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Acarian Systems' Alón Exotica Loudspeaker

by Scot Markwell

It is the Exotica that inspired Marchisotto to "go for the Gold" and manufacture his Statement product, the $120,000 Exotica Grand Reference (hereafter "the Grand"), which uses some of the same drivers, notably a number of the same Raven R1 ribbon tweeters. Unlike the standard Exotica, however, the Grand uses an array of more conventional Alón midrange drivers that are mounted on an open baffle for a dipolar midband sound. In the standard Exotica, the box is sealed and the speakers appear as a conventional acoustic suspension design. Upon first examination, the Exoticas do not, except perhaps for that tweeter, appear to be anything out of the ordinary: conventional enough looking drivers in an exceptionally plain cabinet. No fancy visual tricks or custom trim, just a nicely finished heavy box with two pairs of Cardas speaker cable inputs intended for biwiring, and an attached pedestal-like set of feet.

Marchisotto is widely known in the industry to avoid solid-state amplifiers in the development and "voicing" of his speaker designs (though he does test with solid-state once his designs are finished to see what various combinations sound like), instead favoring both low-powered single-ended triode (SET) amps and medium-to-high-powered push-pull tubed amplifiers from VTL, Cary, and other manufacturers, and vintage designs such as the old Pilot 30 watts-per-channel EL-34-based stereo amplifier that he bought in high school and has just recently refurbished to full operational status. (I have heard this miniature excuse for an amplifier, by the way, on both the Grands and the standard Exotica, and for an amp that has only 30 watts per side and cost only $159 or so new in 1959, it is a hell of a piece.) Because of this, those who purchase his loudspeakers would be wise to audition them with both the amplifier they already own or want to purchase before investing in the Exoticas. Now, I know that some folks will find it inexcusable that a modern loudspeaker may need to be driven by tubes to sound its best, and that it may sound anywhere from acceptable to poor with most solidstate designs, but that is simply the way Marchisotto works. He maintains that he wants to hear music, not crap, and that, for him, tubes do it and (with rare exception) solid-state does not.

I would like to emphasize that I feel that the issue I have with proper matching of the Exotics to an appropriate amplifier for them is more related to the fact that the Exoticas are extremely revealing of source. If you hear them sound anything less than special, it is that you are hearing an amplifier (or other part of the chain ahead of the speakers) having a problem playing music rather than the Exoticas sounding poorly. That the speakers are demanding of a high-quality signal for optimum performance is nothing more than a tribute to the accuracy and musical integrity of the basic design and voicing of the Exoticas.

So how do the Exoticas sound? I listened to them with a variety of tubed amplifiers, including several current-model SETs and a Conrad-Johnson Premier Four 100 wpc amp made in the early 1980s, as well as the Plinius SA-100 Class-A solid-state stereo amp, and found that the Exoticas are, in many respects, one of the most musically pleasing loudspeakers I have experienced in my home.

Caveats first: The ribbon tweeter is unusually fragile and can be blown by even a slight mistake (heavy hand) at the volume control, or by forgetting such housekeeping items as muting the preamplifier before cueing up an LP, for instance. I broke one doing just that. Secondly, the speakers are not entirely comfortable when they are pushed too hard. These are loudspeakers for those who do not have a huge listening room and do not demand extremely high playback levels. They will play loudly enough with 100 wpc that most listeners will not want for more, but I found that I did not care to listen to them as much at elevated levels as I do some other speakers, such as my Shahinian Hawks, which can be pushed to almost insane (over 105 dB) volume in large rooms. Also the speakers really need much more "breathing room" than many other designs, and will sound distinctly heavy and boomy in the bass and not nearly as transparent as they should if they are placed too close to either side or rear walls. I used them with excellent results in my new (circa 11' x 18' L-shaped) room some 5-6 feet from the rear wall and with at least 3-4 from the side walls, firing almost directly straight ahead. The vertical dispersion of the tweeter is not particularly great, so a tall seated listener will do well to use an even set of longer spikes than those that come with the speaker for the front than for the rear. Alon supplies these through their dealers.

Now for the good news: From about 30 Hz up through as high as I can hear (I can detect test tones to 18-19 kHz easily from my test LPs and CDs), their in-room response is remarkably clean and without obvious dips or peaks, save for perhaps a little excess warmth in the mid-to-upper bass. But this was also tied to the amplifier in use and did not create problems. Suffice to say that the Exotica is not thin-sounding in any respect. It also projects a superior sense of depth and instrumental body throughout the musical spectrum. I used a several SET amps ranging from 18 to 25 wpc; the best coupling was the Wyetech Labs Topaz 572 B stereo amp, rated at 22 wpc, with 90 wpc "burst" capability in the midband. This amp produced the most linear and least colored sound of the bunch, sounding almost as if it were an extremely fine solid-state design, but with a tubed luminosity and midband presence that made for quite palpable imaging and tonal qualities, particularly on either male or female voices and full chorus. I am pretty sure that Marchisotto does not use much in the way of "hard" rock music to develop his speakers, but the Exoticas sound particularly good on well-recorded material such as Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy [Classic/Atlantic SD 7255, an LP that was remastered on Mike Hobson's (now) tubed cutting system]. "Over the Hills and Far Away" sounded rich and present, with enough midbass heft to do the music justice. When I took the speakers to a buddy's room and heard them with the C-J Premier Four, this track was stunningly powerful, with even more midbass weight and punch, but without some of the transparency and fine detail of the Wyetech Topaz. Back home, on the double LP version of Holly Cole's 1995 release, Temptation [Classic/Blue Note JP 5003], Cole's voice sounded rich and velvety, with wide-open, 3-D soundstaging and a rich, robust midbass foundation. Perhaps almost too robust, but the midbass on the record is weighty, as well. "Black Magic Woman" from Patricia Barber's Companion CD [Blue Note/Premonition 7243 5 22963 23] contains a strong bass line that can also sound heavy, just short of being too ripe.

This brings up a balance issue with these speakers. On some material with a rich lower-through-uppermidbass content, the Exoticas can, on occasion, exhibit a little too much of a good thing. It is amplifier dependant, with a solid-state amp like the Plinius SA-100 exerting more control over the woofer system than most tubed ones, but the puzzling thing is that below the midbass, down to just under 30 Hz, the system is tight as a drumhead, with organ pedals and tightly tuned bass drums sounding just right. Records like the Crystal Clear Direct-to-disc Virgil Fox: The Fox Touch Volume Two [CCs-7002] sound excellent; I can easily hear the huge sound and might of the Fratelli-Ruffatti organ of the Garden Grove Community Church in Garden Grove, California, where this record was made, as well as sense the depth and height of the church itself.

One of my favorite pop CDs, Elton John's Live in Australia [MCAD-8022], consists almost wholly of his earliest songs backed up with a full orchestra, and the string sections in particular have a rosiny sheen and convincing sense of body that makes the speakers sound particularly lifelike. It is notable, however, that although I am using an excellent CD front end, the superiority in musical realism of top analog is readily revealed through the Exoticas, a testimony to their transparency and clarity.

As I wrote above, the Exotica seems to me to be a speaker that was not meant to be played excessively loudly, but they remain convincing because they manage to exhibit a realistic sense of dynamic contrasts and expansion. At very low levels, they have a sense of "aliveness" that allows one to listen deep into the night without having to turn up the volume to achieve musical satisfaction. At medium-loud settings (around 85-95 dB), the speakers have great "jump" and a punchiness that makes them seem as if they are playing considerably louder than they are. Such dynamic authority allows the Exoticas to get away with an upper limit of loudness, as the musical contrasts within a piece were rendered well enough that I did not feel I needed more volume.

I am of two minds about the Exotica. If the speakers are carelessly demonstrated with an amplifier that does not "fit" the voicing of the speakers, the Exoticas will not sound special, and prospective purchasers may think twice about them, especially at the price. These are loudspeakers carefully crafted and developed by a designer who is almost obsessed with a certain presentation of music, and they really need to be listened to within their design envelope to fully come alive and reveal their considerable and seductive charms. However, if you use them within their volume limits, have the room to let them stand freely well out in the listening space, and carefully match them with an appropriate amplifier, they will reward you with sound that has the smack of reality in many respects. Instruments sound recognizably like themselves, high frequencies through the ribbon tweeter are grainless, pure, and extended, and the ability of the speakers to disappear and project a dimensional and layered soundfield into the room is quite remarkable.

TECHNICAL SIDEBAR:

The Acarian website describes the Exotica as a high-tech floor standing speaker of modest footprint that utilizes cutting edge driver technology. This three-way system employs an enclosure with a sand-filled base for maximum dynamic stability and is finished in select matched Santos Rosewood veneer.

The high-frequency transducer is the Raven R1 true ribbon tweeter. This ribbon, unlike some others, does not use a separate diaphragm and conductor, but instead the conductor is the diaphragm. This direct drive of the ribbon element eliminates the "plastic" diaphragm parasitic resonances of other more conventional drivers. Moving mass is only .0061 gram. This is about 30 times less than a high quality dome tweeter. In addition the R1 is driven by a massive neodymium magnet system for high sensitivity (95 dB) and excellent transient response. The response of the ribbon is tailored in the Exotica to operate between 3500 and 30 kHz. The mid frequency transducer is by Seas Excel. This 4.5-inch driver utilizes a cast, surface-treated magnesium cone with a natural rubber surround and solid machined copper phase plug. True piston response is maintained to 10 kHz, while eliminating mid band edge resonances. Unlike other metal drivers, a single well-defined break-up mode is evident at 10 kHz and is compensated for in the crossover. An oversize sealed mid enclosure provides a critically damped resonance at a low 78 Hz for low coloration. In the Exotica, this transducer covers the range from 700-3500 Hz.

The low-frequency transducer is also by Seas Excel. The 8-inch unit also utilizes a cast, surface treated magnesium cone with a natural rubber surround and solid machined copper phase plug. Pistonic response is maintained to a high 5 kHz without mid band edge resonances. The single break-up mode at 5 kHz is compensated for, as in the midrange driver, in the crossover. This low frequency driver is mounted in a welldamped sealed enclosure for response to 35 Hz.

Specifications:
Response: 35 Hz to 30 kHz
Connection: Four solid copper posts for biwiring
Impedance: 8 ohm nominal, 7 ohm minimum
Sensitivity: 88 db/watt/1 Meter
Finish: Matched Santos rosewood standard. Other finishes optional by special order.
Dimensions: 9 x 38 x 13 inches
Weight: 100 pounds

Manufacturer Information
Acarian Systems
181 Smithtown Blvd., Ste. 104, Nesconset, New York 11767
Phone: (631) 265-9577; fax: (631) 265-9560
www.alonbyacarian.com
Alonbyacarian@cs.com
Price: $9,500/pair

Associated Equipment
VPI HW-19 MK IV turntable w/ JMW Memorial 10.5 arm and SAMA (Stand Alone Motor Assembly), VPI Synchronous Drive Unit motor controller; Sakura Systems/47 Labs Miyabi and Dynavector DV XV1 MC cartridges; Marigo Audio Labs MR 20.2 PH/F, Hovland Groove 2, and EX Cell Power Solutions Groove Tube phono interconnects; Siltech Gen 3 and Gen 5 interconnects, Siltech LS 180 Gen 3 speaker cable, Audio Magic silver interconnects; Stealth Audio Silver and gold interconnects and silver ribbon speaker cables; Alon Black Orpheus speaker cables; Wyetech Labs Jade (tubed) and Plinius CD-LAD (SS) linestage preamplifiers; Plinius M-14 and EX-CELL Power Solutions Microgroove Plus phono sections, Forsell Air Reference CD Drive; EAD TheatreMaster DAC; Custom Power Cord Company Green Hornet coaxial digital cable; Coincident Speaker Technology SIP 300B SET stereo integrated amplifier; Wyetech Labs Topaz 572B stereo SET amplifier; Dehavilland Aries 845 SET mono amplifiers; Conrad-Johnson Premier Four tubed stereo amplifier, Plinius SA-100 SS stereo amplifier, Custom Power Cord Company Top Gun HCFi A/C power cords and super power blocks; Arcici Suspense Rack

Manufacturer's Comment:

Many thanks to Scot Markwell and The Absolute Sound for this wonderful review of the Alón Exotica loudspeaker. We find the review comprehensive with an excellent description of the performance of our product. For the benefit of your readers, however, we would like to expand on several points raised in the review.

The Exotica was designed to provide cutting edge performance in a conventional forward-firing format. The Exotica, unlike our open baffle models, does not produce sound to its rear. This allows it to operate in situations where the rear radiation of the open baffles may cause a problem. Also, the presentation of the Exotica is somewhat different from the open baffle designs, being a little more focused and up front, without being forward. Some listeners may also prefer this presentation. In order to provide cutting edge performance, we are using only premium magnesium alloy bass and mid range drivers from Seas and the Raven R1 true ribbon tweeter. In addition and equally important, we use only premium sand filled cabinets from Adrian Cabinet Arts for low coloration. They are finished in a premium grade Brazilian Santos Rosewood veneer. These cabinets are computer precision machined and hand assembled using proprietary techniques and materials for maximum structural integrity. In addition, the cabinet walls are lined with a special damping material to eliminate the last vestiges of cabinet coloration. This is an expensive way to build a cabinet (same construction as the Exotica Grand Reference) yet we have found it is the best way to achieve our performance goals.

I would like to clarify our use of tube amplifiers in the development of Alón loudspeakers. Our sonic priorities in our designs are to first get the mid range response as musically correct as possible. If compromises have to be made (and they do, short of the Exotica Grand Reference), we make them at the frequency extremes. We find this approach more musically valid than trying to achieve maximum bandwidth at the expense of mid range quality. In our work we have found that it is easier for us to get the midrange correct using wide band tube electronics. We also find that with high quality bass to 30 Hz it is easy to add our Thunderbolt Powered Subwoofer for more extension and output, without compromising the mid range quality. Once the midrange response is correct, the difference in amplifiers, especially through the midrange will become very apparent. This is why many electronics manufacturers use our loudspeakers for reference. Not all tube amplifiers are good and not all solid state amplifiers are bad, but Exoticas and Alón loudspeakers in general will tell you what you are listening to. This is quite different from "voicing" a speaker for a particular type of amplifier. We are happy to see that this was confirmed by Scot Markwell and The Absolute Sound.

Alón speakers in general and Exoticas in particular may not sound as loud as they actually are. This is due in large part to the low distortion and low coloration. Indeed the ribbon tweeter will not sound stressed, even at extreme levels which could cause failure. We rate the power handling at 150 watts program which will give outputs of 108 dB plus. However, as Scot Markwell found, "Such dynamic authority allows the Exoticas to get away with an upper level of loudness, as the musical contrasts within a piece were rendered well enough that I did not feel I needed more volume."

Scot Markwell noted in his room an occasional mid bass emphasis. The anechoic response, however, of the magnesium woofer is ruler flat through the mid bass as the first breakup mode does not occur until 5 kHz-way out of its assigned range. However, in most small rooms including our own, there will be an emphasis at about 80 Hz due to room standing waves. HP, however, is blessed with a small room that mysteriously does not have this emphasis.

Once again, thanks for this great review.

Carl Marchisotto
Acarian Systems Ltd.