New March Audio Ukkonen Speaker

[voodooless]

show wood finish options which is cause for confusion.

Then show wood, not a PR and terminals

 

[Penelinfi]

The terminals are just to show the terminals used. Probably should crop the PR.

The picture of Sointuva for wood finish has text stating such. That part is not confusing.

I'm hoping he updates the pages after the audio show in October 20-22nd .

 

[Sokel]

I don't think there's any confusion about ported or not,I don't think the ugly slot at the bottom would ever be cosmetic.
But then again taste is taste,one can never know.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Spotted by @Keith_W here :

Stereonet Australia (Melbourne) Audio Show 2023

I was the unofficial and self-appointed reporter for ASR at the StereoNet Australia (SNA) audio show today. Obviously, at the show I am unable to take measurements, so I will provide subjective listening impressions only, along with some points of discussion. I took this attitude to the show...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[concorde1]

I'm awaiting the measurements before I consider selling my Sointuva's to get these.

 

[killitmore]

I'm awaiting the measurements before I consider selling my Sointuva's to get these.

Are you already bored with Sointuiva??

 

[concorde1]

Are you already bored with Sointuiva??

Not at all - I just don't want to buy subs along with a bass management DAC (MiniDSP Flex or Motu Ultralite MK5) that won't work on Linux.

I really don't want to sell the Sointuva but, to get full range response, I think it would be smarter for me to upgrade to Ukkonen than to spend a fortune on 2 subs. (Subs are very expensive in my location.)

 

[jhaider]

BTW, Purfi will be introducing a tweeter at the Munich audio show in a couple of weeks. It looks interesting, but I haven't had enough nerve to ask about the price.

Based on the dispersion of the prototype speaker using this tweeter - it may be the first modern tweeter you like !

 

[Keith_W]

To be honest, you would be much better off with 2 subs rather than upgrading to the Sointuva.

 

[smith007]

I bought a Benchmark AHB2 a while ago, declaring to myself that this is my last amp, and I’m now looking for my last speaker, (so the voice in my head declares (say, that voice sounds a lot like my wife, hmm?)). I do want to be done with the obsessive hunt for mo better and just enjoy the music. Revel and Kef have my eye, but I've been corresponding with Alan Marsh, a remarkably helpful man, and the Sointuva spinorama data set and reviews here have me glued to the spot. Now I'm chewing on the mo better question of whether the AHB2 would be a match for the Ukkonen, absent measurements to this point.

I'm so grateful to be able to ask this community - absent the measurement data set for the Ukkonen, in your estimation, is that well-known amp likely to be a satisfying match for the Ukkonen's Purifi drivers? (2000 ft3 room, listening position ~8' from speakers 8' apart)?

Many thanks all.

 

[Matias]

absent the measurement data set for the Ukkonen, in your estimation, is that well-known amp likely to be a satisfying match for the Ukkonen's Purifi drivers? (2000 ft3 room, listening position ~8' from speakers 8' apart)?

Difficult do guess without having data or the direct experience. The best thing would be to ask Alan directly.

The Benchmark AHB2 does ~200W into 4 ohms. Maybe you can ask him a video with the Ukkonen being driven by a NC252MP with ~250W into 4 ohms? SPL meter and playing bass heavy music, to give an idea.

 

[jhaider]

I'm so grateful to be able to ask this community - absent the measurement data set for the Ukkonen, in your estimation, is that well-known amp likely to be a satisfying match for the Ukkonen's Purifi drivers? (2000 ft3 room, listening position ~8' from speakers 8' apart)?

Many thanks all.

Don’t see why not, at such a close distance.

Three things I will say:
1) Do you want a naked Be tweeter in your room? Perhaps there is no danger even if it gets damaged, but I don't like the idea of materials with the potential to release toxic dust, and with not even a cloth grille (the specs don't indicate one, and the cabinet design gives no appearance of being designed for one) in front of it. N.B., metal cone drivers without a grille is also, IMO, terrible design. Drivers are very easy to dent, in which case you have an eyesore or an expense.) True, Revel Ultima2 only makes the most token effort to protect the tweeter, but I personally would never (and don’t!) remove the grilles. But it seems to be some sort of audiophile tribal signifier to have to look at naked drivers.

2) Before buying blind, try to listen to something that has similarly narrowing treble. Measurements indicate superb driver integration, but also a smoothly and sharply narrowing treble. You may like that, but may not.

3) Related to 2, be aware that Purifi has previewed a tweeter that, if the finished product matches and is available in the same form as the preview, may be a game changer, especially if you find (as I do) that narrow radiation in the upper couple octaves leads to a more closed in sound. See here:

PURIFI finally did a fully purified passive speaker design! The SPK 16 prototype is here - with a PTT tweeter

The Belgian-Danish source of audio greatness in Roskilde / Denmark have achieved to provide something to the community that many DIY speaker enthusiasts were hoping for.: A PTT tweeter !!! They've put that little thingy called PTT 33 tweeter - which Lars Risbo describes as: "33mm alu hard dome...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I have no inside knowledge, but logically unless March just doesn't like wide radiation March would be a good candidate to be an early adopter of the Purifi tweeter should it become available in this form. Unless, I guess, the pricing ends up completely out of whack (no inside knowledge, haven't seen a pricing announcement).
OTOH, if, like Erin and others, you find speakers with wide constant treble directivity bright, the new Purifi device might be less appealing than the smoothly narrowing treble of the SB Be waveguide unit.

 

[highender]

They remind me of the Merlin Music VSM in Ruby Red.

Spoiler: Merlin VSM

 

[smith007]

Difficult do guess without having data or the direct experience. The best thing would be to ask Alan directly.

The Benchmark AHB2 does ~200W into 4 ohms. Maybe you can ask him a video with the Ukkonen being driven by a NC252MP with ~250W into 4 ohms? SPL meter and playing bass heavy music, to give an idea.

Thanks Matias, I appreciate your contributions here!

Don’t see why not, at such a close distance.

Three things I will say:
1) Do you want a naked Be tweeter in your room? Perhaps there is no danger even if it gets damaged, but I don't like the idea of materials with the potential to release toxic dust, and with not even a cloth grille (the specs don't indicate one, and the cabinet design gives no appearance of being designed for one) in front of it. N.B., metal cone drivers without a grille is also, IMO, terrible design. Drivers are very easy to dent, in which case you have an eyesore or an expense.) True, Revel Ultima2 only makes the most token effort to protect the tweeter, but I personally would never (and don’t!) remove the grilles. But it seems to be some sort of audiophile tribal signifier to have to look at naked drivers.

2) Before buying blind, try to listen to something that has similarly narrowing treble. Measurements indicate superb driver integration, but also a smoothly and sharply narrowing treble. You may like that, but may not.

3) Related to 2, be aware that Purifi has previewed a tweeter that, if the finished product matches and is available in the same form as the preview, may be a game changer, especially if you find (as I do) that narrow radiation in the upper couple octaves leads to a more closed in sound. See here:

PURIFI finally did a fully purified passive speaker design! The SPK 16 prototype is here - with a PTT tweeter

The Belgian-Danish source of audio greatness in Roskilde / Denmark have achieved to provide something to the community that many DIY speaker enthusiasts were hoping for.: A PTT tweeter !!! They've put that little thingy called PTT 33 tweeter - which Lars Risbo describes as: "33mm alu hard dome...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I have no inside knowledge, but logically unless March just doesn't like wide radiation March would be a good candidate to be an early adopter of the Purifi tweeter should it become available in this form. Unless, I guess, the pricing ends up completely out of whack (no inside knowledge, haven't seen a pricing announcement).
OTOH, if, like Erin and others, you find speakers with wide constant treble directivity bright, the new Purifi device might be less appealing than the smoothly narrowing treble of the SB Be waveguide unit.

Much appreciated jhaider, I had a quick look around and there may indeed by some measurable hazard from a Be tweeter, airborne, but most are coated, no?, and then only if they're cut or damaged might they present some danger. And so your second point about covers.

With my shaky grasp of these concepts, let me ask - Is it true that narrow treble would limit soundstage and listening positions? Below are two instances with quite different horizontal extension in high ends - is this what you're referring to?

The new Purifi tweeter apparently has brilliant dispersion and MarshAudio seems to work closely with them - I wonder when Alan may be able to and would want to adopt the PTT tweeter?

 

[jhaider]

Thanks Matias, I appreciate your contributions here!

Much appreciated jhaider, I had a quick look around and there may indeed by some measurable hazard from a Be tweeter, airborne, but most are coated, no?, and then only if they're cut or damaged might they present some danger. And so your second point about covers.

Yes, the only hypothetical concern about Be is in case of damage. A finished foil diaphragm shouldn’t be releasing dust in the ordinary course. In case of breakage, I think there’s a nonzero chance. It may still be small - I don’t know the data.

With my shaky grasp of these concepts, let me ask - Is it true that narrow treble would limit soundstage and listening positions? Below are two instances with quite different horizontal extension in high ends - is this what you're referring to?

I think listening positions is a general yes, but image perception is more of a “need to listen” thing. Some prefer constantly wide, some prefer narrowing treble. There’s no wrong answer, only preference.

The new Purifi tweeter apparently has brilliant dispersion and MarshAudio seems to work closely with them - I wonder when Alan may be able to and would want to adopt the PTT tweeter

The Purifi tweeter is not (to my knowledge) an available part yet. So there are a lot of factors there. And for all I know Alan may prefer the presentation provided by narrowing treble.

 

[MarkS]

But it seems to be some sort of audiophile tribal signifier to have to look at naked drivers.

I prefer grilles, but only if the speakers have been specifically designed for best sound with grilles in place. There used to be companies that did this (Thiel and Paradigm come to mind), but it seems to be a thing of the past. Revel definitely does not do it.

 

[Lemanss]

And now can someone enlighten us? Is this speaker closed or is there a port or passive radiator on the back?

 

[Matias]

Looks like a slotted port in front.

 

[smith007]

Alan March informs that the slot is indeed a port, "The port has very low air velocity so there is no “chuffing” noise. Operates at a very low frequency." And he added that the website will be updated next week, more information on the way...

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Would love to see someone use these Purifi drivers to create a full range cardioid active speaker. Maybe something the size of the Sointuva AWG's with two more Purifi woofers in the back instead of passive radiators, perhaps some slots in the sides, and then put the electronics/crossovers/dsp in a separate box connected via SpeakOn cables to the cabinets.