Linha Luthier - Arte & Engenharia

Called "Luthier" (a word derived from the French "luth" - lute). Every professional who builds stringed instruments (such as violins, violas, cellos, guitars, lutes and mandolins) The story gave us great artists in this area, where the technique of conjunction and care in building associated with a rare musical sensitivity were always their advantage.

The Audiopax is internationally recognized for its amps and preamps but few know that the speakers were the first audio devices developed by our founder Eduardo de Lima and his deep knowledge in this field has led us to the revolutionary theories about the interaction between amplifiers and speakers, something later "translated" in all our equipment by Timbre Lock® unique feature. Much of our participation in international shows was made with boxes manufactured by us and in all these cases our rooms were considered one of the best (sometimes the best) of these events.

The Audiopax proud to be associated with the construction of its new line of speakers all their knowledge and background in engineering with the art of renowned luthiers, now exclusively dedicated to this Nov. challenge - providing tools for sound reproduction. The result is readily apparent, not only for the stunning and unprecedented finish, with parallel only in the construction of the best musical instruments, as well as the listening experience, result in the choice of the best components without compromise.

Extension, dynamics, timbre and musicality surrounded by a breathtaking finish. Musical instruments that completely disappear at the time of hearing, recreating with complete accuracy the original musical event.

Specifications

Power Handling

Mandolin:10W - 150W

Arpeggione:5 W - 200W

Frequency response

Mandolin: 35Hz - 40KHz (+/-3 dB)

Arpeggione: 28Hz - 40KHz(+/-3 dB)

Sensitivity

Mandolin: 90dB / 2,83V / 1m

Arpeggione:92 dB / 2,83V / 1m

Impedance

Mandolin:Nominal: 8 ohms/ Mininal : 7 ohms

Arpeggione:Nominal: 8 ohms/ Mininal : 6 ohms

Dimension (W/H/D)

Mandolin: 114 x 30 x 43

Arpeggione:140 x 45 x 59

Weight

Mandolin:32kg

Arpeggione:60kg

The development of Luthier Line

It is called "luthier" - a word derived from the French luth (lute) - any craftsman who builds stringed instruments (such as violins, violas, cellos, guitars, mandolins and lutes). The story gave us great artists in that area, where the combination of skill and care in construction with a rare musical sensibility was always his differential. AUDIOPAX is proud to have associated in the making of its new line of speakers all his knowledge and background in engineering with the art of renowned luthiers, now exclusively dedicated to a new challenge - to create instruments for sound reproduction. The result is readily apparent, not only by the stunning and unprecedented finish, with only a parallel at the construction of the finest musical instruments, but also as the resulting sound.All projects Audiopax are based on a seemingly simple concept but entirely affects their implementations: we believe that one of the most important parameters of sound reproduction is the control of variations of the distortion function of frequency, power and impedance . In addition to being a unique concept - we know of no other company in the market that make it their basic development reference - is also as solid conceptually that can be applied to our entire product line. That way we can, for example, pursue this goal through innovative valve circuits or the speakers construction with mechanical properties, electrical and magnetic specifically designed for this purpose.

The speakers Mandolin and Arpeggione are born this basic concept and it was pursued especially in acoustic settings, the crossover design and the choice and the construction of the drivers used to develop a speaker High efficiency and low coloring, both quickly and music. It should also be an easy adaptation box at any electronics and capable of displaying musicality and nuances of a frighteningly real way.

The first challenge was related to the building: how to get the acoustic design minimal mechanical interference in the drivers depending on the power and frequency of the applied signal? Apparently the answer to this question led to a model almost impossible construction: complete absence of parallels and linear behavior of resonances within certain bands (driver the driver variables).

We understand that we win this challenge with choosing the perfect professional for this task: Renato Lira, one luthier with 25 years of experience in the construction of acoustic and electric musical instruments. Together with the entire project team Audiopax he designed a visually innovative design that meets all the established noise requirements and that, despite maintaining processes with very difficult implementations, can be made possible within the premises of the true art "luthiery" : each box is always done by hand, just like the best musical instruments. The chosen format and details and interior asymmetries are directly responsible, together with the alignment Thielle / Small modified employee, control and clarity of bass and the absolutely consistent transition between all tracks.

Also the drivers were chosen, modified and built to meet the control concept index frequency distortion variations, power and impedance, which is affected by the mechanical properties, electrical and magnetic properties of each unit. It's a set of decisions which committed relationships are always needed and often different paths are taken for each driver. For the tweeter chosen a Scan Speak Ring Radiator, who with his patented membrane format silk proved to be the better and more balanced for this application.

The average units were made according to each box using assumptions: for Mandolin used as a basis one of the rare examples of drivers made without mechanical compensation for distortion (something that escapes the natural behavior we want), adding to it first steps of handmade modifications within our laboratories. For the Arpeggione selected the best ceramic drivers of the market, something carefully married to the design and use of this box. Bass units, in both cases, are also based on modified commercial drivers according to our specifications by the manufacturer that created thus an exclusive series for Audiopax.

The choice of drivers with unusual characteristics (always related to the initial objective cited) also allowed the use of crossovers series / parallel, a topology rarely used in speakers to be extremely critical of the quality of material used. Over a year was spent on the project and the definition of parts used in crossovers. All coils are built by own Audiopax according to a unique technology patented by NuCore (from a use of chord between companies) and the capacitors are developed exclusively for the Audiopax the known audio market company high-end Jupiter Condensers, who worked closely with our engineers for two years to achieve our design assumptions.

All this care resulted in the creation of the most exclusive (and expensive) crossovers already made, perfectly synergistic with the innovative acoustic design and the selected drivers.

Reviews/Awards

AUDIOPAX is internationally recognized for its electronics but few know that it started as a loudspeaker company and the study of the interaction between these components and the amplifiers led to the invention of award-winning feature Timbre Lock ®, used nowadays in all our amplifiers and preamplifiers. Our last generation of loudspeakers - the “Luthier Line” – won several nominations for "Best of Show" in Sao Paulo (HiEnd 2011 and 2012), Munich (High End 2011) and Las Vegas (T.H.E. Show 2011).

In his review of the Arpeggione Loudspeakers for the Audio & Video Magazine, the main high-end publication from Brazil, Fernando Andrette exposes his impressions about the result of the use of our unique philosophies related to sound reproduction, something that really differentiates us also in building speakers.

"The bass is of very high quality, in its extension as well as the air displacement and speed. Its profile is very impressive, with an degree of size, accuracy and intelligibility that makes you want to listen at a higher volume. The mid-range appeared very transparent and incredibly natural and reminded me very much of electroacoustic speakers, such as Quads. And the high-end also has great extension and smooth decay.

Like all AUDIOPAX products, it’s impossible to ignore its recreation of textures (I would say this characteristic is the highlight of this manufacturer). You can clearly hear details in the harmonic spectrum and the musical structure that are barely perceptible by other products.”

In his review of the High End 2011 Munich (when played with the Arpeggione), after commenting on the best systems in each of the "two worlds" the high end (in the case of amplification would be represented by the valve and solid state), Srajan Ebaen ends his text with a certainty ... "Between those two approaches there was a third which split the difference. Here to my ears Audiopax had the best example.” [Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

Clement Perry inclui a Audiopax como uma das melhores salas da feira de Munich de 2011… "Most Surprising performance. Nothing imposing here although those Audiopax SET amps and Audio Stone setup are far from the usual (above). The intimate sense of "right" coming from of this setup was its most attractive feature.”
[Clement Perry - Stereo Times]

A Alen Audio considerou a sala da Audiopax com os Maggiore M100, Model 5 SE e caixas Arpeggione como a melhor de todo o evento na feira de Munich de 2011… "Y, por último, nuestro premio al mejor sonido del show: el extraordinario sistema de Audiopax en el que el propio diseñador, EDUARDO DE LIMA, nos acompañó durante la presentación. Simplemente SOBERBIO.”
[Alen Audio]

Clement Perry comments on the Audiopax room in HighEnd Munich 2011 ... “The sound in the Audiopax room totally caught me off guard and was so much better than the excellent sound heard at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year.... The Audiopax Maggiore M100 SE mono amplifiers debuted at this year's show and could very well be responsible for the incredible amounts of delicacy, decay and dynamics heard in this setup. Note from the photos here, the Arpeggione loudspeakers were really out into the room. This presented a sense of realistic space, depth and three-dimensionality that was truly hypnotic. Congrats to the folks who did the setup. The 92 dB/8 Ohm efficient Audiopax Arpeggione loudspeaker. Remarkably ordinary to look at but trust me, there's nothing ordinary about the sound of this most musical transducer. Among the Best Sounds at this year's show.”
[Clement Perry - Stereo Times]

"I spent a long time listening to music in the Audiopax room, where Eduardo de Lima explained the various and extensive changes made to his range of high end electronics... The sound was amongst the very best at the show, and it is clear music comes first in this Brazilian company.”
[Phil Gold, Enjoy the Music]

Of all the rooms I visited, I can't remember one that was more musical. The Audiopax Model 88 single-ended tube amps were driving a pair of Audiopax Ref 100 speakers. Also in attendance was the new Zanden CD transport. The music drew me in with its effortless quality. The midband was palpable and the highs extended. The bass was solid. The speakers threw an immense soundstage and imaged as well as any minimonitors.
[Bill Brooks, Soundstage!]

"The room that epitomized my central quality of spiritual energetics to utmost perfection was the Audiopax/Zanden/Grand Prix Audio/Z-Cable/Lindsay Cable/BPT system. It gets my vote for personal favorite of CES 2004 and thus takes pride of place on this opening page. Two notable speaker design houses, one by way of a technical engineer from a veritable conglomerate, congratulated Eduardo in no uncertain terms on his new speaker. The engineer was ready to place an order for the novel midrange driver, something its Brazilian inventor politely but resolutely declined. To get the low-down on this tube-optimized speaker design with its 11-ohm nominal impedance, our own Jules Coleman will do the honors with an in-depth review. Meanwhile, David Chesky returned to this room multiple times, spending more than an hour during one visit which is a very rare, blue-moon-kind of occurrence indeed. Why? I saw David barely last through one of his self-mastered Chesky tracks in multiple other rooms. Plus, I have myself been subject to his intense on-the-spot evaluation while still manning active exhibits for manufacturers in the past. David knows his recordings and only needs seconds to determine how closely playback mimics the live studio experience."
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"When my soul needed nourishment, I found myself returning to three rooms at the CES. There was a magic in these rooms, a naturalness of sound, an ease of presentation in which barriers between sound and music, between hearing and feeling, between passively listening and actively experiencing were largely -- and occasionally entirely -- removed. In no particular order (and referring to the rooms by the names of the speakers for simplicity) I touched and was touched by the soul of music in the Audiopax, Duevel and FJ rooms. Music in the Audiopax room was more detailed, subtle, nuanced and enthralling than anywhere else in Las Vegas. In the four times I returned to this room, I never once saw someone stand up and leave in the middle of a song. I never once heard distracting conversations. People listened, deeply drawn into the music. On the one hand, the sound was subtle and seductive; on the other hand, it was powerful and musically right. The Audiopax speaker was the most outstanding new product I heard at the show."
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"My favorite room of the show was without a doubt was Audiopax room. The highlight of the room was the Audiopax Ref 100 speaker. This listening session provided the best audition of a full-range loudspeaker I can recall. The musical detail, the subtlety and the micro dynamics were astonishing. The tone and timbre of instruments was very close to live. It is hard to imagine being more a part of the performance than I felt in this room. At $13k for the pair I would try to find a way to purchase these if someone would assure me that they would sound this good in my room. Accompanying electronics played their part I am sure. Audiopax Model 5 preamp, Audiopax Model 88 mono block amps went a long way toward providing this very seamless system and the attendant sound."
[XXXX, Sensible Sound]

The sound in this room? Elegant, refined, married to the very essence of music. Positive Feedback's Clark Johnson raved about it in the elevator as a must-hear attraction. He was somewhat disappointed that not only had I already been to it but actually "discovered" Audiopax many years ago.”
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"My favorite high-end audio exhibit demonstrated just how intimate and expressive properly matched SET amplifiers and horn loudspeakers can be. Avantgarde USA, the US distributor of the famous German horn loudspeakers, now handles an excellent line of vacuum tube amplifiers and preamps designed by Dr. Eduardo de Lima and manufactured by Audiopax of Brazil. The demonstration combined a pair of Audiopax Model 88, SET monoblocs with a pair of Avantgarde Duos. The combination was stunning, not just by reproducing music in a convincing manner, but by allowing the listener to experience every nuance, to feel completely involved, and to be totally enveloped in the music. Becoming entranced by the sound of this system was easy. Prying oneself away and escaping to see more of the show was not. "
[ Richard & Deborah George, TNT-Audio]

"Audiopax surprised many people this year by introducing a new single-ended solid state monoblock amplifier. Yes, you read it right – solid state! Rated at 30 watts per channel in pure Class A, the new Model 55 still has Audiopax’s patented “Timbre Lock” controls and come finished in classy chrome with lacquered wood sides. The look reminds me of their flagship Model 88s and the sound was eerily similar too! Partnered with their own Model 5 preamp and driving the new Ref 150 speakers – a design that incorporates an adjustable tweeter module for time alignment, the combination produced one of the sweetest-sounding and most musically satisfying sounds of the show. Eduardo de Lima, Audiopax’s chief designer, explained to me that the Model 55 was produced to suit those who love the Audiopax sound but for one reason or other, cannot (or will not) own tube amps in their system. I personally think it is an excellent idea, as the sound quality is what actually matters, not whether the technology is solid state or tube, push-pull or single-ended.
[Cecil Tan, HiFi.com.sg]

Best of Show: The first, and least expensive alternate, was found in the Audiopax room at the St. Tropez. This system was unusually clean, fast, dynamic, and detailed. I first listened to an excellent recording that featured a very potent drum kit. Hearing the different drums reproduced by the Audiopax Ref 150 speakers, I was very impressed by the tautness of the drums, and their lifelike dynamics and natural tonality. Moving to my blazing Tim Reynolds guitar cut, I dared the Audiopax to reproduce those ferocious strings without blurring or smearing and with the proper timbre and bite. To my amazement, they did exactly that without a fret, glitch, or a hitch. The Ref 150 speakers are medium sized 3-ways with de-coupled tweeter modules and custom-built woofer and midrange units. They were finished in the slick-looking Dark Imbuia furniture-grade wood veneer. The thing about the Audiopax system that really made me pause and think was when I learned that these 92 dB efficient speakers could play so loudly and authoritatively with solid-state mono-block amplifiers rated at only 30 watts. This was a tough lump to swallow, but apparently, it was the case. Using the Audiopax Model 5 LE preamp, and a pair of Model 55 single-ended mono-blocks, the sound was not only incredibly dynamic and articulate, it was also highly musical. I am told that Audiopax also markets excellent 30-watt tube mono-blocks, the Model 88 Mk-II, but unfortunately they were not hooked up during my visit.”
[Frank Alles, Stereotimes]

"...I recently had one of those magical moments ... In the last CES show I listened to many demonstrations, some good, some interesting. Near the end, David Chesky pulled me to listen to some rooms that I had missed ... including the Audiopax. Seconds after the start I was totally immersed in the music ... David then asked me to pay attention to a certain detail of recording and remember the feeling of being torn from somewhere kilometers away to do so. So I answered it, I relaxed and I was transported again. The system showed a huge response, soundstage, treble silk, natural tones, stunning resolution, etc.? I really can not say. At that moment, in that room, I was unable to listen analytically, I could just respond musically. The question is how to create this "ability to carry" in our equipment and recordings "?
[Paul Stubblebine](one of the most respected world's recording engineers)

In his review in Audio & Video Magazine, Fernando Andrette exposes his impressions about our unique philosophy related to sound reproduction, which effectively sets us also to build speakers. "The bass is very high level, both in mass and air displacement and speed. His cut very impressed, taking me always wanting to hear at higher volumes, size degree of accuracy and intelligibility. The middle region presented itself extremely transparent, with great naturalness. I remembered very electrostatic boxes, such as Quads. And the treble have good size and very soft decay. " See here the full review.
[Fernando Andrette, Áudio Vídeo Magazine]