Pitt & Giblin speakers (Spinorama available)

[kharan]

I was looking at 2-way speakers with a compression and checked Pitt & Giblin's website for specs. To my serendipitous satisfaction, they have provided what looks to be spinoramas for some of their models. Those measurements indicate very well performing models within the limitations of their form factors.

The speakers also look reasonably priced considering their performance, their aesthetics and the location of their manufacturing.


Flare (two way bookshelf with a round horn):

Superwax Mini (two-way boxy floorstander with a 15"):

Superwax (three-way with two 15" woofers):

 

[Matt_Holland]

I love the design of their products. Very retro but with a modern twist. The engineering looks to be very high quality too. I can but dream as they are quite expensive. Superwax Mini is the equivalent of $9.9k/£7.34k per pair.

 

[kemmler3D]

If the measurements can be trusted then I think this shows refreshingly good performance for a retro styled speaker. Not cheap but good to see a high standard of performance in a boutique brand like this.

 

[Grotti]

Gorgeous speakers! But obviously not meant to be used in an average sized middle European flat (despite of their prohibitive price for a normal income. I blame me for that fact, not the manufacturer...).

 

[kharan]

I do think they are pricey and out of my personal range too, though as far as the Superwax Mini goes I really can't see any other 15" at 11 k€. JBL asks for 18 k€ for the equivalent model and it's a passive one. I'll also say I don't have room for them.

 

[MattHooper]

Cool!

I’ve always been intrigued when I’ve seen photos of those speakers cause I think they look really nice. Interesting thing as well and I would really like to hear them.

 

[AudioJester]

This range of speakers is absolutely gorgeous and brilliant sounding too.
Soundwise I thought the Superwax mini was as good if not better than my Genelec 8361a, with the bonus of being a work of art!

 

[Elgrosso]

Yes very nice, they weren’t present a year or two ago but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them, especially the superwax.
I absolutely love their approach and design in general, so much that I’ve built a cheap version. While I agree their prices seem almost reasonable.
Without half their knowledge and the ability to perform outside measurements I could only guess about my anechoic response, but to see such a smooth DI was reassuring (I don’t expect to have the same of course but at least it shows it’s reachable).
Other than their probably wider dispersion horn my speakers are very similar, same size but sealed, dual 15 and 10 on a wide baffle, horn on top, edge cabinet etc. I think I can even read some of the same effects like the little dip around 500hz on axis, related to the baffle I concluded.

 

[Curvature]

@pierre for spinorama.org

 

[MarkS]

Soundwise I thought the Superwax mini was as good if not better than my Genelec 8361a

Solid bronze cast waveguide is pretty cool:

 

[MattHooper]

I’d be curious about the listening distance for these loudspeakers - in other words how far from the loudspeakers do you have to listen in order for the sound of the drivers to cohere properly.

This is one aspect of loudspeakers that manufacturers it seems to me almost never talk about or give any specs for.

Any guesses?

 

[Matt_Holland]

I’d be curious about the listening distance for these loudspeakers - in other words how far from the loudspeakers do you have to listen in order for the sound of the drivers to cohere properly.

This is one aspect of loudspeakers that manufacturers it seems to me almost never talk about or give any specs for.

Any guesses?

From the Superwax Mini user manual:

(Apologies, text copy and paste wouldn’t work on iPhone)

 

[kharan]

From the Superwax Mini user manual:
View attachment 477571
(Apologies, text copy and paste wouldn’t work on iPhone)

here's the full quote, nothing stands out, it's fairly sensible.

Loudspeaker Placement
Loudspeaker placement is highly dependent on the size, shape and acoustic
environment of the space within which they are to be operated. As such, the following
advice is idealistic and general in nature, and should be taken as such.
The directivity of the system is highly considered, and engineered to achieve the best
possible performance without being unnecessarily reliant on the room they are in or the
placement within it.
Basic Positioning
A good starting point is positioning the loudspeakers approximately 2 to 2.5m apart
(centre to centre), and approximately the same distance from the main listening
position.
Placement Near Walls
It is strongly recommended to keep the listening position a minimum of 1m away from
any walls, with greater distance being preferable.
Due to their controlled directivity, both Superwax and Superwax Mini may be placed
relatively close to the front wall (the wall behind the speakers) with minimal effect on
the sound from mid-bass through to high frequencies. As such, placement in relation to
walls will primarily affect the perceived bass response, due to altering the interaction
between the loudspeakers and modal resonances within the room. In general, in small
to medium rooms, close placement (within approximately 0.8m) to the front wall is
recommended. Note a minimum of around 100mm is recommended to ensure the bass
reflex ports have room to breath. Where close placement is not desirable, it is
recommended that the distance is substantially increased - ideally around 3m or
greater.
Regarding side walls, where possible, it is recommended to maximise the distance
between the loudspeakers and the walls. For narrow rooms, where placement directly
adjacent to side walls is unavoidable, experimenting with additional toe-in is advisable. It
is also recommended that, where the speakers are close to side walls, symmetry is
maintained where possible, to ensure the acoustic presentation is centered.
Toe-In
Toe-in recommendations depend on the number of listeners and the listener’s preferred
‘presentation’. For two or more listeners, start with the loudspeakers pointing straight
ahead, or with slight toe-in. For a single listener, start with sufficient toe-in so the
loudspeakers are directed to a point approximately 0.5m either side of the listener. For a
very ‘focused’ presentation, increase the toe-in so that each speaker is pointed directly at
the listener. For a ‘broader’ presentation, experiment with minimal or zero toe-in. Where
possible, for a single listener, it is preferable for the listener to be equidistant from each
speaker.

 

[Heinrich]

From the Superwax Mini user manual:
..

So, pretty standard recommendations. I wonder why the horn is made from brass like a ship's propeller, or a bell. And, if a 12" would have sufficed for pretty much all use cases. Not the least, if a three-way would have done even better within the same formfactor.
Integration versus listening distance: well observed, a problem for sure not to be solved easily, if at all. Vertical lobing is an itching issue w/ such designs, indeed.
No secret sauce, just retro appeal, me thinks. Can't believe the CAST model to be successful, no data.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

I wonder why the horn is made from brass like a ship's propeller, or a bell.

because it looks cool

honestly, smart business. latch on to the burgeoning performance-aware market, but leapfrog genelec/d&d/kii/et al. on looks, and you can be sure that interior designers with big budgets will come sniffing around.

 

[Flaesh]

Yes, they're pretty.
The feasibility of a 1" driver can be discussed.

I'll also say I don't have room for them.

It's a shame. There may be cheaper options, but the space is needed anyway.

 

[Keith_W]

I have had the opportunity to listen to these speakers a few times as well as speak to both Pitt and Giblin. I have suggested they send their speakers to Erin and try to get a bit more exposure, but they didn't seem very keen for whatever reason. Here are some photos of the speakers I took at a show:

That's Jack Pitt, one half of the company.

Anyway, those horns are made from cast brass and they are much heavier than you would expect for such a small speaker. They don't finish the casting with a polishing operation so you can see some grain. The horns are active with built-in DSP. The DSP can not be tweaked by the end user. They provide a basic room correction service - they mail you a microphone. You send them the measurements, they do the corrections, then update the DSP.

 

[Flaesh]

they mail you a microphone

Funny. What should the owner do if he is not satisfied with the correction result?

 

[Henryk]

Could be a reason they're not into Erin testing e'm...

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

I have suggested they send their speakers to Erin and try to get a bit more exposure, but they didn't seem very keen for whatever reason.

I’m speculating of course but given the weight, it might be rather expensive to ship them.
Mind you, they already provide far better measurement data than most other speaker manufacturers so perhaps they don’t feel the need.