The Argus
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Why another loudspeaker? In early 2017, I started looking for a new reference speaker to use in my development work. I need a true reference speaker that can play any music, at any volume, right up to live levels, when required. There are many loudspeakers out there. Some sound very nice and will do a great job when playing at moderate output levels. How about playback at live sound levels? A few can, most will give up long before that. A suitable, ready-made system simply did not exist. Drawing on my experience in building custom monitoring systems for recording studios, the only solution was to build it myself. The prototype pair came into existence in late 2017. Countless hours went into refining the sound - rearranging the crossover, tweaking component values, fine tuning, listening, measuring, listening again, with the objective to achieve three major goals:
I can now confidently say the Argus is the reference loudspeaker system I have been longing for. How is the Argus different? In almost everything, actually. The Argus is a Mastering reference class, floor standing, three-way, ported loudspeaker system, intended for reproduction of music with maximum fidelity. It is designed for indoor use. Customized high performance drivers and crossover components enable The Argus to play from whisper-quiet up to live sound levels with unrestricted dynamics, minimal distortion and compression. A flat frequency response, excellent time alignment and close matching of the speakers ensure precise timbre and a realistic spatial presentation. Efficiency, impedance and power handling Nominal efficiency of the Argus is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , allowing it to be used even with modest amplifiers. The high power handling capacity provides ample headroom for playback up to live sound levels with minimal distortion and compression. The rated impedance is 4 ohms, dipping to 3.5 ohms in the mid-bass range (150-400Hz) and rising above 4 ohms at all other frequencies. Drivers
Dual custom 12” long throw woofers ensure a solid foundation in the low frequencies. The powerful Neodymium magnets, triple demodulation rings, a ventilated motor assembly, a high temperature 3” sandwich voice coil and a very rigid cone make these drivers stand out from the crowd.
The 6” midrange driver has outstanding sound quality due to its extremely low distortion, even at high output levels. Its nominal efficiency is a respectable 103dB/W/1m, thus allowing it to deliver the required output at a reduced power relative to the other drivers with minimal compression.
A precision AMT (Air Motion Transformer) driver renders the high frequencies. Its pleated diaphragm has a much larger area relative to dome or cone drivers, thus providing better coupling with the surrounding air. A significant advantage is the absence of inductance. Near-perfect impulse response and no breakup are the hallmarks of this driver. Its radiation pattern is shaped by a custom waveguide to minimize room effects. |
Finishing options The Argus is available in “Brushed Black” and “Brushed Titanium”.
Technical specifications
All specifications subject to improvement 1) AES power is determined according to AES2-1984 (r2003) standard 2 ) Program power rating is measured using a pink noise test signal with 50% duty cycle, applied for 2 hours [i] Compression is the difference between actual output and the anticipated output for a given power input. . |
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