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The PHI Cyclops II
Accurate Stereo Audiophile Loudspeaker System
· Limited edition of 100 world-wide
· Unique bi-polar Voigt pipe design.
· Open electrostatic-like sound.
· An authentic High-End experience.
· 100% hand-made in solid wood.
· Features - Width: 20cm; Depth: 30cm; Height: 183cm; Mass: 26kg/speaker.
· Hand-made by order.
The Cyclops II is a visually stunning loudspeaker for the purist. Being a smaller loudspeaker, it's most comfortable with small ensemble classical, jazz and vocal music. The unique bi-polar design and small point-source drivers provide a realism, purity of sound and immediacy that might prove extremely difficult to find in any loudspeaker, at any price.
The Cyclops II - Technical details
The Cyclops II is a reworked and slimmed down version of our maiden product, the Cyclops. It too is a mass-loaded tapered quarter-wave pipe with a tuned frequency of 58 Hz. The loudspeaker utilises professional full-range drivers with specially vented neodymium magnet motors and Kevlar cones, rated for 20W continuous (RMS) output. The drivers are arranged in a bi-polar configuration in order to alleviate the baffle step response of the forward firing drivers as well as to aid in ambience retrieval. The loudspeakers are damped with no less than five types of absorbent materials to optimise frequency response, damping and distortion reduction mechanisms.
PHI Cyclops II
Each loudspeaker is supplied with an integral concrete base with provision for filling with gravel or lead shot to aid with damping loudspeaker vibrations and tightening the low frequency response. Each base is fitted with removable isolation spikes. The pipes are manufactured from natural wood (currently Iroko or African Rosewood) and medium density fibre board sandwich for enhanced performance and damping. The pipes each have their own filter unit and baffle step correction circuitry. Standard bi-wire cables plug into four sturdy three-way gold plated binding posts fitted to the rear of each loudspeaker, just below the aft-firing driver. Lead free silver bearing solder is used throughout.
The filter units are now fully passive: a notch filter for driver equalisation and forward/rear frequency distribution is combined with a baffle step corrector circuit. A higher efficiency variation is available for valve amplifiers. Coupling capacitors are oversized polypropylene units designed specifically for audio applications, arranged as a series filter, minimising signal distortion. The passive circuit uses both audio grade wire wound resistors and ruthenium oxide cermet high frequency resistors, which minimise high frequency losses in the crossover. The filter capacitors on the notch filter are polycarbonate units known for low dissipation factors and a gentle response curve that gives an almost valve-like character to their sound. These capacitors have been discontinued and are hard to come by. Critical components (the Danish-manufactured air core inductors and the cermet resistors) are silicone damped to reduce microphonics. The single bipolar capacitor in the circuit is bypassed with a polypropylene unit to minimise inductive and memory effects.
The filter is housed in a hand-made Beech frame with ABS top and bottom. Gold plated connectors are provided on the front and rear panels.
Performance has to be heard to be appreciated.
PHI Cyclops II detail
The PHI Cyclops II sells at a retail price of R21 720.00 (about $2200) per Rosewood pair. The prices for speakers made in other wood types will be made available on request.
For any information, please contact us
