Apogee Acoustics Company Special

Apogee Full Range – info

Christiaan Punter 27 May 2013 No Comments

Apogee Full Range Detailed Info

Above: Very special version in natural dark cherry veneer and semi gloss black – very chic!

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Above 2 pictures are from a special version with perspex wings made by Henk van der Hoeven. Quite striking!

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Above: Original Full Range in close up. Ribbon tension can be adjusted from the outside (not recommended unless you really know what you’re doing).

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Above: Not only the treble unit is pure aluminium (as per the Diva) but also the midrange.

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Above: not something most pictures reveal is that the Full Range has two layers for the tweeter. (Scintilla even has 4)

Official info

The Full Range speakers were available with 2 way passive or 2-3 way active crossovers. The speakers are divided into two separate sections: the mid/tweeter section is detachable from the bass.

Apogee Acoustics has resolved fundamental problems inherent to ribbon acoustical transducer design. For the first time clarity, speed and power are provided over the entire music spectrum with a full range ribbon speaker system.

The combined tweeter, midrange and woofer ribbon coupled with APOGEE’s own seamless crossover provide:

Vanishing low distortion virtually flat frequency response no spurious coloration over entire music spectrum
Rise time consistent with the fastest amplifiers
Dynamic impact of 115 db SPL @ 4 meters on axis

Features

A virtually resonant free structural steel framework. A trapezoidal thousand square inch woofer panel designed to provide a broad non-resonant frequency response. Half inch wide tweeter ribbon and two inch wide mid-range ribbon are both eighty inches long utilizing patent filed magnetic and electromagnetic constraints that hold the ribbon within its magnetic field. This technique affords a combination of unprecedented power and clarity along with transient response and imaging. Extremely low ribbon mass permits almost instantaneous acceleration for unexcelled transient response. The FULL RANGE RIBBON SPEAKER SYSTEM is now available in a handsome architectural design.

APOGEE ACOUSTICS takes great pride in announcing a revolutionary development in loudspeaker design; the first full range ribbon speaker system. Previous sound system’s have employed ribbon-technology to provide outstanding performance in the high frequency, tweeter range. Now, with the addition of APOGEE’S midrange and woofer ribbon drivers, the excellence of the ribbon is made available from deep bass, through midrange and beyond the upper frequency limits of the acoustical range. The integration of the tweeter, midrange and woofer ribbons combined with seamless crossovers provides an outstanding clarity, resolution, spectral dispersion, depth, and dynamic range. Further, the tweeter operation as a line source reproduces the uncanny ambience of live music into your listening room.

The full range ribbon system reproduces classical music at Concert Hall sound levels but also has the dynamic range for ear splitting hard rock. The APOGEE ribbons play at a massive 115db acoustical power level at a 4 meter listening position in a 14×27 foot room using 100 watt per channel amplifiers in bi-amp configuration.

The system’s three drivers are mounted in an architectural structure that readily fits into most living room environments The speakers are sculptural in their appearance with dimensions of 80 inches in height, 35 inches width, and a depth of under 4 inches. The geometry of the three ribbons has been scaled to provide a combination of good power handling capacity, dispersion and a balanced tonal quality over the bass, midrange and upper frequencies. The woofer averages 12 inches in width covering a frequency band of below 25-400Hz, the midrange ribbon is two inches in width and covers the band from 400-3,500Hz while the tweeter covers the 3,500 to well over the 30,000Hz region.

The clarity, resolution, and wide dispersion of the midrange and tweeter are provided by the use of a ribbon element, free over its entire length except for the top and bottom mechanical support. This is the theoretically perfect-approach to sound reproduction; a limp conductor placed in a magnetic field. A force is generated uniformly across the area of the ribbon when the amplifier drives current through the ribbon. Hence, sound is reproduced without the normal structural coloration’s of speakers that do not have a pure force over area mechanization.

The midrange dipole driver consists of a two inch wide ribbon. The line source tweeter driver consists of a pair of one half inch ribbons radiating in phase acoustical power in both the forward and rear cylinders. The lime source acoustical power radiation provides impressive imaging, depth, sound stage, and live music ambience. The horizontal dispersion is essentially 360 degrees. Vertical dispersion is not an issue due to the tall line source geometry.