Legacy Audio Whisper XDS - Manual (Page 25)

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The name Whisper was derived after a conversation with Bob Carver over 15 years ago. He had suggested that speakers with a solid stereo center im-
age rarely conveyed image size and a broad, deep soundstage. And that sounds should extend both forward and back in the mix, as they do on the live
stage. Carver commented we haven’t succeeded fully as designer’s until we can virtually portray the warm breath of a female whispering softly in one’s
left ear. Wow. That really stayed with me, and taught me to listen in the baseline information of a recording. I realized soon after that to imprint the
acoustic shadow across the face we would need to reduce the early sidewall reflections that were washing it out.
At best, the emotional response of the listener is tied to that of the musician. Musically we rely on dynamics, timbre, tempo, tonal color, texture, etc…
With loudspeakers we have merely amplitude vs. time to portray.
That’s it. With stereo we add dimension. What I am saying is that the role of a loud-
speaker is very simple in theory, but in practice the dynamics and timbre are usually audibly compromised. Distortions are added, causing each speaker
system to sound different than another. Room effects mask ambience in the recording. Whisper is about getting closer to the music as intended by the
performer. I want the participant to listen between the notes, to anticipate and feel the peaks and valleys and hopefully, forget they are listening to a
pair of speakers.
All drivers used in Legacy speakers are custom designed in house for our exact requirements. We then select fabricators based on the type of driver.
We work with material suppliers from Florence, Munich, Ontario, and several cities in North America. Much of the rare earth elements are from Russia.
Cast frames are from foundries in Southeast Asia.
Because of its versatility, Whisper is used in mastering suites, rooms as large as 50’ x 30’, and as small as 10’ x 10’. We usually recommend a spread
that is comparable to the listener distance from the speakers.
Here’s the key to Whispers sensitivity: We start with very efficient neodymium based ribbons with dual magnetic poles. The upper tweeter has a pleated
diaphragm that squeezes air 4 times more efficiently than a conventional diaphragm. The four midranges each have a sensitivity of 95 dB, so they can
reach in excess of 130 dB together if needed (
hint: a gunshot sounds like a gunshot ). The woofers are the tricky part. The drivers each have a sensitivity
of 92 dB. The four woofer alignment results in 98 dB. Frequency shaping is applied including a trim of 3 dB in the midbass and a 6 dB boost between 20
and 40Hz to linearize the response. The two internal 500 watt power modules per speaker are the industry proven ICE modules from Denmark (
They
are the most reliable amplifiers I have utilized to date).
Designer’s Notes
(From Bill Dudleston)
The Wavelaunch XD S Processor utilizes a 24 bit DAC with extraordinary specifications and can synchronize up to 4 additional channels of output. Once
a customer has experienced first-hand the degree of refinement in the frequency response and time alignment calibrations, there is no doubt regarding
its benefits. When I chose this processor I literally chained five units in a row to evaluate its performance (learned this trick from Bob Stuart at Meridian).
It outperformed a unit of our own manufacture and three other units in a blind session.