Odeon Audio Semper Floorstanding Speakers (pair)

A full range 3 way with a modern sculptural design: The 1.35m high ODEON AUDIO Semper is the second largest model of the ODEON AUDIO product range. It can be easily integrated into any room. With its large spherical horns and its 13″ woofer, the Semper generates enormous dynamics, resolute bass and highest resolution possible for music reproduction with the intensity and liveliness of live performances. Compared to its predecessor models, the Semper achieves an increased efficiency of 95db. It can be combined with all amplifier types: High-quality solid states and tube amplifiers as well as low power triodes (such as 300B) drive the Semper with ease.

CROSSOVERS

The installed crossovers consist of selected components with a maximum tolerance of only one percent and keep the deviations between the channels as small as possible.
Only non-aging components (film capacitors) are used. The Semper uses capacitors from the company WIMA. The inherent sound of these capacitors opens the sonic image and harmonizes perfectly with the sound character of the pressure chamber drivers. For a faster signal processing and a more direct connection, many new old stock bridge capacitors are used in the Semper speaker. The flat wire coils used come from the Mundorf company. These are coils that use paper as insulator and impregnate resin. This construction suppresses mechanical vibrations particularly effectively.
In most Upper End loudspeakers, the crossovers are built on Pertinax boards and the individual components are connected by solder conductor paths. The crossovers of the Semper are hard wired by hand, soldered point-to-point and then mechanically secured to prevent movement of the sensitive components and thus negative influences of internal vibrations. The point-to-point wiring minimizes electrical transitions in the signal path. A quality feature in high- quality tube amplifiers is point to point wiring which is rarely implemented in loudspeaker construction as consistently as in ODEON AUDIO products.

TWEETER

The tweeter is a new generation of 1″ compression driver with ring radiator technology. The 38mm Mylar diaphragm used in the pressure chamber driver is driven by a particularly strong neodymium magnet, which guides the voice coil with a magnetic force of 2.3 Tesla. The result is a driver that guarantees highest resolution and ultra-fast reproduction.
The extended reproduction of the highest frequencies gives the rest of tonal range that special quality. With a linear transmission of more than 28,000 Hz, the Semper covers a frequency range that is significantly extended beyond all human hearing thereby maintaining perfect phase and time characteristics. This accurate reproduction of the uppermost frequency spectrum allows a lifelike reproduction of the overtone range. The overtone range is crucial for the differentiation of instruments. Thus, unlike other loudspeakers, the Semper makes it possible to differentiate between a Stradivari and a Guarneri violin. These qualities are supported and significantly enhanced by the use of the ODEON AUDIO birch multiplex horn. The 21.5 cm measuring horn acts as a mechanical amplifier which relieves the tweeter and thus contributes decisively to a relaxed sound character with the highest possible resolution.

MIDRANGE DRIVER

The handmade midrange driver with a diameter of 13 cm comes from a highly German manufacturer. The mid-range driver combines a modern aluminum die-cast basket and a powerful neodymium magnet with a magnetic force of 1.3 Tesla as well as an ultra-light cellulose membrane weighing only two grams in NAWI (non-unwind able) form. This hyperbolic membrane shape, in contrast to the conventional cone shape, ensures a more even movement and load on the membrane during long strokes and thus prevents parasitic vibrations that can lead to erasure effects. In addition, a very fine, centering and the one-piece construction of cone and surround ensure an accentuated, controlled and fast movement of the midrange driver. Instead of a rubber surround connecting the cone to the basket, the multiple folded edge of the cone takes over the function of the surround. This prevents reflections between cone and surround.
The outstanding ratio of mass and driving force as well as the special design of the system ensure ideal impulse response and make the midrange driver used one of the fastest ever built of its kind.
This system is installed behind a 50cm ODEON AUDIO spherical wave horn made of layered birch multiplex. The horn relieves the midrange driver decisively and enables even faster signal processing. Fine dynamics and a fluid listening experience are more pronounced than ever before.

WOOFER

A paper woofer from Audax is used in the bass range. The bass driver has a diameter of 13” and is based on the same technology as the woofer from the largest model – the ODEON AUDIO Carnegie. The lightweight cone is driven by a very strong, oversized ferrite magnet. The result is a speed and authority in bass reproduction that is dynamic and captivating.

REFLEX SYSTEM

Like all ODEON AUDIO floor standing loudspeakers, the Semper works with a downward firing bass reflex system in which the bass reflex tunnel of the Semper points down to the base plate of the loudspeaker. This base plate forms the end of the reflex opening enabling a greater choice in optimum room placements, which allows a placement close to the wall.
This makes it easy to integrate into any living space. Every room has acoustic resonances, so- called room modes, which often result in strong exaggerations in the bass range. The downward firing bass reflex system minimizes these room modes much less than conventional solutions in which the reflex tube points forward into the listening room or backward towards the rear wall.

CABINET

The Semper is the middle of three new ODEON AUDIO three-way speakers. The new cabinet design provides an improved phase and time characteristics compared to the previous models, since all drivers are exactly on one axis. The Semper’s two-part cabinets are made of a material mix of plywood and a special medium density fiberboard (MDF). The cabinet materials used are decisive factors for the tonal characteristics of low and mid-range reproduction: plywood as a laminated wood is particularly rigid with its many cross-glued individual veneer sheets and therefore very low in resonance, so that discoloration effects are minimized. Our master craftsmen only use MDF with a particularly high proportion of wood fibers and binding agents, which are compressed under high pressure. The MDF used in the ODEON AUDIO models is thus up to 1.8 times heavier than conventional MDF and thus much more stable. This makes it particularly suitable for sophisticated loudspeaker concepts.
The asymmetrical bass cabinet is made in a sandwich construction of multiplex and MDF and effectively prevents standing waves. This means that less damping material is needed to maintain maximum efficiency.

CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

The Semper uses a particularly pure oxidation-free copper cabling (OFC) from German production. In the high-frequency range, a thin, solid core cable with Teflon insulation and optimized cross- section is used. The high-purity 7N copper is drawn in a single crystal structure and enables the problem-free transmission of peak tone information, thus contributing to an extraordinarily lively and differentiated resolution.
To ensure trouble-free connection, Semper uses WBT Nextgen pure gold-plated copper loudspeaker terminals. Due to their design and low material usage, they suppress eddy current effects that usually occur in plug connections. The WBT terminals are mounted on acrylic plates which accommodate the crossovers and thus connect terminals and crossovers directly with each other. Unlike the frequently used metal, acrylic as a selected carrier material, has no negative influence on the sonic properties of the crossover components. Metallic carriers promote eddy current effects and generate electromagnetic fields that strongly affect the function of the components.