AUDIO SOLUTIONS FIGARO M MK2

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$16,000

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Description
Specifications

Description

Audio Solutions Figaro M MK2 Speakers

Audio Solutions Figaro M MK2 Speakers

The most successful speaker series ever produced by AudioSolutions has been redesigned with a modern touch. Although the appearance has changed significantly, the cross-cut of the speaker has remained unchanged, along with the dimensions and many other technical aspects that made Figaro (mk1) a superior speaker in its price range. The new Figaro is a visual upgrade and a performance improvement. Despite the previous version being groundbreaking in the market, there were still some areas for improvement. After five years of production, AudioSolutions has collected enough information to update this remarkable model significantly.

The most eagerly anticipating the release of the outrigger system with spike support. This system will provide excellent stability to the speaker and minimize its footprint on the ground. Figaro now comes equipped with dedicated Bass drivers made by Sb Acoustics, which have noticeably improved its sonic response and articulation compared to the mid-bass units in the previous version. While updating Mini-Horn was unnecessary, we slightly improved its geometry, resulting in a more comprehensive working range, particularly in the very top band of the frequency. We also updated the crossovers with thicker wire air coils and a new PCB layout with slightly less cross-talk. We continue to use WBT Next-Gen binding posts for Figaro, and we plan to add a second pair of binding posts to larger models to support Bi-Wiring or Bi-Amping.

Mini Horn-Loading

Figaro utilizes a Mini-Horn loading technology to cope with the infamous soft domes problem – cone breakup and cone “walk”. Cone breakup and “walk” happen when a soft dome tweeter is being driven hard at high signal levels. Distortions rise exponentially because:

a) when a certain point in signal level and thus dome acceleration/amplitude is reached, the centre part of the dome flexes in an uncontrolled fashion due to the silk’s soft nature

b) differences in air pressure behind the dome and in front of the dome create a nonlinear environment and overcome suspension ability to prevent axial movement of the cone

Our Mini-Horn is based on acoustical dampening in the frontal dome area. We carefully measure at which frequencies the dome starts to flex and emit an avalanche of distortions. Mini-Horn is then designed and manufactured according to the desired specifications to dampen those frequencies. The result is a proportional dampening of the tweeters’ movement. The louder it plays, the more dampening and air pressure on the frontal area it gets from its own emitted sound. It is described as an acoustical impedance and highly depends on the shape of the Mini-Horn. Another positive by-product of this process is that Mini-Horn adds sensitivity and thus the driver’s efficiency.

Extended Band Midrange

The human ear has uneven sensitivity to different frequencies. We are naturally less sensitive to high frequencies and especially to low frequencies. The exception is sensitivity to mid frequencies in the 1000-2000Hz band due to evolution. Simply put – in nature, the sounds of life-threatening events lie more or less in 1000-2000Hz diapason, so naturally, we are most sensitive to that so we can stay alert. The downside of this phenomenon in this relatively safe modern world is that we can hear and pinpoint the slightest imperfections in reproduced sound at those frequencies. And imperfections in sound reproduction are called distortions.

Most manufacturers calculate crossover points precisely in this area of 1000-2000Hz. Since each driver has its natural spectrum of distortions, we can actually hear the transition from one driver to another, let alone additional distortions caused by the crossover phase shift. The resulting sound is described as an unnatural or multi-way sound. It is impossible to completely eliminate natural-born driver’s distortions or the phase shift in crossover, which is mathematically tied to how db/oct crossover is calculated. The only way to fight this is to utilize crossover points away from this region of 1-2kHz. For that reason, we created an Extended Band Midrange driver. Crossover points of 400-4000Hz are one octave away from the sensitive band. Not only does this solution help with crossover distortion perception, but the listener gets uniform, unchopped sound coming from one driver with virtually zero phase shift. In our opinion, homogenous sound is one of the biggest goals in the audio industry.

Cabinet-in-a-Cabinet System

The new Figaro! Speakers share a Cabinet-In-a-Cabinet enclosure design. This system is based on two separate enclosures – an inner cabinet and an outer cabinet bonded together by a thin layer of Polyurethane. The inner cabinet is manufactured of a lightweight yet rigid material that controls primary vibrations by absorbing acoustical power coming from the drivers. Then a thin layer of viscous Polyurethane situated in between the inner and outer cabinets acts as a dampening layer which converts vibrations born in the inner cabinet to heat. The residue of vibrations is then dampened by the outer cabinet, which is manufactured of a much heavier and less dense material that acts as a mass damper.

Er Cone Bass drivers

The second-generation Figaro speaker utilizes re-designed bass drivers with ER paper cones. Er stands for Extra Rigid paper. It is actually visible on the cone surface as flakes of hard pulp and fibres and is natural to rigid cones. ER paper cones were chosen due to all the pros of traditional paper cones and the pros of hard material cones. Hard cones (metal, ceramic, etc.) provide uniform push-pull movement where all cone’s points act as a uniform piston, which is desirable. Con is that hard cones have the potential to have early break-up points and ringing due to a lack of dampening properties inside the material itself. On the other hand, the paper does not have break-up points as it is quite soft and flexible, but it does not act as a piston, and usually, the edge of the paper cone is fluttering, and all cones are flexing. The positive properties of paper and the introduction of hardening materials like sturdy fibres and hard pulp give us a unique cone that acts as a piston but does not have ringing or early cone breakup points. ER cones allowed us to introduce new piston-like bass drivers and our Extended Band Midrange.

Exclusive Personalisation Program

AudioSolutions’ Exclusive Personalisation team is ready to help you to customize your speaker. Please address us for custom colouring or style. We can make small changes, and we can make completely tailor-made speakers. Our team works in conjunction with architects and designers and is ready to make a one-of-one product for your living room.