Description

The stakes were very high indeed for the current design facelift of the CLASSIC 20, the medium-range loudspeaker in our CLASSIC line, if like the larger CLASSIC 30, an integrated bass module was to be designed that would eliminate the need for side grilles. Effective immediately, the CLASSIC 10, CLASSIC 20 and CLASSIC 30 thus feature the same design with sleek contours. There are differences only in the cabinet depth and naturally the chassis mounting. In order to achieve this goal, AUDIO PHYSIC once again blazed new and unconventional trails.

The loudspeaker cabinet has a decisive influence on the sound of a loudspeaker. The larger an enclosure is, the greater the effort required to eliminate the acoustic characteristics of the cabinet and thus prevent tonal discolouration. In all the large AUDIO PHYSIC models, intelligently modelled loudspeaker cabinets guarantee the utmost in neutrality. In order to attain a comparable degree of signal fidelity, the cabinets on the CLASSIC models are designed as a sandwich construction made of several materials. The inner layer, 12 millimetres thick, consists of MDF (medium-density fibreboard); a proven material, solid, yet also possessing excellent dampening properties. Depending upon the design chosen, the CLASSIC 20 outer MDF panels are finished in fine wood veneers. The special feature in this case is a two-millimetre middle layer between two layers made of closed-cell high-tech acrylate resins. This design, similar to double glazing, helps to lend the walls of the CLASSIC 20 unusually low sound permeability – and thus interrupts the direct transmission of noise emitted in the cabinet interior through the panels of the loudspeaker to the outside. Little attention has been paid to this phenomenon, referred to as sound penetration, up to now, but in fact this effect may have a strong influence on the original signal. The joints created by the sandwich are a design element of the loudspeakers. The softer core works as a buffer zone, influencing adjacent materials that are more prone to resonance, transforming any partial vibrations immediately into thermal radiation. This type of design developed by AUDIO PHYSIC combines the optimal properties of all the materials used.

As an alternative, we offer the CLASSIC 20 as high-gloss versions in black and white. Instead of MDF, the high-gloss versions have exterior panels made of glass. Here as well, the use of an extremely effective adhesive eliminates any possibility of the glass surfaces developing their own acoustics – the dreaded “ringing effect” associated with glass is nipped in the bud. Likewise, all the advantages of using glass as a material, such as its incredible stiffness, are fully retained. Due to the new cabinet technology, the sound performance of the CLASSIC models come very close to the virtues of the HIGH-END line and they simply set a new standard in their price segment.

 Technical data