Readers who frequent these pages know that I have a thing for standmount loudspeakers. The challenge to design is undeniable. Having to balance smaller internal volumes within the cabinet with reasonable bass output and dynamics is a proverbial gauntlet throw heartily on the floor. Alta Audio intends to rise to that challenge with their latest release called the Alyssa.
Stated succinctly in the press release is the sonic goalpost for their newest creation: “to design a compact speaker with the sonic attributes of a full-size, high fidelity floor-standing speaker”. From my experience this can be done. Of all the standmounts we have recently reviewed, the QLN Signature 3 very much behaved in this manner – which was somewhat surprising considering it was the only two-way design of the bunch. The floor stander “call out” here adds more fuel to the fire, so to speak.
Alta Audio’s founder Mike Levy choose to go with a proprietary pure aluminum ribbon tweeter for the highs along with a 6″ woofer for the rest of the spectrum. The construction of the woofer includes a titanium former (bobbin). From the PR Release:
“The benefit of using titanium in the construction of a woofer can’t be overstated,” said Mr. Levy. “It adds stiffness and is exceptionally light, allowing for a larger voice coil that ultimately contributes to a demonstrable improvement in sonics, especially when listening to analog and high-resolution digital recordings.”
Mike Levy, Alta Audio PR Release
With a sensitivity at 87.5 dB / 2.83 volts, the spec sheet is asking for at least 50 watts into the 4 ohm speaker. However, 28 lbs. of weight is a fairly manageable size when compared to some larger subjects in the category that really push the applicability of the term “bookshelf” to the limits.
The Alta Audio Alyssa will become available in September of this year, with a retail price of $5k/pair. Interested parties can check out all the details via the company’s web store and though Alta’s authorized dealer network.
More into: Alta Audio Alyssa
