Foreword / YouTube Video Review

I was loaned these to review by the manufacturer. I was not paid nor did I receive any other form of compensation for this review.

All my reviews are done on my own time with great care to give you all the best set of data and information I can provide in order to help you make a well-informed purchase decision. I offer this for free to all who are interested. In return, if you want to support this site please see the bottom of this review for ways you can help. It is greatly appreciated.

Manufacturer Specs:

• True 3-Way Driver Design: Employs a 3-inch coaxial driver for high/mid frequencies, along with a 3.5-inch active woofer and 5-inch passive radiator for deep bass extension down to 45Hz.
• Versatile Connectivity: Supports multiple inputs including RCA, optical, USB, coaxial, and Bluetooth.
• On-Board DSP Control: Features dual EQ modes (Monitor/Media) and easily adjustable high/low frequency gain settings.
• Compact Footprint: Measuring just 108mm × 199mm × 192mm, the small enclosure makes it ideal for crowded studio and desk spaces.

As of this writing MSRP is $800 USD/pair direct from the manufacturer.

Back:

CTA-2034 (SPINORAMA) and Accompanying Data

All data collected using Klippel’s Near-Field Scanner. The Near-Field-Scanner 3D (NFS) offers a fully automated acoustic measurement of direct sound radiated from the source under test. The radiated sound is determined in any desired distance and angle in the 3D space outside the scanning surface. Directivity, sound power, SPL response and many more key figures are obtained for any kind of loudspeaker and audio system in near field applications (e.g. studio monitors, mobile devices) as well as far field applications (e.g. professional audio systems). Utilizing a minimum of measurement points, a comprehensive data set is generated containing the loudspeaker’s high resolution, free field sound radiation in the near and far field. For a detailed explanation of how the NFS works and the science behind it, please watch the below discussion with designer Christian Bellmann:

IMPORTANT SETUP INFO: This speaker was measured with the reference point at the tweeter. Speaker was broken in. This speaker has various DSP options. I tested the speaker with the default settings but the manufacturer does provide the response adjustments on their website. I’ve provided a hyperlinked image below.

Note: This is absoltely a desktop speaker and not intended for any listening in a farfield environment. Therefore, be cautious to not evaluate this speaker’s performance based on farfield conditions. Evaluate the speaker on the on-axis or slightly off-axis anechoic response rather than the estimated in-room response.

Measurements are provided in a format in accordance with the Standard Method of Measurement for In-Home Loudspeakers (ANSI/CTA-2034-A R-2020). For more information, please see this link.

CTA-2034 / SPINORAMA:

The On-axis Frequency Response (0°) is the universal starting point and in many situations it is a fair representation of the first sound to arrive at a listener’s ears.

The Listening Window is a spatial average of the nine amplitude responses in the ±10º vertical and ±30º horizontal angular range. This encompasses those listeners who sit within a typical home theater audience, as well as those who disregard the normal rules when listening alone.

The Early Reflections curve is an estimate of all single-bounce, first-reflections, in a typical listening room.

Sound Power represents all of the sounds arriving at the listening position after any number of reflections from any direction. It is the weighted rms average of all 70 measurements, with individual measurements weighted according to the portion of the spherical surface that they represent.

Sound Power Directivity Index (SPDI): In this standard the SPDI is defined as the difference between the listening window curve and the sound power curve.

Early Reflections Directivity Index (EPDI): is defined as the difference between the listening window curve and the early reflections curve. In small rooms, early reflections figure prominently in what is measured and heard in the room so this curve may provide insights into potential sound quality.

Early Reflections Breakout:

Floor bounce: average of 20º, 30º, 40º down

Ceiling bounce: average of 40º, 50º, 60º up

Front wall bounce: average of 0º, ± 10º, ± 20º, ± 30º horizontal

Side wall bounces: average of ± 40º, ± 50º, ± 60º, ± 70º, ± 80º horizontal

Rear wall bounces: average of 180º, ± 90º horizontal

Estimated In-Room Response:

In theory, with complete 360-degree anechoic data on a loudspeaker and sufficient acoustical and geometrical data on the listening room and its layout it would be possible to estimate with good precision what would be measured by an omnidirectional microphone located in the listening area of that room. By making some simplifying assumptions about the listening space, the data set described above permits a usefully accurate preview of how a given loudspeaker might perform in a typical domestic listening room. Obviously, there are no guarantees, because individual rooms can be acoustically aberrant. Sometimes rooms are excessively reflective (“live”) as happens in certain hot, humid climates, with certain styles of interior décor and in under-furnished rooms. Sometimes rooms are excessively “dead” as in other styles of décor and in some custom home theaters where acoustical treatment has been used excessively. This form of post processing is offered only as an estimate of what might happen in a domestic living space with carpet on the floor and a “normal” amount of seating, drapes and cabinetry.

For these limited circumstances it has been found that a usefully accurate Predicted In-Room (PIR) amplitude response, also known as a “room curve” is obtained by a weighted average consisting of 12 % listening window, 44 % early reflections and 44 % sound power. At very high frequencies errors can creep in because of excessive absorption, microphone directivity, and room geometry. These discrepancies are not considered to be of great importance.

Horizontal Contour Plot (normalized):

Vertical Contour Plot (normalized):

Additional Measurements

Response Linearity

Horizontal Frequency Response:

Vertical Frequency Response:

Step Response

Group Delay

Burst Decay

This data is full anechoic where most spectral decay type graphics are created using quasi-anechoic data. For more information on the differences between Burst Decay and Cumulative Spectral Decay (CSD) graphics please see Section 6.5 of the ARTA User Manual linked below. I would like to extend a professional "thank you" to Ivo Mateljan for this software.

ARTA User Manual

Harmonic Distortion

Harmonic Distortion at 86dB @ 1m:

Harmonic Distortion at 96dB @ 1m:

Dynamic Range (Instantaneous Compression Test)

The below graphic indicates just how much SPL is lost (compression) or gained (enhancement; usually due to distortion) when the speaker is played at higher output volumes instantly via a 2.7 second logarithmic sine sweep referenced to 76dB at 1 meter. The signals are played consecutively without any additional stimulus applied. Then normalized against the 76dB result.

The tests are conducted in this fashion:

1. 76dB at 1 meter (baseline; black)
2. 86dB at 1 meter (red)
3. 96dB at 1 meter (blue)
4. 102dB at 1 meter (purple)

The purpose of this test is to illustrate how much (if at all) the output changes as a speaker’s components temperature increases (i.e., voice coils, crossover components) instantaneously.

Multitone Distortion

The following tests are conducted at (4) approximate equivalent output volumes: 70/79/87/96dB @ 1 meter. The (4) voltages listed in the legend result in these SPL values. This test signal is dense, similar to pink noise and excites the entire spectrums listed below at the same time. The test signal lasts 30 seconds. This is different than the sine wave test signal used to measure frequency response. The purpose of this distortion and compression test is to illustrate how much (if at all) the output changes as a speaker’s components temperature increases (i.e., voice coils, crossover components) over time.

Given the test signal is similar to pink noise and exciting the entire spectrum at the same time I also include compression results, which is captured at the same time distortion is captured. Sometimes these results differ from the compression results you see above (namely with powered designs incorporating DSP-based limiting).

Note: The KLIPPEL software shows compression in the positive scale.

The test was conducted in (3) manners:

1. Full bandwidth (20Hz to 20kHz)
2. 80Hz to 20kHz

The reason for the two measurements is to simulate running the speaker full range vs using a high-pass filter at 80Hz. However, note: the 2nd test low frequency limit at 80Hz is a “brick wall” and doesn’t quite emulate a standard filter of 12 or 24dB/octave. But… it’s close enough to illustrate the point.

1. Full bandwidth (20Hz to 20kHz)

2. 80Hz to 20kHz

Parting / Random Thoughts

This speaker is built like a miniature tank. The aluminum enclosure gives the impression of high quality and - objectively speaking - the performance is just about there.

I want to say this again: the aluminum enclosure is badass. I know I shouldn’t be swayed by such things but I’m only human (born to make mistakes, as Human League so succinctly put it).

The 3-way design and implementation of the 3-inch coaxial driver gives the speaker a rather wide sweet spot. Frequency response linearity is pretty good but with the typical coaxial diffraction elements we see from more budget friendly coaxial drive units. The exception to this tends to be the much more costly reference designs from KEF and Genelec. Normally I’d suggest listening to these speakers slightly off-axis at about 10° toed-out (away from the listener; right side to right shoulder and left to left) because this tends smooths out these diffraction issues. Not really the case here, though. Still, I think the slightly off-axis aiming would help to yield a more neutral treble response because - as is - there is a slight rise in the treble that I personally am not fond of.

Maximum SPL is limited to approximately 86dB. Note that my multitone testing for 80Hz does not show the final output of 96dB. Frankly, I was concerned about damaging the speaker because it had exhibited such high compression with the full band test so I ended the test. There is enough evidence from the full-band testing to tell us the output limitation is approximately 86dB and the multitone distortion is very high at this point. But they’re a desktop speaker so as long as you don’t use them in the farfield these issues are rather moot.

Worth mentioning is that the manufacturer has a whole plethora of data. Yes, a plethora. You can check it out here. As a reviewer who relies heavily on objective data to relay performance this is really nice to see.

Overall, a cool speaker that has excellent build quality, good performance and a lot of tonal adjustments via the on-board DSP.

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