AsciLab F6B Bookshelf Speaker Review

[djb]

Hey so @AsciLab, any in-wall designs in the cards?

Or center speakers home home theater? Or option of buy single speakers to use one as a center.

 

[Heinrich]

Speakers are always a matter of compromise. Knowing what human ears/brains are more or less sensitive to allows a speaker designer to make the best possible compromises. It also allows a prioritization of design goals to meet when given a price point to achieve.

C'mon, the ear/brain terminology is a little bit overstressed. "We" don't know too much about that fancy apparatus, actually. I'm a speaker designer since long, if only in DIY, but I came to certain conclusions, which I now find confirmed. At least I'm not the only one. Feels good.

 

[RickS]

This is a review thread.

Please keep your posts specific to the reviewed product or they may be deleted at moderator discretion. Thanks!

 

[Bleib]

Or center speakers home home theater? Or option of buy single speakers to use one as a center.

Center speaker is in development, confirmed in this topic

AsciLab speakers are about to launch

They really do look great there. They should put that picture on their site.

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Matt_Holland]

The reason I mentioned 350-3500 is because it is my opinion (I have no proof) that having just one driver handle the critical range and doing it extremely well, is the foundation of ATC/psiaudio/Genelec success.

• ATC50 = 350-3500
• psiaudio A25M = 400-3300
• Genelec 8361 = 320-2800

That's why I am keeping an open mind ... and eagerly watching which direction AsciLab will take for their 3-way speaker design.

.

I’d continue on the direction of developmental travel, what we should and hopefully will see if the continuing lowering of the crossover frequency between tweeter and midrange. There are tweeters that can cross as low as 500Hz, so if they can also do the highest frequencies without compromise then that would be win win.

 

[dguillor]

The problem with crossing at 3500Hz even if you use a smallish midrange driver, is that the result is vertical lobing.

I honestly think that Ascilab have solved the problem by crossing at 1-1.5KHz.

The low crossover frequency caught my eye immediately, and I wonder how they can do that. Tweeter response doesn’t usually extend that low, especially with low distortion. What is special about their tweeter?

 

[kharan]

The low crossover frequency caught my eye immediately, and I wonder how they can do that. Tweeter response doesn’t usually extend that low, especially with low distortion. What is special about their tweeter?

Absolutely nothing, they are pretty normal but decent enough tweeters, I know the C series uses SB Acoustics, no idea about the F series.

Deep waveguides are horns, sort of, kind of. They greatly boost the low end output of a tweeter by narrowing the sound cone rather than letting it radiate wide.

 

[AsciLab]

The low crossover frequency caught my eye immediately, and I wonder how they can do that. Tweeter response doesn’t usually extend that low, especially with low distortion. What is special about their tweeter?

We have to do several things to get low frequency.

First, the tweeter itself has to have low distortion. But it’s not enough to get that low xo.

Second, deep waveguide for loading. Thanks to our waveguide the tweeter can get 6 to 8dB more gain around COP.

Third, we use LR4 crossover. To design this low crossover with 4th order slope, crossover components are easy to be expensive because large capacitance and inductance is needed. But to get steep slope, it is necessary.

Finally, we adjust tweeter voice coil rest position. Due to its very short voice coil length, it is very sensitive about asymmetry.
By adjusting voice coil position we can get lowest distortion of that tweeter, especially H2 around Fs. Adjusting range is 0.x mm.

Lot of efforts are needed to produce our products.

 

[DanTheMan]

I actually think a lower crossover point like this speaker has is preferable. Our heads are about the width of the wavelength at the crossover point, and Horizontal Direction Cues come from interaural time and level differences which transition from one to the other centered around that frequency. At frequencies smaller than the head, >1500 hz, we mostly asses the level difference for directional cues b/c of the head shadow. At frequencies lower than 800Hz, IOW significantly larger than the head, we assess the phase difference. These frequencies are not hard stops and it is thought that there is a smooth/overlapping transition from one mechanism to the other. It could all be inconsequential, but I think for mixing a recording in the nearfield, having near perfect and fairly narrow pattern control above 1500Hz and thus reduced early reflections combined with the large vertical lobe should be the bee’s knees for tone and imaging.

You could reduce all those early reflections with sound absorption, but you’ll also inadvertently kill later reflections and thus your sense of envelopment.

The benefits should still be present further away as well as far as imaging goes. The wide vertical lobe shouldn’t hurt either though its benefits will be minimized with distance.

Suffice to say that this waveguide and choice of drivers makes this a very compelling set of speakers and the same could be said for all the speakers from the brand. You can rest assured that everything from the brand is technically competent thus far.

 

[Postlan]

It's time to measure the Amphion One 15.

 

[Grotti]

It's time to measure the Amphion One 15.

Regarding the better fitting One 18 there is a test on www.soundandrecording.de. They are not even in the same ballpark....The Ascilab runs circles around it.....

 

[vinodk69]

Debating between black & white with orange waveguide & black grill. Any pics of both finishes side by side for comparison?

 

[Timcognito]

Debating between black & white with orange waveguide & black grill. Any pics of both finishes side by side for comparison?

Near the Bottom

[AsciLab] F6Bs Passive (Pair) - Ascilab

ascilab f6bs passive speaker

ascilab.com

 

[J0my]

@MatthewS Thank you for sharing your thoughtful insights on speaker naming. I really like the naming suggestions you provided.

In addition to the S and C lines, we also have an A line.
For this line, I’m considering the name “Apex.”

The A line features a Purifi woofer and a passive radiator, and we expect it to deliver the best measured performance in the 2-way bookshelf category—second only to the Signature (S) line.

AsciLab Signature (current S-line)
AsciLab Apex (current A-line)
AsciLab Caliber (current C-line)
AsciLab Foundation (current F-line)

@AsciLab i would put forward the naming for the A series as "Astral" as it means essentially the stars, so shooting for the stars or its a shooting star. Apex is good, it just sounds a little aggressive compared to the others.

 

[Jarg1]

I would seriously consider purchasing a pair in white to replace my Focal Aria 906s, but I need something that mounts to some sturdy stands. Speakers are located in a space accessed by kids and pets!

 

[Endibol]

@MatthewS Thank you for sharing your thoughtful insights on speaker naming. I really like the naming suggestions you provided.

In addition to the S and C lines, we also have an A line.
For this line, I’m considering the name “Apex.”

The A line features a Purifi woofer and a passive radiator, and we expect it to deliver the best measured performance in the 2-way bookshelf category—second only to the Signature (S) line.

AsciLab Signature (current S-line)
AsciLab Apex (current A-line)
AsciLab Caliber (current C-line)
AsciLab Foundation (current F-line)

@AsciLab The name Apex is already used by Monitor Audio, so you may want to consider an other name.

 

[wwenze]

After looking at F6B, 2 bucks to bet F6Bs resonance is caused by the big flat piece of rear cabinet wall

 

[jimroge]

We are also planning tower models for each speaker line.
Additionally, we are preparing an expansion method using a modular bass stand.
The model naming will follow a format similar to the one you mentioned.

Center Channel for surround 5.1 planed?

 

[AsciLab]

After looking at F6B, 2 bucks to bet F6Bs resonance is caused by the big flat piece of rear cabinet wall

The rear wall is heaviest plane except baffle of that model. 1kg crossover is mounted on the rear wall. That can’t make the resonance.

Can I get your 2 bucks?

 

[thewas]

Finally, we adjust tweeter voice coil rest position. Due to its very short voice coil length, it is very sensitive about asymmetry.
By adjusting voice coil position we can get lowest distortion of that tweeter, especially H2 around Fs. Adjusting range is 0.x mm.

That sounds very interesting, so you mechanically modify/adjust the tweeters? Hope you can write a bit more about it without being in conflict with your company know how secrets.