New development thread: Sigberg Audio SBS Generation 2

[sigbergaudio]

(pictures above are mockups)
​

At the moment I'm enjoying music on a prototype pair of the Sigberg Audio SBS Generation 2, which will replace the Sigberg Audio SBS.1 that was released back in 2021. So I thought it was about time to create yet another development thread here on ASR.

I'll start off with a bit of introduction, namely Why and What.

Why update the SBS.1?
The original SBS.1 is a great speaker, and while sales hasn't been record breaking, it has sold okay. It has also received great reviews from a number of traditional hifi magazines / reviewers. But it's not only subjectively good, it's also a great speaker from an engineering perspective. If we mitigate the fact that it is designed to be used with a subwoofer by looking at the "with a perfect sub" column on spinorama. org, the SBS.1 has a preference score of 7.37. The flatness is reported to be +/-2.0dB.

So what's the problem? It was originally released back in 2021, when Sigberg Audio was a lot less known than today. We also were not known at all for speakers, for the natural reason that the SBS.1 was our second product, after the Inkognito subwoofer. It was also a hard system to understand, it looks like a small 2-way, but is really an active speaker system with the capacity of large floorstander. Many just don't get it until they actually see it and hear it. Finally, by design it's very discreet with regards to visual appearance.

Overall I don't think the SBS.1 speaker system has received the recognition it deserves. And after it came its bigger siblings, the Manta and Saranna, which for a number of reasons have received significantly more attention.

So this update isn't because there's anything inherently wrong with the original version, it's an attempt to give the SBS a second chance at getting the attention it deserves.

So what's new in Generation 2?

1. New name! Simplified from SBS.1 to just SBS.
2. Revised crossover & DSP: The original SBS.1 was great. Both Manta and Saranna was a little bit magical. The knowledge from building those two will now be poured into a revised tuning for the SBS Generation 2. The goal will be an even better balance and accuracy across all genres, a more immersive soundstage and more foundation and body on vocal performances. I will share both measurements and listening impressions along the way.
3. A brand new midbass driver from newly founded RS Speakers from Italy. Their drivers are custom made by Sica. The driver is related to the one we were already using, but with even smoother response in the frequency range it will be operating in, and also even higher sensitivity. It also have a quite interesting look, with a custom aluminium phase plug and fibonacci inspired lines etched into the cone by laser. You may read the details of this driver here: https://rsspeakers.it/products/mw-140-38-fibonacci/ - The initial impression of this driver is very, very good. This will ensure fantastic midbass and midrange performance and linearity. It will also elevate the looks of the speaker from relatively neutral to something a bit more special.
4. New finishes; "Jet Black" a pure black color, relatively similar to the current black, and "Shady white", which is the luxurious, deep, ultra-light grey paint that you can find on the Saranna. Both are satin finishes.
5. New grille; This one is shorter, so that the front logo is visible even when the grille is attached. The grille on the shady white option will be grey (previously black).

I hope this new version will become available very early 2026.

The new driver in action (while this is recorded the sound level is about 100dB at the listening position):

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A graph or two will come later.

 

[JohnnyNG]

Very cool, I’ve learned to look forward to these threads. Same 5.5” coax?

 

[sigbergaudio]

Very cool, I’ve learned to look forward to these threads. Same 5.5” coax?

Yes, the coax is the same as in the original SBS.1 and also in the Manta.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Early semi-anechoic, semi-nearfield (around 30 cm) measurement of the new midbass driver in its operating area in this speaker (90-600hz). No smoothing.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Forgot another small change (as visible in the mockups), the new SBS will inherit the champagne colored logo from our Limited edition run, as this matches the tone of the laser etchings in the paper cone.

 

[kharan]

For curiosity's sake, can the crossover be updated for the owners of the SBS gen 1?

 

[sigbergaudio]

For curiosity's sake, can the crossover be updated for the owners of the SBS gen 1?

The crossover / DSP will be tailored to the new driver, so it won't be ideal to just copy the configuration from the gen 2. What I do however consider is offering an upgrade. The new driver uses the samme chassis as the old, so it is a direct replacement. That means it could be an option to send in your gen 1 speakers, and get them upgraded with both new driver and new DSP configuration.

 

[kharan]

The crossover / DSP will be tailored to the new driver, so it won't be ideal to just copy the configuration from the gen 2. What I do however consider is offering an upgrade. The new driver uses the samme chassis as the old, so it is a direct replacement. That means it could be an option to send in your gen 1 speakers, and get them upgraded with both new driver and new DSP configuration.

Nice!

 

[AHo]

Would it perhaps be possible for the owner to do the upgrade? Or does it require some wizardry from the maker?

 

[sigbergaudio]

Would it perhaps be possible for the owner to do the upgrade? Or does it require some wizardry from the maker?

Theoretically yes, we need to do the software update, but that can be done using a remote client to the customers computer while connected to the speaker.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Forgot another small change (as visible in the mockups), the new SBS will inherit the champagne colored logo from our Limited edition run, as this matches the tone of the laser etchings in the paper cone.

I just remembered one more thing I forgot: the current SBS.1 has slightly rounded edges and corners, while the new cabinet will have straight/sharp edges like the Manta and Saranna. This gives a cleaner and more modern look, creates a closer family resemblance to the other two, and also provides a nice contrast to the geometric curves of the new driver.

 

[sigbergaudio]

My dedicated listening room is now set up with the new SBS Gen 2 prototypes and a single Inkognito subwoofer, the most entry level setup from Sigberg Audio - and this will be the main configuration while developing the Gen 2, periodically introducing a second subwoofer.

This setup gets you so much of the DNA from the larger speaker systems, and is a great introduction to an extremely enjoyable listening experience across any genre!

The following weeks will consist mainly of listening sessions in between other work not related to this project, and I also hope to go to the Seas anechoic chamber for some measurements of the new model before Christmas.

 

[sigbergaudio]

The first preproduction pair of the new cabinets (with the new Shady white color) is expected in November. Will of course share some pictures then!

 

[daniboun]

If we mitigate the fact that it is designed to be used with a subwoofer by looking at the "with a perfect sub" column on spinorama. org, the SBS.1 has a preference score of 7.37. The flatness is reported to be +/-2.0dB.

What bothers me is that many manufacturers fall into confirmation bias and obscure part of the reality. I quote :

"Quality of the measurement data is medium.
Tonality (Preference) Score is 4.08 and would be 7.37 with a perfect subwoofer"

 

[sigbergaudio]

What bothers me is that many manufacturers fall into confirmation bias and obscure part of the reality. I quote :

"Quality of the measurement data is medium.
Tonality (Preference) Score is 4.08 and would be 7.37 with a perfect subwoofer"

I am not sure I understand your point, so can you please elaborate before I comment further?

 

[sigbergaudio]

What bothers me is that many manufacturers fall into confirmation bias and obscure part of the reality. I quote :

"Quality of the measurement data is medium.
Tonality (Preference) Score is 4.08 and would be 7.37 with a perfect subwoofer"

If you're point is that I'm trying to hide the base score of 4.08, that is not what is happening at all. I'm trying to explain what is actually happening and why that base score is not representative of the performance of the speaker system.

This is a 4-way speaker system that has been measured without the bass. It's like measuring a full-range speaker after disconnecting the bass driver. The missing bass in the speaker itself isn't a flaw, it's a deliberate design feature.

The reason the score is low, is the response below 100hz, which is why it changes so dramatically when adding "with a perfect sub":

And this is what that response actually looks like when a subwoofer is included in the measurement:

 

[Mnyb]

Maybe you should primarily sell them with the sub(s) as a complete system "SBS system" in single or dual sub bundles as they are not to be used without a sub , make it very obvious in the marketing material and order page.
Have the sub in the advertising and in every picture where the speaker is presented , place it on the sub for pictures have the sub in the back ground in interior photos

And have a separate "satellite" speaker order option for people integrating to for example surround system where there are subs already , but make the complete 4 way system the first thing you see

 

[sigbergaudio]

Maybe you should primarily sell them with the sub(s) as a complete system "SBS system" in single or dual sub bundles as they are not to be used without a sub , make it very obvious in the marketing material and order page.
Have the sub in the advertising and in every picture where the speaker is presented , place it on the sub for pictures have the sub in the back ground in interior photos

And have a separate "satellite" speaker order option for people integrating to for example surround system where there are subs already , but make the complete 4 way system the first thing you see

Yes, this makes sense, and this is the case already.

These are the variant options for the system:

And when selecting the different options you see the combination:

 

[sigbergaudio]

But I guess I could be even more consistent and also showing them together for instance when sharing pictures in places like this thread.

 

[daniboun]

If you're point is that I'm trying to hide the base score of 4.08, that is not what is happening at all. I'm trying to explain what is actually happening and why that base score is not representative of the performance of the speaker system.

This is a 4-way speaker system that has been measured without the bass. It's like measuring a full-range speaker after disconnecting the bass driver. The missing bass in the speaker itself isn't a flaw, it's a deliberate design feature.

The reason the score is low, is the response below 100hz, which is why it changes so dramatically when adding "with a perfect sub":

Thanks for the explanation, but what you're pointing out isn't exactly obvious to the average reader of Spinorama.
Now that we have the information, I think readers will be able to understand.