Last month, I visited Clarisys Audio Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, with audio buddy NK, who shares my passion for ribbons. Florian Wiegand, co-founder of Clarisys Audio, courteously picked us up at the airport. After a brief stop at our hotel, he drove us straight to the showroom.
The showroom is situated in an industrial complex and features a spacious, tall design, which is essential for demonstrating large systems such as the 265 cm-tall Atrium. Florian mentioned in passing that he actually envisioned the Atriums being 300 cm tall, but that this would not fit through the building’s hallway. Thus, the team “made do” with a slightly shorter version.
Each time I meet him, I am captivated by Florian’s passion and dedication. He can (and did!) talk all day about anything and everything related to audio and, of course, speaker design in particular. To better answer our questions, he took a practical approach by taking apart a Clarisys Piccolo and showing us precisely what matters in the design, how the foils are tuned, and what to look out for. He even took the time to connect a measurement microphone to a laptop to demonstrate to us, both audibly and in computer software, how not just low tension, but also uneven tension across the foil can incur resonances. Then, he illustrated how the precise ribbon tension affects bass depth versus precision. One of the upsides of a Clarisys speaker is that all parameters, including the tension, can be adjusted at any time, and the foils remain accessible from both the front and the back. The modular system even allows the ribbons to be replaced by the end user.
The showroom features an extensive multi-amplifier system using four VAC Master 300 iQ Musicbloc mono/stereo tube amplifiers driven with an Accuphase four-way DF-75 Digital Active Crossover and time delay, to accommodate any Clarisys speaker model. In particular, the unit’s delay function enables accurate time alignment of multi-tower speaker systems, such as the new Atrium, even when the Mid/Treble towers and Woofer towers are separated and the subwoofer panels are positioned several meters farther back.
During our visit, the newly released and very impressive 4-way, 6-tower Atrium speaker system was set up as the active system. Other Clarisys Audio models present at that time included the Piccolo, Minuet, and Auditorium.
Possibly the ideal size for most: the Minuet. For listening impressions, see my review at PUUR highfidelity in Zeist, the Netherlands.
The smallest model, Piccolo, may be physically tiny, but, like the small classic Apogee Stage, it features double-foil bass panels to compensate. Based on my initial experiences at PUUR high-fidelity, the Piccolos deliver a surprisingly full-bodied, rich, sweet, and expansive sound.
If all goes according to plan, I might be reviewing this model in the context of my system soon.
The Auditorium was Clarisys’ first 3-way model, seen here in its latest incarnation, with its impressive CNC’d backside shown on the left. This was the largest model until the recent introduction of the 6-tower Atrium. As a large three-way single-enclosure speaker, it occupies the second flagship position in the Clarisys Audio lineup.
This is Clarisys Audio’s largest system currently: the 6-tower, 4-way Atrium, as seen above. The full-size subwoofer panels are obscured from view by the two front towers.
Above is a photo from the Clarisys Facebook page, showing the brand-new Aria model in front of the Atrium. Sadly, we just missed it.
The Clarisys portfolio includes two additional models that were not on display: the 3-way Studio (between the Minuet and the Auditorium) and the brand-new four-panel Aria. Based on the Atrium, the Aria is a (relatively) more modest-sized system with smaller panels, yet still offers the freedom to position the bass and midrange/treble towers independently.
Next: Auditorium and Aria
