The Petra is a 1st place finisher at 2009 Midwest Audio Festival Speaker Design Competition.

Petra

The Petra is a 1st place finisher at the 2009 Midwest Audio Festival Speaker Design Competition in Dayton, Ohio.

Specifications

Height: 52''
Depth: 27" x 32" With the Cocobolo solid wood base.
Width: 15" x 20" with base
Weight: 350 lbs. each
Frequency response: 28 Hz- 100,000 Hz
Impedance: 6 ohms
Sensibility: 90 db
The RAAL tweeter extends up to 100.000 Hz, while low frequencies can be measured well under 30 Hz thanks to the Eton 11" Low frequency driver.
For the mid band section the 7'' Eton driver was chosen, one of the best midranges available today.

The Build

The Petra is composed of 50 layers of hand cut MDF. Each layer is slightly different in shape and cut to my specific design specifications. Then each layers is stacked and laminated together. Each speaker has two chambers filled with damping material.

Non magnetic screws are used to hold the drivers to thick aluminum blocks previously installed inside the enclosure during assembly. High quality solid wire and parts are used throughout, including the crossover. Petra is available with a single set of speaker connectors or doubles connectors for bi-wiring.

Petra is finished with Mercedes Benz "Mocha Black" paint and high glossy clear coat, the base is crafted from two layers of solid African Cocobolo wood and then clear coated. The natural reds, oranges and black accents of this beautiful African hardwood adds a beautiful touch. The trim around the tweeter also uses the natural beauty of the Cocobolo wood. Other color combinations are available with the base and drivers front remaining black.

I had been asked why my speakers have this shape, or how this shape contributes to the sound.

Petra has no corners or sharp edges, so that the sound emanating from them is not reflected from the cabinet to the wall of your room and back, therefore the sound floats around the speaker in your listening room.

But how does this translate for your listening experience? Well, without the sound reflections, the Petras produce an extremely clean sound. Many people that had the chance to listen to them at the show can attest to this. Most importantly, this 350 lb. and 52" tall speaker has the exceptional quality to disappear in your listening room. It did that at the show where the room was only 13 x 18 feet. While many other rooms presenting smaller speakers relied heavily on wall treatments.