Whatmough s Performance SE. Whatmough Signature P15-SE. Loudspeakers ON TEST

Transcription

1 Whatmough Signature P15-SE Whatmough s Performance SE (Signature Edition) loudspeakers are no-expensespared high-end designs aimed specifically at music lovers who want to extract the absolute maximum from their CDs, DVDs and high-res audio files. The Equipment Very few loudspeaker manufacturers build their own drivers. There are many reasons for this, but it mostly comes down to costeffectiveness and innovation. The R&D cost and the manufacturing facilities required to design and build a driver mean that unless you are building thousands of identical models, it s better to purchase your drivers from a company that specialises in building drivers. Well-known suppliers are SEAS, Scan-Speak, Vifa, Peerless, HiVi, Accuton, Fountek, Fostex, and Audax. However, when it comes to specifying drivers, these companies provide designers with varying quality levels. Swedish supplier SEAS, for example, has Lotus, Design, Prestige, Excel and Exotic series drivers. So when a designer is choosing, say, a tweeter, there is often has a choice between 10 or 15 very similar models, all with almostidentical specifications, but with differing levels of manufacturing quality and materials used. The least expensive of these tweeters might be available for $ or so, but the most expensive could easily cost $1,000! So it s pretty obvious that the tweeter you choose will have a dramatic impact on the final retail price for the finished loudspeaker system. m mentioning all this for a very good reason, which is that there are two different versions of the 35mm dual concentric tweeter that s used in the the Whatmough Signature P15- SE, one of which is a high-quality model made by Vifa, while the other is an evenhigher quality model made by ScanSpeak. The two tweeters look absolutely identical (at least from the pointy business end) but the performance of the ScanSpeak model is superior to that of the Vifa. So superior that it s seven times the price of the Vifa model. Guess which ones Whatmough is using? Yep, the expensive ones. And Whatmough uses the same tweeter in its flagship Paragon model and given the price of the Paragon, if a better tweeter were available anywhere in the world, Whatmough would have used it! (We should also point out that although you might appear to see this tweeter on models from other manufacturers, you should be careful before making a judgement, because you could be looking at the cheaper Vifa version, or even a super-cheap Chinese copy. n regard to the use of Chinese copies, this is yet another reason for buying only well-known brand name loudspeakers sold by reputable hi-fi dealers.) So what s so special about this tweeter anyway? First, you can t miss the Madonna s ra phase plug! The dome is actually attached to the phase plug in order to concentrate the radiating area around the voice coil. This offers more control of the diaphragm and reduces distortion and losses that occur at the centre of the dome on ordinary dome tweeters. The phase plug also acts as a wave guide, reducing high frequency cancellation. ehind the dome is a venting system that uses a needle to reduce 20 Australian

2 Whatmough Signature P15-SE turbulence in the air cavity and rather than use ferrofluid cooling, which reduces dynamics, cooling is achieved via a system of vents and copper rings. The driver magnet is SD-2- type neodymium. The bass/midrange driver in the P15-SE is rated by Whatmough at 1mm because this is the mounting hole diameter that s used by driver manufacturers. Our tape put the overall basket diameter at 1mm. However, the important Thiele/Small diameter is 131mm, for a useable cone area (Sd) of 135cm². The cone is formed from coated wood pulp (Whatmough calls it hybrid fibre) and is driven by a 33mm high-temp voice coil and a double magnet system that s so large it accounts for much of the weight of the P15-SE (about which more later). The driver chassis is a fully cast frame that has been beautifully engineered in a way that maximises the radiation from the rear of the cone. The crossover network in the P15-SE is hand-soldered and point-to-pointed wired with all components mounted on a piece of MDF so that they can be firmly secured with strapping and adhesive. And what components they are! Whatmough is using custom Obbligato Premium Gold capacitors that are made using extra-thick aluminium foil made in Germany. These super-premium capacitors are made with extra tight windings and have no internal voids. The few resistors in the network are high-power metal film types, while the inductors are all air-cored and cross-mounted so there can be no unwanted magnetic interaction between them. Low down and centred on the front baffle is the bass reflex port. t s made of black plastic which is flared at the exit, but not at the entrance. t s mm in diameter and around 84mm long. The grille is made from black cloth stretched over a 9mm MDF frame and fastens to the front baffle using the usual plastic lug n plug connectors, but they re oversized and very tight, so you won t ever get any frame rattle. As you can see from our photograph, the P15-SE has curved cabinet sides. Whatmough did extensive research into cabinets and concluded that cabinets with curved walls were far less resonant and had far fewer internal standing waves than cabinets with flat walls. Another finding was that minimizing cabinet resonances via extensive bracing dramatically improved clarity and transient response. According to Whatmough and we d agree wholeheartedly the sonic difference between a speaker system in a welldesigned enclosure and that same system in a mediocre cabinet is huge. You can tell how much bracing is inside the Signature P15-SE when you try to lift one and we mean try because despite their relatively small size, they re incredibly heavy. Each cabinet weighs 28kg! As with all Whatmough speakers, two sets of high-quality gold-plated binding posts are supplied so you can bi-wire or bi-amp if desired. Each cabinet measures mm (WHD) and is available in real ubinga timber veneer or in a Piano Graphite finish. The recommended retail varies quite a bit depending on the finish you choose. The $4,499 per pair RRP price noted in the information panel is for the ubinga finish, whereas upgrading to Whatmough s famous Piano Graphite finish commands a $300 price premium. Listening Sessions We had to get rid of the first pair of stands we used to support the Whatmough Signature P15-SEs because their bases weren t up to supporting the weight of these speakers! So make sure you have solid, heavy stands with very large bases. We also blutacked the bottoms of the P15-SEs to the tops of the stands for added security. The grip the bass driver in the P15-SE exerts on the air in the room is impressive, and the speed of the driver is incredible. The result is incredibly dynamic sound, from the deepest bass right through to the highest midrange, just before the driver hands over to the tweeter. Listen to even the most heavilylayered orchestral works and the strength and solidity of the bass foundation is presented completely unfettered, with a sense of pace and ease that belies the size of the driver and the size of the cabinet. No doubt the bass reflex port is doing its stuff, but some of this must also be due to the freedom permitted by the exposed voice coil design of the bass/midrange driver, because air cannot be trapped under the dustcap. Listen to plucked double bass, or an electric bass guitar and you ll hear what we mean straight away. The immediacy of the bass is magnificent. Neither could we fault the midrange. Human voice, that great revealer of any potential loudspeaker design failings, failed to reveal any at all in the performance of the Signature P15-SEs. To the contrary, we auditioned a wide selection of male and female vocalists and were impressed by every single track. The P15-SEs delivery of vocal nuances is exceptional, and tonality is preserved with an accuracy that had us shaking our heads. When playing live sets (Janis an s Working Without a Net is a favourite) you only have to close your eyes to be right there, and the same goes for any singer or ensemble working an intimate venue like a club. As for the treble, we could immediately hear why Whatmough fell for the ScanSpeak ring radiator. ts sound is clean and lucid, so the high frequencies really sparkle with freshness and light. Our only tiny quibble is that it noticeably delivers its best performance on-axis, so you should angle the speakers in to face the listening position during setup. However even off-axis the ScanSpeak s performance is better than most tweeters manage on-axis, so it s all a question of degree. Conclusion Whatmough s Signature P15-SE loudspeakers are superb transducers. For their size there are few if any other loudspeakers that can even approach their level of performance, and if we re talking midrange and treble, there are few that come close irrespective of their size or price. greg borrowman Whatmough Signature P15-SE rand: Whatmough Model: Signature P15-SE Category: Standmount RRP: $4,499 (See Copy) Warranty: Five Years Distributor: Whatmough Pty Ltd Address: 20 Princes Highway Clayton VC 3168 (03) wm@whatmough.com LA REPORT Superb highs Midrange accuracy ass for size est on-axis No holes in terminals Lack spike threads Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE should continue on and read the LAORATORY REPORT published on page 22. Readers should note that the results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or displayed using graphs and/or photographs should be construed as applying only to the specific sample tested. Lab Report on page 22 avhub.com.au 21

3 LA REPORT Whatmough Signature P15-SE CONTNUED FROM PAGE 21 Laboratory Test Results measured the frequency response of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE at 38Hz to 40kHz ±3d, which is not only a little better than Whatmough s own specification, but also a superb result for any speaker. Equally important was the spectral balance of the speaker, which was completely linear, in that the response was not skewed at all within the ±3d measurement envelope: the inevitable small level variations were distributed evenly across the bandwidth. Perhaps even more important than both, the response across the all-important midrange was superbly linear, varying by no more than ±1.25d between Hz and 10kHz (shown best in Graph 1). Graph 2 shows an expanded view of the high-frequency response of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE, as measured between 400Hz and 40kHz, using a gated sinus technique that simulates the response that would be obtained in an anechoic chamber. n addition to showing the high-frequency response in detail, it also shows the difference in the frequency response when you operate the speaker with the grille in place (red trace) compared to operating the speakers without the speaker grilles fitted (black trace). As you can see, there s not a lot in it, though the response is marginally smoother without the grille. However the differences are so small that d suggest that it would be impossible to hear any difference between grille on and grille off even in a direct A comparison using revealing program material. ecause of this, d recommend leaving the grilles on at all times in order to provide additional mechanical and ultra-violet protection for the drivers. Low-frequency performance of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE is shown in greater detail in Graph 3, using a nearfield measurement technique. You can see that the bass/midrange driver s low-frequency response peaks at 130Hz and then holds up well down to Hz, after which there s a very steep roll-off to the expected minima at 45Hz. nterestingly, the maximum output of the bass reflex port occurs just a little higher in frequency, at 51Hz, so there s obviously Ohm Deg Hz K 2K 5K 10K Graph 1. Averaged frequency response using pink noise test stimulus with capture unsmoothed. This trace is the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter. [Whatmough Signature P15-SE Loudspeaker] Hz K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K Graph 4. mpedance modulus of left (red trace) and right (yellow trace) speakers plus phase (blue trace), low-pass section (pink trace), high-pass section (green trace). lack trace under is reference 8-ohm precision calibration resistor. [Whatmough Signature P15-SE Loudspeaker] 400 Hz 0 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K Graph 2. High-frequency response, expanded view. Test stimulus gated sine. Microphone placed at one metre on-axis with dome tweeter. Red trace is with loudspeaker grille on. lack trace is with loudspeaker grille off. Lower measurement limit 400Hz. [Whatmough Signature P15-SE] 20 Hz K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K Graph 5. Frequency response. Trace below 1kHz is the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter using pink noise test stimulus with capture unsmoothed. This has been manually spliced (at 0Hz) to the gated high-frequency response, an expanded view of which is shown in Graph Hz K 2K Graph 3. Low frequency response of front-firing bass reflex port (red trace) and woofer. Nearfield acquisition. Port/woofer levels not compensated for differences in radiating areas. [WM P15-SE] 20 Hz K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K Graph 6. Composite response plot. Red trace is output of bass reflex port. Dark blue trace is anechoic response of bass driver. Light blue trace is gated (simulated anechoic) response above 400Hz. lack trace is averaged in-room pink noise response (from Graph 1). [WM P15-SE] 22 Australian

4 Whatmough Signature P15-SE been some by ear fine-tuning going on with this design, otherwise would have expected the port s maximum output to be at 45Hz. You can see the output from the port is fairly high-q, rolling off quickly either side of 51Hz. There is some excessive output from the port up at 1.3kHz that has a very, very minor effect on the measured on-axis response, but is too small in level and too narrow in bandwidth to be audible to the ear. was amazed by the impedance modulus because it shows that the matching of the left and right speakers in this pair is extraordinarily good: in fact it s the best pairmatching have ever seen so good that it s almost impossible to see two traces, so closely do they track each other. Look very carefully at the graph and you will see how well the red and yellow traces are overlaid. Occasionally the red trace just peeks out from under the yellow. As said, extraordinary pair matching, pointing to superb quality components and superb assembly techniques and first-class QC procedures. The impedance doesn t really drop below 8Ω (a slight incursion at 2.5kHz) and overall averages around 10Ω, with resonant peaks at 33Hz (Ω) and 66Hz (Ω). The electrical crossover appears to take place at around The response extends from 40Hz to 35kHz ±2.5d and as noted earlier, is even flatter across the midrange. Superb performance. 1.2kHz. The phase angle is quite controlled, but does swing through ±. This should not be a difficult speaker to drive, though a more powerful amplifier should give better real-world results, d suggest around -watts would be a good fit. Graph 5 shows the measured frequency response of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE speakers over the range from 20Hz to 40kHz. Essentially it combines the responses shown in Graph 1 and Graph 2, with the two traces spliced together at 0Hz. As you can see, the response extends from 40Hz to 35kHz ±2.5d and as noted earlier, is even flatter across the midrange. Superb performance. The final graph (Graph 6) is a composite, where the various measurements made by have been overlaid to show an overall picture of how the output of the two drivers and the port combine to give the overall response shown in Graph 5. measured the sensitivity of the Whatmough Signature P15-SE loudspeakers at 83 at a distance of one metre, with an input of 2.83 volts, using the lab s standard measurement technique, which is very stringent. Judging by the difference between the lab s measurement and Whatmough s specification, d venture that Whatmough is measuring using a different and less stringent technique. However, 83 is closer to the result that d expect from a smallish two-way, stand-mount design and even if you split the difference between the spec and the measurement, d still say that the sensitivity suggests you will extract best performance from the P15-SEs by using a higher-powered amplifier which ve already said in any case. Whatmough P15-SEs performed brilliantly well on measurements, with a flat, extended frequency response, incredibly good pair matching, and with a controlled impedance and phase response. Excellent design, superb execution. Steve Holding Equipment Reviews on Zinio Australian Hi-Fi Magazine's most recent equipment reviews are now available digitally, from Zinio, so you can buy an individual electronic copy of the magazine containing the review you want, for just $4.49. Each copy of the magazine you download will contain at least three additional reviews, plus a variety of feature articles and music reviews. 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