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Specialty loudspeaker
designers can be found in almost all civilized countries and
the ribbon speakers under review are a perfect example. They
are made by a relatively small Australian company-Ambience Speaker
Systems-which is headed by designer Tony Moore. The company offers
three models of what is called the "Super Slim Series"
of ribbon/woofer hybrid designs of which the model under review
is top of Appearance:
As a rule, ribbon speakers are tall. The Ambience 1880s are a
touch over 6 feet high, but only 11 inches wide. The panels accommodating
the ribbons are only 2 inches deep, whereas the bottom enclosure
for the woofer is a little over 14 inches deep; each speaker
weighs 75 pounds.
Our sample came in
a mahogany timber finish, although golden oak, rosewood, walnut
and teak finishes are available. The ribbons are housed in the
centre of handsomely finished wood panels which extend all the
way to the floor, also covering the bottom enclosure that houses
the woofer.
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The sub-enclosure
is tapered toward the rear, most likely to avoid internal standing
wave interference. There are adjustable spikes on the bottom
of each speaker, which allow tilting to suit a listening preference.
The system has four way binding posts to allow bi-wiring. Though
tall, the 1800s have an elegant and slender appearance, which
will blend rather naturally with almost any existing decor.
Technology:
The 1800s are hybrid designs combining a conventional 7 inch
cone bass driver with the ribbon drivers. Ribbon technology embraces
a little magic, which believe it or not, actually dates back
to the early days of conventional cone designs. However, in the
days of low wattage vacuum tube amplifiers, few managed to drive
these designs. Now-a-days, with plenty of powerful amplifiers
available, ribbon technology is no longer a fancy, but a viable
alternative to cone or electrostatic designs. In a nutshell,
here is how the design works: The ribbons are made up of very
thin five layered, crimped aluminium foil suspended between exceptionally
strong magnets. When an audio signal is transmitted between the
magnets, it triggers the foil to vibrate thus producing sound
waves. Ambience manufactures its own ribbons, which are complemented
in this design by a custom-made 7-inch Seas driver which operates
in a rear ported enclosure. The system is crossed at 420Hz, low
by anyone's standards-with a simple first-order network. Sensitivity
is quoted as 86dB; impedance is 4 ohms nominal; frequency response
isn't stated in the company's brochure but seems to extend well
into the 20kHz range while bass energy reaches down to about
30Hz.
The Sound:
The evaluation for the 1800s coincided with in-house amplifiers
from Mclntosh (the powerful MC 602) and Rotel (the new RB1090)-
both reviewed in this issue and Parasound (HCA-3500)-reviewed
in Vol. 11 #4 in addition to our old standbys, the Wyetech Topaz
and Bryston (8BST). Three preamplifiers were used during our
auditioning session the Sugden Masterclass and Mclntosh C100,
both reviewed in this issue, along with the Wyetech Opal. Interconnects
and speaker cables were from Nordost (Quattro Fil and SPM).
Before we got to listen attentively, we operated the 1800s for
a couple of weeks to make sure that they were properly broken
in.
When we began our listening sessions, we first tried the single-ended
18 watts/channel Topaz. This amplifier, though boasting sophisticated
low-volume proficiency, didn't allow sound pressure levels above
85dB. Next, we connected the Mclntosh MC602; this amplifier drove
the Ambiences very effortlessly and set up a grand three-dimensional
sound- stage with awesome front-to-back reach. Focus, inner detail
and powerful, full-bodied information made this combination a
successful, musically pleasing system. The one and only beef
from our listening panelists was the system's inability to conclude
deep bass information below about 35Hz.
The Rotel amplifier/Ambience combination sounded very precise
but lacked the warmth and luxuriously mellow midrange quality
we had experienced with the Mclntosh amplifier. The Bryston 8B
ST made the Ambience come to life. This system managed finely
detailed midrange information, rather robust and resolute bass,
but didn't quite reach the high frequency smoothness apparent
with the Mclntosh and Rotel amps.
Synopsis & Commentary:
It is our experience that people either like or dislike ribbon
designs or electrostatic speakers. Both designs offer a few attributes
that cannot be disputed, including transparency, delicately reproduced
inner detail and lack of box colouration. The 1800s have all
of the aforementioned, as long as the back-up system is of good
quality. It is of the utmost importance to place the Ambiences
at least four feet away from the rear wall-more if possible-to
allow the ribbons rear energy an unobstructed course and to minimize
the interaction with walls and corners of the woofers rear-firing
ports. Seven feet apart firing straight ahead or with minimal
toe-in sets up the most convincing sound-stage; too much toe-in
results in a very narrow field of image with absolute focus for
one listener only. The focus will be somewhat diffused when the
speaker is set up parallel to the wall, but listeners will gain
a large stage and more appropriate front-to-back information.
Another important issue is the power of the amplifiers used to
drive these rather inefficient speaker systems. They should be
100 watts and more with emphasis on sound quality. The 1800s
can sound really awesome, their strengths being articulation,
air around instruments and voices, a great soundstage (not restricted
to one "head in a vice" position) and musicality galore.
They will allow you to "choose your poison" when it
comes to amplifiers as the degree of musicality or accuracy is
in the hands of the end-user. Good cabling must be considered
an obligation rather than an add-on. When all is connected and
set up properly, expect these speakers to literally sing-music,
that is.
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