Production Methodology

It is often said that to make one is easy, to make hundreds the same is a different matter. We want to make sure that every customer gets a pair of speakers that are sonically identical to our design reference. We achieve that with Reference Matching.

If we make a batch of a hundred drive units they will all be slightly different, but within a controlled tolerance. Some will be slightly louder than nominal, some will be slightly quieter.

If we were to make a speaker using bass units, midrange units and tweeters chosen at random we would get a perfectly good result but we would be able to hear subtle differences between that speaker and our design reference. However, if we match the louder bass drivers with louder midranges and louder tweeters we get a speaker where the 'shape' of the response, and hence the sound balance, is significantly closer to that of the design reference. It will just be a slightly louder speaker - equivalent to turning the amplifier volume up by a very small amount. Provided that the left and right speakers are 'pair-matched' we get an ideal solution for both the customer and the manufacturer, because for the same yield of useable drive units we get customers pairs that are significantly closer to the sound of the design reference. It just takes extra effort from our production logistics to implement the system, but that's part of what goes to make the Reference Range.

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