The Loreley MK III is now supplied with the new German Physiks Emperor Extreme digital electronic crossover. This is a high quality unit constructed using premium components and it is housed in a precision machined steel and aluminium chassis. It allows for active bi-amp operation of the Loreley. This is where two separate power amplifiers drive each loudspeaker. Each amplifier is connected directly to its driver section, as a passive crossover is no longer needed. This gives much better damping and control of the drivers and also provides a noticeable improvement in transparency. The table below shows the recommended amplifier rating for each section of the loudspeaker.

To realise the full potential of this loudspeaker, considerable effort has been put into creating a highly rigid structure in order to minimise the radiation of sound energy through the cabinet panels. The colouration this causes is one of the principle causes of degradation of a loudspeaker’s ability to resolve fine detail and thereby produce a sense of realism, as it smears and generally confuses the sound.

The Loreley MK III’s DDD drivers solve this problem by having very small enclosures, minimising the area of any potential vibrating surface.  By being cylindrical, they eliminate the resonances that can arise with a conventional rectangular or square section cabinet. Because they are made from aluminium, a comparatively soft metal, residual vibration of the enclosure is minimised. The DDD driver enclosure end-caps are made from non-resonant MDF and the enclosure is packed with damping material to dissipate any standing waves. The result is that the Loreley MK III has the clarity that we normally associate with electrostatic loudspeakers and for the same reason: the DDD drivers essentially have no enclosure to colour the sound.

The bass system covers the range from 180Hz downwards.  This is divided into two independent cabinets, so the panels are smaller and therefore stiffer and more vibration resistant than if a single large enclosure had been used. All the cabinet vertical surfaces are non-parallel to prevent the formation of standing waves between them.  Internal bracing increases rigidity to suppress resonances.  Residual vibration is minimised by applying a special damping material called Hawaphon®, to the inside surface of each panel.

Hawaphon®, consists of a polymer sheet containing a matrix of small cells filled with fine steel shot. It adds mass to the panels to reduce the resonant frequency and the ability of the balls in each cell to move against each other provides a very effective way of converting vibration energy into heat. Originally developed as an anti-surveillance measure for use in military and government buildings, Hawaphon® achieves broadband attenuation of structure-borne sound of more than 50dB, which is an exceptionally high figure.

To damp resonances of the air within the cabinet, the whole of the interior is lined with a 1cm thick layer of high-density felt.  This is achieved by fitting pieces of felt that are precisely cut to fit each panel, rather than just inserting a roll of felt into the cabinet.  This is a time consuming process, but we believe produces a superior result and is typical of the attention to detail that we lavish on all of our products.