Updated
20.4.2000
Tapani
Lappi
Translated by Robin
Lybeck
In the 80's Duntech
became known as "the most neutral and accurate speakers in
the world". John Dunlavy, the founder and CEO of Duntech
unveiled the "Sovereign" in 1987 and the speaker is
still a part of the manufacturers´ product line.
Harry Pearson of
"The Absolute Sound" (USA), Bert Whyte of Audio Magazine
and others were at the time enthusiastic about the speaker, German
"Audio" magazine chose it as their reference and it
spent several years as number 1 on their
"Referenzklasse"-list. I remember reading an article
where the Sovereign was compared to a live presentation by
guitarist John McLaughlin. The board of listeners were supposedly
unable to discern the recorded version from the live one.
John Dunlavy sold his
share of Duntech, returned to his native country in 1992 for
"family reasons" and set up Dunlavy Audio Labs in
Colorado Springs. According to unofficial sources he still owns a
20% share of Duntech, although he no longer participates in the
operational or technical work.
Design
The Sovereign is a
real "phone booth" in terms of size. In the vertical
plane, above and below the 19mm dome tweeter, are located first
two 54 mm midrange drivers, then two 175 mm drivers for the upper
bass and on the top and at the bottom two 300 mm bass drivers. The
drivers are located on a "stepped" front baffle in order
to achieve a phase-coherent signal and an accurate impulse
response. The goal of the vertically symmetrical driver placement
is to achieve a strongly directional signal and reduce the amount
of first reflections. The crossover is a first order design.
Sound
Balance: the
overall impression is of a neutral tonal character, leaning to the
darker side. The impression is more of a slightly warmer sound
rather than "cool and sharp". The lower register
certainly isn´t lacking in extension, even the lowest notes are
delivered without strain.
Resolution:
good throughout the whole frequency range, somewhat
"round", but still quite good.
Transparency:
good, although somewhat veiled. Compared to the contemporary level
of transparency delivered by (for example) Wilson and Dunlavy, the
Sovereign loses out a little. Realism is generally good with the
Sovereign. The speaker doesn´t have any real colorations, except
for a slightly dark tonal balance, which gives the speaker a
"pleasant" character. Instruments and vocals are
reproduced naturally without a sense of strain.
Treble/"highs":
in relation to the overall tonal balance, the treble is a bit
recessed, but nevertheless very articulate and clean.
Midrange:
natural and neutral. All instruments are reproduced without
coloration, including the hammer of a grand piano, which sounds
excellent. All vocals are free from distortion and
colorations.
Bass/"lows":
extended and deep, as well as quite detailed. There is, however, a
slight "roundness" and excess warmth in the lower
registers.
Dynamics:
impressive, although not quite as explosive as some of the bests I
have heard.
Spatial information:
Good. Due to its large size, the speaker can really draw a picture
of a live event, with the appropriate impact. Instruments are
precisely located in the soundstage. The speaker is quite picky
with placement, demanding some work before the best possible
result can be reached.
Visceral impact:
Impressive, the music is reproduced on a natural scale, with a
lifelike character smaller speakers can´t match. Listening to a
speaker like this, you have to wonder if the appropriate scale of
a live recording can ever be reproduced correctly by smaller
speaker designs.
Conclusion
The overall sound of the Sovereign
could be characterised as natural, accurate and free of
colorations. In addition to this, the rendering of dynamics and
scale are very impressive. As a less positive point, I perceived
some softness, or "roundness" in the sound, as well as a
level of transparency that isn´t quite up to the level of the
best modern designs. On the other hand, the
"roundness" is essentially a matter of taste, many
listeners will probably like the sound the way it is.
The designer made himself known in
the world of high end audio with the Sovereign and the smaller
Princess. The Sovereign is, regardless of its increasing age, a
world-class reference speaker and a true classic, like the Quad
ESL-63 or B&W 801 (and others).
How the manufacturer will be able
to keep up it's good name with audiophiles all over the world is
somewhat unclear, as no new "revolutionary" designs have
been introduced after the departure of John Dunlavy. Distribution
in the USA, the biggest market for high end audio, ended a few
years ago, and the brand has also gotten quite rare in Europe. In
Finland the situation has been improved, as Highend Studio started
importing the brand in 1999, after a few year's break.
Associated components
- CD-player PS-Audio Lambda
- DAC: Krell Studio
- Preamp: Krell KRC
- Powerap: Krell KSA-300
- Cables: Van den Hul Second, Van den Hul
Revelation
Technical details
Frequency Response
|
27Hz-20KHz
±2dB
Measured at 3.5M (11.5ft) on the tweeter axis |
| Efficiency |
90dB SPL
Referenced at 1M (3.3 ft) on tweeter axis with an input of 2.83 volts RMS (1 watt at 8
ohms) |
Nominal Impedance
|
4 ohms
Variance 3.0-4.5 |
| Power Rating Peak |
1000 watts power for 10 mS |
Recommended Amplifier Power
|
100 watts Minimum RMS per channel |
Pulse Coherency Factor
|
Less than 20µS Propagation time error
at 3.5M (11.5 ft) on tweeter axis |
Harmonic Distortion
|
Less than 0.3% THD above 50Hz
Referenced at 1M (3.3 ft) on the tweeter axis with an input of 2.83 volts RMS (1 watt at 8
ohms) |
| Relative Phase Variation Versus
Frequency |
80Hz-18KHz Varies less that ±25 deg |
Crossover
|
First order type |
Drivers
|
Woofers 2x300mm (12")
Bass 2x175mm (7")
Mid 2x54mm (2")
Tweeter 1x19mm (3/4") |
Input Terminals
|
Gold plated and accepts banana, spade or
cable connections |
| Bi-Wiring |
Yes |
| Passive Bi-Amplification |
Yes |
| Footnote: All
measurements taken at ambient temperature of 23°C (72°F) |
| Mechanical |
Finish
|
Brazilian Rosewood
Golden Oak
Acoustically transparent black cloth |
Size
Height
Width
Depth |
1875mm (74")
360mm (14")
862mm (34") |
Weight
Per cabinet |
125Kg
(275lbs) |