Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Manufacturer's Comment

Alta Audio is about the sound and feel of live music. To this end, while we use all the metrics commonly applied throughout the audio industry, our final take is based on listening for confirmation.

One thing we know is that designing by the rules often results in sterile sound, because a microphone hears sound in a completely different way from the human ear. Designing a speaker only to create a smooth, flat response leads to overuse of padding to damp down resonances. While resonances have sonic attributes we do not want, so does padding. Padding changes the speed of sound in the cabinet, loses energy to heat, softens detail, and damps down dynamics. The shape of our cabinets is unique and designed to prevent panel or standing wave resonances. It also controls diffraction distortion externally.

John Atkinson's tests showed that the cabinet had only one well-controlled resonant mode. So why does the response curve of the port show resonant modes? The port response is closely miked. It's like placing the microphone close to a hollow space. Resonances are amplified. This is especially true in the Alyssa because we intentionally use a minimum of padding to open up the dynamics.

The Alyssa has a –3dB point of 32Hz in an anechoic room and can go significantly lower in the real world. Room interaction is very important; the space behind and to the sides should be relatively dead. Any speakers placed nearby, as they were, will be activated and blur the sound by reflecting energy into the room. A room that would be overloaded by the bass in the performance would be overloaded by the Alyssa.

We look forward to a follow-up review of Alyssa. For now, we urge anyone who appreciates live music to consider the Alyssa.—Michael Levy, President and CEO, Alta Audio

In addition to his main system, Herb's room holds a pair of desktop speakers with 140mm woofers, always wired. His main cache of loudspeakers is stored in a hallway outside the listening room.—Editor