Snell Acoustics XA Reference Tower Speaker Snell Acoustics XA Reference Tower Loudspeaker Start Price USD 15,000.00 Current Price USD 15,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 20,000.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, December 03, 2008 End Time Saturday, December 13, 2008 Location Orlando, FL See more about 'Snell Acoustics XA Reference Tower Speaker' Description You are bidding on a pair of speakers that have no equal. These speakers were 30K new and have never been moved from their original location. Sad to say they have hardly been used, but are ready for the discerning ears of a serious audiophile. Words can hardly describe their precision but the following article from steriophile.com comes close. Purchase includes pair of top of the line Tributaries cables. Inspection of these speakers is encouraged to assure your piece of mind. They are flawless in every way. Description: Four-way floorstanding loudspeaker with 7-element "eXpanding Array" line source and rear-firing tweeter. Drive-units: two 1" (25mm) titanium-dome tweeters (one front, one rear), two 4.5" (112mm) midrange drivers, four 8" (205mm) reflex-loaded, black-anodized aluminum-cone woofers. (Alternate ports and port blanking plates are supplied.) Crossover frequencies: 300Hz, 2.4kHz (9kHz for rear tweeter). Crossover slopes: second-order electrical, fourth-order acoustical. Controls: 3-position switches for Lower Mids, Upper Mids, Lower Treble, Upper Treble, Rear Tweeter. Frequency response: 27Hz-24kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/2.83V/m. Dimensions: 72¾" (1850mm) H by 17¾" (450mm) W by 21¾" (550mm) D. Weight: 210 lbs (95kg) each. Manufacturer: Snell Acoustics, 143 Essex Street, Haverhill, MA 01832. Tel: (978) 373-6114. Fax: (978) 373-6172. Web: www.snellacoustic.com Snell Acoustics XA Reference Tower loudspeaker http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/556/ By Larry Greenhill • April, 2002 Say "Type A" to a group of psychologists and they immediately think "hard-driving, workaholic executive." Speak the same phrase among audiophiles, and the late Peter Snell's (1946-1984) flagship loudspeaker comes to mind. The model reviewed here is the seventh iteration of Snell Acoustics' Type A, and this is the 12th published review of the product in American audio magazines. (The last one published in Stereophile was in March 1996, Vol.19 No.3, of the Type A Reference.) Peter Snell might not recognize the new XA Reference Tower's distinctively thin columns as his Type A at all. Long gone is Snell's "upright brick of polished wood and stretched cloth" (The Audio Critic, Vol.1 No.4, 1977, pp.38-39). In its place is David Smith's thin, 73"-tall, 210-lb floorstander, with which he's attempted to meet three design goals: uniformly flat amplitude response between the speaker and the room boundaries, powerful reproduction of deep bass, and uniform vertical dispersion. History I first heard the original Snell Type A 22 years ago, at the Listening Room in Scarsdale, New York, when I was introduced to its tall, thin, bearded designer, Peter Snell. In the next two decades Snell Acoustics changed hands four times, from Snell to William Osgood to Peter Lyngdorf to, finally, Boston Acoustics. Along the way, I reviewed many Type As. First came the Type A/III system (July 1984, Vol.7 No.6), followed in 1989 by Kevin Voecks' Type A/III Improved (March 1990, Vol.13 No.3). Next was the 605-lb, $18,999 Type A Reference, designed by Voecks (March 1996, Vol.19 No.3) and shipped in 12 cartons. Setup involved positioning and connecting four loudspeaker cabinets, two external passive crossovers, one active electronic crossover, two stereo amplifiers, six interconnect cables, and 32 speaker cables. But the Type A Reference rewarded all that setup with a majestic sound, excellent soundstaging, deep and powerful bass extending to well below 20Hz (its subwoofer met early THX deep-bass specifications for a 9000-cubic-foot room), and an ultra-transparent midrange. It served as my reference for a large loudspeaker system for many years. Creating a wider sweet spot With the David Smith-designed XA Reference Tower, the Snell Type A returns to its original four-way, single-cabinet design with a complement of seven forward-facing drivers: a 1" titanium tweeter, two 4.5" midranges, and four 8" aluminum woofers. Its main innovation is Smith's eXpanding Array of drivers, to deliver very broad and even vertical dispersion, an array first developed for the Snell XA90ps (July 1999, Vol.22 No.7) to produce a wider sweet spot. The term eXpanding Array refers to the increasing distance between drivers the lower their assigned frequency range. The XA Reference's drive-unit lineup begins with what Smith calls the "MTM array," for the central midrange-tweeter-midrange elements. Computer modeling generated the exact crossover topology and the necessary spacing between the to optimize the speaker's vertical polar pattern. The XA Reference's owner's manual states that its "constant vertical directivity means that the system has a very wide sweet spot with virtually no change in frequency response or perceived balance." Smith said that for speaker design he uses "a very complete system and crossover simulator. It takes driver magnitude and phase curves, driver impedances, crossover topologies, crossover values, and physical system layout to give an accurate system response simulation on- and off-axis." In the case of the XA90ps, the computer modeling smoothed the vertical dispersion to within 1dB variation through ±15 degrees. Outside that zone, the array's vertical polar pattern drops off by 4-5dB at 40 degrees, which reduces the energy that bounces off the floor or ceiling. Instead of the XA90ps's two 2.5" upper-midrange units bracketed by two 6.5" midbass drivers, the larger XA Reference has four 8" woofers—set at 4.3x and 6.8x the distance between the MTM units—to extend the Reference's smooth vertical dispersion pattern down to 60Hz. "I tried a number of alternative schemes," said Smith, "but none of these alternative systems looked promising, so a more conventional symmetric array was settled on...The simulations showed that constant directivity came from having a constant element spacing relative to the crossover frequency. That is, if the highest crossover frequency is six times the next crossover frequency, the mid-to-tweeter spacing should be one sixth the woofer-to-tweeter spacing. Both of these spacings should be one third (at most, one half) the crossover wavelength. In practice, this means the mids had to be placed very close physically to the tweeter, and the top crossover point should be as low as practical. "The one breakthrough was finding a high-output, low-resonance tweeter from Audax that has a compact-diameter magnet structure. By rear-mounting this driver on a computer-cut aluminum MTM plate, the Vifa midrange units' driver baskets can overlap the tweeter's metal frame to keep the center-to-center spacings minimized." The XA Reference's crossover points are 300Hz and 2.4kHz. Smith noted that the crossover filter characteristics "are mostly electrical second-order except for the tweeter high-pass, which is quasi-third, more for the phase shift than the rolloff slope. Like the XA90ps, they are all Linkwitz-Riley and in phase in nature. But my latest simulations show the vertical directivity is more even if the high-pass sections (roll-in) are higher slope or "squarer" than the low-pass sections (rollouts). This means that the tweeter is squarer, higher-order, at 2400Hz while the mids roll off with a more gradual slope." The XA Reference is a vented system with a low crossover point for the woofers, and Smith found that the upper impedance bump of the vented woofers made crossing over difficult. A conjugate network was added to the crossover that fixed the impedance to flat. Some very-large-value parts, such as a 70mH inductor, were used. Page 2 Tuneable Tower As David Smith completed the design of the crossover network, he discovered that a handful of crossover component values, if varied, could control the XA Reference's balance across the acoustic spectrum. For example, the primary tweeter input capacitor, if varied, modified the output between 1500Hz and 7kHz. By using five switches on the XA Reference's back panel, the owner can vary the response of the entire system ±1.5-2dB in four frequency bands, from 100Hz up, in order to tune the speaker to be truly neutral despite room effects and associated equipment. The lower-mid switch compensates for the effects of floor bounce and floor-to-ceiling dimensions on bass response. The upper-mid switch adjusts for room midrange reverberance. The upper- and lower-treble switches can compensate for the perceived hardness of electronics or sources, and can modify the listening perspective. In addition, there are three physically different woofer-tuning options: port tubes of two different lengths, to give 22Hz or 32Hz tuning frequencies, and a blanking plate to give sealed-box operation when the XA Reference is used with a subwoofer. (The system is shipped with the long ports.) These tuning options were included to compensate for rooms with walls and dimensions that give too little or too much low bass. Each XA Reference Tower is 18" taller, 6" wider, 2" deeper, and 12 lbs heavier than the ca 1995 Type A Reference's treble-midrange tower. The XA Reference's massive cabinet has heavily damped walls; its internal and external layers are bonded with a highly lossy polymer adhesive that absorbs resonant energy. The three-layered front baffle is contoured to smooth the drivers' acoustic output. Besides the reflex ports, tone control switches, and second tweeter, the rear panel features four gold-plated WBT terminals for biwiring. Overall, the XA Reference Tower's fit'n'finish is superb. The review sample's rosewood veneer equals or surpasses finishes on all previous Snell loudspeakers. Hardware, switches, rotary controls, and connections are sturdy and easily accessible. Setup The XA Reference loudspeaker arrived on a bright Sunday afternoon. David Smith and his wife, Melinda—a very good sport and unexpectedly strong for a slender pastry chef—worked with me to move the XA References into the listening room. Rocking them to and fro, we managed to position the 300-lb, 7' crates so that David could unscrew the covers and carefully move the tall, smooth, slippery speakers out into the sunlight. With the three of us working very hard (child psychiatrists don't always pump iron; we should), we managed to move them up a flight of stairs and into my listening room. Smith moved furniture so the Reference Towers could be walked to the back of the room. In the next hour he positioned them 48" from the back wall, 36" from the side walls, and 89" apart (measured from the tweeter centers), facing the full length of the narrow room (26' long, 13' wide, and 12' high, with a semi-cathedral ceiling), and toed-in to focus on the nearfield listening position. (The other end of the room adjoins a 25' by 15' kitchen through an 8' by 4' doorway.) This large listening area—more than 5000 cubic feet—works best with a full-sized loudspeaker system like the XA Reference. Playing Test CD 3 (Stereophile STPH006-2) to identify channels and check phase, I adjusted the speaker positions until I could hear the in-phase pink-noise signal as a tightly focused image centered between the Towers. Imaging and soundstaging were optimized when the speakers and my listening chair formed the apices of an isosceles triangle measuring 91.5" wide (between the speakers) and 108" from each speaker (measured from tweeter centers) to the chair. Even though its voltage sensitivity is lower than average, the XA Reference produced good sound-level output when connected to three different solid-state amplifiers: a 200Wpc Mark Levinson No.334, an 800Wpc Bryston 14B-ST, and a 1200Wpc Krell FPB 600c. Each amplifier added its characteristic sound: the Krell was fast and dynamic, with tight bass; the Levinson was detailed, transparent, and sweet; and the Bryston was neutral and had ample bass slam. First, I drove the XA Reference Towers with low-frequency warble tones from Test CD 3, using a RadioShack SPL meter resting on the arm of my listening chair. The XA Reference's deep-bass output was flat to 31.5Hz, shelved down by 2dB at 25Hz, and was -4dB down at 20Hz. As the signal dove below 25Hz, I felt a tightening pressure surround me like a cloud, accompanied by floor vibrations. With the exception of the Revel Ultima Salon, this was the deepest bass frequency response I had measured from a loudspeaker in my listening room. Despite driving the amplifier hard on these warble tests, I was unable to detect any port chuffing. Page 3 Pink noise did not change in tonality when I stood up in the near- or farfield, or moved around during the "sit down, stand up, walk around" test. At 42", the XA Reference's tweeter center was 4 1/2" higher than my seated ear height. In most loudspeaker systems, the tweeter is lower; I'd wager that JA's tests will prove that the XA Reference has superb vertical dispersion. Smith made minor adjustments during his visit, increasing the Lower Midbass by 2dB with the toggle switch. Later, I used pink noise to learn more about the XA's crossover adjustment switches. They produced only subtle changes, so I left the Upper Treble, Lower Treble, and Upper Midbass switches at 0dB, the Lower Midbass at +2dB, and left the rear tweeter on. I compared the bass responses of both port tubes and preferred the longer. For listening tests, I removed the XA Reference's front grilles, which improved the imaging. Listening The Snell XA Reference Tower arrived on the heels of a series of reviews of large, expensive loudspeakers, including the hybrid electrostatic MartinLogan Prodigy, the all-aluminum Krell LAT-1, and the Dynaudio Evidence Temptation. Their costs and sizes allowed these systems to do many things well, as revealed by the transparency of the Prodigy, the midrange clarity of the LAT-1, and the deep-bass extension of the Evidence Temptation. The XA Reference didn't make comparisons with those speakers easy, because the Snell refused to emphasize any one segment of the audio spectrum. Its strengths were uniform; it produced tuneful, solid bass, a transparent midrange, and extended highs. It could by turns sound analytical, seductive, dry, or liquid, depending on the source material. No single sonic profile emerged. Bass for Pipe Organ Enthusiasts: The XA Reference's bass reproduction was dynamic and quick, producing what JA called, in his review of the Sony ES SS-M9ED speaker in August 2001 (p.95), "a sharply defined edge to the onset of the bass sound, with then a literally visceral impact." This is what I heard from the Snells; it increased the emotional impact of such moments as the explosive bass-drum beats that open the Prelude and Aztec Dance from Owen Reed's La Fiesta Mexicana (CD, Reference Recordings RR-38CD). I was blown away by the throbbing synthesizer notes that underlie Randy Elman's "Something's Wrong," from the My Cousin Vinny soundtrack (CD, Varèse Sarabande VSD-5364). Rhythm and pace were accentuated by the driving kickdrum pulses heard on Emmylou Harris's "Wheels," from Spyboy (CD, Eminent EM-25001-2). What surprised me even more, however, was that the XA Reference played deep-bass notes most clearly from CDs that I usually reserve for reviews of aftermarket subwoofers. I clearly heard the sub-30Hz synthesizer pulses that dominate "No Sign of Ghosts," from the Casper soundtrack (CD, MCA MCAD-11240), the final organ chords from Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Part 1 on Test CD 2 (Stereophile STPH004-2), the repetitive bass-drum beat on "Cosmos Old Friend" from the Sneakers soundtrack (CD, Columbia CK 53146), and the spine-tingling, deep-bass synthesizer chords in "Assault on Ryan's House," from the Patriot Games soundtrack (CD, RCA 66051-2). The XA Reference reproduced the eerie mix of deep earthquake rumblings, brilliant chimes, and high-pitched hissing that gives the last recording its oppressive, sinister ambience. The deep-bass response extended an octave lower than that of most other loudspeakers I've auditioned. With the long port tubes in place, the XA Reference's bass response was pitch-perfect. I could easily discern the stairstep descent of Marcel Dupré's organ pedals in Saint-Saëns' Symphony 3 (CD, Mercury Living Presence 432 719-2). Sustained pedal notes shook the air, creating a pressure wave I've only previously heard in my room from the Revel Salons and from separate subwoofers. "Gnomus," from Jean Guillou's transcription of Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (CD, Dorian DOR-90117), produced thunderous bass. As the air in the room shuddered, I heard and felt the solidity of each 32' organ pipe. The XA Reference should make lovers of pipe-organ recordings rejoice! Vocalists: The Snell XA Reference Towers arrived about the time I was swept away by Eva Cassidy. I had never heard a young singer with such range, power, phrasing, and slow, controlled delivery. It was easy to hear her pinpoint intonation, effortless control, and "dynamics that range from the opalescent caress of ballads to full-throated, roof-raising blues and gospel shouts" (from Joe Siegal's liner note). But it wasn't until I took Cassidy's albums to the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show and played them over different loudspeaker systems that I realized how key a role the XA Reference had played in my conversion to wild-eyed Cassidy fan. More than a few of the Show loudspeakers flattened her dynamic range, but back in my listening room, I once again heard the difference between her feathery touch on Harburg and Arlen's "Over the Rainbow" to the powerhouse belting of Penn and Moman's "Dark End of the Street" (from The Other Side, CD, CBD Music 02253). Listening to Cassidy's super showstopper, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," from her Live at Blues Alley (CD, Blix Street G2-10046), the singer was a solid, holographic presence right there in the room, conveying the rage and sadness she must have felt at the time of the recording, knowing that she was dying. Page 4 Cassidy and other vocalists maintained good vocal timbre and image size when played over the Snells. Despite the Towers' height, the voices were rendered life-size and three-dimensional, with none of the Wizard-of-Oz image inflation I'd heard from other flagship speakers, such as the now-unavailable Mark Levinson HQD system. Blues singer Chris Smither's warm, soothing voice and liquid guitar playing remained intimate on his Live As I'll Ever Be (CD, Hightone HCD8120-2). Male vocalists were conveyed with exceptional emotional power. Take The Blind Boys of Alabama (Real World 8 50918 2) singing "Amazing Grace": Rather than a Judy Collins lament, these blues artists belt out a rousing march, and their stomping beat and emotional intensity were rendered beautifully by the XA References. José Carreras' clear tenor voice remained pure during the Kyrie of Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla (CD, Philips 420 955-2). Harry Connick, Jr.'s "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," from the When Harry Met Sally... soundtrack (CD, Columbia CK 45319), was transparent and clear, whether unaccompanied or mixed with a full orchestral fortissimo. Instruments and voices retained their distinctness, even during crescendos. Maggie Boyle's soprano, the accompanying flute, and the 35Hz bass synthesizer chords did not blur together in the "Main Title" music of Patriot Games. Richard Thompson's voice kept its distinct timbre on "Why Must I Plead," from his Rumor and Sigh (CD, Capitol CDP 7 95713 2), and was not altered by the relentless pounding of the kickdrum. Large Sweet Spot, Palpable Imaging, Transparent Treble: The XA References' imaging was enhanced by their large sweet spot. Sitting in the nearfield, I didn't have to move my head to find the sweet spot, as I've done with other flagship systems—the image was always there, even when I moved back to my farfield listening position. This ensured my enjoyment of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner," from her Solitude Standing (CD, A&M CD5136). Vega's voice sounded palpable and three-dimensional. On his Across the Borderline (CD, Columbia CK 52752), I was able to determine that Willie Nelson was sitting slightly above and to the right of Bonnie Raitt in their duet, "Getting Over You." Such was the Towers' ability to image. Their soundstage width was outstanding. I particularly enjoyed hearing the Jerome Harris Quintet's version of Duke Ellington's "The Mooche," from Rendezvous (CD, Stereophile STPH013-2). The XA References followed JA's liner notes faithfully, placing the vibes stage left, the trombone just right of center, the sax far right, the bass guitar and kickdrum center, and the drum kit across the width of the stage. On "Lord Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace," from Requiem (CD, Reference Recordings RR-57CD), the XA References spread the Turtle Creek Chorale across a deep, wide stage and permitted the clarinet, organ, harp, and male and female choirs to be discerned and followed. I was moved in closer to the chorus than I'd been with other loudspeakers, and could easily discern individual singers. I had a clear sense of the concert hall's perspective listening to Leopold Stokowski conduct the Chicago Symphony in Shostakovitch's Symphony 6 (CD, RCA LSC-3133). This same resolution of sonic layers in the soundtrack of Glory (LP, Virgin 90531) spread the choir's voices from wall to wall; many distinct voices were discernible, even through crescendos. Transparency and effortlessness were key components of the XA Reference's sound. An adjective such as "majestic" describes these systems playing an orchestral fortissimo, and has more to do with the speaker's neutrality, transparency, and dynamics than with its ability to play loud. Orchestral timbre and spatial definition were rendered exceptionally well playing FM music. This was evident when our local classical music station, WQXR, broadcast a live recording from New Year's Eve 1999, of Kurt Masur conducting Beethoven's Symphony 9. I was struck by the exceptional tone and power of the tenor, who stood stage center, the huge chorus spread out behind him deep in the soundstage. The massed strings were sweet, the woodwind resonances warm. There was ample air around the instruments. The trumpet coming from stage left had a rough, brassy quality, while a timpani playing low notes sounded far back on the stage to the right. This was FM stereo at its best! The treble response was also clear and extended. The XA Reference delivered open, effortless highs. It conveyed treble detailing of Joe Beck's vibes on "Unspoken Words" (CD, The Journey, DMP CD-481), allowing me to hear its harmonic overtones. These speakers made me more aware of the instrumental clarity of bells, cymbals, and treble piano notes. I particularly noticed the sound of the struck cymbal fading away in the "Chorus Line" overture of Frederick Fennell and the Dallas Wind Symphony's Beachcombers (HDCD, Reference Recordings RR-62CD). Conclusions With a price of $30,000/pair as reviewed, the Snell XA Reference Tower is an expensive loudspeaker. Whether its many strengths—unusually smooth vertical dispersion, wide sweet spot, superb imaging, first-class bass response—justify the price is a decision each audiophile will have to make. Although its cabinetry and fit'n'finish were exceptional, the XA Reference Tower remains a physically imposing, massive loudspeaker best suited to large listening rooms, an owner with considerable upper-body strength, a patient, helpful dealer who will install the speakers and store their shipping crates, and an understanding spouse. Despite these caveats, the XA Reference Tower proved to be an outstanding loudspeaker. Its deep, powerful bass, transparency, imaging, and large sweet spot define what I want in a flagship speaker design. Despite a conventional exterior, the XA Reference incorporates forward-thinking engineering in its eXpanding Array for control of vertical dispersion, its multiple reflex-aligned woofers, and its ability to be tuned for the room. I'm sure if I could arrange a séance with the late Peter Snell, he would second my strong vote for the newest flagship from the company that bears his name. Place a Bid!