Sugden LS21 Two-way tuned quarter wave design floor standing loudspeakers
Undoubtably the world’s best quarter wave loudspeakers.
The Sugden LS21 loudspeaker like all Sugden products is handcrafted in the West Yorkshire, England factory by a team of highly skilled and dedicated enthusiasts.
Overview
The LS21 is a tuned quarter wave design and uses a treble and mid/base driver ported through the plinth. The cabinet is compact but not compromised, being domestically acceptable at less than 1metre tall and less than 23cm wide.
Construction
The cabinets are manufactured in house by Sugdens highly skilled cabinetmaker. This includes all aspects of construction from machining to veneering. Sugden recently installed a joinery workshop that runs harmoniously along side of its existing custom engineering shop.
Sugden feel the fit and finish of a loudspeaker is very important both cosmetically and acoustically. Therefore the cabinets are assembled like fine furniture should be, including real hardwood edge inlays and bonded mitre corner locking joints. The veneers are crown cut and book matched, and then polished to produce a satin finish with a low level gloss. Over time this will result in a natural patina. Standard finishes are cherry, walnut and maple but other exotic finishes are available to order at an additional cost.
Smooth internal airflow is an important aspect of the quarter wave design, so the crossover has been removed from the internal cabinet and mounted in the loudspeaker plinth. The components used in the crossover are audiophile quality, manufactured by Mundorf.
Specifications for the treble unit include; large diameter voice coil, soft dome ferrofluid filled with a sensitivity of 90db and nominal impedance of 8 Ohms. Sugden chose the preferred bass/mid driver after careful matching to the cabinet design. It has an identical sensitivity and nominal impedance to the tweeter, aiding crossover design and uniformity. Again a large voice coil is employed and the chassis is die cast aluminium providing superior rigidity.
During the development of the LS21 Sugden were lucky to work closely with one of UK’s most respected designers, Colin Walker. His involvement with specialist quarter wave loudspeakers spans an impressive six decades.
Performance
The LS21 has undergone hundreds of hours of auditioning and refinement in Sugdens listening room. The result is a unique handcrafted loudspeaker capable of producing stunning realism in any top-notch audio system. With a sensitivity of almost 90dB the LS21 is not limited to any particular amplifier. It is suited to either low power Class ‘A’ designs or more common Class AB offerings. However, as the name suggests a SUGDEN A21a or A21SE would make fine partners.
Availability
Due to the manufacturing techniques and bespoke nature of the Sugden loudspeakers every pair are generally hand-made to order. However, Neophonics carries the LS21 in Cherry finish in stock for prompt delivery to customers.
Specifications:
Description – Two-way floor standing with integrated plinth.
Cabinet Design – Tune tapered quarter wave.
Cabinet Construction – Hand-made glued and pressed locking mitre joints.
Sensitivity – 90dB 1 watt one metre.
Nominal Impedance – 8 ohms.
Frequency Range – 25 -20000Hz.
Power Handling – 160 watts.
Crossover Point – 2000Hz.
HF Drive Unit – 28mm Ferro fluid cooled.
LF Drive Unit – 160mm Hybrid Magnet vented motor, cast basket 54mm voice coil.
Terminals – Single wired large style gold plated multi way binding posts.
Internal Wiring – Dual diameter OFC copper for HF and LF units.
Dimensions – 100cm x 22.5cm x 24.5cm including hand made spikes (HWD).
Boxed Weight – 25 kgs each.
Standard Finishes – Cherry, Walnut & Maple. The veneers are crown cut, book matched and applied in the Sugden factory.
Warranty – Five years parts and labour.
Recommended Retail Price – AUD$ No longer available.
E. & O. E.
Below a short series of images showing the individually hand-made process to make the LS21 Two-way tuned quarter wave design floor standing loudspeaker.
