YG Acoustics Announces Sonja XV Loudspeaker

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asiufy

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Thanks, Dan!

Here's the press release, for those that don't want to click :)


The following is a press release issued by YG Acoustics.
Arvada, CO | July 29, 2016 - YG Acoustics™ (www.ygacoustics.com), the leading ultra-high-end speaker manufacturer, is proud to announce its latest creation Sonja™ XV .
Sonja™ XV is an extreme, four-tower version of Sonja™, created to celebrate YG Acoustics™’ upcoming 15 year anniversary (20022017). It combines everything that YG Acoustics™ knows about speaker-design, and incorporates several next-generation technologies that cannot be found elsewhere. Sonja™ XV – an entirely new sonic benchmark, truly extreme in every way...handmade in U.S.A.
Innovations include, first and foremost, a breakthrough tweeter made in-house, and proprietary cost-no-object bass inductors. These enhancements, together with an ability to move near-limitless amounts of air, result in an effortless listening experience that is typically only associated with a live musical performance.
The bass, mid-bass and midrange units are made in-house using YG Acoustics™’ proprietary BilletCore™ technology: the drivers are precisely machined out of massive slabs of aircraft-grade aluminum. This unique process offers overwhelmingly superior dynamics, musical delicacy and low distortion due to industry-leading rigidity and accuracy (tight tolerances). A pair of Sonja™ XV utilizes a total of 18 BilletCore™ drivers.
The brand new BilletDome™ tweeter is YG Acoustics™’ most complex mechanical invention to date: a resonance-free soft dome is supported by a stiff, light airframe machined from aluminum billet. The airframe weighs a mere 30 milligrams (a thousandth of an ounce), but its critical sections are up to 14 times thicker than a typical hard dome, so its structural strength is vastly superior even to domes made of the most exotic hard materials. Finally, a tweeter that ends the age-old debate of hard versus soft, by combining the best of both.
The tweeter’s motor is YG Acoustics™’ ingenious ForgeCore™ system: in-house CNC-cutting introduces sophisticated 3D geometries into the magnet system. The resulting improvement is greatly reduced distortion and a sense of ease to the sound.
YG Acoustics™ crossover circuits are all created using proprietary software developed entirely in-house. DualCoherent™ technology provides the best frequency response and relative phase available. Competing speakers are optimized in either the frequency domain (most common) or time domain. Only YG Acoustics™ has the ability to optimize both domains simultaneously.
Sonja™ XV’s bass crossover uses a brand new technology: ViseCoil™ inductors are CNC-wound in-house, then encased in a viselike milled structure to eliminate vibration and tighten tolerances. Residual loss is reduced by 24%, and linearity is improved by 60%. The result is better control over the woofers, far greater bass impact, and an easier job for most amplifiers.
Sonja™ XV’s mid and tweeter crossover uses ToroAir™ technology: in-house CNC-wound toroidal air-core inductors are unique in eliminating crosstalk (cross-contamination) common in crossover circuits. The result is preservation of high-frequency detail without harshness, brightness or sibilance.
Sonja™ XV’s exquisite cabinet combines visual refinement with over-engineering. It is constructed of precision-machined aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. This material, using vibration-free pressurized assembly, allows for the most acoustically desirable enclosure achievable. The multilayered structure is optimized for each module’s specific frequency range. This ensures the lowest vibration achievable, even at extreme volume levels.
FocusedElimination™ anti-resonance technology keeps mechanical losses lower than any competing speaker, by combining the minimized turbulence of a sealed design with the low friction otherwise associated with enclosure-free concepts.
YG Acoustics™ speakers are not voiced. All measurements are verified using extensive listening tests, but the speakers are not artificially manipulated. YG Acoustics™ speakers simply convey the recording – nothing more, nothing less.
The end-result: Sonja™ XV is the closest that YG Acoustics™ has ever come to the natural sound of a live performance. It will be heard by few and attained by even fewer, but those who hear it will likely echo the statement that YG
Acoustics™ President Yoav Geva made upon finishing his masterpiece: “From now on, when I listen to music, I want it to be either live or with Sonja™ XV”.
Expansions and Upgrades
Existing pairs of YG Acoustics™ Sonja™ can be expanded to Sonja™ XV, without the need to replace the speakers.
Sonja™ XV, in addition to its state-of-the-art two-channel (stereo) performance, is also fully compatible with multichannel audio and home-theater systems. Sonja™ XV can also be combined with speakers from YG Acoustics™’ other lines for properly phase-coherent multichannel systems.
Specifications
Deviation:
±1 dB in the audible band
±5° relative phase throughout entire overlap
Exceptional pair-matching
Usable output extends from below 20 Hz to above 40 kHz
Drivers:
A four-way, four-tower system with a total of 20 drivers per pair of speakers BilletCore™ ultra-high-rigidity woofers, mid-woofers and mids BilletDome™ ultra-low-distortion tweeter, unique to Sonja™ XV
Filters:
Sonja™ XV is fully-passive Proprietary DualCoherent™ crossover at 65 Hz, 337 Hz and 1.75 kHz Designed using software developed in-house ViseCoil™ bass inductors reduce residual loss and improve linearity, for greater bass impact and an easier job for most amplifiers ToroAir™ mid and tweeter inductors eliminate crosstalk
Sensitivity:
88 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m 2? anechoic
Impedance:
4? nominal, 3.5? minimum
Dimensions:
4 towers, each 179x43x72 cm (70x17x28”) HxWxD
Weight:
4 towers, each 210 kg (463 lbs) per channel unpackaged
Shipping weight of a pair is 1.3 tons
Price:
U.S. MSRP $265,900 per pair


 

LL21

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Thanks for posting...i give YG a lot of credit for creating a four tower reference system...that allows current sonja owners to upgrade without having to get rid of their existing speakers. Well done.
 

DaveyF

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Alex, the new Sonya XV must be quite some speaker...the current Sonya's sound amazing, I'm thinking these new ones must be top 5!
Any idea how big a room one needs to have to accommodate this system?
 

Mike Lavigne

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as an owner of an integrated 4 tower speaker system this does arouse my curiosity.

I read the press release 3 times to try and find answers to questions I have.....but I'm not seeing those answers.....so here goes;

in what way are the main towers integrated? do the main towers roll off at the bottom or are the main towers full range and stand alone (are the main towers changed to only work properly when integrated with the bass towers)? is there adjustability (analog EQ) to the bass towers for room compatibility? are the bass towers powered or is the whole 4 tower system passive? is there any external crossover or if not can this set-up be bi-amped or tri-amped?

the 88db, 4ohm spec.......is that for both towers using the same 'single' amplifier channel?

sorry if I missed these answers in the press release.
 

Folsom

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As a fan of the performance, I have to ask, why do I want a speaker where I need to sit at counter height to get my head near the tweeter? It's about 6 ft high.
 

DaveyF

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As a fan of the performance, I have to ask, why do I want a speaker where I need to sit at counter height to get my head near the tweeter? It's about 6 ft high.

Funny you should bring that up. The height of the tweeter was the only thing about the speaker that I did question after hearing them. To my ears, the sound of the High freq's did seem to mainly propagate from the top of the stage. It wasn't an unpleasant effect, but it also wasn't always that realistic. OTOH, the tweeter's were, IMO, excellent and very resolving with no ringing or other untoward issues. Perhaps the height of the tweeter was designed so that a listener would be somewhat forced to listen further back??? Nonetheless, I still think very highly of the Sonja's.
 

BlueFox

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From putting speakers on plinths, it seems that an elevated tweeter is softer on my ears, but still the same music wise.
 

asiufy

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OK, I can answer *some* of those questions, and others I'll look for the answers at the source tomorrow!

First, height. See, unlike some speakers, the YGs don't need to be set up in a triangle. You don't need to be sitting close to them. The idea with the Sonja 1.3 is that you'll have a large enough room that you could be sitting so far from the speaker that the tweeter is actually firing toward you. Also, with the Sonja 1.3, you can raise the back severely, to ameliorate the height issue. And finally, with the 1.3, you can also place that bottom woofer module off to the side of the main (1.2) tower. YG makes a special top cover for the woofer module, so it looks neat.

I'm a big fan of YG's current tweeter, specially since we can compare the old Scanspeak they used on YG Carmel versus their own on YG Carmel 2, and the difference is shocking. I can't imagine how they could better this one, but apparently they did...

Now, these are completely passive. I don't know the hook up details, but I understand there's no outboard crossover. Also, I'd be really surprised if there's any tweaking/adjustability involved... Going by what you can do with Sonja 1.3, you'll be able to feed it as many amps as you want :)

Mike, this design is a little like your MM7, in that the main tower is a full range beast by itself, and the 2nd tower complements it.

You'll see 3 mid-woofers in the XV, where the Sonja 1.3 had only 1 larger unit. This is to provide better mid-mid and mid-bass, allowing the bottom woofer (and 2nd woofer tower) to handle bass duties only.

If anybody wants to listen to these beauties, the factory will host demonstrations during RMAF. And if anybody wants to go before that, let me know, and I can arrange :) Can't wait to hear these!
 

Folsom

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I haven't found aiming tweeters to correct differences in height. But I suppose these could sound just fine anyways.
 

asiufy

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Folsom,

This is not a guess. We have experimented with Sonja 1.3 here in our main room. By raising the back, the image would lower. Still, given the height of the speaker, and how much you can raise the back, you're still looking at being about 3 meters away from it for a proper soundstage height (in our room)
 

Folsom

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I believe you. The distance requirement makes sense. There's no other choice but to have a large room then I suppose. Will the tweeter be offered in smaller versions I wonder?
 

Mike Lavigne

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OK, I can answer *some* of those questions, and others I'll look for the answers at the source tomorrow!.........

Now, these are completely passive. I don't know the hook up details, but I understand there's no outboard crossover. Also, I'd be really surprised if there's any tweaking/adjustability involved... Going by what you can do with Sonja 1.3, you'll be able to feed it as many amps as you want :)

the whole 'hookup' methodology will be interesting. I look forward to more details.

Mike, this design is a little like your MM7, in that the main tower is a full range beast by itself, and the 2nd tower complements it.

in the MM7's the main towers are rolled off. if you play them by themselves on 2/3'rds of the music something is clearly missing. the MM7 main towers do descend into the 20hz range on their own; but their 'fullness' is not sufficient to use 'stand alone'. on paper they are full range as far as frequencies but they rely on the MM7 bass towers to fill in the heft in those frequencies.

my question regarding the main towers being 'stand alone' has to do with seamless integration with the bass towers. from my perspective unless there is a roll off at the bottom with the main towers overlap is inevitable. so the main towers in a true integrated 4 tower 'system' ought to be rolled off. otherwise it's no different than adding subs to any full range speaker system. OTOH maybe there is another way to achieve seamlessness with a full range main tower. I have every expectation that YG has found their own solution to the integration challenge.

You'll see 3 mid-woofers in the XV, where the Sonja 1.3 had only 1 larger unit. This is to provide better mid-mid and mid-bass, allowing the bottom woofer (and 2nd woofer tower) to handle bass duties only.

If anybody wants to listen to these beauties, the factory will host demonstrations during RMAF. And if anybody wants to go before that, let me know, and I can arrange :) Can't wait to hear these!

I'm on the fence whether I'm attending RMAF......but if I go i'll try to hear these. I applaud YG for going down this road.
 
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asiufy

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Hey Mike!

Yeah, I get what you're saying re: "fullness". On paper, the MM2 and MM3 have the same bass output. But guess what? The MM3 has that extra "fullness" that's endearing! The MM7 probably just takes it to the max. The same happens with the YG Sonjas. The 1.2 version has the same low bass range as the 1.3, but the 1.3 just produces more OUTPUT at those low frequencies, which helps when filling a larger room, and makes things feel "fuller" indeed.

I do expect to be a roll off in the main tower, as there's only 1 driver doing bass duties there (the others are mid-bass), so the output from the main tower, while full range, will need the extra help from the 2nd tower

One thing that helps YG is that they have created their own crossover design software, and it's able to optimize for both time and frequency domains. That said, I believe there'll be guidelines in regards to positioning the bass towers, in relation to the main tower, in order to keep that coherency intact...

cheers!
alex
 

MadFloyd

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I also like the idea of 2 extra bass towers to get more 'heft'. This sounds like an exciting product. Too bad about the price!
 

asiufy

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Steve, it's $265900.
 

Mike Lavigne

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Hey Mike!

Yeah, I get what you're saying re: "fullness". On paper, the MM2 and MM3 have the same bass output. But guess what? The MM3 has that extra "fullness" that's endearing! The MM7 probably just takes it to the max. The same happens with the YG Sonjas. The 1.2 version has the same low bass range as the 1.3, but the 1.3 just produces more OUTPUT at those low frequencies, which helps when filling a larger room, and makes things feel "fuller" indeed.

I do expect to be a roll off in the main tower, as there's only 1 driver doing bass duties there (the others are mid-bass), so the output from the main tower, while full range, will need the extra help from the 2nd tower

One thing that helps YG is that they have created their own crossover design software, and it's able to optimize for both time and frequency domains. That said, I believe there'll be guidelines in regards to positioning the bass towers, in relation to the main tower, in order to keep that coherency intact...

cheers!
alex

Alex,

what I meant by 'fullness' is getting a flat response (or.....desired response) through the lower bass region. more deep bass extension and increased headroom and authority are added benefits but flat response is essential.

the MM7 main tower rolls off through the 30hz range and 20hz range. so by itself it's not flat nor intended to be. then depending on the room you use the EQ adjustability in the bass towers to flatten the response mostly with gain and crossover setting (there is also 'Q' and 'Extension'). system fine tuning is possible. the MM2 and MM3 have these same adjustments but you are dealing with a whole different frequency region (60hz-125hz) since they don't have the -4- 11" mid-woofers of the MM7.

a few months back when I added the Furutech NCF plugs to my two amplifier EA power cords I had a resulting tonal shift upward (slight glare) along with lots more space and detail. I was able to very slightly change the crossover point to get back to neutral tonality. a speaker system without this ability (but faced with the same problem) would present the user with a likely removal of those plugs forfeiting the benefits since the downside could not be eliminated.
 

Ron Resnick

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I am a huge fan of the four column loudspeaker concept in general. It raises complexity and cost but, among other advantages, it:

(i) avoids huge woofers vibrating the midrange and tweeter drivers;

(ii) allows one designer to design and solve for a truly full frequency range result;

(iii) allows the designer the option to design and build-in the amplifiers to power the subwoofer towers so that the amplification can be optimized specifically for the particular design;

(iv) allows the audiophile flexibility to locate the subwoofer towers in the room as desired for best and flattest bass response; and

(v) takes up a lot of room, weighs a ton or so, and, when playing, scares both the neighbors and the birds.
 

LL21

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Alex,

what I meant by 'fullness' is getting a flat response (or.....desired response) through the lower bass region. more deep bass extension and increased headroom and authority are added benefits but flat response is essential.

the MM7 main tower rolls off through the 30hz range and 20hz range. so by itself it's not flat nor intended to be. then depending on the room you use the EQ adjustability in the bass towers to flatten the response mostly with gain and crossover setting (there is also 'Q' and 'Extension'). system fine tuning is possible. the MM2 and MM3 have these same adjustments but you are dealing with a whole different frequency region (60hz-125hz) since they don't have the -4- 11" mid-woofers of the MM7.

a few months back when I added the Furutech NCF plugs to my two amplifier EA power cords I had a resulting tonal shift upward (slight glare) along with lots more space and detail. I was able to very slightly change the crossover point to get back to neutral tonality. a speaker system without this ability (but faced with the same problem) would present the user with a likely removal of those plugs forfeiting the benefits since the downside could not be eliminated.

On a less super-custom basis, i will say that even our Velodyne DD18+ controls (which include an 8-band EQ, low pass crossover and crossover slope, subsonic filter/roll-off (for sub 15hz/vinyl issues), phase shift and Q, as well as how hard you want the servo-correction to work) are indeed very helpful in setting up the bass so that the music sounds absolutely solid and flat all the way down into the teens in hz. I can only imagine with it must be like when the full design is customized throughout the frequency range and fully integrated into one design. I suppose Wilson Crossover & Thors would be the closest which i have heard are truly awe-inspiring when set up well.

Velodyne DD18+ Measurements July 29 2016.jpg
 
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