LampizatOr Loudspeaker P17

I have been building loudspeakers since 1991 and my 27 projects were documented in the old archival LampizatOr web blog. I consider myself a loudspeaker guy, loudspeakers are where my heart is.

After working for 7 years exclusively with electronics, time has come for me to offer a commercial loudspeaker. A speaker like no other.

My design goals were:

1. 1.The absolute maximum of value per money
   

2. 2.Zero fatigue, natural sound.
   

3. 3.Affordable for the users of Lampizator electronics
   

4. 4.No compromise frequency extremes (meaning REAL bass !)
   

5. 5.Putting maximum part of the budget in sound
   

6. 6.Letting the users to choose THEIR optimal finish
   

7. 7.If the best sound means no compromise looks (meaning big and ugly) so be it.
   

8. 8.Beat ANY loudspeaker for the same money or your money back
   

9. 9.Rival 50 000 dollar retail commercial products
   

10. 10.passive XO with possibility to go active
    

11. 11.dipole
    

12. 12.8- Ohm
    

13. 13.Three- way
    

13. 13.Sensitivity above 96dB
    

14. 14.An easy load for 300B amps, but may work well with 400 Watt monsters
    

15. 15.Ship-able around the world.
    

16. 16.Zero fatigue level
    

I chose P17 as my best project ever, only modifying it to 21st century conditions. I also wanted to make it based on new drivers and stop depleting the world of the old ancient alnick DEW speaker drivers.

My sonic criteria are:

As 3D as possible

Immersive cloud of music from floor to ceiling, also behind listener and around listener and deeper than rear wall

Vocals to die for - real, human, palpable, live

full sound with bass and all frequencies ( I mean bass from 4 inch driver (or 5 inch or 6 inch or even 8 inch) is NOT bass

seamless driver integration

if the midrange is bad, nothing else matters

they must not occupy too much space in a normal living room

they blend even into small rooms without an overload syndrome of small rooms

The compromises I had to take:

1. 1.The look is extremely spartan (but you can make beautiful finish)
   

2. 2.they are large (but not huge) which many people find hard to accept
   

3. 3.They require an evening worth of DIY
   

The general business concept:

I give you the value of my expertise, driver selection, overall concept, measurements, testing, XO blending, everything that takes years and years to get right. I give you the best drivers, and starting from the top: the absolute best tweeter any money can buy, very good midrange selected especially for this project after testing tens and tens of midranges, and in the bass - least sophisticated and least costly - simply the biggest cheap bass air-pump because thats what is required.

THE LOOKS

The finish is on you: you can keep it simple ands spartan - as it is - at least for the time being. After you grow to appreciate the speakers - you can dis-assemble the speakers and have them: painted, veneered, waxed, lacquered, or finished any way you desire - and assemble them again .

THE XO: I made my best attempt on the easy and musical XO that is easy on the amp as well as on the ear. I choose very good components. But the XO concept - in separate box - allows you to tweak or upgrade parts. Make it anything you want. The same about the cables.

Why ribbon?

I tested every tweeter that I could possibly get. I also visited tens of audio shows, probably more than most people have. I have visited hundreds of audiophile homes, sometimes milionaires, sometimes just crasy hobbyists. I can pretty much tell what sounds good and what not. I like the ribbons on the top end. And of all ribbons I like RAAL ribbons most. And of all RAAL ribbons this one is the best, it is open at the back that means that the sound is free, open, unrestricted, not bounced, not muffled. This is the end of the road for treble lovers , period.

Why this midrange ?

Well it meets my criteria: it has neodymium magnet, paper cone, phase plug machined from solid brass. It has cloth surround, long throw powerful coil, high sensitivity, and 20 cm diameter. It is even too good for the job, it is THAT GOOD.  This driver was created as a full range - you can read opinions about it as full range - but in my application it is ONLY a midrange so aLL THE OPINIONS DON’T APPLY

WWhy this bass - well, because small bass, no matter how good, nop matter how powered, no matter in how complicated box, port, tunnel etc - simply can match a large woofer like 18inch. There is no substitute for cubic inches as the saying goes. The bass must be able to move the largest amount of air and do it without long throw (hard on the amp) so a large cone is THE ONLY WAY TO GO.  I could have chosen a 4000 Euro pair but that be an unnecessary waste of money, which I allocated almost entirely in the tweeter. In the tweeter the relationship is the opposite - there is no substitute for expensive quality.

The most tricky part is blending these three completely different drivers into one seamless speaker. And that is where my 30 years expertise comes in. People around the world have cloned my P17 several hundred times, if not thousands. They all send me feedback, tips and opinions.

In other words - WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING.

PRICE 4990 Euro plus VAT

Options: 

black mat finish +500 Euro

Polish Oak veneer + 1000 Euro

Silver plated wires (6 cables 2,5 m each) + 1000 Euro

Maximized XO - premium caps (Mundorf Supreme tweeter, Clarity cap midrange, Ribbon Polink coils, WBT binding posts    + 1000 Euro