Grimm Audio LS1 V2 Caramel Bamboo (Pair)
The Grimm Audio LS1 is the most technologically advanced loudspeaker system ever!A good monitor combines a high degree of accuracy with untrammeled musicality. There aren't many of those around - common wisdom has it that you can have one or the other but never both. The LS1 is the first monitor to prove conventional wisdom wrong.By integrating top quality digital signal processing, converters and amplifiers in one of the speakers' legs, Grimm Audio was able to apply technical strategies no one had used before. As a consequence, the LS1 is not just a loudspeaker, but a complete audio system that only needs an analog or digital line source to perform.“This speaker is explicitly for those who want the most neutral and transparent sound reproduction, no corners were cut.”True accuracy is about getting all the bits in the right place: not losing anything, not adding anything either. The LS1 offers this accuracy, reproducing a truly musical recording accurately, with all beauty intact. At the same time, the LS1 will also reproduce any imperfection, giving you all the information you need to get it right. These qualities make the LS1 an ideal monitor for both mastering and mixing.Don't let the stylish industrial design and finish fool you: the shape of this loudspeaker is the outcome of thorough psychoacoustical and acoustical research. Its small sealed box (14 litres) is much wider than it is deep, is designed to provide an effective baffle down to around 250 Hz.That way, the LS1 achieves a reasonable constant directivity in 2π space above 250 Hz (with a natural and progressive “narrowing” of its high frequency off-axis response) minimizing many of the listening room’s detrimental effects (Psychoacoustics tells us that below about 300 Hz the ear will no longer clearly discern direct sound, first reflections or reverberant sound), while below 250 Hz the speaker gradually transitions to omnidirectional.“The wide baffle halves the volume into which the sound is radiated, thereby halving room problems as well. The cylindrical sides eliminate the classical "big box" colouration that is caused by edge diffractions.”The LS1 is suspended between two half cylinders that combat diffraction and function as an integral two-legged floor stand. An 8" magnesium woofer and a 1" dome tweeter divide the work between them. Smart use of DSP linearizes the frequency response and allows for a controlled bass response down to 35 Hz.Housed in one of the two legs are a 48/76-bit DSP, digital I/O, AD/DA converters, the same clock circuit as Grimm’s own CC1 master clock and the drive electronics, encompassing two 180W Class D power amplifiers of the groundbreaking Hypex NCore type.The concept of the LS1 draws maximum benefit from intelligent application of DSP technology. An IIR crossover imposes exact LR4 acoustic slopes crossing at 1550 Hz, and the phase is subsequently corrected using an idealised inverted all-pass filter, resulting in a maximally linear phase response without any pre-echo’s. This removes the “digital loudspeaker sound signature” typical of the more ubiquitous impulse inverted FIR designs.“The waveguide tweeter, the perfectly pistonic woofer (both by the world famous Seas company) and the very low crossover frequency insure that the sound is radiated in an unusually wide and even manner.Grimm LS1’s carefully controlled acoustics form the basis for the active DSP based filter which welds the driver responses together into the most even-handed frequency response and the fastest impulse response you'll ever hear.”The LS1 is also a very practical loudspeaker. Its digital input allows them to be connected without further ado to network players like Squeezebox or Sonos, or to a Mac or PC using the included USB converter. The pictures on the right hand show a few options.Despite their compact size, these floor standing speakers are clearly intended as main monitors in mastering studios and mixing rooms that have space to put free-standing speakers. The DSP controlled analog subwoofer output allows for easy integration with stereo subwoofers, for those that need high SPL performance below 40 Hz.By selecting Grimm’s own LS1s subwoofers, perfect integration with the main system is obtained, effectively turning the LS1 into a threeway system.More info can be found at the LS1 remote and the LS1s subwoofer page.For Measurement Charts (both in-house and third party – German Audio Magazine’s May 2013 issue) and photos of the LS1 please refer to the pictures section of this page.Features:Unidirectional down to 250 HzDSP controlled frequency curveWell-behaved off-axis responseDigital and analog audio inputsFiltered analog subwoofer outputFail safe due to excursion and thermal limiterMidi control of volume and settingsSuper low distortion NCore class D power ampsAudiophile quality Seas driversRemote control optionDifferent color scheme options Specifications:· Frequency response: 55Hz-30kHz +/-0.5dB. 45Hz-40kHz -3dB(Low corner is user-settable between 35 Hz and 100 Hz, Q=0.7 or 0.5)With the addition of the LS1s Subwoofers, the LS1 can perform almost down to the infrasonic range· Deviation from minimum phase +/-2°· Amplifier power: 2x180W· Max SPL: 109dB/1m· SNR: 114dB (unweighted)· Crossover function: 1.55 kHz LR4, sum corrected to minimum phase.· Latency: 2ms· Internal volume: 14 litres· Height: 1150mm, 1450mm - available on demand.· Width, depth: 520mm X 160mmFurther Resources:· Download the LS1 PC remote software