Waterfall Audio debuts EVO dramatic glass loudspeakers at CES

December 19, 2007 — Article

French company Waterfall Audio will be displaying and demonstrating its two new flagship EVO models at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Waterfall’s designs feature dramatic enclosures that are individually handcrafted entirely of glass, which produce the visual effect of drivers that seem to ‘float’ invisibly in the room.

The Victoria EVO and Iguasçu EVO, named for the famous waterfalls in Africa and South America, are slim, pure-glass towers standing 40 inches high but just 10 inches wide. The Victoria EVO, a three-way/four-driver design, includes Waterfall’s proprietary, downfiring, 8-1/2-inch passive woofer. The Iguasçu (34-inches tall by 10-inches W) employs identical drivers (including the passive woofer) in a two-way/three-driver arrangement. Both models use a key Waterfall technology: the Acoustic Damping Tube (ADT), which performs near-total damping of mid- and low-frequency ‘back-wave’ artifacts, and precise damping control of midrange reflections, allowing the speakers to produce superbly accurate, high-end performance within their effectively undamped glass enclosures.

The Waterfall designs also feature drivers designed and manufactured by French partner Atohm – the 6-inch bass/midrange unit in both the woofer and midrange (Victoria) positions. This custom-alloy-diaphragm driver achieves superbly low-distortion output with impressive dynamic range. The Atohm tweeter is a ¾-inch silk-coated dome design capable of smooth, unobtrusive, yet remarkably extended treble. Ultra-linear crossover topologies grace both models, with best-grade components such as polypropylene capacitors employed throughout. The use of ‘doubled’ low-frequency drivers delivers enhanced power-handling, while the exclusive downfiring passive woofer, an exceptionally low-profile design effectively disguised within each speaker’s base, extends useful low-bass output to well below 38 Hz (Victoria) and 48 Hz (Iguasçu).

The models also integrate internal ‘stretched’ driver wiring that virtually disappears within each speaker’s angles and edges, keeping heavy speaker-cabling at floor level and preserving the clean, dramatic look. Drivers and base are fashioned from precision-machined cast aluminum to preserve the high-end look and feel of the speakers. Audiophile-grade, solid-metal multi-way connectors are integrated into the floor-level base of each speaker, and optional grilles individual to each driver, complete the Victoria and Iguasçu packages.


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