Atlantis Labs speakers: jewel no one talks about

[Avp1]

Last weekend I attended SWAF show in Dallas. One of the best sounding small rooms was presented by Decibel+ distributor. They showed up absolutely unknown brand of speakers from Atlantis Labs (https://atlantislab.eu/at-21/ and https://atlantislab.eu/at-18/ ). These are from French company, and I would say that they were the best speakers in small rooms at the show. Price is very reasonable: under $5K for a pair. These speakers created enormous soundstage, I never heard anything like that from speakers of that price. I only heard similar sound from German Physiks, which would be above $20K. Strangely, though everyone I spoke with liked these speakers, professional reviewers practically did not notice them. Could be that Decibel+ simply did not pay them enough for promoting that product. If I needed speakers for relatively small room, these would be my first choice today. At the show they used low power tube amp with it them (likely because they sell it too), I would rather get a Benchmark stack and be happy with that. Short video can be found here (posted by some other attendant).

But Youtube sound does not make justice to these exceptional products.

 

[kyuu]

If you end up buying any, make sure to see if you can arrange to get them measured!

 

[Bjorn]

Don't underestimate the room and the acoustics. They have a quite big room and are using a semi diffuset at many places which have the effect you're describing - enormous soundstage.

 

[Avp1]

Don't underestimate the room and the acoustics. They have a quite big room and are using a semi diffuset at many places which have the effect you're describing - enormous soundstage.

Room was relatively small - about 20m^2 (220sqf).

 

[voodooless]

How do they get to 35 Hz with 96 dB efficiency? That 8” woofer they use probably has an fs > 50 Hz. 8MB400 fits the visuals and fs is 64 Hz, and below 100 Hz efficiency is probably no better than 90 dB. Never mind the 13cm driver…

 

[Bjorn]

Room was relatively small - about 20m^2 (220sqf).

It looks bigger than that. Decent width and good distance to the front wall. Nonethless, using "diffusers" like this give a bigger soundstage. You hearing just as much the room /acoustics as the speakers.

The speakers are a quite traditional design with compression driver and front firing woofer beneath. One has a small waveguide which likely has a constant directivity in the frequency it operates, but it cannot go low - meaning the directivity will shift to much wider below it.

Compression drivers normally sounds more open and detailed compared to pistonic drivers by the way. And they play much louder of course.

 

[Avp1]

How do they get to 35 Hz with 96 dB efficiency? That 8” woofer they use probably has an fs > 50 Hz. 8MB400 fits the visuals and fs is 64 Hz, and below 100 Hz efficiency is probably no better than 90 dB. Never mind the 13cm driver…

There is a second driver on the back. And no, thy did not do 35Hz, more like 70-80Hz bottom. If you need deep bass, just add a subwoofer. But these speakers did everything right from lower midrange and up. You would need a listen to believe.

 

[Redacted]

Soundstage is baked in, but hats off to someone running a demo where they set the speakers up properly so as to to not ruin the 'image' - it's easily done by careless sellers.

 

[voodooless]

There is a second driver on the back. And no, thy did not do 35Hz, more like 70-80Hz bottom. If you need deep bass, just add a subwoofer.

I’m just commenting on the published specs… 70-80 hz seems much more reasonable, given the facts.

If I understand correctly the rear driver runs in parallel to the front one. If it’s not attenuated in some way, this will be a significant bottleneck.

But these speakers did everything right from lower midrange and up.

They might very well be The horn and driver combo should be able to produce a decent speaker.

You would need a listen to believe.

I’d rather have some measurements first

 

[bmc0]

The AT 18 has a compression driver with no horn/waveguide. I'd be surprised if the high frequencies weren't a complete disaster of resonances... They didn't even bother covering the compression driver's gasket or mounting holes. A strange choice indeed (in my opinion).

 

[Avp1]

The horn and driver combo should be able to produce a decent speaker.

They seem to use drivers from this manufacturer, which I also never heard about: https://www.eighteensound.it/en

 

[voodooless]

They seem to use drivers from this manufacturer, which I also never heard about: https://www.eighteensound.it/en

Yes, it’s a very well known pro-audio brand. The woofer is likely the 8MB400.

 

[Avp1]

The AT 18 has a compression driver with no horn/waveguide. I'd be surprised if the high frequencies weren't a complete disaster of resonances... They didn't even bother covering the compression driver's gasket or mounting holes. A strange choice indeed (in my opinion).

Strangely their stand mount and floor standing speakers sounded very similar.

 

[kemmler3D]

Don't underestimate the room and the acoustics. They have a quite big room and are using a semi diffuset at many places which have the effect you're describing - enormous soundstage.

Yes, by the same token I've been in some of these rooms with supposedly amazing speakers but no acoustic treatment, and it sounds like listening to music in a hotel room, pretty blah. It's surprising that more dealers and brands don't bring treatment with them, the room is always a factor.

 

[Josco]

Don't underestimate the room and the acoustics. They have a quite big room and are using a semi diffuset at many places which have the effect you're describing - enormous soundstage.

The room was actually one of the smaller options in the SWAF this year. I heard the Atlantis in a tiny Munich hotel room 2 years ago and without panels they were able to image outside the confinemen of the roomt. The acoustic treatments can't make a speaker do something they are not capable of. They actually allow the speaker to show what their capabilities are,

 

[Bjorn]

Diffusion has a great impact on the size of the soundstage. Placing them espeicially on the nearest side walls like done in this room, contributes highly in this regard.

 

[Josco]

Diffusion has a great impact on the size of the soundstage. Placing them espeicially on the nearest side walls like done in this room, contributes highly in this regard.

I totally agree with your point. Specially considering the side walls were just around 15' feet apart. What I am trying to say is that the diffusors are allowing the speakers to do what they are otherwise capable of doing by neutralizing the effects of the room's acoustic limitations. Treatments will not make up for system-buorne shortcomings. I've been in rooms with those AGS stands as well as others, where the soundstage wasn't like in that SWAF room.

 

[Josco]

I’m just commenting on the published specs… 70-80 hz seems much more reasonable, given the facts.

If I understand correctly the rear driver runs in parallel to the front one. If it’s not attenuated in some way, this will be a significant bottleneck.

They might very well be The horn and driver combo should be able to produce a decent speaker.

I’d rather have some measurements first

Yes, by the same token I've been in some of these rooms with supposedly amazing speakers but no acoustic treatment, and it sounds like listening to music in a hotel room, pretty blah. It's surprising that more dealers and brands don't bring treatment with them, the room is always a factor.

On point Kemmler. Industry proffesionals should all be treating their exhibits not only because it's the smart thing to do, but because the end users should be schooled on the importance treatments have on a system's performance.

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

These speakers created enormous soundstage, I never heard anything like that from speakers of that price.

Don't underestimate the room and the acoustics. They have a quite big room and are using a semi diffuset at many places which have the effect you're describing - enormous soundstage.

Various room acoustics treatments indeed have great effect on the sound. But in this case one additional factor is very important - the 13cm driver on the back of the enclosure, creating quasi-bipole (or maybe quasi-dipole) loudspeaker, at lest in a wide midrange band. Dipole and bipole loudspeakers are known for their enormous soundstage.

 

[Bjorn]

Various room acoustics treatments indeed have great effect on the sound. But in this case one additional factor is very important - the 13cm driver on the back of the enclosure, creating quasi-bipole (or maybe quasi-dipole) loudspeaker, at lest in a wide midrange band. Dipole and bipole loudspeakers are known for their enormous soundstage.

Yes, a very valid point! Thanks for sharing.