Audio Physic

This company, famous for its slogan "No Loss of Fine Detail", has introduced a new, more affordable member to its High End line, the Sitara. At $4000 per pair, the Sitara uses the same tweeter and HHCM mid-bass and bass drivers as the more expensive members of the Audio Physic High End line. (See our last issue of this newsletter for a more thorough description of the HHCM technology.) The visual appearance of the slender cabinet is also similar to other High End models, the front panel still having a seven-degree tilt to compensate for phase differences between the tweeter and midrange drivers. This tilt is mandatory to achieve the time alignment that allows for the type of soundstage and imaging for which Audio Physic loudspeakers are so renowned. The curved side panels and many chambers and braces all work together to reduce resonances and increase stability. In fact, the June, 2009 issue of Hi-Fi News, in a very favorable review of the Sitara, particularly lauded this loudspeaker's ability to present a deep soundstage, not only in the middle of the image, but all the way to the extreme sides of the sound field. The Sitara will be a welcome addition for all who want to partake in the Audio Physic High End line but haven't been able to afford the more expensive models.

In other news, Audio Physic has updated their classic subwoofer with the release of the Rhea II at $5000. This new model is a complete redesign from the ground up and offers superior performance in every area. This subwoofer uses two 10.6-inch woofers, one active and one passive, has a powerful class-D amplifier, and uses special digital filtering technology to create a powerful bass response down to 16 Hz. In addition to offering improved audio quality over its predecessor, the Rhea II allows the user to dial in crossover frequency and bass level very precisely using its remote control. These parameters are displayed on the subwoofer's front panel, so the user always knows what settings are active. The Rhea II is the perfect complement to any Audio Physic High End loudspeaker or, in fact, to any high quality loudspeaker when a deeper, more powerful bass is desired.