Κώστας Φ.
Truth hurts. Here's a teddy bear.
- Μηνύματα
- 8.978
- Reaction score
- 894
"The Fremont comprises a loudspeaker cabinet that contains "one isobaric chamber and one acoustical chamber, two substantially similar loudspeaker drivers, and a synchronization circuit to align the output of the pair such that the back wave output of the first driver acoustically reinforces the front wave output of the second driver, thereby forming a reinforced wave." The external woofer's front wave is directed away from the cabinet, while its back wave is directed into the sealed isobaric chamber to the rear of the second driver, which in turn generates a wave that is directed into the larger, ported acoustic chamber. The two woofers are mounted facing away from each other but with the interior driver connected in reversed polarity, so that the cones move in the same direction. Budge found that the woofer arrangement reduced intermodulation distortion, increased power handling, and resulted in a quicker risetime and a lower resonant frequency. The woofers' free-air resonant frequency is now 18Hz rather than 42Hz.
Massive Construction, Hidden Drivers
While the Fremont looks like an overgrown two-way monitor on a stand, it is claimed to behave as a four-way system. Its internal 12" woofer operates from 18 to 80Hz, then crosses over via a third-order slope to the external 12" woofer, which covers the 80–500Hz range. Both woofers have a double-thickness frame while their cones are made of a composite of treated paper and carbon fiber, the surfaces dimpled and the thickness varied across the diameter to reduce in- and out-of-band resonances. Rather than the usual rubber roll surround, the woofers use an accordion surround of treated cloth; this is claimed to avoid slowing the dynamic attack and to minimize cone breakup while permitting large excursions. The Fremont is reflex-loaded with a pair of 2"-wide, 4.5"-long ports with gently flared edges, these placed on either side of the tweeter.
The midrange frequencies are handled by the external woofer's 4.35", convex black dustcap, a compound of three different low-Q materials. Frequencies above 3.2kHz are handled by a 1" soft-dome ring-radiator tweeter—a ScanSpeak Revelator—which provides treble extension out to 50kHz. The tweeter is recessed into the front baffle for time alignment and to fit smoothly with the surrounding felt diffraction pad, a placement said to increase dynamic efficiency in the lower part of its range.
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Conclusion
Yes, the deep-bass room lock I heard from the Fremonts at the 2007 Home Entertainment Show was not an artifact of that small demo room. Further listening in my own, larger space revealed its imaging capabilities and voltage sensitivity, though it also uncovered some timbral anomalies. Its tonal shift in the lower-midrange region changed the timbre of female vocals and of piano music. The 10dB/octave drop in output in my room below 40Hz was surprising. On the plus side, the Fremont's tonal balance produced much less listening fatigue than the treble emphasis of some other full-range speakers.
What the Fremont did well made me want to excuse its deficiencies. This loudspeaker's voltage sensitivity is almost 6dB higher than that of most speakers reviewed in Stereophile. This will be a gift to those who own lower-powered amplifiers, such as single-ended triode designs, or my own class-A, 25W Mark Levinson ML-2s. After fussing repeatedly with room setup and volume level, while locating the precise sweet spot, I was rewarded with tight, tuneful bass, speed, ear-popping dynamics, raw energy, and freedom from overload. I was delighted with the Fremonts' wide, if shallow, soundstage. Throw in a huge amplifier, such as Bryston's 28B-SST monoblocks (1kWpc) or Krell's FPB 600c (600Wpc), and the Fremonts will bring rock-concert realism to your home—but do protect your hearing!." -- Larry Greenhill
"If good looks conferred equally good sound on a loudspeaker, the Escalante Fremont would be a winner. But while it offers both a very high sensitivity and well-defined, if ultimately lightweight low frequencies, its measured problems in the midrange preclude a recommendation, in my opinion." -- John Atkinson
Full Review: Stereophile.com
