Design

All SP Technology Millennial Reference Series™ products incorporate a proprietary, dual cavity, hybrid bass loading technique to provide unparalleled low frequency performance from a moderately sized enclosure. Back wave energy from the woofer is channeled through a short transmission-line type absorber/diffuser that increases the loss of unwanted energy above box resonance.

Frequencies from about 100 Hz. to around 2,000 Hz. (depending on box volume) are often reflected inside a conventional ported box design and create pressure peaks or "standing waves." These standing waves will occur at a few select frequencies, at a very high level or volume and then re-emanate from the box by "pushing" their way through the woofer cone. Not only does this effect cause undesirable peaks and dips in the frequency response but worse, the energy emanates delayed in time and tends to "linger" with respect to the original program material. This is the most frequent cause of that "boxy" and over emphasized bass sound produced by many speakers.

Others' attempts to eliminate this problem include "sealed box" design (anemic bass) and transmission-line design (very good but large and expensive). A "hybrid" solution was required to avoid these problems and has since been successfully developed for all products of the Millennial Reference Series™. The compact size and bass extension to 30Hz. (-3dB) of a ported design (as in the Timepiece 3.0) has been achieved with freedom from that "boxy" sound often associated with them. Low frequency transient response is fast and tight -- comparable with the best transmission-line designs. Boom-y, bloated bass with that characteristic "overhang," is a thing of the past. The resulting bass "authority" and power must be heard to be believed. When you consider that the addition of a sub-woofer is a ludicrous and unnecessary addition in light of our systems' bass performance, the value of our designs becomes even more obvious.

In an era where the miniaturization of technology marches onward at breakneck speed, we have all come to expect more performance from less physical space. Upon initial observation, one might be tempted to claim that our enclosures are not particularly "small", as in the latest genre of "mini" satellite speakers. While this is true, we would remind the reader of this fact: If one takes something that is initially quite HUGE and reduces its size, the result is still going to be moderately large.

Speaking of “large,” if uncompromised bass performance to the deepest extremes of audibility is your passion, then we invite you to investigate the technology presently offered in our Revelation class products.  Describing the effect of this design is somewhat difficult.  Actually, it is easiest if posed as a question:  Have you ever “felt” a sonic bass “wave” roll past you?  You will… when listening to the Revelation class or our Infra-Wave subwoofer.

Specifically, we have developed our own version of the “holy grail” of bass performance – the transmission-line.  Not content with the results obtained by “accepted” T-Line design, we concluded that there was something fundamentally in error with them.  We have since come to see that “standard” designs are little more than bass reflex designs incorporating very long, tapered ports.  As a result we went back to the drawing board and completely re-evaluated the entire concept, resulting in our own unique and considerably superior solution.  We will admit, the initial products resulting from this research have not been small – but neither has been their performance been.

We invite you to hear for yourself; we think you'll agree. Please take time to secure your fragile items and possibly have your home’s plaster walls inspected first though; we don't warranty secondary damage incurred do to the operation of our products!

To be sure, the moment you listen to well-recorded performances of the upright bass, timpani, electric bass as well as the kick drum and toms of a drum kit, you will realize how anemically and artificially these instruments are reproduced on most systems compared to SP Technology.  Regardless of the system you might choose, bass performance will no longer be your nagging want.

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