 600i at the end of May 2006. It was my first experience of electrostatic loudspeakers in combination with my own equipment. Those who have read the review know that I was enormously enthusiastic about these flat panel speakers. The title said it all: ‘True HD listening with Final 600i flat panel speakers’. At the time, the 600i was the top-of-therange speaker in the Reference Series line. The 1000i, the 600i’s bigger brother and currently the best unit the Dutch speaker manufacturer from Veghel offers, appeared on the market just a short time afterwards. The Final 1000i is just short of 2 metres high (196 cm), so it fits under the ceiling in an average living room. To be honest, the height and regal bearing of this flat panel speaker are awesomely imposing. I almost felt I had to go on bended knee before it. Suddenly your speakers literally tower right up to the ceiling. You can’t possibly ignore them! At the time of the previous review, the 600i made less of an impression; it merged perfectly into its surroundings without crying for attention. But, dear reader, you can get used to the 1000i after a week of gaping at it sheer size. In distinct contrast to the 600i, these lads really do vie for your attention, but personally I don’t find that a problem.

They are cutting-edge speakers in terms of design, functionality, finish and styling. After all, who wouldn’t be as proud as a peacock with a couple of speakers like these in the living room? That closes the aesthetic section of this review. I have yet to listen to the first note from these flat panels! To be perfectly honest, the 600i was a revelation for me in terms of the purity of its music reproduction.

The authenticity of the classical instruments, the realistic spatial positioning of the stage; nothing I had heard had ever sounded so true to life. For readers who like typical reviewer’s jargon, I could use descriptive adjectives like honest, up-beat, dynamic, airy, undistorted, transparent, so you will understand that I had exceptionally high expectations at the start of this review project. Everybody knows the saying ‘The sky is the limit’. That was how I felt when I listened to the 600i. How could the 1000i possible better that? An impossible task perhaps???

PRODUCT DETAILS As I mentioned previously, the 1000i is the top-of-the-range unit in Final Sound Solutions’ Reference Series. So there can be no doubt about the fact that we are talking about electrostatic speakers here. Currently, Final supplies its speakers in almost any finish the customer wants (RAL colours) and they are even experimenting with a wood-look finish! No efforts are spared in packaging these gems as dazzlingly as possible. The philosophy here seems to be; if it looks good, it sounds good. Final’s flat panel speakers all have one thing in common (I’ve just given it away by using the term flat panel): the speakers are ultra-thin. The only way to go is up! Final Sound has adroitly latched on to the trend in the visual sector, where flat LCD and plasma screens are all the rage. A Final speaker looks just as fantastic standing next to your beamer’s projection screen as well. And, if the smaller models take your fancy, you can wall-mount them too.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Frequency response range: 38 Hz to 25 kHz +/- 3 dB Sensitivity: 86 dB (2.83 volts at 1 m) Nominal impedance: minimum of 4 ohms Recommended minimum amplifier volume: 75 watts (RMS) Recommended amplifier power: between 90 and 200 watts (RMS) Voltage: 12 volts AC (50 – 60 Hz) Dimensions: 196 x 33 x 214 mm (H x W x D in cm) Weight: 16 kg each Speaker type: floor-standing Standard finish: satin silver anodised frame (other options also available)

LISTENING IMPRESSIONS We are going to put these 1000i units under pressure! I start with a number of classical pieces by modern composers, played by Margeret Leng Tan on a specially prepared piano. Combinations of notes from works by Cage and Crumb and others are projected into the room with easy precision. Beautiful! This is an excellent recording and the speakers are doing their job flawlessly. Excellent microphone positioning allows each nuance and the sometimes laborious dynamics of the instrument to be captured with great realism. The Final 1000i speakers take all this in their stride…

I go even more classical (in terms of composers) by putting on some of Vivaldi’s works for stringed instruments. No standard violin pieces here; we plunge in with ‘La viola da gamba’ which dances flawlessly out of the speakers. As you can see, I am concentrating on pieces for the violin and piano, which I think are the two most difficult instruments to reproduce precisely. Here too, the flat panels acquit themselves of this task as though it were a simple formality. I lean back and enjoy a balanced and beautifully tempered sound that radiates tranquillity and exceptional poise. No harshness, no distortion, just the pure sound of the instruments.

A while back, I bought a number of Diana Krall’s CDs which were still missing from my collection. Not that I am such a great admirer of this American jazz-lady (I enjoy her sexy aura more than her sultry voice), but she is so well known that her work simply has to figure in any standard repertoire. All in all, a first-rate recording of Mrs Krall, her quartet and the London Symphony Orchestra. All the ingredients you need to go into musical rapture. The jaunty “wonderfull” sounds cheerful and open, with a hint of intimacy and carries a breathy overtone. Terms like space and spaciousness come to mind here. The famous The Look of Love also turns out to be a polished number that emanates class. All the instruments present are clearly discernable, with all the right timbres and a sound that is unusually well defined. Diana’s voice has its very own sultry timbre that is recognisable in all her recordings. The recording quality of her voice on this album is no more than average; the Love Scenes album was quite exceptional in that area. So intimate!

What a delicious throaty echo! These are insights that I would never have fully appreciated if it were not for the referencing quality of the Finals. They reproduce the recording with incredible honesty!

I can really recommend From the soul by Tok Tok Tok. Lovers of minimalist vocal jazz should make a point of listening to this Dutch group some time. Enjoy a unique mixture of a dusky, full-bodied woman’s voice against an audio backdrop of drums, guitar, bass and sax. This is a recording of great character and totally unsullied. Not some commercial product like the la Krall recording of a few moments ago, but an uncut diamond with sounds that still retain some of their original dynamism.

The drums are there in exquisite detail, the voice is expansive and positioned just in front of the accompanying instruments. That’s what I call good music! As you can see, I am able to pick out each individual musical element. And that’s a tribute to the speakers! You can’t do this with the average system, at least not in such detail.

Now for the musical dessert with an explosion of audio calories: the percussion instruments. You can hear the individual facets of each instrument. The cymbals set your ears ringing. The deep rolling beat of the drum overpowers you. I turn up the volume… and the first signs of indigestion start to spoil this musical feast of exploration. The tall and slim flat panel speakers have trouble handling these powerfully dynamic explosions. I am forced to back off the volume again. I wonder what effect a cone woofer would have. The most striking thing is the ease and matter-of-course fashion in which the notes flow from these speakers. Their rapid speed of reaction (no housing, lightweight membrane) means that the original sound is faithfully replicated. The honesty of the speaker can also largely be attributed to the lack of a (passive) filter. The panels are capable of processing the entire sound spectrum. The 1000i is a big speaker at almost 2 metres high. Its large membrane delivers an airy, spacious sound that reproduces real-life dimensions and sound nuances with enormous accuracy.

RESULT Over the years, I have built up an active 2.2 system using Lyngdorf components. This equates to 2 digital amplifiers and an electronic filter arrangement that allows me to send anything under 400Hz to Lyngdorf W210 corner woofers. Everything above that frequency goes to the Finals. In fact, this set-up turns the tall and high flat panel into one large mid to high tone unit. This completely eradicates the otherwise critical effect of the low tones, allowing the speakers to play in the range above 400Hz without any perceptible stress or distortion. Truly sublime!

But not everybody has an active system, and not everybody chooses Lyngdorf equipment. So I have to judge this speaker on its merits as a full-range unit! The way the speakers are configured in my personal situation is not a common one and as such not of so much interest to the average reader.

So is the Final 1000i in ‘stand alone’ configuration truly the ‘reference level’ speaker solution the manufacturer claims? Yes it is, in terms of the absolute sound reproduction quality. But, just a note of criticism when describing it as a reference level speaker. You should justifiably expect a lot in this price class. The 1000i is perfectly capable of reproducing bass tones at ‘live’ volumes. So what is stopping me from awarding it a 10 out of 10? When the percussion comes in at that same ‘live’ volume level, the speakers sometimes have a hard time and literally choke. These are the impulsive heavy-beat bursts of sound where large quantities of air have to be displaced… that lies outside the performance boundary of the panel’s surface area. Which is not small by any means. But don’t blow this up out of all proportion! This is no more than a critical note.

Overall, this loudspeaker impresses the listener regardless of the music genre. In my case, ‘less is more’ in terms of the deep tone performance. I didn’t feel the need for a subwoofer with the 600i, so I certainly don’t need one with the 1000i. But that’s a matter of personal preference. So, go out and experiment to your heart’s content!

Personally, I find combining speakers of this huge size with active subwoofers over the top, both literally and figuratively. That erodes the credibility of the main speakers.

In spite of Final Sound Solutions’ efforts to make electrostatic loudspeakers more accessible in terms of control, this 1000i does seem to be markedly different from the rest of the range. If you use poor quality amplification, inferior cables and a run-of-the-mill source, these flat panel units are simply raucous! Take it from me that the recommended minimum amplifier power will get you absolutely nowhere. This is a true high-end loudspeaker! And deserves to be treated as such! With care and attention! So, make sure you built up a high-quality set and you will be rewarded with a truly sublime sound. This is simply the best loudspeaker that has ever stood in my listening room!

SOFTWARE LIST Margeret Leng Tan - Sonic Encounters (various) – CD – Mode Records – mode 15 Jordi Savall – La Vialo da gamba in Concerto (Vivaldi) – CD – Allia Vox – AV9835 Diana Krall – The look of love – CD – Verve – 549 846-2 Tok Tok Tok – From the soul – CD – BHM productions – BHM 3007-2 Jonathan Faralli – Percussion XX – CD (24/96) – ARTS – 47558-2 REVIEW SET-UP Final Sound Solutions 1000i Reference Series flat panel electrostatic speakers Northstar T-192 player Lyngdorf TDA 2200+ with RoomPerfect module Kimber Select KS 3038 loudspeaker cables Kimber Select KS 2020 AES/EBU digital interlink USEFUL INFORMATION Price of the Final 1000i: € 8990/pair Belgian importer: www.btronics.be Manufacturer’s web site: www.finalsound.com The patented ‘inverter’ technology means that the voltage supply is connected to the film membrane rather that the loudspeaker frame. Final Sound Solutions puts safety first!

Where art and science meet Final Sound Solutions

http://www.avguide.com/news/2007/09/14/cedia-2007-final-sound-offers-a-fantastic-speaker-system-with-sub-and-dvd-receiver/

September 14, 2007

CEDIA 2007: Final Sound offers a fantastic speaker system with sub and DVD-receiver

By Chris Martens

Some virtual surround sound systems are more convincing than others, but one of the most believable systems of this type that we’ve run across is the one demonstrated by the Dutch firm Final Sound at CEDIA 2007.

The core of the Final Sound system is an ingenious product bundle consisting of Final’s ingenious 2.1-channel, FVSS 201 DVD-receiver which is packaged with a Final model S95 subwoofer for $1000.

To complete the system all you need to do is add your choice of Final’s model 90i, 150i, 300i, or 400i electrostatic main speakers.

Complete systems start at around $2000, but the version we heard, which was based on the 300i’s, sells for about $3000 (the systems are available now).

Three things impressed us about the Final system. First, it offers levels of crisp, pristine clarity and detail that are the hallmarks of good electrostatic designs.

Second, it produces surprisingly compelling virtual surround sound effects, creating a strong “phantom” center-channel images and unusually effective, wraparound surround soundstages.

Third, it’s simple, affordable, and looks really, really cool. The Final Sound electrostats have rectangular frames made of metal tubes done up in either gloss black or camera-finish silver, while the electrostatic speaker diaphragms are so light and thin that you can literally see through them.

Suffice it to say that the Finals are both sonically and optically “transparent.”

If you’re yearning for clean, richly-detailed surround sound without the fuss and bother of setting up center and surroundchannel speakers, the Final Sound virtual surround system represents a credible solution that exudes tons of Euro-chic coolness.

Final Sound Solutions

Superlative electrostatic acoustic screens for enthusiasts of avant-garde design and absolute sound

T

hey are the revelation of the moment in terms of speaker systems intended to appease the – sometimes justified – antiaudiophile fury of many devotees of big-time domestic audiovisual presentation.

They have just arrived in our country courtesy of the prestigious firm Werner and have immediately become a serious alternative to many speaker systems, the design and/or dimensions of which are in direct contrast to the priorities inherent in modern interior design. All this is backed up by extraordinary transparent sound and a sense of immediacy.

Final Sound Solutions is the name of the manufacturer of these amazing and very stylish – given their ultramodern and distinguished design – one hundred percent electrostatic acoustic screens, which are complemented by two subwoofers of classical appearance, that is to say, equipped with electrodynamic transducers, with a view to guaranteeing extension of the bass response in those situations that require it, such as for certain types of music, action films and so on.

But Final’s products are much more than a fresh attempt to introduce avant-garde aesthetics into the world of High End audio, since their sculptural beauty conceals refined in-depth work in the field of electrostatic transducer technology, in the form of the exclusive Inverter technology, which the Dutch company perfected in 2002.

This technology is the key to the exceptional quality/price ratio of the various Final models, their most relevant features being as follows: •The musical signal is positioned directly on the membrane after being converted into a high-voltage signal.

•The output is higher than in conventional electrostatic designs as it is possible to work with a lower electrical input pulse. The transformer does not have to be so large and it is therefore possible to use a simpler amplifier.

•The transducer elements are not curved, which makes their installation easier and allows for a reduction in production costs.

•The membrane is divided asymmetrically between a broad section and a narrow section. The latter is responsible for the higher

frequencies, whereas the former reproduces medium and low frequencies, thereby achieving broad horizontal dispersion.

Another fundamental aspect at practical level is the fact that the dispersive behaviour of the dipole units – as is the case with the electrostatic panels used in Final screens – allows sound stages to be obtained that are much better dimensioned than electrodynamic systems, whose behaviour resembles that of a point source.

With regards to the available range, this consists of floormounted models: 1000i (the existing model is no longer produced by Final), 600i, 400i and 300i; models for mounting on purpose-built stands: 150i and 90i; and central channel monitors: 600i Center, 400i Center, 150i Center and 90i Center, all of these being fitted exclusively with flat electrostatic panels.

As far as the subwoofers are concerned, the available models – both active and working in bass reflex mode – are the S110 and the S220.

More information on 93 302 17 92

CEPro August 2007 Page 92

Freestanding Loudspeakers

CE Pro June 2007

CEPro http://www.cepro.com/slideshow/image/1445/

October 30, 2007

34 Funky Speaker Designs We round up some crazy looking speakers, from hidden units within household items to ... aliens?

Custom installers know that, when it comes to recommending speakers for your clients, it’s not always just about the sound.

Sure, audiophile-quality speakers are a must in most home theater and multiroom audio installations, but what about speakers that make a decorative statement?

Can speakers say something about the person who owns them? We sure think so.

Since they come in all shapes, sizes and features, the right speaker for your next installation might be funkier than you think.

We’ve rounded up 34 of the funkiest speakers in the market. Some of them look funky, others act funky and still others do funky things.

Final Sound Mode l 90i It’s tall, it’s kinda see-through, it’s Final Sound’s Model

90i.

http://livefromcedia.com/articles/printer_457.shtml August 28, 2007

Audio: New DVD Receiver, Matching Sub At Final Sound Final Sound Solutions is in Sound Room 17 showcasing the new Final Sound FVSS 2.0.1 DVD Receiver, a compact system that combines a feature rich 75Watt receiver with a DVD player and a virtual surround sound DSP as part of its ongoing focus to provide sound products for discriminating audiophiles. Final also is introducing a new matching S95 subwoofer, which is specially designed for use with the system.

The FVSS 2.0.1. DVD Receiver, when used with a pair of the Final Sound 90i, 150i, 300i, or 400i electrostatic speakers and the new S95 subwoofer, can create a virtual surround sound experience from just two speakers and a subwoofer. The Final VSS 2.0.1. uses the Dolby Virtual Surround DSP to take a multi-channel recording, and re-create it in a life-like surround sound experience from just two speakers and a subwoofer.

The Final Sound FVSS 2.0.1. DVD Receiver system includes a DVD receiver with a built-in 75W class D amplifier, Dolby Virtual Surround DSP, a complete AV switching module, HDMI in and out, a universal remote control, and the matching S95 subwoofer (users can also use Final's S110 or S220 subwoofers).

The Final Sound FVSS 2.0.1. is ideal for anyone that wants to have the full cinema experience in their own living room, without the hassle of wiring five or more speakers.

Setting up the Final VSS system is very simple. After connecting the two speakers, the subwoofer, and the television to the receiver, an intuitive on screen display will guide the user through the configuration process. Once the system is configured, the system will be able to create the surround sound effects for that favorite DVD. The new S95 subwoofer has an eight inch down firing driver. All the filter settings such as crossover, phase control, high pass, mid-base equalizer and full base management are integrated in the receiver.

http://www.customretailer.net/story/hotproduct.bsp?var=story&sid=50907 March 2007 Page 72 ***also appeared online on April 3, 2007

GEARGUIDE HOT NEW PRODUCTS

Final Sound Solutions’ 300i HD Panels April 03, 2007

Final Sound Solutions’ 300i HD Panels ($1,799 SRP for a stereo pair) are a new addition to the company’s line of existing 90i, 150i, 400i, 600i and 1000i speakers. Frequency response is 95-22kHz +/- 3DB, and sensitivity is 86 dB. The 300i requires an amplifier of 50 watts minimum and weighs less than 18 pounds. The basic panels are available in satin silver with black finish, but can be customized in a variety of colors. The panels come with a standard floor stand; wall mount is optional. Final Sound’s patented inverter technology completely eliminates the crossover distortion common to traditional cone speakers, says the company. www.finalsound.com

http://cedia.customretailer.net/company/Final_Sound/products/DVD_Receiver/153 September 2007

With Final Sound’s DVD Receiver, audiophiles will experience superior life-like virtual surround sound quality. Using Final Sound’s patented technology, the DVD Receiver FVSS 2.0.1. is a compact system that combines a feature rich 75-Watt receiver with a DVD player and a virtual surround sound DSP for discriminating audiophiles.

digital view*

Dutch supremacy

Electrostatic speakers from Final Sound While electrostatic speakers have many good points, as you would expect, there are drawbacks as well. The high price, which is one of those drawbacks, has been successfully tackled by Dutch loudspeaker manufacturer Final Sound.

L

Loudspeakers are generally just a sort of electric motor, very similar to the units you can find in a conventional washing machine or vacuum cleaner. They consist of a coil in a strong magnetic field. When current passes through the coil, it starts to move. Now all you need to do is attach a membrane to the coil and, voilĂ , you have built a loudspeaker.

Electrostatic speakers are

slightly different animals; they are based on the fact that a conductor in a strong electrostatic field will also start to move if a current is passed through it. So the principle behind electrostatic speakers is just as simple as that used in normal dynamic speakers.

Take two perforated sheets (stators), apply a high voltage between them, say 1500 to 3000 volts,

stretch a thin membrane with a conductive coating between the stators and then pass a current though it. The membrane will start to move and the electrostatic speaker is born. These speakers have their advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the moving mass, the wafer-thin membrane, is tiny and therefore capable of responding accurately to the audio signals emanating from the amplifier. The fact that the entire membrane moves in the same way from the top to the bottom and from side to side is also a positive characteristic of the electrostatic speaker. Resulting in a powerful, transparent sound quality.

THE ART OF INVERSION

A system consisting of four 90i units, a 90i centre unit and the S110 subwoofer.

46

One of the drawbacks, however, is the lack of deflection. The backwards and forwards movement of the membrane

is restricted, meaning that a very large surface area is required in order to reproduce low tones and the corresponding amount of air movement. Moreover, a flat membrane suffers from the disadvantage that high notes are only reproduced well in an area directly in front of the loudspeaker. Just moving slightly to the right or left leads to a serious degradation in the way the listener experiences high tones. In addition, this type of speaker generally places challenging demands on the amplifier, limiting the choice of amplifier to expensive, high-powered examples. And finally, by nature of their design, electrostatic speakers are largely handmade, which, quite apart from the relatively expensive components that are used, always places them in a high price segment.

Final Sound, which started up in 1991 in Veghel in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, has successfully

Final Sound's electrostatic speakers are transparent and visually less obtrusive in a typical interior.

results in the high tone depletion that is so characteristic of flat electrostatics.

The measurements also show that the loudspeakers place lower demands on the amplifier than expected.

Moreover, the speaker's output is greater than we would expect from this type of system. Consequently, smaller, less expensive amplifiers can also be asked to collaborate successfully with these electrostatic speakers from Final. As the sound quality is transparent and detaches beautifully from the individual speakers, these electrostatic units are ideally suited for cinematic SURROUND-SOUND sound effects. When used in Listening to the speakers this way, obviously, a initially, the first thing we subwoofer is required for the noticed is that horizontal LFE (Low Frequency Effects) dispersion has greatly channel and, when setting improved. It is still a good up the Dolby processor, you idea to turn the speakers so really need to use small that they face the listener, but satellite speakers because a couple of paces to the left even these advanced and the right no longer electrostatics still have attempted to find solutions to these considerable problems.

Inverting the functions of the system, a technique that Final Sound calls Inverter Technology, and which has now been successfully patented, was a major breakthrough. This involves connecting the voltage supply to a newly developed membrane and transferring the audio signal to the stators. A stroke of genius, which, in conjunction with a number of other detail improvements, has eliminated many of the disadvantages of the basic design.

difficulty reproducing the lowest bass tones.

Final Sound's inverter technology not only eliminates a number of sound quality problems, it also allows the use of smaller, and therefore cheaper, components. The compact box at the rear of the speakers, which houses the transformers and power supply components, is visible proof of this. And because production efficiency has improved,

the company has also been able to drop its prices. As a result, a set of two 90i loudspeakers and an S110 subwoofer costs 1499 euros and a complete surroundsound set (five 90i units plus an S110) retails at 2499 euros.*

Info :www.finalsound.com

There is a wall-mounting option as well.

47

PANORAMA

Presentation

Final Sound

Russian distributor Homesound held a conference last month featuring the world’s first presentation of the new products offered by Dutch company Final Sound.

This manufacturer is already well known for its original electrostatic speakers, but it has now decided to supplement these with an equally unconventional DVD receiver and a special output amplifier.

Andrey Dement’ev

32

DVDXPERT

September2007

Sound

Let us start by considering the construction of electrostatic panels. The Final Sound system is quite different from its predecessors; it is no surprise that the FS 300i ST won the prestigious International CES Innovation 2007 award for speaker design and technical characteristics (read about the testing of this model in “DVD Expert”, June 2007). In ordinary electrostatic speakers the sound is created by the vibration of a thin Mylar membrane subjected to a high voltage (several thousand volts), and this membrane is placed between stators, to which the signal is supplied. However, Final Sound engineers have devised a different operating principle, which they call ‘Inverter Technology’. In this system, the electrical charge is applied to the stators instead of the membrane, but the signal is sent to the membrane.

The membrane has also undergone some modifications, including the addition of a current-carrying layer, and the

membrane itself is divided into strips, similar to those of an ordinary dynamic panel; but in this case each strip is a section of membrane extending over the whole height of the speaker. This has enabled the low frequency range to be reproduced without resorting to a hybrid structure. No miracles are on offer, though, and the mid-range and lower-range models have to be used in combination with subwoofers; Final Sound produces these as well, designing them with allowance for the characteristics of electrostatic speakers. Essentially, these are speaker panels with a contemporary design – the flat format is currently fashionable – offering natural sound with high resolution (i.e. maximum definition), low distortion, a wide range, and virtual immunity to room reflection effects, all at a very satisfactory price.

Strength

The company’s engineers have designed the most suitable amplifier for such an unusual acoustic system. The first step was the FSLA 102 model. According to the Production and Design Manager of Final Sound: “Final Sound electrostatic speakers are comparable with the finest musical instruments, so they need special treatment.” This special treatment is provided by the features of the FSLA 102 analogue (Class AB) output amplifier. The model name was not chosen at random: it means that the equipment operates at 100 W on two channels. This characteristic is completely satisfactory for most Final Sound panels and subwoofers. Incidentally, one feature of the set-up of the operation of the low-frequency unit with panels is the filtration of the signal by the subwoofer.

Crossover control designed specially for electrostatic speakers is found in the S110 and S220 bass models. For example, the S220 has settings for 1000i and 600i panels.

The more accessibly priced S110 subwoofer matches up with 90i, 150i, 300i and 400i speakers. The system is designed in such a way that using the FSLA 102 amplifier and one of the abovementioned subwoofers adds 6 dB of sensitivity to the panels; in other words, there is an increase in volume.

Among other things, the amplifier is designed to allow for the specific impedance of unconventional speaker systems. The engineers have also taken the user’s comfort into account. It should be noted that more power is required for electrostatic speakers. The power is normally provided by small 12-volt mains adapters supplied as accessories for the Final Sound acoustic system. The obvious problem is that the speakers then require both audio and power cables.

This amplifier includes two power supply units, and is supplied with a pair of 10-metre leads. This means that adapters can be dispensed with and the mains cables can be run alongside the audio wires. Moreover, when you switch off the amplifier, the current also ceases to flow to the stators, so they do not attract dust when switched off (when using main adapters, the panels have to be unplugged from the socket). This remarkable system is priced at 1000 euros.

Intelligence Now for a look at the second new product in the presentation: the FVSS 201 DVD receiver. As with the amplifier, the numbers in the name have a meaning: the 'two’ stands for two front panels, the ‘zero’ means there is no centre speaker, and the ‘one’ refers to the subwoofer.

Not long ago, Bose presented its 3-2-1 sound system, using two panels and a subwoofer to deliver a sound comparable with the 5.1 sound system. This operates from a source in the form of a 5.1 format DVD recording, but the whole signal is sent to the two front panels and subwoofer.

Using a special algorithm, the lefthand signal is derived from the right channel and the right-hand signal is obtained from the left channel; the resulting signals are then multiplied by a specific factor, and combined to create a virtual centre channel. Rear sound sources are created by temporary signal delay, phase shifting and additional filtering.

The outcome of these arrangements is that the audio information is combined in the listener’s ears, or more precisely in his head,and the sound is heard as

if it was surrounding the listener. Of course, this kind of technology is not comparable with true 5.1 systems, although the result is acceptable.

However, there is one significant problem.

When recordings are reproduced with ordinary dynamic panels, the surround effect disappears as soon as the listener moves a few metres away. The sound wave is reflected from the walls and reaches the ears with a delay, even though the delay is already provided in the signal itself.

This “layering” literally kills the virtual surround sound. However, the Final Sound electrostatic units are dipole speakers, creating a minimum of reflections from the walls. The sound waves are propagated entirely in the forward direction and are not reflected from the floor or ceiling. In other words, the effect is maintained, even if the listener is six metres away from the sound system. This technological break-through led engineers to devise a receiver with virtual surround sound technology. This was based on the latest version of Dolby Virtual and was designed to match the characteristics of electrostatic speakers.

encoder, a Sanyo DV34 DVD drive, and a wide range of video outputs (composite, component, S-Video, SCART, HDMI) and video inputs (composite, component, S-Video, HDMI).

Unfortunately, however, reconversion is only possible via analogue interfaces; i.e. HDMI cannot be received from the component output.

The price is rather high, at about 1200 euros, but it is considerably lower if the receiver is bundled with sound systems. For example, a 300i panel, S110 subwoofer and FVSS 201 DVD receiver will cost 2699 euros for consumers.

Russia was chosen for the world’s first presentation of the amplifier and receiver. Officially, these products will be released at the IFA show in Berlin this September. The first batch production of FVSS 201 DVD receivers will appear in Russia in late October, and the FSLA 102 amplifier will appear at the end of November. At around this time, the Final Sound panels will also

Essentially, these are panels with a contemporary flat format, offering high-resolution natural sound The FVSS 201 DVD receiver has all the appropriate features, including a built-in 2 x 75 W amplifier, a HDMI terminal, and upscaling to 1080p. All the settings, such as the high-pass filter, phase set-up and five-channel parametric equaliser are preprogrammed. On the whole, it is a simple matter to set up the receiver and panels. The name of the sound system and subwoofer is selected from a menu, and all the necessary settings are made automatically.

The only information that has to be input is the distance from the walls to the panels and from the panels to the listener. To ensure that the setting is always up-to-date, a USB port is provided so that updates can be downloaded from the company’s website to reset the receiver at any time. Any external media can also be connected via the USB; the receiver can read MP3, WMA, ACC and MPEG-4 files. Other useful features are an FM tuner and a universal remote control, which can control both the receiver and other equipment (after being programmed by inputting codes). It has two unfamiliar buttons, for switching between virtual sound and stereo modes.The high-quality specifications of the receiver include a 10 bit/54 MHz video encoder, a 24 bit/96 kHz audio

appear in new colours – Black Royal Lacquer and Silver White (with silver surrounds and matt white panels). New subwoofers and centre channel speakers are also expected this autumn, including wall mounting units.

At CES-2008 in January, Final Sound will announce its 4.1 multimedia system, which will consist of a DVD receiver with built-in hard disc. No doubt the company will also demonstrate its preamplifier for use with the FSLA 102 output amplifier. We wish this enterprising Dutch company well, and we hope to have more information about their new products this autumn, after trials in our test laboratory.

33

Final Sound Solutions Showcases 300i HD Panels The super-slim 300i speakers make their musical mark in the U.S., with two subwoofers in tow.

Jan. 16, 2007 — by Rachel Cericola Final Sound Solutions has announced the availability of its latest 300i panels in the United States. Final Sound’s 300i models were also recently recognized as an International CES Innovations 2007 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree.

The 300i panels are an addition to the already existing 90i, 150i, 400i, 600i and 1000i panels.

With a frequency response is 100-22k +/- 3DB, sensitivity of 86 dB and impedance of nominal 4 ohms, they require an amplifier of 50 watts minimum and only weigh 17.5 pounds.

The basic panels are available in satin silver with black finish, but can be customized in a variety of colors. View more of our CES special coverageThe panels come with a standard floor stand but have an optional wall mount solution for the larger screen home entertainment solutions and entry level high quality stereo systems.

Final has also introduced a new range of subwoofers, the S110 and S220, to accompany the HD loudspeakers. They are priced at $499 and $999, respectively. * $1,999 per pair * 60-watt amplifier recommended * Can be wall mounted; floor stands included * Color can be customized

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/final_sound_solutions_showcases_300i_hd_panels/C157

October 2007 (EXC!TE Award Recipient)

August 24, 2007 http://www.enjoythemusic.com/news/

Final Sound Solutions, a developer and manufacturer of award winning high fidelity sound, now offers their FVSS 2.0.1 DVD receiver. This a compact system combines a 75 wpc stereo Class D receiver with DVD player and virtual surround sound DSP. The unit can play CD, DVD-Video, CD-DA, CVC Video, VCD 2.0, S-VCD, and CD-MP3. The unit also features a complete A/V switching module, HDMI in and out plus universal remote control. Final Sound Solution also offers several different floor standing or wallmountable electrostatic loudspeakers to form a complete audiophile or home theater system. “The addition of our virtual surround sound system marks the natural progression in the ongoing evolution of Final Sound,” said Gijsbert van den Brink, CEO at Final Sound Solutions. “Like our line of electrostatic speakers, we designed our FVSS 2.0.1.

DVD Receiver to leverage our proven Inverter Technology in order to deliver superior sound reproduction. We are committed to delivering new high quality acoustic home entertainment solutions to the ever changing market.” Final will also introduce a new matching S95 subwoofer, which is specially designed for use with the system.

Electrostatics Made Easy Electrostatic speakers have been around for many years with well-known players such as Quad and Martin Logan but Final Sound is making rapid inroads in this space, offering outstanding value for money and some real technical innovations. Not too much detail now, because Final's Marketing VP Ellen Minkels has agreed to send me a review pair shortly. Besides the outstanding sound in the small demo room, with or without subwoofers, what impressed me most was Final's patented Inverter technology.

Where existing electrostatic designs move the audio signal across positive and negatively charged stator plates on each side of a Mylar diaphragm to "pull" the film and create the sound, the Final technology "inverts" that process by embedding the audio signal inside a sealed diaphragm. This creates sound energy that is stronger, clearer, far more responsive, and amazingly lifelike.

www.enjoythemusic.com/ces2007/gold

For the third year running, I've enjoyed my visit to the Final Sound room. This year, I spent some quality time with the top of the ESL Reference series, the 1000i ($9,999/pr). Even with a modest front end and midfi ancillary electronics, sound quality was outstanding.

Final's Senior Director and General Manager, Marc Mombourquette, pointed to the company's Inverter Technology™ as a major basis for sonic excellence. Unlike traditional electrostatics where a polarizing voltage is applied to a central Mylar diaphragm and the audio signal is applied to the outer stator panels, Final inverts the process and applies the audio signal directly to the diaphragm. An audio conductor is embedded deep within a 12-micron clear film used for the speaker diaphragm. The embedded design allows speaker impedance to remain above 3 to 4 Ohms across the entire frequency spectrum and protects against scratches, dust, cigarette smoke, and other environmental pollutants.

The perforated and insulated "stator" assemblies are mirror imaged so the holes all line up.

Vertical spacers separate the film from the stators and segment the diaphragm for improved dispersion at high frequencies. As you can see, Final has also effectively adapted their ESL technology to the home theater 5.1 surround experience.

The panels are modular and allow great flexibility in integration with an AV receiver and subwoofer.

Consumer Electronics Show 2007 Pre-Show News Report January 1, 2007

Final Sound 300i line array panel loudspeaker is based on the company’s patented flat panel electrostatic loudspeaker technology. Where previous electrostatic designs moved the audio signal across positive and negatively charged stator plates on each side of a Mylar diaphragm to ‘pull’ the film and create the sound, Final Sound’s Inverter technology ‘inverts’ that process by embedding the audio signal inside a sealed diaphragm. The simplicity of the new inverter enables speaker impedance to remain well above 4 Ohms, allowing use of smaller amplifiers to drive the loudspeakers. Their 300i has a frequency response from 95Hz to 22kHz with an 86dB/W/m sensitivity and 4 Ohm nominal impedance. Dimensions are 49.2 x 8.1 x 1 (HxWxD in inches) and weights 17.6 lbs.

From: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/ces2007/preshow/page4.htm

November 2007

Final Sound 1000i Electrostatic Loudspeaker An evolution of the electrostatic loudspeaker.

Review By Dick Olsher

I

t is fair to say that electrostatic loudspeakers gained traction in the marketplace during the 1950s. Everyone seems fixated on Peter Walker's 1957 launch of the QUAD ESL as the art's commercial inauguration. But in hindsight it was our own Arthur Janszen's four-element model 1-30 electrostatic tweeter array that introduced music lovers in 1954 to the transient magic of a force-over-area design with vanishing low moving mass. Even in those days Janszen liked to dispute the fashionable assertion that the loudspeaker was the weakest link in the audio chain. He showed that electrostatics were capable of adding less distortion to the signal path than many phono playback systems, tape decks, or some amplifiers. And that in a nutshell has been the ESL's main attraction, which is no doubt responsible for the loyal following it has enjoyed over the years. ESLs have been in continuous production, in one form or another, for some 60 years. And that speaks volumes for the technology's performance attributes.

Fifty years have passed in the interim and you would think that innovative ideas would have by now run dry, that all worthwhile technological improvements would have been exhausted. Well, not exactly. Enter Final Sound. The Dutch company was founded in 1991and began building their first electrostatic speakers as "hybrids". During the 1990s, Final was basically an audiophile company, but in 2004 after the company was sold to a group of new investors, the newly restructured company developed a key new patent which facilitated a line of affordable, modular, and lightweight ESLs, market focus was expanded to include the hot segment of home theater.

The 1000i represents Final's flagship product, a 6.5-foot tall line source. Despite its rigid extruded alloy frame, the panels are fairly light (at least by audiophile standards).

And although I had little trouble maneuvering the panels and sitting them down over their bases, it's probably safest to enlist someone's help during this process. During the setup process, lugs on the bottom of the panels need to be aligned with matching cutouts in the feet, and this can be a bit tricky. Once the set screws in the feet are tightened, the panels tilt back slightly, which made me a bit nervous at first until I realized that it's the most stable configuration for the tall panels. Be sure to locate the bases pretty much where you'd like the speakers to be positioned, as they are difficult to move around without first removing the panels from their bases. Despite their height, the panels look sleek and elegant and are certainly less dominating visually than say a pair of Sound Lab model A-1 electrostats.

Technical Details Conventional electrostatics apply the DC bias voltage to the central diaphragm, typically a thin conductive Mylar film, that is sandwiched between acoustically transparent stator panels (e.g., perforated metal plates). The audio signal is stepped up to a high voltage by the input transformer and applied to each stator with opposite polarity. The resultant electrostatic forces applied over the diaphragm's area cause it to be pushed and pulled in unison toward the stators.

Final Sound inverts the function of the transducer elements, a design patented under the name "Inverter Technology."

The audio signal is applied to a 12 micron thin diaphragm which is made conductive via a proprietary coating process that also makes it resistant to environmental contaminants. The perforated metal stators are insulated with a coating of special epoxy polyester. One of the benefits of this technology is enhanced safety: no high-voltage AC signal is applied to the stator panels; the point being that a DC polarizing voltage stresses the insulation far less than would an AC signal.

Another significant advantage is that the required input transformer size decreases, as the stepped-up audio signal can now be applied just to the diaphragm in single-ended fashion. Recall that traditional designs require a push-pull signal for the stator panels, and hence a beefier transformer core. Final has developed its own high-grade audio transformers partly because they have been unable to identify suitable off-the-shelf transformers, but mainly because this is a critical component, largely responsible for the overall performance of the speaker.

Several other design elements are worth our attention. There are two audio inputs to the diaphragm. The conductive layer features a separate narrow treble strip, which is being driven from its own transformer secondary winding. This improves treble dispersion and reduces the load capacitance at high frequencies. Spacers are used to break up the diaphragm into several regions for resonance control. In addition, and this idea is both new and patented, the spacing between the stators and the diaphragm at the bass side of the panel is greater than that at the treble side. Recall that electrostatic forces decrease as the square of the distance. Doubling the spacing requires a force four times as large to maintain the same efficiency. Final's technology significantly increases bass excursion capability without reducing efficiency in the midrange and treble.

Conventional electrostatics dip well below 2 Ohms in the extreme treble. It's a function of the panel being essentially a giant capacitor, which rapidly drops in impedance with increasing frequency. The higher the panel's capacitance the worse the problem becomes. The 1000i (as well as the other ESLs in the line) bucks the trend and maintains a respectable minimum impedance in the extreme treble. Ronald Buining, one of Final's designers and engineers, explained that since the treble is emitted by a narrow strip, the speaker's capacitive loading is reduced. And it is primarily the reduced capacitance that is responsible for the impedance magnitude remaining at about 2 Ohm around 20kHz for the 1000i. I agree with his take that such an impedance magnitude should not give amplifiers trouble in terms of power delivery as the music's power spectrum drops steadily with increasing frequency. There simply isn't much energy in the treble to begin with. However, it is still important to mate the 1000i with low source-impedance power amplifiers to minimize frequency response deviations due to interactions of the power amplifier's source impedance with the speaker's impedance curve. High source impedance tube amplifiers could easily result in treble loss with this speaker. In the bass, the impedance is generally above 10 Ohms with a prominent peak of 100 Ohms around 40Hz, again an easy load for a power amplifier.

The Sound A little bit of reflection will make it clear that it is possible to position the panels with either the narrow (treble) strips on the inside or on the outside. The User Manual is clear on this point: the speakers need to be positioned so that the narrow strips are on the inside, and that's how I conducted all of the listening sessions. The treble sweet spot is still fairly small laterally and the speaker benefits from being toed-in toward the listening seat. The last thing you should do is point the 1000i straight out so it is parallel to the rear wall. The manual is also quite clear about the need to allow some breathing space behind the speakers and that distance from the rear wall will influence the bass response as well as the soundstage. That's good advice for any speaker type, and is especially critical in the case of a dipole radiator.

In general, bass output increases as the speaker approaches the rear wall while soundstage depth perspective and spaciousness decrease. As a rule of thumb, a spacing of about five feet makes for a good starting point, giving the soundstage sufficient scope to expand and fill the space behind the speakers. I can't imagine being happy with either the spatial impression or the resultant loss of clarity due to early reflections when the spacing is reduced to below about three feet. Having said all that, it bears emphasizing that it is important to experiment with both the placement and toe-in angle of the 1000i. Time spent tweaking the speaker's position is definitely worthwhile, as even an adjustment of a mere foot can smooth out the midbass and gives you a chance to optimize the all important tonal balance.

After just a few bars of Bach's Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in E Major with soloist Hilary Han (DG SACD 474639-2) I knew I was in love with the 1000i's harmonic character and drive. It simply boogied along with plenty of speed and control. It brought back vivid memories of my first close encounter with a QUAD ESL-57. To confess, I was awe struck by a speaker that appeared to open a window onto a live performance. In the immortal words of Yogi Bera, it was a case of dĂŠjĂ vu all over again. The star attraction was an utterly transparent and intimate midrange. There was nothing laid back or timid about it. The harmonic envelope of each musical instrument ebbed and flowed naturally, cohesively and with fantastic transient precision. Think for a moment about how artificial most conventional box speakers are in their portrayal of the harmonic envelope. For example, a paper or plastic midrange cone which is augmented by a metal dome tweeter. In this case, the harmonic structure of say a violin is pieced together by two drivers of disparate sound quality, distortion products, and dispersion characteristics. What are the odds of such a speaker producing a realistic impression of a violin? Not good, in my opinion. In contrast, we have here a line source electrostatic that speaks with one voice, and I think that's a pre-requisite for approaching the harmonic and spatial impression of live music.

The tonal balance was surprisingly full bodied. The warmth region, closely associated with the upper bass range (160Hz to 320Hz), was nicely fleshed out without any hint of the anemia I experienced recently with the MartinLogan Vista. These are not bright sounding speakers and they tolerate less than perfect recordings well without exacerbating an already hot upper range. So often in the world of pop recording tracks are equalized for added presence in the 8kHz to 12kHz range, a practice that can really set off fireworks with many dome tweeters. In contrast, the 1000i's extreme treble seemed so smooth yet slightly rolled off in level relative to the midrange. The overall impression was that of a concert hall, middle-row perspective. This is the sort of balance that serves classical music and jazz very well, framing the midrange more clearly and establishing a firm orchestral foundation. Its sound truly is a safe haven in a world run amuck with mediocre multi-way box speakers.

The transition from the midrange to the presence region, around 3kHz, which is problematic for two or tree-way box speakers, was totally seamless. Violin and soprano harmonic textures were reproduced with exemplary sweetness, sheen, and clarity. There was plenty of low-level detail to behold; it's just that it was never in your face. It was there, like pebbles visible through a layer of crystal clear water, much like the sensation of live music and so much unlike the relentless, etched presentation audiophiles sometimes fall in love with. I recall an Infinity speaker from some 20 years ago, a tall baffle with line arrays of mid and treble units, which was so raw in the treble that it was practically painful. A makeshift solution was implemented to alleviate the torture: masking tape over a couple of the Infinity's treble units - a clear demonstration that sometimes less is better!

I don't think the deep bass in my room extended much below 50 Hz, but with a well defined midbass and a strong upper bass range the 1000i did well with cello and acoustic bass. Bass lines were generally well defined and gutsy but lacked the ultimate in punch, an issue with all full-range electrostatics known to me. An optional powered subwoofer (model S220) is available, and a review sample was actually provided. But I just said no to a review of a subwoofer in this context, which would have been tantamount to mixing apples and oranges. First of all, I don't think the 1000i really needs a subwoofer unless it is part of a home theater system expected to reproduce deep bass special effects. And second, in my experience adding a subwoofer to an electrostatic generates more problems than it cures by creating serious integration issues. To name just one: the resonances of a box woofer mixed with the speed of an ESL. To be blunt, I was seriously concerned about the dynamic performance of the 1000i at altitude. My listening room is located at 6,400 feet - half way between sea level and a good vacuum. Of course, a perfect vacuum would make for a good insulator, but at my altitude corona discharge problems are at their worst. Living with the Sound Lab A-1 for many years meant having to seriously back off the bias voltage in order to quiet down the crackling noise. And by then A-1's sensitivity was really in the toilet, making it difficult to obtain loud playback levels. For the record, the 1000i was extremely quiet without any snap crackle or pop to interfere with the enjoyment of quiet passages. And I was able to scale the dynamic range from soft to loud with respectable conviction, though a good 100 wpc amplifier helps significantly in this regard. I can confidently recommend James Bongiorno's Son of Ampzilla 2000 as an excellent match for the 1000i.

The champ though, in the price-no-object category, was the LAMM Audio Laboratory M1.2 Reference. Its low source impedance (under 0.1 Ohm) was instrumental in coaxing the most extended treble out of the 1000i. And it, more than any other amplifier on hand, made the 1000i sing in breathtaking fashion. Note that at no time did I feel that I was endangering the speaker driving it as I did with a high-power amplifier — a situation well familiar to QUAD 57 owners. And of, before I forget, I should add that I am a proud owner of a pair of refurbished QUADs (QUADs Unlimited obtained via Electrostatic Solutions), and that the Final Sound ESLs completely blow them away in terms of large scale dynamics.

I freely confess a bias toward the spatial presentation engendered by planar speakers. Many audiophiles, especially the baby boomers among us, were weaned on minimonitor sound and expect nothing short of pinpoint imaging. Does live music live up to the paradigm of pinpoint image outlines? To answer that question, close your eyes next time you're at a live musical event and try to visualize the musicians on stage. You may be surprised to realize that instruments actually possess spatial extension, width and height that are not accurately portrayed by conventional box speakers. A planar dipole speaker does a much better job of floating a realistic spatial impression, and one reason is its ability to emulate the surface loudness density of instruments with large sounding boards.

A piano, for example, generates a lot of acoustic power, but it is spread out over a large sounding board yielding a low surface loudness density. And this is one of the perceptual attributes associated with piano sound. On the other hand, a trumpet's surface loudness density is at the opposite end of the spectrum - a lot of power concentrated in a small volume and that is partly responsible for the perception of a piercing sound. While conventional box speakers typically manage no better in terms of image size than midget musicians, Jedi Master Yoda and his cousins arrayed across the soundstage, the 1000i by virtue of its large surface area was able to float image sizes with realistic extension and height perspective.

The impression of a soloist standing front and center within the soundstage was quite strong. When properly setup with respect to spacing from the rear wall, image outlines snapped into focus. It was easy to resolve individual voices in a chorus. Soundstage width and depth perspective were nicely delineated without having to resort to side and rear wall treatment as I was forced to do with the Sound Lab A-1.

Specifications

Company Information

Type: Electrostatic loudspeakers Frequency Response: 38Hz to 20kHz (± 3dB) Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms Recommended Amplifier Power: At least 75 wpc Dimensions: 78.3 x 14.2 x 2 (HxWxD in inches) Weight: 50.5 lbs each Price: $9,999/Pair (Chrome Finish); $11,000/Pair in Piano Black

Final Sound Solutions B.V. Eisenhowerweg 8d 5466 AC Veghel The Netherlands

Copyright

©

Voice: +31 413 375 412 Fax: +31 413 369 070 E-mail: info@finalsound.com Website: www.finalsound.com

® 1995-2007 Enjoy the Music.com May not be copied or reproduced without permission. All rights reserved.

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Final Sound Virtual Surround Sound System At CEDIA ________________________________________ “Final Sound Introduces New Virtual Surround Sound System At CEDIA EXPO Audiophiles will Experience Superior Lifelike Virtual Surround Sound Quality with the Final System 8™ HD Audio/Video Receiver DENVER, Colo. September 6, 2007 – Final Sound Solutions, a full-line developer and manufacturer of award-winning sound solutions for home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles, has introduced the Final System 8™ HD Audio/Video Receiver (FVSS 201), the first virtual surround system to integrate high-end electrostatic speakers. The Final System 8 combines a 75-Watt Audio/Video receiver with two high-definition electrostatic speakers and a subwoofer. This unique receiver combines a DVD (that reads disks with MP3 files) /CD player and a virtual surround sound DSP. The system also includes a new matching Final S95 subwoofer.

Final Sound will demonstrate System 8 at the 2007 CEDIA EXPO, held from September 5 – 9 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver (Booth SR-17).

The System 8 HD Receiver combines a DVD (that reads disks with MP3 files) /CD with a built-in 75-watt class D amplifier, Dolby Virtual Surround DSP, a complete A/V switching module, HDMI in and out, a universal remote control, and the matching S95 subwoofer (users can also use Final’s S110 or S220 subwoofers). The consumer can then choose from several different floor standing or wall-mountable models of Final Sound’s award winning electrostatic speakers to complete the package.

The Final System 8 HD Audio/Video Receiver, can be paired with a range of speakers, depending on the size of the room. Options include the Final Sound 90i, 150i, 300i, or 400i electrostatic speakers and the new S95 subwoofer. Unlike other virtual surround systems, Final System 8 creates a unique figure-eightshaped sound wave that fills any size room, creating a true surround sound experience. System 8 uses the Dolby Virtual Surround DSP to take a multi-channel recording, and re-create it in a lifelike surround sound experience from just two speakers and a subwoofer.

The System 8 Receiver is ideal for anyone that wants to have a cinema experience in their own living room, without the hassle of wiring five or more speakers. Setting up the system is simple. After connecting the two speakers, the subwoofer, and the television to the receiver, an intuitive on-screen display guides the user through the configuration process. Once the system is configured, it will be able to create the surround sound effects for that favorite DVD. An added benefit of the system is when you are done with that favorite movie, the system is able to create a very detailed and lifelike musical experience that electrostatic speakers are famous for, using a standard two-channel recording from a CD.

Combining the virtual surround sound system with Final Sound’s line of electrostatic speakers leverages the patented Inverter™ Technology to go beyond the capabilities of earlier virtual surround systems to deliver a room-filling surround sound effect – more powerful and lifelike than ever before. Since the Final Sound panels are line array dipole speakers, the sound reaches deeper into a room with virtually no reflections from the audio signal bouncing off the wall, floor, or the ceiling. In addition, the panels successfully separate high tones from medium low tones on the diaphragm of a speaker, resulting in a broader stereo image.

“The great shortcoming of other virtual sound systems has been that they only work in very small rooms,” said Gijsbert van den Brink, CEO at Final Sound Solutions, “or when the listener is seated quite close to the source. This is due to the destructive sound reflections that bounce off the floor, ceiling, and walls of the room to collapse the surround illusion when it reaches out more than a few feet from the speakers. The result is audio confusion.”

“We designed the Final System 8 HD Audio/Video Receiver to create a unique figure-eight-shaped soundwave that fills any size room. The creation of Final System 8 leverages our proven Inverter Technology to deliver superior sound reproduction. We are committed to delivering new high quality home entertainment solutions to the ever changing market.”

In conjunction with the launch of the System 8 Receiver, Final introduced a new subwoofer, the S95, specially designed to work with the new virtual surround sound receiver and the Final Sound line of electrostatic speakers. The S95 features an eight-inch down-firing driver. All the filter settings such as crossover, phase control, high pass, mid-base equalizer and full base management are integrated in the receiver.

Specification FVSS 201 System CD-DA, CVC VIDEO, VCD 2.0, S-VCD, CD-MP3, Mpeg4 Video Inputs S-Video (Y/C) 3x, Composite 2x, Component 1x Video Output S-Video (Y/C) 1x, Composite 1x, Component 1x Video + Audio Connector SCART with RGB and Composite for European Version HDMI input, HDMI output, DCDI Video Upscaling 1080i upgradeable to 1080p Progressive Scan, Digital Zoom TV Type Setting PAL, NTSC, Auto, Multi-region solution Audio Power Output 2 x 75W Audio Input Analog input 3x RCA, Digital Audio Input 2x RCA, Optical 1x Audio Output Subwoofer out 1x, speakers out Decoding MPEG-2 Multi-ch, MP3, MP3 USB, Dolby Digital, 2Ch down mix, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Virtual DTS support, DTS 2, 1ch out Tuner Section FM, AM, RDS Remote Control Universal RC Filtering Specific Filtering, High pass, shelving filtering, Acoustical controls and base management are built in for Final Sound speakers 90i, 150i, 300i, and 400i Dimension (cm) 42x33x6 Color Brushed Aluminium Pricing and Availability The System 8 HD Audio/Video Receiver bundled with the S95, S110 and S220 will begin shipping in September 2007. Suggested retail price for the System 8 HD Audio/Video Receiver with the S95 begins at $999.00 (USD). Panels are priced separately, depending on selection. Please visit www.finalsound.com to find a dealer near you.

About Inverter™ Technology With its exclusive Inverter Technology, Final re-engineered the way sound and power move across the face of the speaker. Traditional electrostat designs move the audio signal across the stator plates on each side of a Mylar diaphragm to “pull” the film and create the sound, the Final technology “inverts” that process by embedding the audio signal inside a sealed diaphragm. This creates sound energy that is stronger, clearer, far more responsive, and amazingly lifelike. The design of the new inverter enables speaker impedance to be substantially higher than traditional electrostats nominal 4 Ohm. This allows the use of smaller amplifiers - as low as 35 watts - to drive the speakers for the F90i and 75 watts for the F1000i.

An important benefit of the Final Inverter technology is the separation of the high and medium-low tones, resulting in a far broader stereo image.

About Final Sound Solutions Final Sound Solutions is a full-line manufacturer of the world’s lightest and flattest high-definition awardwinning surround sound systems and speakers for home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles. Final’s mission is to bring flat panel digital lifestyle sound solutions to the home entertainment market allowing consumers having a matching high definition sound quality with their high definition video. Based in the Netherlands, the company has been an innovator in the development of advanced electrostatic speaker technology for the high-end audiophile market for more than a decade. The company completed work on breakthrough technology that created the first modular electrostatic speakers and in 2004, introduced its unique inverter technology, which completely eliminated the crossover distortion common to traditional cone speakers, creating the most natural, lifelike audio speakers in the home entertainment market. The patent for this inverter technology was granted in 2006.The company received funding and now is concentrating on broadening its distribution worldwide. For more information please visit the website: www. finalsound.com.

Final Sound’s 300i Floorstanding Speakers Fit for Small Room Installs Inverter Technology eliminates issues with electrostat acceptance, company says.

Final Sound’s 300i floorstanding loudspeakers.

NOV 15

By Robert Archer Filed in: News, Product News, Speakers Comments (0), Ratings (0/5) Print | Email | RSS Feed

Page 1 of 2 pages

1 2 > Next 11.15.2007 — For decades, audiophiles have revered the many qualities offered by electrostatic loudspeakers.

Basically, an electrostatic speaker employs a thin filament or diaphragm placed between two grids. The grids or stators are sent an amplifier’s audio signals and an electric charge then pushes and pulls the filament back and forth to move air and create sound waves.

The benefits of electrostatic speakers include the ability to respond quickly to an audio signal and produce a large dipole radiation pattern.

Detractors of the technology, however, point to the panel’s inability to produce low frequencies, its instability and its high current demands.

Netherlands-based Final Sound entered the market in 1991 and, with the development of its Inverter Technology, the company says it has eliminated the issues that have slowed the acceptance of electrostats by providing listeners with a more stable product that is easier to drive.

One of the company’s newer products is the small, floorstanding 300i loudspeaker. This past spring, Final sent me a pair of its 300i speakers and a companion S110-powered subwoofer.

Inverter Technology Drives Performance

As noted earlier, Final Sound is a manufacturer of electrostatic loudspeakers and it differentiates itself in the marketplace through the implementation of its Inverter Technology.

On its Web site, the company describes its technology by pointing out how it differs from traditional technologies.

“Existing electrostat designs move the audio signal across positive and negatively charged stator plates on each side of a Mylar diaphragm to ‘pull’ the film and create the sound. Final’s technology ‘inverts’ that process by embedding the audio signal inside a sealed diaphragm.”

Final says the technology enables the speaker’s impedance to remain above 4 ohms across the entire frequency spectrum for smaller speakers and above 3 ohms for the bigger ones.

This, in turn, allows for the use of smaller amplifiers, according to the company.

In the case of the 300i, the speaker employs a 12-volt power supply that plugs into the wall to charge the panel and, once the speakers are plugged in and connected, the company says the speaker achieves a frequency response of 95 Hz to 22 kHz, a sensitivity rating of 86 dB and an impedance rating of 4 ohms.

The S110-powered subwoofer is a traditional down-firing sub with a ported enclosure.

Internally it employs an 8-inch woofer powered by a 100-watt amplifier.

Unboxing and Setup Totals About 1 Hour With the company’s U.S. office a short drive from my home, it was easy for Final’s Marc Mombouquette to drop the system off at my house.

The system came in two boxes. The larger of the two boxes contained the pair of 300i panels and the other box held the subwoofer.

After unboxing and assembling the speakers’ bases with the supplied Allen-head wrench, I plugged in the power supplies and connected my speaker cables. After that, I went into the menu of the T+A SR-1535R A/V receiver I was using to reset the crossover to 100 Hz. Total setup time, which included my tweaking the sub’s output, location and the speakers’ toe-in, was about one hour.

Delivers Wide Soundstage, Lacking Bass As part of my normal procedure, I listened to the speakers fresh from the box and then allowed them to break-in before I went back for any critical listening.

In my first listening sessions, I listened to Living Colour, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Lisa Loeb.

Cueing up “Time’s Up” from Living Colour, I wanted to hear how the speakers handled the double time meter the band opens in and how the combination of electrostats and the sub would deal with it.

From the box, the system didn’t have any problems at all and I found the combination of the T+A gear with the speakers to be just about perfect. Listening to the Living Colour song, I heard a wide soundstage and tight image.

Midrange around 400 to 600 Hz seemed slightly forward, but there was a sense of warmth and tons of resolution that really shined on Vernon Reid’s guitar. I could hear harmonic overtones and natural decay as the notes faded out.

After break-in, I listened to content like Monte Montgomery covering “Little Wing,” in which I could hear subtleties, like the 60 Hz line hum that Monte’s rig was producing after he had backed off the volume and the reverb on guest singer Lisa Tingle’s voice while she ripped through the song’s second verse.

With movie content, the system also produced enormous amounts of detail and space, but it also revealed a shortcoming in the system—its lack of deep bass authority and volume, which I discovered on movies like “Cars” and the “Star Wars” sagas.

Price Point Sets Stage For Add-on Sales I found the small sizes of the 300i and S110 to blend well within my room, and their sonic qualities shine on a variety of content.

The system’s lack of deep bass is a problem and a blessing for installers. As a stand-alone system, installers will have to thoroughly explain and demonstrate the attributes of the system.

Because of the system’s small size and affordable price points, however, there’s an opportunity to upsell a client into multiple subwoofers, which should not only solve some of those bass issues, but is also a natural solution for some small-room acoustics problems.

MRSP for the 300i per pair is $1,999 MSRP for the S110 subwoofer is $499

AUDIO

Final Sound loudspeakers

Affordable electrostatic design While electrostatic speakers have many good points, there are drawbacks as well. Most of these drawbacks, one of which is the high price, have been successfully tackled by Dutch loudspeaker manufacturer Final Sound Solutions.

Loudspeakers are generally just a sort of electric motor, very similar to the units you can find in a conventional washing machine and a coffee-grinder. They consist of a coil in a strong magnetic field. When current passes through the coil, it starts to move. Now all you need to do is attach a membrane to the coil and, voilà, you have built a loudspeaker.

Electrostatic speakers are slightly different animals; they are based on the principle that a conductor in a strong electrostatic field will also start to move if a current is passed through it. But the principle behind electrostatic speakers is just as simple as that used in normal dynamic speakers. Take two perforated sheets (stators), apply a high voltage between them, say 1500 to 3000 volts, stretch a thin

from the amplifier. The fact that the entire membrane moves in the same way from the top to the bottom and from side to side without suffering from annoying separating frequencies is also a positive characteristic: the electrostatic speaker is a one-way speaker, which results in a beautifully transparent quality of sound.

One disadvantage is the lack of deflection. The backwards and forwards movement of the membrane is restricted, meaning that a very large surface area is required in order to reproduce low tones and the corresponding amount of air movement.

Moreover, a flat membrane suffers from the disadvantage that high notes are only reproduced well in an area directly in front of the loudspeaker. Just moving slightly to the right or left leads to a serious degradation in the way the listener

Rob Wierenga (left) en Joop Haarman.

experiences high tones. In addition, this type of speaker generally places challenging demands on the amplifier, limiting the choice of amplifier to expensive, highpowered examples. Finally, by nature of their design, electrostatic speakers are largely handmade,

membrane with a conductive coating between the stators and then pass a current though it. The membrane will start to move and the electrostatic speaker is born.

Inverter technique

These speakers have their advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantage is that the moving mass, the wafer-thin membrane, is tiny and therefore capable of responding accurately to the audio signals emanating

12 • MAY 2007

A system consisting of four Final Sound 90i units, a 90i centre unit and the S110 subwoofer.

which, quite apart from the relatively expensive components that are used, always places them in a high price segment. Final Sound Solutions, which started up in 1991 in Veghel in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, has successfully attempted to find solutions to these considerable problems. Inverting the functions of the system, a technology that Final Sound calls the ‘inverter technique’ and which has now been successfully patented, was an important breakthrough. This involves connecting the voltage supply to a newly developed membrane and transferring the audio signal to the stators. A stroke of genius, which, in conjunction with a number of other detail improvements, has eliminated many of the disadvantages of the basic design.

Surround-sound Horizontal dispersion, for example, has improved immensely. It is still a good idea to turn the speakers so that they face the listener, but a couple of paces to the left and the right no longer results in the high tone depletion that is so characteristic of flat electrostatics. The loudspeaker also places lower demands on the amplifier and produces a higher output.

Moreover, these electrostatic units are easily capable of handling cinematic sound effects.

Final Sound's inverter technique not only eliminates a number of sound quality problems, it also allows the use of smaller, and therefore cheaper, components.

And because production efficiency has improved, the company has also been able to drop its prices. As a result, a set of

Final Sound's electrostatic speakers are transparent and visually less obtrusive in a typical interior.

two Final Sound 90i loudspeakers and an S110 subwoofer costs

further factor is that we recently

1499 euros and a complete

adopted a new approach, which

surround-sound set (5 x 90i units

focuses the consumer's attention

plus an S110) retails at 2499

on our unique styling as well as

euros. Final Sound exports its

the exquisite audio qualities of

products to many different

our high definition speakers. This

countries all over the world and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in the USA and other locations.

Having followed a policy of giving distributors a free hand in the way they marketed the company's products in the Benelux for some time, Final Sound recently

requires a different type of in-store presentation for which we have developed special retail presentation units in 3 m and 5 m widths. These units, which can be updated with new components on a regular basis, have been

decided to increase its involve-

shown to generate greater

ment in this area. Rob Wierenga,

turnover when used to display a

Sales Manager Benelux, and Joop

representative cross-section of

Haarman, Sales Support Manager,

our range. That is one of the

are responsible for implementing

requirements we impose on our

this new policy.

customers. These display units are

Why did the company decide to get more involved in marketing?

Joop Haarman: “About 20 now in the Netherlands, most of whom have installed our display. Our ultimate goal is a network of about 100 outlets. As Rob just said, because there is so much to say about our technology and design, we place great emphasis on training and supporting our dealers. That starts as soon as a retailer decides to carry our product. We provide introductory

‘Final Sound day’ or ‘Final Sound weekend’ is organised three or four weeks later. We work together with the dealer to ensure extensive advance publicity via the local media and attend the event in order to offer sales support and answer questions. After that, because of continual advances in technology and the inevitable turnover among sales staff, we continue to

More information: www.finalsound.com

training and make sure that a

part of a total concept that also includes training, weekend

Rob Wierenga: “The real reason is

demonstrations and sales support

because it's a highly specialised

in the stores. Retailers who have

product whose level of complex-

introduced this formula have

ity exceeds the level of support

already been very successful.

that a distributor can provide. A

How many retailers currently work with you and what is the target number of outlets?

There is a wall-mounting option as well.

MAY 2007 • 13

Deluxe

FINAL SOUND 400i / ACOUSTIC SCREENS

GOOD-LOOKING, � AND INTELLIGENT TOO

They are the last word in electrostatic speakers and are, at the same time, a wonder of innovative aesthetics and multifunctional purpose. At long last, design and technology go hand-in-hand.

the 400i units are characterised by the incorporation of exclusive technology which makes them different from the rest of their competitors.

The name of the said technology is Inverter Technology. What this does is “invert” the “normal” working sequence of the electrostatic transducers. In this way, whereas traditional designs generate the audio signal using static plates (stators), which are positively and negatively charged on either side of an ultra-alight diaphragm made from a synthetic material, the technology created by Final “inverts” the said process by “embedding” the audio signal within a sealed diaphragm.

Among the more noticeable advantages afforded by this development is maintaining the critical impedance above 4 ohms for the more compact models and above 3 ohms for larger models.

Moreover, the 400i units are a perfect combination of a large electrostatic panel (1250 mm x 275 mm) and a structure that allows for easy positioning.

Sensitivity is still low - 86 dB/W/m - but with an amplification power of 75 watts in real terms, it is possible to achieve respectable sound pressure levels, combined with levels of clarity and natural sound that are difficult to equal in electro-dynamic transducers.

22 ON OFF

Did you know that...?

The key to the outstanding multifunctional capacity of the 400i units is an innovation known as Inverter Technology, which implies a radical change with regards to the operating system of conventional electrostatic transducers.

Thanks to the dipolar nature of the sound emission from the electrostatic panels, the 400i units can generate an absolutely convincing three-dimensional sound experience, with the simple addition of a subwoofer and a virtual surround sound processor.

Final Sound products were awarded one of the coveted prizes for innovation in engineering at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.

The Final Sound range combines four floor-mounted models, two for mounting on shelves, four for the central channel and two subwoofers.

The slight tilt on the panel is a fundamental aspect when it comes to creating a realistic audio image.

DISTRIBUTOR: Werner TELEPHONE: +34 933 021 792

ON OFF

23

Final 300i loudspeakers and S110 subwoofer

◊

Easy on the eye Although loudspeakers have long been considered clumsy and ugly monstrosities, today more and more manufacturers are investing in upgrading the styling of their products as well. Final's new electrostatic speakers are typical of this trend: sound that is easy on the eye.

expensive components that are used, always places them in a high price segment.

Final, which started up in 1991 in Veghel in Brabant, has successfully attempted to find solutions to all these problems. Inverting the functions of the system, a technology that Final calls the ‘inverter technique’ and which has now been successfully patented, was an important breakthrough. This involves connecting the voltage supply to a newly developed membrane and transferring the audio signal to the stators. A stroke of genius, which, in conjunction with a number of other detail improvements, has eliminated many of the disadvantages of the basic design.

Design A

F

For many years now, loudspeaker styling has called up dubious associations: liking junking the speakers to create a rabbit hutch, or, in the case of electrostatics: planting the base in the ground to create a chicken run. Today, more and more manufacturers also invest in the styling of their products and, while sound quality is still the main consideration, design is now a close second. Dutch manufacturer Final's loudspeakers are an excellent example.

The performance of Final's products is appealing in that they have done more that just mount a run-of-the-mill speaker in a stylish housing. The range consists of electrostatic loudspeakers, which, as we have said above, until recently called up associations with chicken runs.

D

B

I J L E V E L D

When current passes through the coil, it starts to move. Now all you need to do is attach a membrane to the coil and, voilà, you have built a loudspeaker.

Electrostatic speakers are slightly different animals; they are based on the principal that a conductor in a strong electrostatic field will also start to move if a current is passed through it. But the principle behind electrostatic speakers is just as simple as that used in normal dynamic speakers. Take two perforated sheets (stators), apply a high voltage between them, say 1500 to 3000 volts, stretch a thin membrane with a conductive coating between the stators and then pass a current though it. The membrane will start to move and the electrostatic speaker is born. These speakers have their advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the moving Inverted Loudspeakers are generally just a sort of mass, the wafer-thin membrane, is tiny and electric motor, very similar to the units you can therefore capable of responding accurately to find in a conventional washing machine or the audio signals emanating from the amplicoffee-grinder. They consist of a coil in a fier. The fact that the entire membrane moves in the same way from the top to the bottom strong magnetic field.

LU ISTE R M ay 2007

and from side to side without suffering from annoying separating frequencies is also a positive characteristic: the electrostatic speaker is a one-way speaker, which results in a beautifully transparent quality of sound.

One disadvantage is the lack of deflection. The backwards and forwards movement of the membrane is restricted, meaning that a very large surface area is required in order to reproduce low tones and the corresponding amount of air movement. This is the origin of the chicken run association. Moreover, a flat membrane suffers from the disadvantage that high notes are only reproduced well in an area directly in front of the loudspeaker. Just moving slightly to the right or left leads to a serious degradation in the way the listener experiences high tones. In addition, this type of speaker generally places challenging demands on the amplifier, limiting the choice of amplifier to expensive, high-powered examples. Finally, by nature of their design, electrostatic speakers are largely handmade, which, quite apart from the relatively

Listening to the pair of 300i speakers on test, the first thing I noticed is that horizontal dispersion has greatly improved. It is still a good idea to turn the speakers so that they face the listener, but a couple of paces to the left and the right no longer results in the high tone depletion that is so characteristic of flat electrostatics. The measurements also show that the loudspeakers place lower demands on the amplifier than expected. While the impedance does approach 3 ohms at the top end of the high tone range, that kind of low level does not occur at any other point in the frequency range. Moreover, the speaker's output is greater than I would expect from this type of system. So, it's true; smaller, less expensive amplifiers can collaborate successfully with these Finals. Anyway, I still went for a 2x 60 W class A and was rewarded by a rich, three-dimensional sound that was both intricately detailed and spatially detached from the two individual loudspeaker units.

Suddenly, I remembered why I have such a weakness for the electrostatic speaker design. Sting's Dowland interpretation (‘Songs from the labyrinth’, DG 170 3139), admittedly not everybody's cup of tea, takes on a spatial identity of its own in front of the accompanying instruments and voices, while the speakers themselves manage not to intrude into the sound at all. This recording did emphasise the inherent low frequency weaknesses of the design though. Explaining why the test set-up combined the two graceful speaker units with the S110 subwoofer that features a 20 cm speaker and a built-in 110 W amplifier. Because the 300i performs beautifully above 100 Hz, the subwoofer's contribution was limited to the range below that frequency. That contribution was greatly appreciated though. Another advantage of the subwoofer is that the built-in filter also ensures that low frequencies under 100 Hz are kept well away from the two electrostatic units. One condition is that this set does have to be used with a separate preamplifier and power amplifier, or a built-in amplifier

that has available outputs for the preamplifier (preout) and inputs for the power amplifier (poweramp-in).

The two speakers are handsome in appearance, 125 cm high, beautifully finished and available in a combination of silver with black, silver with white and gloss black. In fact, if you are prepared to pay a little more, the speakers can be supplied in any colour you want. Final's inverter technique not only eliminates a number Final 300i loudspeaker system: electrostatic loudspeaker frequency response range: 95-20,000 Hz output: 86 dB impedance: 4 ohms (nominal) dimensions (wxhxd): 275x1250x40 mm (excl. base) weight: 10 kg (excl. base) Final S110 active subwoofer frequency response range: 35-220 Hz amplifier output power: 110 W speaker: 8 inch (20 cm) dimensions (wxhxd): 325x325x325 mm weight: 22 kg set price: € 1999 For more information: www.finalsound.com

The membrane in the electrostatic loudspeakers is transparent, but you can still just see the three vertical bands. The narrowest band on the right emphasises the high tones, while the broadest band on the right supports low tone rendition.

of sound quality problems, it also allows the use of smaller, and therefore cheaper, components. This is evidenced by the compact box at the rear of the speakers that houses the transformers and power supply components. And because production efficiency has improved, the company has also been able to drop its prices. The test set-up, consisting of two 300i units and an S110, retails at just under 2000 euros.

The loudspeaker not only has smaller brothers and sisters in Final's range, there are larger siblings as well and a brief acquaintance with them indicated that an even warmer sound quality is possible, which the electrostatic speakers generated without any outside help at all. Final's top model, for example, the 1000i (€ 8999 per pair), is capable of playing almost anything you can throw at it without the assistance of a subwoofer. Only aficionados of organ music might want to spend a little more for better bass performance when the biggest pipes chime in.

Conclusion

I would definitely be interested in a set of electrostatic speakers like this. I find the way in which the sound detaches completely from the speakers and the beautiful presentation and definition of the accompanying instruments, whatever the size of the ensemble, particularly appealing. The Final 300i cannot dispense with the services of the S110, which has been chosen to complement the loudspeaker perfectly. Of course, you could connect the two electrostatic units to the amplifier outputs without using the filter in the subwoofer, but the S110's ability to prevent the low tones from reaching the electrostatic speakers vastly improves the detail and intricacy of the sound quality.

The S110 subwoofer directs the bass tones at the floor.

M ay 2007 LU ISTE R

Product Review

Product Review

Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer Part I August, 2007 John E. Johnson, Jr.

Introduction If you have followed some of my reviews over the years, you know I am a huge fan of planar (flat panel) speakers.

Falling into this category are ribbon, quasi-ribbon, planar-magnetic, and electrostatic (ESL) speakers. They are defined by their flat drivers.

While the first three of the subtypes mentioned above use permanent magnets to push or pull the flat electrical conductor, ESLs use a statically charged membrane (diaphragm) only about 12µ thick (about the size of a red blood cell).

The amplifier power (music) is applied to "stators", which are perforated metal plates situated very close together. In between is the statically charged membrane. The varying signal voltage applied to the stators pushes and pulls the membrane back and forth, which moves the air, and you hear the sound.

An animated graphic illustrating this is shown below.

The static voltage is produced by a DC bias supply connected to the output of a high voltage transformer.

The amplifier power also passes through this transformer, so that the ultimate voltage on the stators is much higher than it was when it exited the amplifier.

One of the main limitations of ESLs is this transformer. Regardless of how powerful the amplifier is, the transformer saturates at a certain point, and no more loudness can be achieved.

Specifications: 1000i ST ESL Design: Electrostatic (ESL); Full-Range Driver: Mylar Membrane MFR: 38 Hz - 20 kHz ± 3 dB Sensitivity: 86 dB/W/M Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms Recommended Amplifier Power: At least 75 Watts ● Dimensions: 78.3" H x 14.2" W x 2" D ● Weight: 50.5 Pounds/Each ● MSRP: $9,999/Pair (Chrome Finish) USA; $11,000/Pair Piano Black ● ● ● ● ● ●

However, this tradeoff is balanced by the fact that the membrane, or diaphragm, is so light (low mass), that the sound has incredible detail. Although the tweeter in a conventional speaker has a very light driver (often a small piece of silk), and thus has good detail, the midrange driver cone has significant mass compared to an ESL, and it is in this midrange that the ESL therefore excels.

S220 Subwoofer ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Design: Sealed Enclosure; Front-Firing Driver: 12" Amplifier: 220 Watts RMS MFR: 25 Hz - 200 Hz ± 3 dB Crossover: Variable 60 Hz - 200 Hz Variable Phase Dimensions: 15.4" H x 15.4" W x 15.4" D Weight: 66.1 Pounds MSRP: $999 USA

Bass, on the other hand, is a real problem with ESLs because the membrane cannot move very far, and therefore, cannot move very much air. So, low frequencies suffer.

Also, the very low frequencies tend to cancel out because the air from the rear panel movement comes around to meet the air moving out from the front of the panel.

Final Sound

Usually, this is taken care of by use of a conventional woofer driver in the base of the ESL, covering frequencies from about 30 Hz to 200 Hz. But, using such a "hybrid" design introduces the phase delay issues that plague the crossover regions of all conventional speakers. And, the 200 Hz region is very important.

So, the high end ESL market offers "Full Range" products. I put the Full Range in quotes because they are not really full range, down to 20 Hz. Even large panel ESLs really just cannot move enough air to get a flat response down there. The best they can do is about 35 Hz - 40 Hz. To solve this problem, a separate subwoofer is used to get that last low octave. This is the case for the Final Sound 1000i ESL.

1000i Final Sound is located in The Netherlands and was founded in 1992. Until 2002, their products due to manufacturing costs - were purchased only by the high end (read mucho bucks) market. Then, they came up with a way to build them in modular form, and that reduced the manufacturing costs, but had no effect on the ultimate quality at all. Bottom line on that: still kind of expensive (what isn't these days?), but now affordable.

The technique really was just a way to make the whole thing lighter. The ESLs I am used to weigh about 100 pounds, but the 1000i, which is Final's largest unit, is only about half that. So, they are relatively easy to move when cleaning behind them.

One other thing about Final Sound ESLs that is unique, is that the amplifier power goes to the membrane (actually, a conductive center inside the membrane), and the static voltage is applied to the stators. They have patented this technology, and claim that it provides a clearer and more responsive sound.

At more than six foot six, the 1000i is about as tall as a San Francisco 49'ers line backer. But, at only 14" wide, it is only as broad as that line backer's leg. So, it's tall and slender, relatively speaking. Also, it is only a couple of inches in depth.

Being transparent - or perhaps translucent - this tall, slender, thin ESL is a real spouse pleaser because it does not overpower a room with its bulk. This is typical of ESLs, and every female that passes through our labs, upon viewing any ESLs I happen to have on hand, has said, "I want them." So, for those of you who are having a tough time convincing your spouse that you "need" a pair of really, really nice, but pretty big speakers, your problem may be solved.

Due to the modular approach, Final Sound has been able to design small ESLs too, and these would be ideal for home theater use. One such package is the 90HT ($2,498), shown below.

Since these ESLs are pretty small, you need to set the crossover higher, around 120 Hz, and you should put the subwoofer close to the front left/center/right speakers, since sounds from 50 Hz to 120 Hz can be localized.

Even with this small ESL, you don't have the phase delay problems of convention two-way speakers, because the ESL membrane produces sounds at high frequencies and also the midrange.

Go to Part II. © Copyright 2007 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity Go to Table of Contents for this Issue.

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Product Review

Product Review

Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer Part II August, 2007 John E. Johnson, Jr.

Assembly Often, with conventional speakers, you might be required to screw on the feet. With the 1000i, you have to assemble the entire base.

First, you remove the main panel from its box, and either lay it flat on the floor, or lean it up against a chair, resting on the bubble wrap packing, like I did for this photo. Notice the protruding metal rod at the base.

Next, you have to assemble the base plate, consisting of an oval-shaped plate and two metal cylinders. Place the cylinders on the black posts.

Notice that the cylinders are in pairs for left and right. Identifying which one goes where, you place each so that the rectangular hole is closest to the outside edge of the oval plate, as shown in the photo below. Then, using a hex wrench, tighten the bottom bolt on the rear of the cylinders, but not so tight that the cylinder can't move just a bit.

Now, you pick up the main panel, and set it down over the cylinders so that the metal rods drop down into the rectangular holes. Don't let go of the main panel yet.

Still holding onto the panel with one hand, use the hex wrench to tighten the top two bolts on each cylinder, so that the panel is firmly gripped. Rock it back and forth to make sure everything is tight, then let go of the panel but keep your hand close, to ensure that it is steady. See those little red dots at the bottom of the panel? That's my blood. I scratched myself on the sharp corner on the panel to the right of the cylinder. So, be careful!

To the left of the speaker binding posts is the socket for the included 12 volt wall wart which supplies the voltage that will ultimately be applied to the stators. The wall warts have very long cables (thin) so they will reach just about any spot the speakers are placed, and in general, ESLs should be out from any wall surface at least a couple of feet (they are dipoles, and just as much sound comes out the back as out the front).

S220 Subwoofer The subwoofer that was paired with the 1000i for review is the S220. It is a 12", 220 watt, sealed enclosure unit.

The amplifier has several controls that you don't see on other subs, mainly slider switches that let you tailor the subwoofer crossover to particular Final Sound ESLs. These include switchable high-pass, and Variable Mid-bass EQ (there is also a different control called Variable Bass EQ).

For example, if you have the 1000i, one setting is used, while with smaller units, such as the 400i, a different setting is more suitable (high pass is at higher frequency because the ESL is smaller).

A table in the instruction manual explains which settings to use with which Final Sound ESLs. The S220 is not a really big sub, and the idea is that you could get at least two, which would give one for the front left and front right channels. Of course, this would entail some fancy footwork in the processor or receiver bass management setup. You would need to run a pre-out to the sub, then the high-pass line out from the sub back to the pre-in on the processor.

This requires that you have a main-out and main-in for the front two channels on the processor or receiver, which some units do have. Otherwise, you have to use the subwoofer-out on the processor, with crossover settings done in the processor. For the 1000i, I used 80 Hz because its frequency response specification is - 3 dB at 38 Hz (I wanted to cross over at a region that was still part of the flat response), and because I wanted the ESL panels not to have to deal with deep bass. Obviously, with higher crossover frequencies, you need to put the sub(s) near the speaker(s) that they are associated with, because above 50 Hz, sound can be localized, and you want all the sound for a particular channel to be coming from the same part of the room.

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Product Review

Product Review Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer Part III August, 2007 John E. Johnson, Jr.

The Sound I tested the 1000i ESLs with a Denon DVD-5900 DVD player, Theta Casablanca III SSP, ClassĂŠ CA-5200 five-channel power amplifier, and Final Sound 400i ESLs for the center and surrounds. Cables were Nordost. I played music in Matrix (surround sound) and in stereo (two channel). I used the Toslink output from the Denon to the Casablanca to let the SSP handle the decoding.

I placed the speakers about 10 feet apart, toed in towards the listening position, several feet out from the side and rear walls. The subwoofer was placed between them against the wall.

Handel's Water Music (Virgin 0-94639-13342-0) is some of the greatest music ever written, and a perfect test for the 1000i.

What struck me most was not that the oboes were so distinct from the violins, but how transparent the whole orchestra sounded. This is characteristic of ESLs because they are dipoles.

Also, the instruments sounded very natural, rather than having a characteristic due to an enclosure.

Remember, ESLs don't have an enclosure as such.

They are not in a box.

Ein Deutsches Requiem, by Brahms (EMI 0-9463653932-0), is very somber, as Masses tend to be. But it is beautiful music.

What I listened for here were the soprano voices in the choir, against the violins.

Wow, what a sound! So sweet. So clear and transparent. No harshness. It filled the room.

Haydn's Symphony No. 88 (EMI 0-94639-42372-9; 2 disc set) is a much different kettle of fish than the preceding two CDs. Here the music is light, airy, powerful, and is not for background listening.

Several octaves of violins sounded like the several octaves rather than mush (they would have been mushy if there were a lot of IM distortion).

The flute and oboe in among all those violins were easy to pick out.

Bass was nice, even when the subwoofer was not on, but the S220 added to the effect. Even though the 1000i is a full range ESL, you definitely want a subwoofer.

200 watts per channel seemed to be quite enough.

That does not mean you should not have a bigger amplifier though, just for special transients.

Swan Lake (EMI 0-94639-32432-3; 2 disc set) is not just music, it's a ballet, and the complete ballet takes up two CDs. One of my favorite pieces is the waltz in Act I. I was truly amazed at how the 1000i was able to separate the triangle from the flute. Sometimes, a triangle can sound a little strange if the tweeter is not first rate.

Well, having played in an orchestra myself (OK, it was the high school band), I know what the triangle actually sounds like, and the 1000i reproduced it perfectly.

The 1000i sounds pretty good off axis too, and that is difficult for a large planar speaker to do. Part of this is due to reflections from the rear side of the ESL off the wall.

There was no hole in the middle. I could place each instrument along the sound stage from one side to the other.

All in all, I was very happy with the sound of the 1000i ESLs, particularly with the mids and highs. Some planar speakers have disappointed me in the past in this area, so I really looked forward to seeing if the 1000i would perform better in this regard. It did.

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Product Review

Product Review Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer Part IV August, 2007 John E. Johnson, Jr.

On the Bench 1000i The microphone was placed 12" from the middle of the panel for the distortion tests, and 1 meter for the room response test. I used a standard SPL value of 90 dB instead of 100 dB since half the sound was going out the rear, away from the microphone.

At 100 Hz, THD+N was less than 4%. This is somewhat more than you might find with a conventional woofer driver, and as I mentioned, ESLs have a tough time with low bass.

At 1 kHz, 0.5% THD+N.

And, at 10 kHz, THD+N was 0.8%. This is less than many other conventional tweeters.

IMD using a SMPTE/DIN standard test, was 0.8%. I could test this (IMD) here because the 1000i panel reproduces both sine waves, rather than a tweeter reproducing one and a woofer reproducing the other.

The room response was reasonably flat down to about 60 Hz. The deep valleys are room issues.

It rolled off a bit above 16 kHz.

The impedance stays at least 8 ohms up to about 1 kHz, then goes down to a low of slightly less than 2 ohms at 12 kHz. The large peak is due to the transformer. It stays below 4 ohms between 4.5 kHz and 20 kHz, so you should use a good amplifier that is rated into 2 ohms.

As the sensitivity is only 86 dB, I would suggest at least 200 watts per channel.

The second graph shows the same impedance curve in an expanded scale.

The electrical phase stays within Âą 600.

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Product Review

Product Review Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer Part V August, 2007 John E. Johnson, Jr.

S220 Distortion tests were measured at 12". The room response was at 1 meter.

At 20 Hz, THD+N was an unacceptable 30.5%. You really need a larger driver (e.g., 18") or long throw driver, a more powerful amplifier, and a larger enclosure to get a good output at this low frequency.

Maximum output at a combination of 20 Hz, 31.5 Hz, and 50 Hz was 112 dB (1 meter).

At 25 Hz, THD+N approached an acceptable level (10% is considered acceptable by some people in the business).

At 31.5 Hz, we finally reach the standard acceptable level of THD. My own preference is to not have more than 3%, but that's just me.

At 40 Hz, 4% distortion.

And at 50 Hz, 2%. Overall, fair performance, but not great. The output profile will improve if you use two of these subs. Dr. George Ruben - one of my colleagues at Dartmouth University - uses one Final Sound subwoofer for each of the five channels (he has 800i ESLs all the way around).

The room response with all EQ turned down rolled off below 40 Hz. With the Bass EQ turned all the way up, performance improved significantly.

Conclusions The Final Sound 1000i electrostatic speakers are truly delightful. I loved the transparency, the clarity, the natural timbre, and the smoothness of the sound. They require a good amplifier, but that is standard for ESLs. I would suggest getting more than one of the subwoofers, or as an alternative, one subwoofer with a larger driver and more amplifier power.

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BANC D’ESSAI

QUALITÉ ET DISTINCTION

18//////////// MAGAZINE S O N & I M AG E ///////// 01/ 02// 2007

É

FINAL SOUND Enceintes électrostatiques 400i 400i electrostatic speakers Caisson grave S100 S100 de subwoofer

MICHEL LEROUX MICHEL LEROUX

Founded Dutch speaker Etabli in en 1991, 1991, the le fabricant d’enceintes manufacturer its hollandais Final Final Sound Sound launched débuta avec business with hybrid loudspeakers that des haut-parleurs de type hybride, combine concept electrodynamic alliantthe concept de of haut-parleurs élecloudspeakers for low frequencies withfrétrodynamiques pour les basses avec design conceptforélectrostatique the quences electrostatic medium and les moyenne et the hautes fréhighpour frequencies.

In 2002, company quences.

En validating 2002, la this compagnie obtained a patent techobtient brevet validant technology, thusungenerating a largecette amount nologie in et this un grand à l’égard de of interest type intérêt of speaker.

It also ce typead’enceinte. gamme diverpresented wide rangeUne of models, spande modèles, tant deux canaux ningsifiée dual-channel, home-cinema and que cinéma-maison ambiophonique, ambisonic equipment.etAlthough better est in ainsi apparue.

Mieux distribuconnue en known Europe, a dynamic Europe, la marque Final tion network has recently been bénéficie put in depuis peuFinal d’un brand réseauon de this distribution place for the side of de cetocôté-ci de l’Atlanthe dynamique Atlantic. Thanks their completely tique.design, Au design résolument moderne, modern Final Sound electrostatic les électrostatiques Final Sound speakers are extremely attractive. Weont will fière allure. présentons be looking at theNous 400ivous electrostatic mo-le 400i accompadel modèle togetherélectrostatique with a S100 subwoofer. gné du caisson de grave S100.

ELECTROSTATIC TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGIE ÉLECTROSTATIQUE The technology behind electrostatic La technologie de haut-parleurs électroloudspeakers emerged during the 1930s. statiques a émergé durant les années More recently, manufacturers such as trente. Plus récemment, des fabricants KLH, Quad, Stax, Acoustat, Martin Logan tels que KLH, Quad, Stax, Acoustat, and now Final Sound have stuck to their Martin Logan et aujourd’hui Final guns and offered products that still Sound, persistent et signent des réalisaprovoke great deal oftoujours interest beaucoup among tions aqui suscitent sound buffs, avowed music lovers d’intérêt chez les audiophiles, and mélo-cinema enthusiasts in search of an alternamanes avertis et cinéphiles en quête tived’alternative in sound and reproduction. en musical matière de reproduction Thissonore technology is based on of the et musicale. Cette that technologie capacitor.

The loudspeaker has a large,La dérive de celle du condensateur. flat membrane membrane.

Placed between two de l’enceinte est plane etperde forated panels of stators, thisentre diaphragm grande surface.

Placée deux membrane is charged electricity and plaques perforées de with stators, cette memvibrates with the changes in electrical pobrane diaphragme est chargée d’électrilarisation between the panels.

The polaricité et vibre en fonction de la variation sation of the entire unit is guaranteed by de la polarisation électrique entre les a high voltage amounting to thouplaques.

La feed polarisation de l’ensemble sands volts. As membrane is extreest ofassurée partheune alimentation à

Wow! Electrostatic loudspeakers Minces!

DesDutch Hauts-Parleurs Hollandais Électrostatiques

01/ 02/ / 2007/ / / / / / / / / M AGA Z I N E S O N & I M AG E / / / / / / / / / / / / 19

BANC D’ESSAI

mely it responds quicklydeyet is very sensitive hautelight, tension atteignantmore des milliers volts.

La membrane to micro impulses,légère, particularly in theplus middle and high étant extrêmement elle réagit rapidement tout registers.

Equipped a transformer in its it en étant très sensible with aux micro-informations, enbase, particulier dans les registres médium et aigu.socket.

Munie For à samany, base d’un must be connected to an electric this transformateur, elle nécessite un branchement prise technology represents the absolute pinnacle àinune terms électrique.

Pour plusieurs, cette technologie représente an le of sound and musical reproduction, as it guarantees nec plus ultra en of terme de reproduction sonore etofmusicale unbeatable level propagation and radiation sound. car assurant un niveauinherent de propagation et de rayonnement One of the problems to electrostatic speakers sonore incomparable. des problèmes inhérents aux is the fact that they areUn restricted at low frequencies, enceintes that électrostatiques est to leur limite adans les basses meaning it is important connect subwoofer to d’où l’importance de leur Final adjoindre un offers caissona de grave. À them.

For this purpose, Sound wide range cetelectrodynamic effet, Final Sound propose unethat gamme variéewith de caissons of subwoofers combine the électrodynamiques quitos’harmonisent aux panneaux électroelectrostatic panels deliver the entire spectrum of statiques pour offrir toute l’étendue du spectre sonore. sound.

LES 400I FINAL 400IFINAL speakers Aux dimensions de 48 pouces par610 de largeur Measuring 48 inches high byde10hauteur long and deep at et 6 de profondeur à la base, offertes au fini noir ou argent, the base, and offered in black or silver finishes, the les nôtreswe sont membrane with anthracite montée speakers aremunies testingd’une are equipped an anthrasur un cadre rigide, soutenue par deux structures verticales cite membrane mounted on a rigid frame, supported en aluminium anodisé satiné qui la relie au corps de l’enby two vertical structures in satin anodised alumiceinte. Au poids relativement léger de 12 livres l’unité, les nium which connect it to the body of the speaker. At 400i possèdent une bande passante de 65 Hz à 22 kHz à the relatively light weight of 12 pounds per unit, 400i plus ou moins 3 dB, une impédance de 86 dB sous 4 ohms speakers have a passband that ranges from 65 Hz to 22 et autorisent une puissance de 150 watts. Bien que le fabrikHz at approximately 3 dB, an impedance of 4 ohms at 86 dB and can supply 150 watts of power. Although the manufacturer recommends a 75 or 150 watt amplifier, Lumineuses et transparentes.

50 watts of amplification at 4 ohms of impedance is easilyUne sufficient to gain the greatest benefit fromàthe sonorité cristalline alliée un speaker. The 400i is the floor-standing entry model haut niveau de définition. in the Final range. The product catalogue includes other models, such as the 600i, measuring 61 inches in height, the 1000i, at 74 inches de and75the 1400i, at 80 cant recommande un amplificateur et 150 watts, une inches.

Also available are electrostatic, central and amplification de 50 watts à l’aise sous 4 ohms réussira amallèbisonic What is special about models is grementmodels. à les faire chanter.

La 400i est lethese modèle autoporthat they are wall-mounted, which may be a wise choice tant d’entrée de gamme Final. Le catalogue des produits in a home-cinema area ordont in smaller rooms.

Thede 400i présente d’autres modèles le 600i de 61 pouces hauspeakers come with long AC leads fitted with 12 volt teur, les 1000i de 74 pouces et 1400i de 80 pouces. Des adaptors at the ends. Twocentral oval fittings are attached sont to modèles électrostatiques, et ambiophonique, the of each loudspeaker withlathree screws,de thereby aussibase disponibles.

Ces derniers ont particularité s’insensuring speakers are positioned vertically, taller aux that mursthe ce qui peut s’avérer fort judicieux dans une slightly inclined backwards. installed, group aire cinéma-maison ou dans Once des espaces auxthe dimensions

isréduites. stable. Five-point connection modules Les 400i sont accompagnées deenable câbles the AC de use of good-sized speaker Thesed’adaptateurs Final 400i 12 bonne longueur munis auxcables. extrémités speakers look superb, de combining lightness with visual volts. Deux piétements forme ovale se fixent au dessous de la base de chaque enceinte à l’aide de trois vis assurant transparency. ainsi la verticalité des enceintes avec une légère inclinaison vers l’arrière.

Une fois monté, l’ensemble se révèle stable.

FINAL S100 SUBWOOFER Les borniers de type in à cinq façonsofautorisent l’utilisation This device comes the form a cube with a black de câbles finish. d’enceintes de litres bonnes dimensions. acrylic It is 22 in volume and Le its look total de ex-ces Final 400i est irrésistible, associant légèreté et transparenternal measurement is 32.5 cm.

Accompanied by 5 cm ce visuelle. high rubber feet permitting sound propagation from the 20 cm long-range woofer placed on the underside LEthe CAISSON GRAVE S10016FINAL of speaker,DE and weighing kg, its passband ranges Il s’agit d’un cube au fini noir acrylique, auFitted volume de a22 from 25 to 250 Hz at approximately 3 dB. with litres et aux pourtours de 32.5 cm.

Accompagné de discreet A/B amplifier with 100 watts RMS instead pieds of 5 cm de hauteur permettant propagaacaoutchoutés digital classde D amplifier, it includes a 0-180ladegree tion sonore du haut-parleur de grave à longue phase interrupter at the back, as well as twoincursion potentio-de 20 cm sous meters, placé one for le caisson, the volume andau poids deto16conkg, the other sa bande passantrol the low-pass te est de 25 à filter. The user 250 Hz à plus ou has the choice of moins 3 dB. Muni an A/V receiver d’un amplificaconnection, a teur de type dispreamplifier/procret de classe cessor or an amA/B de 100 plifier, with either watts RMS et high or low level non d’un ampliLFE/ SUB-OUT ficateur numéoutput and with rique classe D, il RCA or speaker dispose à l’arrière d’un interrupteur de phase 0-180 degrés connecting cables. et de deux potentiomètres, l’un pour le volume et l’autre régissant le filtre de croisement des basses fréquences. Au

LISTENING choix de l’utilisateur, il autorise un branchement d’usage à Due to the dimensions of the membrane and theoufact un récepteur A/V, un préamplificateur-processeur, à un that the propagation and radiation sound is orientaamplificateur, tant en mode haut ouofbas niveau de sortie ted towards and of the LFE/equally SUB-OUT, avec the desfront câbles deback liaison RCAspeaker, ou d’enelectrostatic panels may prove to be sensitive to sound ceintes. waves reflected by walls and to the acoustic pressure generated ÉCOUTE within a listening room. Our panels were therefore installed one and half metres the back En raison des dimensions de laa membrane et from de l’orientation wall, metre from side wall,sonore with around three de la one propagation et dueach rayonnement tant à l’avant metres spacede between them, qu’à l’arrière l’enceinte, lesand panneaux peuvent slightlyélectrostatiques orientated towards thes’avélisterer auxhigher ondes range, réfléchies par ningsensibles chair. The larger les murs et à may la pression acoustique Final models need even more générée dans uneplugged pièce d’écoute. clearance.

Once into an Les nôtres doncthey été were installées à un electricont socket, connecmètre et demi du murconsisting arrière, un ted to YBA electronics mètre dewatt chaque latéral, atavec of a 140 Deltamur 2 amplifier 4 environ trois mètres Delta entre2 elles, et ohms and a Classic preamlégèrement le fauteuil plifier from orientées the samevers company, an d’audition. modèles Final plus audio-digitalLes C.E.C. / TL51X turntahaut de gamme et aux dimensions plus ble, an Assemblage DAC 2.7 Platigénéreuses pourront exiger davantage nium converter and a Slim Devices de dégagement.

Une branchées transporter.

All of thefois above were à une prise électrique, elles ont été

20/ / / / / / / / //// MAGAZINE S O N & I M AG E ///////// 01/ 02// 2007

linked Bisélectroniques Audio Signature Pierre Gabriel ML1 reliées by à des YBA and constituées d’un amplificaleads and Nordost 11 speaker cables. teur Delta 2 de 140 Red wattsDawn sous 4Rev ohms et d’un préamplifiWe decided to begin thedelistening session without cateur de même marque la série Classique Delta 2, àadune platine C.E.C. / TL51X, à uninconvertisseur ding theaudionumérique S100 subwoofer to the speakers, order to Assemblage DAC 2.7 Platinium et Our au Transporter de Slim evaluate their intrinsic qualities. first impressions: Devices, toutDevices câblé par des liaisonsasBis Signature, With theleSlim Transporter theAudio source and Gabrielmusic ML1 et des câbles d’enceintes Nordost Red aPierre networked player of a quality to satisfy music Dawn itRev décidé de débuter la off session buffs, did11. notNous take avons long for the 400is to show their d’écoute sans le caisson de gravesound S100 afin qualities.

Clearleur andadjoindre transparent.

A crystalline d’évaluer leurs qualités premièresThey obserquality combined with aintrinsèques. high level ofNos definition. vations, avec le hear Transporter Slim Devices comme source, let the listener details de without being analytical and un sound lecteur quality de qualité audiophile de musique par réseau the is more directional than is usual.

The (voir speakers le banc d’essai du aTransporter dans ce numéro), 400i offer us full-scale sound and stereo les 400i prennent peu de temps à démontrer leurs attributs. image. Nonetheless, their impedance level of 86 dB at Lumineuses et transparentes.

Une sonorité cristalline 4 ohms requires a little more power, although this alliée does à uncreate haut any niveau de définition.

Elles fouillent les détails not listening strain. On putting on the CD sans pour être toutefois analytiques. sonorité est plus Jazz Noël by the Lorraine La Desmarais Trio, ondirecthe tionnelle qu’à l’habituel.

Les 400i nous proposent une Analekta label, the sound quality of Jean-Pierre Zanelimage sonore et stéréo pleine hauteur.

Leur niveau d’impéla’s alto and soprano saxophones, more often than not dance de 86 dB sous 4 ohms nécessite toutefois un peu plus strident, is here revealed with a more natural timbre. de puissance sans pour autant créer de stress d’écoute. Au In the piece L’Enfant au Tambour, Frédéric Alarie’s contact du CD du Trio de Lorraine Desmarais Jazz pour Noël bass playing sounds nimble. Notes in the mid and low sur étiquette Analekta, la sonorité des saxophones alto et ranges of the sound spectrum are clearly separated in soprano de Jean-Pierre Zanella, plus souvent qu’autrement space, as are the sounds of Camil Bélisle’s percussion stridente, se révèle ici avec un timbre d’écoute plus natuplaying. The great dexterity and rhythmical sense of rel. Sur la pièce l’Enfant au Tambour, le jeu à la basse de Lorraine Desmarais at the piano are reproduced preciFrédéric Alarie est délié. Les notes dans le médium et le bas sely and with an extraordinary sonorous and musical du spectre sonore se détachent bien dans l’espace tout articulation.

There is no heaviness, ratherLa a brightness autant que les percussions de Camil Bélisle. grande dexof tone and an exceptional speed of execution térité et le sens du rythme de Lorraine Desmaraisunique au piano to therestitués artist. avec précision et d’une articulation sonore et sont On her recent album Half The Perfect World,auoncontraire musicale hors du commun.

Aucune lourdeur, Rounder Records, Madeleine Peyroux’s voice is transune vivacité des timbres et une vitesse d’exécution excepmitted to us with the beautiful clarity of sound that is tionnelles propres à l’artiste. unique to the 400i speakers.

In sur theson song River, writ-Half La voix de Madeleine Peyroux, récent album ten by Joni Mitchell, the speakers even help us to The Perfect World sur Rounder Records, nous est renduehear avec K.D. comments duringaux her400i duetpermettant with Madeleine cetteLang’s belle clarté sonore propre même, Peyroux.

Adding S100 subwoofer the 400is sur la pièce Riverthe de Final Joni Mitchell, de mieuxtopercevoir la clearly adds power to the medium and low bass of the répartie de l’artiste K.D. Lang en duo avec Madeleine electrostatic speakers.

Although the Final performance Peyroux. L’ajout du caisson de grave S100 auxof400i the 400is is amazing, someautypes of music donne évidemment du coffre bas médium et require au graveades thicker bass withBien a little body. The Eagles électrostatiques. quemore la prestation desrecent 400i soit étonDVD, live from Melbourne, benefited from nante,Farewell certains 1types de musique exigent des basses plus the addition thepeu Finalplus S100 which,DVD for the charnues avecof un de subwoofer corps. Le récent des Eagles, Farewell live from Melbourne, a bénéficié de l’ajout purposes of this1 test bench, we placed in the centre, du caisson Final nous avons placé fins de behind theS100 400is andque approximately one pour and aleshalf ce banc away d’essaifrom au centre, l’arrière 400i, àvery une well. distanmetres them. àThis sub des performs ce d’environ un mètre et demi cesmore dernières.

Ce sub fait All tests showed that the bassdewas present, more très bien son La basse defined nous estand apparue de toute generous, withtravail. astonishingly articulated évidence plus plus au speed contourofétoncontours for aprésente, subwoofer of généreuse, this size. The namment défini pour un caisson de cette dimenexecution from et thearticulé 400i speakers is not diminished by sion.

La vitesse des of 400i n’y perd rien et la the addition andd’exécution the coherence sound is improved cohérence de l’ensemble 400i and et S100 y gagne à tout in all areassonore by grouping the 400is S100 together. point de vue.

Il serait opportun toutefois, et ce en fonction Depending on the size of the listening room, however, la grandeur de la salle d’écoute etwith du niveau de basse itdemight be advisable to experiment other models souhaité, d’expérimenter d’autres modèles de caissons de of subwoofers, such as the Final S110 and S220s, which grave dont les S110 et S220 Final munis respectivement de are equipped with low frequency transducers measutransducteurs de basses fréquences de 8 et de 12 pouces. ring 8 and 12 inches respectively.

CONCLUSION CONCLUSION Certain peopleélectrostatiques will always prefer Les enceintes ont electrostatic toujours leursspeaadeptes. kers. our part,leur we were very unique impressed Nous For concernant, sonorité nousbyà their beaucoup plu. Leur limpidité et The leur clarity transparence sonore jointes unique sound quality. and transparency of à leursound capacité de produce, reproduirecoupled une image une scène stéréo the they withettheir capacity pleine hauteuraen séduiront plusieurs la recherche to reproduce full-scale image andàstereo scene d’alterwill native many en matière de for reproduction sonore et of musicale. attract looking an alternative form sound À ellesmusic seules,reproduction. les Final 400iOn se their sont own, révélées and the d’excellentes Final 400i enceintesproved réussissant la main à transmettre plaisir models to behaut excellent speakers which un definitely d’écoute constamment Elles procurent une vivasucceed in providing arenouvelé. constantly renewed listening cité sonoreThey et deliver un sentiment d’aération fait ofbon pleasure. a vivid sound and aqu’il feeling entendre. Reliées au caisson de gravelistening S100, elles sont appaopenness that make for a brilliant experience. rues dans toute leur splendeur, constituant unwere ensemble Once connected to the S100 subwoofer, they cohérent pouvant être utilisé tant en mode d’écoute stéréo presented in all their splendour, creating a coherent que cinéma-maison sur trois canaux.

Proposées au prix ensemble that can be used either in the stereo liste- de 3 700mode $, avec pièces et main d’oeuvremode. de trois ning orune thegarantie three channel home-cinema ans, ajoutez-leur un des caissons de grave Final Sound Costing $ 3,700, with a three-year parts and labour de votre choix simply et vousadd voilàa Final sommeSound toute subwoofer muni d’un système guarantee, of your d’enceintes acoustiques bien conçu et bien construit choice to equip yourself with a well-designed andalliant wellqualité et distinction. constructed system of acoustic speakers that combine quality and refinement.

Prix suggéré : Suggested Enceintes price: électrostatiques Final 400i : 3 700 $ Final 400ideelectrostatic Caisson grave Finalloudspeakers: S100 : 950 $$ 3,700 Final S100 subwoofer $ 950 Distributeur : Evolution Audio Video Inc Distributor: Evolution Audio Video Inc (416) 603-9090 www.evolutionaudiovideo.com (416) 603-9090 www.evolutionaudiovideo.com

Pub 1/4 page AudioLight

01/ 02/ / 2007/ / / / / / / / / M AGA Z I N E S O N & I M AG E / / / / / / / / / / / / 21

Final Sound 300i and complementary sub-woofers

Final Sound has produced two new subwoofers; the S110 and S220, and another addition to its range of eltrostatic loudspeakers; the 300 Inverter Panel (300i).

The subwoofers can be used in any stereo or home cinema application and can be combined with any brand of electronics and loudspeakers (although, funnily enough, Final Sound recommend use with Final Sound panels).

The Final Sound 300i complements the existing range of panels. It stands four feet tall, and has a depth of just one inch. It can be wall mounted or placed on the floor like a very skinny, rather noisy, piece of sculpture.

Related stories: TV and Home Cinema

From: http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2006/12/final_sound_300.html

http://svconline.com/residentialav/products/final_sound_solutions_receiver_09172007/index.html

September 17, 2007

The Final Sound System 8 audio/video receiver is said to be the first virtual surround system to integrate high-end electrostatic loudspeakers. It bundles a 75W receiver with two loudspeakers and a subwoofer. Surround sound is provided by Dolby Virtual Surround DSP. Final Sound says a figure-eight-shaped soundwave based on inverter technology fills any size room without causing reflections that can interfere with the surround sound.

Inputs include HDMI, S-Video, component video, and composite. An HDMI output is included as well. An AM/FM tuner completes the package.

For more information, visit www.finalsound.com.

October 2007 http://www.soundfood.net/Audio/Video-News/Latest/CEDIA-2007-Final-Sound-offersa-fantastic-speaker-system-with-sub-and-DVD-receiver.html

CEDIA 2007: Final Sound offers a fantastic speaker system with sub and DVD-receiver Some virtual surround sound systems are more convincing than others, but one of the most believable systems of this type that we’ve run across is the one demonstrated by the Dutch firm Final Sound at CEDIA 2007.

The core of the Final Sound system is an ingenious product bundle consisting of Final’s ingenious 2.1-channel, FVSS 201 DVD-receiver which is packaged with a Final model S95 subwoofer for $1000.

To complete the system all you need to do is add your choice of Final’s model 90i, 150i, 300i, or 400i electrostatic main speakers.

Complete systems start at around $2000, but the version we heard, which was based on the 300i’s, sells for about $3000 (the systems are available now).

Three things impressed us about the Final system. First, it offers levels of crisp, pristine clarity and detail that are the hallmarks of good electrostatic designs.

Second, it produces surprisingly compelling virtual surround sound effects, creating a strong “phantom” center-channel images and unusually effective, wraparound surround soundstages.

Third, it’s simple, affordable, and looks really, really cool. The Final Sound electrostats have rectangular frames made of metal tubes done up in either gloss black or camerafinish silver, while the electrostatic speaker diaphragms are so light and thin that you can literally see through them.

Suffice it to say that the Finals are both sonically and optically “transparent.”

If you’re yearning for clean, richly-detailed surround sound without the fuss and bother of setting up center and surround-channel speakers, the Final Sound virtual surround system represents a credible solution that exudes tons of Euro-chic coolness.

If you’re yearning for clean, richly-detailed surround sound without the fuss and bother of setting up center and surround-channel speakers, the Final Sound virtual surround system represents a credible solution that exudes tons of Euro-chic coolness.

Events

Moscow

PRESENTATION

Final Sound moves into consumer electronics

On 1 August, the Elephant café-

bar in Moscow played host to a remarkable event – a well-known manufacturer of electrostatic inverter sound systems announced its own range of electronic consumer products.

The presentation was arranged by the Russian distributor HomeSound, and was led by the Production and Design Manager of the Final Sound company.

The company started out as a producer of electrostatic inverter speakers, which, like many other similar sound systems, suffer from a lack of bass depth. Preferring to use in-house solutions, Final Sound embarked on the design of its own subwoofers.

Less than a year later, the company’s engineers have a new surprise up their sleeves: the FVSS 201 DVD receiver and Sound Level power amplifier.

Naturally, both products have been fully optimised for the Final Sound range, matching the parameters of the company’s subwoofers and speaker panels.

The DVD receiver has the most up-to-date features, including HDMI (supporting the 1080p signal), Dolby Digital/DTS decoders, and a USB interface. This feature is designed not only for reproducing MP3 files from USB flash drives,but also for upgrading the receiver’s software. The receiver was initially designed to operate with the 90i, 150i, 300i and 400i panels and the S95 subwoofer.

As developments continue, new models will be added to the list, requiring different setting parameters, so the facility for modifying the builtin settings will be very useful.

The manufacturing quality is therefore very high, and the components for the equipment are specified in advance by the customer (i.e. Final Sound).

The Sound Level amplifier is a product for those who demand the best quality of stereo sound.

The company’s engineers have devoted their best efforts to this project. According to Final Sound this equipment will have no competition at its price. Well, time will tell.

Since industrial production has not yet started, we were shown ‘raw prototypes’. The equipment is likely to go on sale in Russia in the autumn. In any case, the concept is very interesting, and the products will certainly find their buyers. I believe that other Final Sound electronic goods, such as a preamplifier and a CD player, are on their way in the near future.

It should be noted that the receiver is a 2.1 type, i.e. the centre and rear channels are virtual.

Final Sound have not reinvented the wheel: they have based their system on the tried and tested Dolby Virtual technology and have adapted it to meet their requirements, introducing the necessary parameters to match their sound systems.

However, the receiver can also operate well in stereo mode, with up to 75 W output per channel.

The receiver is assembled at the same Chinese factory as the NAD Master Series (NAD’s toprange products).

> Il’ya Kinzhalov

The Final 600i/1000i Speakers Some Tasty Panels From Europe

By Jeff Dorgay

TONEAudio Review

After 25 years, I really believe that you tend to fall in love with one kind of speaker. While I have heard excellent examples of multi-driver systems, horns, mini-monitors; you name it, for whatever reason I always gravitate towards the panel sound. I know that they have their limitations (as does every other variation on the speaker theme) but I really enjoy that transparent, walkthrough sound that a panel offers.

I saw the Final speakers quite some time ago at CES and was very impressed with what I had heard, however the room setting was less than ideal and the folks at Final were only using a surround sound receiver to power them.

We started the review with the Final 600i speakers that run $6000 without subwoofer and then moved up to the flagship 1000i, which run $10,000 without subwoofer. If you choose the Final sub, add $1200 extra to the price tag of either speaker. They come finished in a very attractive silver finish, with the perforated fronts in gloss black. There is a flat metal footer that keeps the panels tilted back at about a five degree angle from the rear wall.

TONEAudio Review

electrostats are much less finicky. Having used For those of you not familiar with electhe current speakers from Quad and Martin trostatic speakers, they use a large Mylar diLogan, I can’t say that I have had any problems agphragm instead of a cone to move air and with either of these speakers or the Finals. create the musical signal that we hear. Proponents of the electrostatic method say that Setup and Initial Listening the panel is much more lightweight, allowing the transient attack to be much faster than a Both the 600i and the 1000i are about 14 cone. They also point out the lack of a cross- inches wide, with the 600i’s being about 62 over in the signal path, making the electrostat inches tall, while the 1000i’s are 78 inches tall. somewhat of a full range speaker. This is a With any panel speaker, the more panel area big part of why they sound so coherent and the better, because they move more air. The transparent; no crossover 600i’s weigh in at 45 pounds components (and their asand the 1000i’s are only five Final uses their patented sociated slopes) or multiple “inverter” technology pounds more each. These are and sends the audio signal drivers to deal with. easy speakers to set up and directly to the panel surface. move around!

But there is no free lunch in the world of high end audio and a bonus in one area usually has a corresponding negative in another. That very thing that gives the electrostat it’s beautiful transparency takes away from its ability to move a large volume of air forcefully, which is why even the best panels are a bit limited dynamically. To get the panel to move in the first place, the Mylar diaghpragm is coated with a conductive coating and sandwiched inbetween a positive and negative plate (stators) that have a relatively high voltage on them. The audio signal is then applied to the stators and it pulls the mylar diaghpragm back and forth, creating sound.

Final uses their patented “inverter” technology (read more about it here: http://final. nl/electro.html#advantage ) and sends the audio signal directly to the panel surface. They claim that this keeps impedance more stable across the audio band, making this speaker very easy to drive. Back in the old days, the original Quad 57’s and Acoustats were a little fussy when it came to amplifiers, but todays

All Electrostats need to be powered to work and the Finals use tiny 12 volt wall wart supplies to keep their panels charged. They thoughtfully included 10 foot cords on the end of the little supplies to make speaker placement a lot easier. My final placement for both sets of Final speakers was about three feet out from the front wall with about seven feet between them. The optimum spot ended up being about nine feet from the speakers, giving the best combination of imaging and sweet spot.

There is one thing that those of you in the audience need to know if you are the type of person that doesn’t read instructions: Pay close attention to the orientation of the Finals or you will be very disappointed with the sound. If you look straight at the front of the panel, you will see that there are three dividers to the panel, going from wide to narrow. It is critical that you have the narrow bands to the inside, otherwise the imaging will be somewhat diffused.

TONEAudio Review

Should you ignore this while excited to get them up and playing (don’t feel bad, I did it too…) just switch the right and left speakers and all will be well again!

I spent about 100 hours breaking the speakers in with the Valve Audio Predator integrated amplifier and the Ayre C5xe CD player. Once they had loosened up a bit, I moved them into my reference system for critical listening where they stayed for the duration of the review.

An Interesting Combination of Character Traits As with everything in the world of high end audio, almost everyone in this business thinks that their approach is the best, but as we all know the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The Finals have a very characteristic sound and will appeal to a certain type of panel lover.

The Final subwoofer is somewhat loose combination with the Finals proved to be the McIntosh MC275. Its midrange warmth in the bottom end department, considering brought out a little bit more palpability and you might be partnering them up with a ten depth to the presentation. thousand dollar pair of main speakers. I would suggest it more for use Because these speakIf you listen to chamber music, with one of their smaller ers do not have a ton of female vocals, or anything else panels in a multichannel dynamic punch, I decided that is not too taxing at the environment rather than to go for midrange magic. frequency extremes, the 1000i is a high performance two Listening to any really a very pleasant speaker indeed. channel setup. Marc heavy rock or full scale orchestral music left me wanting just a bit Mombourqurette of Final USA calls it “their more, even with the sub, so I decided to play crescent wrench sub” and I couldn’t agree to the strength of the Finals. more. I found myself moving on to my REL B2 with much better results, again running the If you listen to chamber music, female 1000i’s full range and crossing the REL over at vocals, or anything else that is not too taxabout 34hz to pick up the slack. ing at the frequency extremes, the 1000i is

Mellow is the Word While I normally prefer the speed and slam of my CJ Premier 350, for me the winning

a very pleasant speaker indeed. Quadrophenia or Bax’s Fifth, not so hot. KD Lang, James Taylor or the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, magic.

If you were someone who longs for the sound of a pair of Quad 57’s, or your old Acoustats, but don’t want to rebuild a pair of speakers or would like more modern packaging, I suspect the Finals (especially the 1000i) could be the speaker of your dreams. I started out listening with the Final subwoofer, with the speakers running full range and my second pair of preamplifier outputs driving it separately. While Final offers you the opportunity to use the very versatile crossover in their subwoofer and use the high pass outputs to go back to your amplifier, I would only suggest doing this if you have a low powered tube amplifier. Freeing a 40 watt per channel amplifier the task of reproducing low bass frequencies will give the Finals more punch.

TONEAudio Review

My pal Hiroshi in Tokyo has been sending me a lot of great Japanese CD pressings in the “mini LP” format and I must admit I’ve been buying CDs like a drunken sailor lately.

A quick spin of 10cc’s Bloody Tourists disc on my favorite track “Mr Time” showed just how well these speakers can create a very real, three dimensional space. Moving on to the Doobie Brothers What Were Vices Are Now Habits and “Another Lonely Park” showed how well the layered vocals on this track were recorded.

I also spent a lot of time listening to most of my Miles Davis CDs and again, this is the type of music that really makes the Finals shine. Interestingly enough, because of the height of the 1000i panel, the sound does not change when you stand up as it does with many other speakers, panel and cone alike.

Needless to say with so much panel area the Final does a great job with recreating the illusion of height. However, because of the flat panel design, the sound falls off pretty quickly as you move side to side.

What About the Small Ones?

Much like the various Acoustats I used to own, the smaller Final 600i sounds almost identical to the 1000i, just with a touch less low bass. It is made for a smaller room, so in a large room will not play as loud, but the sound quality is identical. I used the 600i’s eventually in my 11 x 17 living room with very good results and they were quite easy to place. At $6000 a pair, I felt these were a bit better bargain than the 1000i’s, but in the end it will depend on your room to get the right fit.

I also preferred the 600i’s with the REL subwoofer for all the same reasons.

A number of friends that had never been exposed to electrostats enjoyed the presentation and again, I preferred to go for the warmth of tubes in the end. These speakers sensitivity is rated at 86db, so plan your amplifier accordingly. The spec sheet says a minimum of 75 watts is required and I concur wholeheartedly.

I also tried the 600i’s with a few different integrated amplifiers and had good luck there as well, but keep in mind that this speaker like most panels is fairly revealing of the source components in the chain. Because they are very easy to drive, they will work with a surround sound receiver, but you will be better rewarded as you move up the food chain.

Manufacturer The Final 600i and 1000i Loudspeakers MSRP: 600i - $6000, 1000i - $10,000 Subwoofer Extra Contact: www.finalsound.com USA Distributor Final Sound LLC 500 West Cummings Park, Suite 2500 Woburn, MA 01801 781 938-6416 Marc Mombourquette Marc@finalsound.com Peripherals

Conclusion

Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson ACT2/Series 2

I’m a bit biased because I really enjoy the panel sound, especially that of electrostatic speakers. There is just something about the coherency that comes along with no crossover that gives these speakers a very musical feeling.

Phono Preamplifier: ASR Basis Exclusive, ModWright 9.0 SWLP

The Final speakers have a lot going for them. Good sound and great looks should help them blend in just about anywhere. I fear that with our dollar as weak as it is right now, they are getting beat up a bit on pricing.

I would like to see these speakers priced at about $4000 and $7500 respectively, but these days if you want cool things from Europe it’s going to cost you a bit more.

And you will need a subwoofer to go along with these speakers, so that will add a bit more to the price, so budget accordingly unless you have a very small room.

The Final 600i and 1000i have a unique look and sound. You need to take a trip to your Final dealer to find out if it’s the sound for you…

Power Amplifiers: Conrad-Johnson Premier 350, McIntosh MC275 Digital Sources: Meridian 808, Wadia 581i, Naim CD555, McIntosh MS300 Analog Sources: SME 10 turntable w/SME V arm, MoFi 3.5C cartridge, Oracle Delphi V turntable w/SME iV.vi arm, Grado Statement cartridge, Rega P9 w/P1000 arm, Rega Apheta cartridge Interconnects: TARA Labs The One, Cardas Golden Reference, ED 422 Power Management: Running Springs Audio Jaco and Danielle power conditioners, Running Springs Mongoose power cords, Essential Sound Products The Essence “Reference” power cords Vibration Control: Finite Elemente Pagode Signature racks with Ceraballs and Cerapucs TONEAudio Review

C E DIA E xpo: B es t of S how!

B e s t V ir t ua l S ur r ound S ys t e m O ne of the most believa ble virtua l surround systems we’ve hea rd wa s demonstra ted by the Dutch firm F ina l Sound. This cla ssy Euro-chic system ha s a 2.1cha nnel F VSS 201 DVD-receiver, which is pa cka ged with the model S95 subwoofer for $1000. Select a pa ir of the compa ny’s electrosta tic spea kers to complete the system. Systems sta rt a t a round $2000, but the version we hea rd ($3000 a nd ba sed on a pa ir of 300i’s) produced a virtua l surround-sound experience, complete with strong “pha ntom” center-cha nnel ima ges a nd a wra pa round soundsta ge. If you’re yea rning for clea n, richly-deta iled surround sound without the fuss a nd bother of setting up center a nd rea r surround spea kers, this just might be your F ina l solution.

НА ПЕРВЫЙ ВЗГЛЯД КОЛОНКИ/САБВУФЕР

$ 2990/1700

2 ЗА Детальное, энергичное и естественное звучание, компактная конструкция, дополнительные возможности настройки трифоника 3 ПРОТИВ Ничего существенного 1 ВЕРДИКТ Правильный звук и стиль хай-тек – выбор для тех, кто готов к нестандартным решениям

Hurrah,electrostats!

DYNAMIC SPEAKERS acquired their modern appearance, a box with drivers built in it, some 50 years ago. Today, this is still the accepted way themajority of speakers are designed. Although the past decades have seen new devices based on other methods of sound wave generation, no one has managed to destroy the electrodynamic "monopoly" so far. The electrostatic method of sound radiation was invented a rather long time ago, with speakers based on it already taking their own, though tiny, place in the market of audio equipment. Several years ago, Final Sound, a new company, had the courage to start competing with common speaker manufacturers and since then has managed, as we have already had a chance to experience, to create speakers able to attract customers.

We'd like to emphasize natural sound of various timbre saxophones – and these instruments (along with violin and viola) like a lie detector discover any false tints in sound. Chorus music, middle end speakers, as a rule, play dully

“The speakers give a perfect idea of Abbey Road studio size” Based on the previous experience we had when testing Final Sound speakers we offered the review set to John McLaughlin's Industrial Zen. Small number of instruments, masterly play – this is the kind of music that best suits electrostatic manner.

There is room for everyone's voice in the sound image of 300i/S220; the pattern of percussions, brass and drums interweave in the second track airy but with good sense of rhythm.

ПОДКЛЮЧАЕМ СИСТЕМУ В FINAL SOUND S220 встроены фильтр высоких частот и эквалайзер, подстраивающий излучение среднего баса под свойства помещения. Эти дополнительные возможности можно задействовать при специальной коммутации сабвуфера: на линейный вход подается сигнал с предусилителя, а к линейному выходу S220 подключается усилитель мощности. На задней панели низкочастотника помимо традиционных регулировок есть и специфические, для которых в руководстве пользователя прописан алгоритм настройки, основанный на субъективных оценках звучания музыки различных жанров.

16

МАЙ 2007

Акустическое оформление сабвуфера – закрытый корпус

while Final Sound manages to open up a new space in Sir Paul MacCartny's talent. Let's stop at the edge of musicology jungle estimating his Ecce Cor Meum oratorio, but still we should note that this music touched our souls.

And apart from this we can feel the scale of Abbey Road Studio hall, the location of the chorus, orchestra and soloist in it. The 300i/S220 set shows perfect consistency between the sub and speakers; ultimately low organic bass comes from the left though we have S220 standing on the right hand side, and you have to stand close against the speaker to make sure the sound does not come from it. Besides, Final Sound has enough skills to let us feel that there is something wrong with the organ.

Indeed, the organ party was recorded in a cathedral and later inserted into the recording by an audio man.

In the main work of Rhapsody In Blue "ephemeral" 300i and quite material S220 easily, loosely and harmoniously play the terrific crescendo. You can listen to the set for a long time without a trace of weariness even at a very high level. The sound never loses its transparency or accuracy, except in especially loud passages, hardness in HF appears. Final Sound 300i/S220 combination is able to play any genre of music, it is perfect at vocals, accurate at forming musical space where instruments have weight and presence. So, it is quite ready to compete with serious traditional speakers.

VERDICT Right sound and high-tech style - a choice of those who are ready to make offbeat decisions. ЯЗЫКОМ ЦИФР

КОЛОНКИ/САБВУФЕР FINAL SOUND 300I/S220

FINAL SOUND 300i ЧУВСТВИТЕЛЬНОСТЬ 86 дБ МОЩНОСТЬ60 Вт СОПРОТИВЛЕНИЕ 4 Ом ЧАСТОТНЫЙ ДИАПАЗОН95 Гц–22 кГц ГАБАРИТЫ (В ×Ш×Г) 125×21×2,5 см ВЕС 8 кг FINAL SOUND S220 ДИАМЕТР ДИНАМИКА 30 см МОЩНОСТЬ УСИЛИТЕЛЯ220 Вт ГАБАРИТЫ (В ×Ш×Г) 39×39×39 см ВЕС 30 кг