Davone Reference 1 Loudspeakers - DEMO

Description

MY TAKE: The gorgeous design esthetic is matched by their exceptional performance. Combine that with meticulous Danish craftsmanship and you have an audiophile quality speaker that is a treat for the senses. Any of the Davone designs are equally at home in a living room, music room or the museum of modern art. - Galen Carol

Davone Reference One -

No compromise. Is the best way to describe the new Davone flagship model. With precise engineering guiding us every step of the way, we have created a loudspeaker that reveals the full tonal spectrum of even the most convoluted music. Sounding clean, natural and unconstrained, hidden subtleties in the music are revealed while always remaining in control.

More than Beryllium -

Due to its incredible rigidity, Beryllium represents the ultimate material for a tweeter dome. Where soft domes turn choirs into grain, hard rock into noise, Beryllium can separate the complex harmonics with ease and keep the music clean and precise, also at high listening levels. But we do not stop there. Opting for an unconventional approach, we mount the dome flush with the baffle, as opposed to the typical recessed placement, allowing the dome to unleash its wide off-axis response without obstruction—vital for achieving an expansive, open sound. This unique dome placement is a rarity, demanding meticulous baffle rounding to prevent diffraction and a more intricate crossover design. However, the resulting benefits outweigh the challenges. Complementing this design, we employ an exceptionally narrow surround to eliminate any lingering "soft dome" coloration. With a mere 0.1-gram moving mass and a magnetic flux density of 2.0 Tesla, our high frequencies reach reference-level quality.

A Metamodal Membrane -

A what?? Let me explain. The Swedish company Oxeon invented a unique process to produce a very flat uni-directonal fiber tape. A weave made with this tape can be very flat and therefore requires less resin and weighs less compared to a traditional fiber weave. In other words, more carbon fibers can be used for the same weight. In fact, Textreme as it is called, is so stiff that the familiar edge resonance around 1-2 kHz is eliminated. This stiffness usually comes at the cost of severe resonances at higher frequencies which limits the operating range. But by optimising the thickness and stiffness, the Textreme membrane is engineered for a controlled resonant behaviour by distributing the break up modes, a metamodal membrane. These distributed modes, or resonances, are far less severe and the useable frequency range is increased. It is the perfect membrane for a midrange loudspeaker. The sound it produces is entirely free from resonance, delivering an exceptional combination of purity, neutrality, and speed.

Fast and Powerful Woofer -

Even the untrained eye will be able to see that this is not just another 10" woofer. It is purpose built for large deflection with minimal energy storage. In other words, it is powerful, fast and detailed. The strikingly large double magnet is mounted on a very stiff cast aluminum chassis and both magnet and chassis are designed for optimum airflow and ventilation. This minimises unwanted energy storage, just like the non-conducting vented voice coil and low damping rubber surround. The large surround and long voice coil allow a very high mechanical deflection of 22mm and a special designed spider limits the mechanical excursion when the woofer reaches the maximum deflection. The very high currents needed to bring this woofer close to its maximum require the large area of the 3” voice coil for sufficient cooling.

The Colour of Sound -

String instruments produce a fundamental tone and a vast array of higher harmonics, demonstrating the human ear's preference for a rich, harmonic sound. Record players and tube amplifiers also introduce harmonics, creating a vibrant and colorful sonic experience, akin to the significant impact of optimal room acoustics. Many loudspeakers also contribute their own tonal character, for example aluminum tweeters often deliver a remarkably open, clear, and transparent sound. However, this pleasing tonal coloring can sometimes overshadow and actually result in timbral deficiency, concealing subtle tones. The Reference One's Beryllium tweeter, on the other hand, offers a gentler percussion representation, excelling in tone separation and micro-detail reproduction, effectively distinguishing musical instruments in spatial placement. Similarly, the Textreme Carbon midrange exhibits a smooth and well-balanced timbre, unveiling intricate sound micro-textures without introducing any coloration. Consequently, while drivers crafted from simpler materials like aluminum or paper may sound appealing with straightforward music such as classical guitar or solo vocals, the Beryllium and Textreme Carbon drivers transcend these constraints. The Reference One faithfully unveils the full tonal spectrum of even the most intricate musical compositions.

Extensive Bracing -

When the speakers vibrate, the cabinet also vibrates in response. However, these cabinet vibrations exhibit a slight delay in relation to the music, resulting in a perceptible blurring and decreased definition of the sound. Our cabinet construction is designed to address this issue comprehensively. Constructed from 25mm thick, form-pressed wood, it boasts a curved structure, further enhanced by a high-pressure and temperature bending process, which greatly augments its stiffness. Internally, we reinforce the cabinet with a network of extensive bracing, utilizing 18mm and 22mm thick plywood strategically positioned for optimal structural integrity.

Internal Acoustics -

Internal resonances can manifest audibly through the speaker membranes, and various effective countermeasures have been implemented in the Reference One. The baffle edge behind the mid-range driver is chamfered to mitigate the potential cavity resonance within the speaker cutout. Additionally, two internal Helmholtz absorbers have been strategically incorporated: one absorbs the standing wave between the cabinet's top and bottom, while the other tackles the bass reflex port resonance. The placement of the bass reflex port inlet has been carefully chosen to ensure that it operates in an area where the influence of any remaining internal resonances is minimized. Moreover, the top opening has been designed to prevent the excitation of listening room resonances that typically occur between the floor and ceiling. This seemingly simple yet effective measure holds significant potential for improving sound quality in various listening rooms, as these resonances are often challenging to control. Finally, the design of the bass port is corner-less and features a substantial area, accounting for 30% of the woofer membrane. This design choice serves to minimize port turbulence and maintain linearity in output, even at high signal levels.

Reviews -
 

HiFi+: "More than pointing to a specific aspect of the Davone Reference One floorstanding loudspeaker, however, it’s the gestalt that counts. The loudspeaker is an excellent blend of science and art. Many of the things it does so well happen because of the good engineering execution.

"A prime example of this is the excellent imaging. The loudspeakers present an excellent sense of stereo staging, fully three-dimensional but in an unforced manner. And the reason for that is the wide baffle, the rolled edges of the loudspeaker enclosure, and its time alignment. All these elements have been known in audio for decades, and the result is good soundstaging. However, Davone brings all three elements in one speaker, creating an extremely natural-sounding stage as a result. Play anything from simple folk to complex orchestral music and you’ll hear that separation of instruments in space.

"This is supported by a good underpinning of bass. Unlike many flagship designs, the Davone Reference One floorstanding loudspeaker doesn’t make its bass felt all the time. Just bass when its needed. That solidity is especially good with classical music. Orchestral pieces retain their ‘shape’ thanks to double basses, brass, and percussion instruments, and the Davone expresses that well.

"The Davone loudspeaker delivers extremely good detail, although it doesn’t make too much of a song and dance about it. You can hear this by playing music with which you are extremely familiar. For me that’s Joyce DiDonato’s Stella di Napoli album on Erato. Her vocal articulation, the intonation of the French horn that accompanies her, and the orchestra are all focused and realistic. So far, I’ve discussed mostly classical works. The Davone’s strengths apply universally. I enjoyed the same excellent detail reproduction playing everything from Art Blakey to ZZ Top.

"I also really like the excellent tonal balance of the Davone Reference One floorstanding loudspeakers. There is a tendency with modern loudspeakers to push a specific frequency range. For example, many European loudspeakers are ‘zingy’, with an expressive but toppy treble. On the other hand, some American loudspeakers have a strong bass emphasis and sound ‘dark’ in comparison. Davone remembers that the word ‘balance’ is involved, and that balance or evenness of bass, mid, and treble shines through. Once more relying on known musical references, I played the title track from River: The Joni Letters [Herbie Hancock, Verve]. Due to her own vocal character, Corinne Bailey Rae is a good choice to cover Joni Mitchell tracks. However, without an evenly balanced loudspeaker, that voice can sound like a Joni mMitchell impression or a pastiche. The Davone Reference One is faithful to the original tonal balance of the recording, and Corinne Bailey Rae’s voice shines! If you are used to brighter sounding loudspeakers, the Reference One might seem lacking in ‘sparkle’. However, I’ve always found that sparkle tarnishes fast. The Reference One is in it for the long haul and you’ll love that balanced presentation for years to come!

"Another Reference One boon is its ability to play from loud and quiet with equanimity. Plenty of loudspeakers can play at ‘hearing loss’ loudness levels. Others can sing at whisper-quiet levels. But it takes a really good design to sound good across the board, from a whisper to a scream. The Reference One does that, with an ‘honest’ and refreshingly unexaggerated dynamic range in tow. OK, so if you are wanting a loudspeaker that can double up as a PA system, look elsewhere. But in the real world, this is all the loudspeaker most of us will ever need!

"There is a downside to the Reference One; it’s not expensive enough! It also lacks some of the touches that separate the high-end from the rest of the world. It isn’t made from unicorn hide or a veneer from the last tree of its kind. It doesn’t weigh as much as a small planet. It isn’t finished in a piano gloss that could be used to signal aircraft. This is why the Davone doesn’t cost as much as an S-Class Mercedes. Sadly, a lot of the audio world has gone full-on ‘bling’ and this fine performer may get overlooked for all the wrong reasons. That must not happen. In a high-end audio world gone mad, the Davone Reference One floorstanding loudspeaker is a dose of sanity. It’s a great sounding performer for good, solid reasons. It’s also perfect for listeners wanting a true reference-grade sound without draining a bank account. Finally, it’s ideal for real-world listeners not holed up in acoustically perfect man-caves." - Alan Sircom

Full review

Specifications -
 

Frequency response: 29 - 30.000 Hz, -3dB

Impedance: 4 ohm, 3.4 ohm minimum at 26Hz, above 4 ohm from 37Hz

Sensitivity: 87 dB/2,83V/m

Recommended Amplifer: 100 watt or more

Woofer: 10” Hard paper cone, 3" diameter, long throw voice coil, limiting spider

Mid range Driver: 4,5" Multimodal Textreme membrane with distributed low energy breakup modes

Tweeter: Flush mount 1" Beryllium with extremely light 0.1g dome and a first breakup mode above 40kHz

System: Upwards directed bass reflex with a linear, oversized and damped port

Cabinet Construction: 25mm form pressed plywood with extensive bracing and tuned absorbers

Weight: 42 kg / piece

Height / Width / Depth: 97 / 47 / 37 cm

Leather Finish Options: Black leather, Quarter cut walnut veneer, Soft white leather, Quarter cut walnut veneer

Designer: Paul Schenkel

Price: $21995