The crossover is second-order electrical, resulting in effective third-order slopes when combined with the drivers' acoustic rolloff. The Butterworth filters feature Wonder Cap and Solen polypropylene capacitors, Solen 14-gauge air-…
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Like the Signatures, the System Two's three drivers are mounted in a D'Appolito configuration, with the tweeter in the acoustic center of the two woofers. This arrangement simulates a point-source radiation characteristic as well as reduces lobing (variations in vertical radiation patterns) for smoother dispersion and reduced sensitivity to listening height.
The System Two's treble had a tendency toward tizziness, the degree of which is highly dependent on the amount of toe-in toward the listener. Pointing the System Two nearly straight ahead with a little toe-in somewhat ameliorated the slightly excessive mid-treble energy. There is a tradeoff between best imaging (listener on-axis) and treble smoothness (listener about 20° off-axis). With a little experimentation, I was able to strike a good balance. Another factor that contributes to a fizzy top end is the amount of treble energy in the recording. The System Two is highly revealing of…
Like the Signatures, the System Two has an unusual low-frequency character. Both loudspeakers lacked extension or a feeling of weight, and just didn't provide that visceral impact important to much music. However, the bass the System Two does produce is fast, precise, and exquisitely detailed. Although I much prefer this type of performance to a tubby, bloated, or colored LF presentation that constantly calls attention to itself, the System Two nevertheless left me wanting some meat and power in the bottom two octaves. Bass drum lacked the lowermost component that is the rhythmic foundation…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, sealed-box, stand-mounted dynamic loudspeaker with two 7" bass/midrange drivers and one 1" titanium-dome tweeter. Impedance: Nominal 4 ohms, 2.9 ohms minimum. Frequency response: 45–20kHz ±3dB anechoic (in-room, –3dB point will be lower). Crossover frequency: 2kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB (2V, 1m).
Dimensions: 11" W by 38" H by 16" D. Weight: 92 lbs net, 100 lbs shipping.
Finishes available: natural oak, natural walnut, stained walnut.
Prices: $3000/pair, $3100/pair in stained walnut (East Coast prices $50 higher); stands, $300/pair (…
Sidebar 2: Review System
The dedicated listening room has optimum dimensional ratios for room-mode distribution. Amplification was my standard reference, the VTL 225W Deluxe monoblocks, but a new version employing KT90 output tubes instead of EL34s (footnote 1). The collective experience of some Stereophile reviewers—JA, DO, and me—has been that tube amplification seems to work best with the MB tweeter found in the System Two and other loudspeakers. JA found both the VTL 500s and the Audio Research Classic 60 to be a synergistic combination with the Avalon Eclipse, and DO liked the Air…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Listening Environment Diagnostic Recording (LEDR) on the Chesky Test CD produced an impressive feeling of the image moving above the loudspeaker. The "over" test was similarly good, with a continuous "rainbow"-shaped arc traced between the loudspeakers. Driving the System Two with a sinewave oscillator and feeling the cabinet for resonances revealed the enclosure's rigidity. Very minor resonances were felt and heard at 65Hz, 200Hz, with the strongest at 500Hz. The System Two was noticeably less inert than the Two Signature, but far more solid than most…
The Snell Type C/IV's design has been highly influenced by both the testing methods and philosophy of Canada's National Research Council in Ottawa. Other well-known loudspeakers to have benefited from the NRC's testing facilities include the Mirage M-1 and M-3, PSB Stratus Gold, the Waveform, and Camber 3.5. The NRC provides a variety of services to loudspeaker designers, notably use of their testing facilities which include a full-sized anechoic chamber. In addition, the NRC is heavily involved in carefully controlled blind listening comparisons between loudspeakers, used to aid the…
The C/IV's crossover was designed with a computer program after all the drivers had been measured in the enclosure in which they were intended to work. Crossover development programs are much more accurate at predicting real-world behavior when given the precise driver responses measured in a cabinet. The fourth-order slopes are achieved by a combination of crossover rolloff and the drivers' acoustic rolloffs. The woofer circuit uses non-polarized electrolytic capacitors and air-core inductors, while the midrange circuit uses electrolytics bypassed with Mylar caps. Tweeter filtering is…
My first impressions of the Type C/IVs were confirmed throughout the auditioning: a big, lively presentation with surprising tonal neutrality and excellent low-frequency extension. It was apparent that the Type C/IVs were quite flat; no surprise, considering their designer's priorities. I detected very little coloration that could be ascribed to amplitude irregularities. The critical midrange was free from anomalies that often cause loudspeakers to be called "nasal," "forward," "murky," "hooded," "recessed," "honky," or other such adjectives descriptive of midband colorations. Instead, the…
Despite the more viscerally satisfying bass reproduction, the Snells didn't convey the detail and nuance in low-frequency instruments I've grown accustomed to in months of listening through the Hales Signature and System Two. Fine textures, minute detail, and other aspects of low-frequency–rich instruments just weren't there through the Type C/IV. Because of this, there was less impression of palpability, of the instrument actually existing in the listening room. Consequently, some instruments sounded somewhat artificial and dead rather than believable and alive. This feeling was perhaps…