Xavian Medea – Premium vinyl record cleaners

Xavian Medea

Last yr’s Virtuosa Anniversario was one of many greatest surprises in audio system and, alas, had very restricted availability, with solely 50 pairs produced. Can Xavian replicate the shock and awe with the Medea, a two-way, stand-mounted, non-limited model of the identical? Knowing that the Czech model’s proprietor, CEO, and chief designer, the Italian-born Roberto Barletta, has maintained the identical uncompromising strategy along with his newest creations, the indicators seem promising from the outset.

Those who interpret the phrases ‘two-way’ and ‘stand-mount’ as considerably cheaper and simpler to accommodate are more likely to be disenchanted. While they initially provide distinctive worth from a cloth standpoint, the Medeas are priced at €11,990 for the pair, with the matching stands costing €3,190. The complete is almost equal to the retail worth of the floorstanding, three-way Virtuosa Anniversarios, and this additionally applies to the quantity of house they occupy, assuming nobody could be silly sufficient to truly place them on a bookshelf…

No mini in these screens

These are definitely not your typical stand-mount audio system – a class that has largely been decreased to mini-monitors since giant, rectangular bins with an eight-inch driver masking the decrease a part of the frequency band have fallen out of favour in mild of slim columns utilising two or extra smaller bass items to attain the identical objective.

They aren’t rectangular; their baffles slope like these of the Anniversarios and every other speaker from Xavian’s long-standing ‘XN’ line, with the highest panel descending in direction of the rear at a 90-degree angle. However, by ‘fashionable’ stand-mount speaker requirements, they’re definitely massive and daring. Accommodating the identical 22.2 cm (roughly 9 inches) Scan Speak Ellipticor woofer because the Virtuosa Anniversario, they don’t seem to be significantly slim and are as deep as they’re excessive.

That’s a considerable quantity of (very good) walnut veneer on show, significantly on the perimeters. The weight is available in at a hefty 27.7 kg, and that’s with out the stands – which arrive in bins the identical measurement because the precise audio system and weigh nearly the identical at 25.6 kg (together with 10 kg of sand filling)! Coupled to the audio system utilizing 4 M8 bolts every, and resting on a beneficiant footprint with adjustable Soundcare Superspikes (that includes built-in footers), the result’s one thing that one’s cats definitely received’t knock over; certainly, a 150 lb Danish Mastiff most likely wouldn’t handle it both… Like the Anniversarios, the Medeas function a big, front-mounted, elliptical bass port, now oriented in panorama relatively than portrait.

Driver Delight

Similar to the Virtuosa Anniversario, the motive force complement consists of the extremely superior (and costly) Scan Speak Ellipticor drivers—the beforehand talked about 22 cm woofer and a 38 mm excessive elliptical dome tweeter. In truth, it shares the identical driver complement because the Anniversario, aside from its 18 cm midrange. The low-frequency driver options six neodymium magnets organized in a star configuration round an elliptical voice coil, which strikes a paper membrane formed in a way harking back to a horn wave information, relatively than adopting a conical type. This design ends in exceptionally low distortion figures throughout all the bandwidth and dynamic vary, in addition to spectacular impulse response.

The elimination of the devoted midrange driver with a single crossover level at 1,750Hz permits a crossover filter that’s even easier than that of the three-way Anniversario. Instead of 5 components, it contains simply three, and, just like the Anniversario, none of them is a capacitor. The specified frequency response for the Medea is from 39Hz to 20kHz, just about equivalent to that of the Virtuosa Anniversario. This initially raises the query of the place the additional driver and extra litres of inside quantity the latter possesses have gone.

A possible clarification lies within the sensitivity ranking, which at 87dB (2.83 V/1m) is a major 5dB decrease than that of the Anniversario. This, together with a 4 Ohm impedance ranking (equivalent to that of the Anniversario), led me to imagine that the smaller Xavians wouldn’t pair as effectively with my single-ended 300Bs because the Anniversarios did. As we will see later, I needn’t have frightened (a lot).

Engaging and direct

Although their final dynamic vary could also be considerably restricted in comparison with bigger multi-driver methods, two-way audio system utilising minimalist crossovers are regularly lauded for his or her partaking, direct, and emotionally compelling strategy to music, which definitely proved to be the case for the Medea. The Virtuosa Anniversarios already displayed distinctive readability, transient pace, and element, and their smaller counterparts are at the least equally proficient in these facets.

However, the genius of the Medeas lies in the truth that this has not been achieved by scaling down the tonal steadiness and soundstaging. The element and ‘pinpoint’ imaging, so cherished by audiophiles primarily guided by their left-brain considering, aren’t artificially enhanced by making all the pieces barely smaller and thinner. That’s the type of expectation one might need when a full-sized loudspeaker is condensed right into a smaller package deal (‘in fact, they received’t have the full-bodied sound and sheer impression of the full-size model – however do take heed to the exact imaging and all that element…’) – however that definitely isn’t Barletta’s strategy.

Medea Side

What you get is similar wealthy tonality and easy-going steadiness aimed toward real-world listening rooms, relatively than purpose-built auditoriums. There’s top-to-bottom consistency and commendably deep, impactful bass, with all however the very lowest octave current at full drive. You additionally expertise the identical plausible sense of scale, with life-sized voices and devices, as supplied by the Virtuosa Anniversarios. The major distinction is these 5 decibels of sensitivity, which is able to seemingly translate to an analogous distinction in dynamic headroom (the low-frequency unit and the higher finish of the really useful amplifier energy ranking vary being the identical between the 2 fashions). However, that is just about a non-issue for these of us residing in house buildings or terraced housing who don’t are inclined to retreat into soundproofed, windowless basement rooms to take heed to our music.

To the nines

Replacing the Audio Note Quest monoblocks (which ship all of 9 watts in response to their producer, although that’s seemingly a little bit of an exaggeration) with my customized Pink Faun Tube Pre from the ‘massive’ system for my default ‘baseline’ Copland CSA 28 60-Watt hybrid amp (an oldie however a goodie) didn’t result in any softening of transient impacts; a major instance being Front 242’s Headhunter on 12-inch vinyl; a multilayered electro exercise with a bassline derived from a string pattern and relentlessly pounding industrial beats that may are inclined to grow to be relatively chaotic on audio system needing a agency hand from the driving amp(s) to maintain them in verify.

Semi-nearfield

Not so right here: at sound ranges that had been nonetheless vaguely sustainable in a home atmosphere (admittedly in a listening configuration finest described as ‘semi-nearfield’), the Medeas’ rendition was certainly one of nearly stunning directness—solely surpassed by very giant horn methods in acceptable rooms, after which not by a lot—whereas sustaining complete management and lucidity within the midband, with Jean-Luc de Meyers’ sneering voice distinctly standing out in its personal digital house in opposition to a busy background of percussion and whooshing digital sounds, being that bit extra intelligible than I’m used to. Vocals are one thing of an eye-opener, in any case.

The relative lack of interference from crossover parts within the sign path and the exceptional linearity—at the least amongst loudspeaker drivers—of the Scan Speak Ellipticor drive items definitely contributes to highlighting the particular qualities of a single-ended, non-feedback 300B triode amplifier design, significantly that splendidly tactile, grain-free midband. I wouldn’t unreservedly suggest this mix, thoughts you; below extra normal circumstances, I’d concur with Xavian’s advice of 20 watts amplifier energy at least, which is relatively correct. However, in conditions the place it performs effectively, the end result is really one thing to behold. The Medeas might not boast the above-average sensitivity ranking of their bigger siblings; nevertheless, this doesn’t counsel that they current something lower than a (tube-) pleasant amplifier load.

Cheerleading?

At the danger of coming throughout as a cheerleader for this tiny, artisanal Czech firm that’s hardly ever discovered on the main worldwide high-end audio occasions (the price of sustaining a presence there may be seemingly prohibitive given the dimensions of the operation) – this primary non-limited version speaker from the reinstated and rejuvenated top-of-the-range XN collection demonstrates that Roberto Barletta has on no account suffered from the ‘tough second album syndrome’.

Medea Rear

The Xavian Medea is as revealing, impactful, and agile as it’s pleasant, coherent, and interesting in typical home settings; it’s as exact as it’s complete. Furthermore, it provides transparency—significantly by avoiding the addition of grain and texture which may obscure lower-level data—permitting it to do justice to very high-end sources and amplification units, while not being excessively punishing to extra modest units. In truth, throughout on a regular basis use, it delivered background sounds from a distinctly lo-fi web radio participant that had been fairly satisfying, offering physique and scale, if not refinement. And, as with all actually distinctive hi-fi parts, it raises difficult questions concerning the need for ‘extra’ by way of measurement, complexity, and expenditure.

Technical specs

Type: two-way, standmount, entrance ported speaker
Driver Complement: 1x 120 mm Scan-Speak Ellipticor silk dome tweeter, 1x 222 mm Scan-Speak Ellipticor woofer
Sensitivity: 87 dB
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Frequency Response: 39 – 20,000 Hz (-3 dB)
Recommended Power: 20 – 200 W
Dimensions (H x D x W): 54 x 26 x 52,5 cm; stand 57 x 34 x 51 cm
Weight: 27,7 kg; stand 25,6 kg
Price: Medea, walnut (pair) – €11.990, textile magnetic cowl grille (pair) – €399, Medea stand (pair) – €3.190.