Ole Klifoth, Audiovector

Inner-Audio: Is the purpose of the low compression concept to maintain the sound clean - not compressed or distorted - during the loud passages of music or are there some other grounding reasons? How is this related to inter-modulation distortion ie. the so called break-up modes of the membrane when it's on the edge of its operating range?

Ole: Yes, we want to get rid of the compression related to distortion. This tweeter can handle 1200 watt tonebursts for 5 ms. And it is also used in the SEC system meaning that we can take advantage of its rear radiation instead of fighting against it. This improves the soundstage, sweetness of the sound and reduces distortion. Regarding breakup modes, this is always defined by the diametre of the dome, and the material ... metal domes will break  up later, and then in a much more dramatic way. That's why they are not my favourites! With the way in which we use the tweeter in the S3 Super, you're not able to detect any breakup modes, I think.

I-A: The Audiovector Super-range is said to feature higher quality drivers than the S-series speakers. To what extent do you think that the final sound quality of the S3 Super and other Super-range speakers is due to their better drivers, and to what extent to other design features?

Ole: Certainly, when you move from the S standard to the S Super range, you get a big improvement in drivers for the bass and midrange: bigger magnets, titanium voice coil technology, reinforced cabinet, improved X-over and damping. And when you move further up the range you get even better drivers, and sound.

I-A: If I read you correctly, Audiovector uses exclusively first-order single component crossovers. Isn't that a rather dangerous approach and require absolute performance from the drivers?

Ole: The thing is that we design our drivers ourselves. According to the LCC Principle. This means that we are able to shape the roll-off characteristics of the drivers in a such a way that we can use 6 dB per octave crossovers to create 24 dB per octave acoustic roll off. This improves dispersion, and with regard to power handling, there is absolutely no problem! Please try them hard!

I-A: I saw that in the S3 Super the crossover frequency for the low pass filter is quite high, above 400 Hz, against circa 200 Hz that many other speaker manufacturers use in similar speakers. Why 400 Hz?

Ole: There is only one real answer: because it sounds better this way. You may be aware of the fact that shallow cabinets always  produce a depression in the frequency response between 200 and 600 Hz. Always, becasue this is a function of the width of the baffle. We want to compensate this, as there is so much information in this range, which you do not want to miss. And because we engineer the drivers ourselves, we are able to to control this.

I-A: As to backfiring tweeters, as you know there's some controversy about them in general terms, as the effect is somewhat room dependent and some people simply do not like the kind of airiness the backward radiation of the highest frequeciesy bring about. How would you respond to these people?

Ole: If we were using back firing tweeter, I would agree 100% to this criticism. A back firing tweeter always creates a level of confusion. By using the rear radiation in SYEAD and by shaping the curve to control the rear radiation to be active mainly between 3000-8000 Hz, we avoid this problem. The rear radiation will be perceived as being part of the room's acoustics ... in a positive waty, in stead of being an irritating nuisance.

I-A: The curved shape of the cabinet reduces internal standing waves but only to one direction. Some argue that the worst waves are those that are born between the bottom and top panels of the speaker. How are these resonances taken into account in S3 and other Super-series speakers?

Ole: As you can see the top and the bottom are not parallel. This means that we have already dealt with the long standing wave from the beginning. This is one of the reasons why we put speakers on high heels, so to speak. The other reason is that not only women look better on high heels ...

I-A: Every time I visit the Stockholm Highend Show I must turn away from your door because the room is fully packed with people. Is the secret of the success that in the demo you're able to make your point that certain changes in loudspeakers characteristics (eg. from one driver type to another) are really audible by careful listening?

Ole: We are really pleased that the room is full. I think the reason is that, even when you are not an experienced listener and even though you cannot listen under the best conditions, everybody likes that they are able to hear a clear improvement and appreciate a great sound. You know, we also play real music, as opposed to test music or specially processed discs. The reason being that we think of people as music lovers, jus like ourselves. And I belive that you should be able to get more out of any recording, be it a bad or a god one, if you use good speakers. For example, old records, mono recordings from the 50s, for example, sound great on our speakers.

I-A: What about cables? How audible are the differences regarding asymmetrical construction, pure 9N copper ... well, between well-made cables? Are your cables specifically designed to deliver best performance with your own speakers or more generally?

Ole: We went into cables, because for many years we were forced to use bad sounding cables at shows. Not every time, but often. For many years we preferred the Nordost cables, if they were available. When our own cables were finished after a long time of development, we foud that they sounded like the Nordost cables, which means fast and neutral but with even more poise and musicality. They sound great with other speakers as well. But in truth: they were developed on Audiovectors and for Audiovectors. Please try them with other speaker brands. Or perhaps you have seen the review in the Norwegian Ljud and bilde?

I-A: You seem to be believe in constant development in speaker building. But can we truly say that loudspeakers of today are clearly better than loudspeakers from the past, ... Quads, Altecs, Klipsches?

Ole: One of the first high quality speaker I built before I started in the business was a Japanese Onken system featuring the best bass then, the Altec 416B 15 inch driver. Today I think that with the right perspective, it is possible to build better speakers. We understand more about speakers and there are better materials available. We have just launched our R 1 ARRETÉ speaker which is a very expensive speaker where nothing has been spared in order to achieve the best. The R 1 ARRETÉ will be our goalpost ... along with live music, for the 5-7 years. And we already see that solution from it filter down into speaker ranges which we sell everyday. As long as there is a difference between live music and reproduced music, there is a job to be done. And while my Onkens of 1973 were great, there is so much more resolution, detail, and speed in my speakers of today.

I-A: You offer Audiovector customers the possibility to upgrade their old models into new ones as an alternative to buying a new model. That looks like a nice gesture but how sensible it is business-wise? Would it be more profitable if your customers went for new models directly?

Ole: If you choose to upgrade, you save approximately 40% in comparison with an exchange of speakers. I also think that it is pleasant thought that you can always upgrade. In a world where new products are turned out every 6 months I know from many customers that they like the thought. Even if they have never upgarded.

I-A: Could you tell us more of the possibility of turning the Audiovector speakers with a passive crossover into active speakers with an electronic crossover?

Ole: It is actujally quite easy.You remove the crossover from the speaker and connect the drivers directly to the terminals. The fact that you can use three amps and a crossover without passive components, means that you get a huge improvement in dynamics and detail, although we use only 50 percent of the component values normally used due to our Dynamic Freed Forward principle. The electronic crossover itself is built by Naim Audio for us, and according to our specifications.

I-A: You write that the goal of high fidelity is to aim at a real "live event", and define it in terms of "the dynamics, the rhythm and the power". It's interesting that you don't mention the 3D soundstage or imaging, which many people associate with the high fidelity sound?

Ole: Yes, you're right. I find the speed and dynamics the most important emotional parametres of music - when everything else is spot on. With many speakers you loose the emotional drama! It is there on the source material and I do not want to suppress it. This does not mean that the sound is not three dimensional. It is. It does not mean that they do not image. They do - especially thanks to the SEC treble systems, they do it very, very well. My point, though, is that music is an international language of feelings and emotions, which means that you do not want to suppress it. On the contrary. I think that is one area where Audiovector really excels. Try asking your your girlfriend or your wife, what she finds important. For myself, I want it all!

I-A: The finishing of Audiovector speakers seems very good and there are some nice stylistic details but how would you comment those who think that overall your speakers look slightly conservative? How important it is that commercial loudspeakers do not look "too design"?

Ole: We like to think that form follows function. And that, with a solid foundation in Scandinavian design, what we do today is probably an extension of this. We could call it world design. When you use tear drop formed cabinets with no parallel planes, you are able to use less damping, almost no damping, which is huge advantage in sound quality ... this is a separate, very long story... anyway, we want to offer something stylish, timeless and elegant. Like Aston Martin or Porsche. We respect the viewpoints of interior designers and wifes, who want something elegant and not too flashy. And we know this is a matter of taste and that we cannot please everybody. What we can do, though, is inspire our dealers to make precise demonstrations, so our customers can feel and hear what Audiovector does. And that, in my view, is very important.

I-A: Many thanks, Ole, for the interview!