September / October, 1997

The Alón Phalanx/Poseidon Loudspeaker System
Carl Marchisotto Puts His Best Speaker Forward
By Richard S. Foster

LEARNING FROM THE BEST

Acarian Systems was founded by Carl and Marilyn Marchisotto in 1991. Carl Marchisotto perfected his craft as the chief designer at Dahlquist. Besides speaker design, Marchisotto designed the Dahlquist LP-1 crossover and the CM-1 preamplifier. But Dahlquist's tragic automobile accident and the subsequent sale of Dahlquist to mass market-type companies hastened Marchisotto's departure and the formation of Acarian Systems. Acarian Systems first speaker, the highly acclaimed Alón IV, debuted at the'92 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Since then, Marchisotto's been designing bigger and better speakers, culminating in the release last year of the state-of-the-art Phalanx/Poseidon system.

The first time I heard the Phalanx/ Poseidon system was at Stereophile's Hi-Fi '96 Show at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. As I sat in the front row with a group of about a half-dozen friends, Marchisotto began to talk about his speaker design philosophy. I really began to focus on what Marchisotto was saying when he began to talk about bass information and why no single-cabinet loudspeaker system could do everything required of a state-of-the-art speaker system. Coming from the world of the Infinity RSi-b speakers with its four separate towers (two midrange / tweeter panels and two woofer towers), I was acutely aware of the sonic advantages of separate, big speaker systems. Despite listening under show conditions and through unfamiliar equipment, the sound coming from these speakers was unlike any other system I had ever heard. (I suspect the Audio Research Reference 600 amplifiers and Reference line stage had something to do with the sound! -ed.) I had to have them.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Marchisotto is a stickler for attention to detail. When we talked about the upcoming review, he wanted to make sure that I was aware of the speaker's capabilities and that their setup was optimal. Thus while on a business trip to Toronto, Marchisotto arranged to spend a couple of days with me refining the speaker's sound.

When Marchisotto arrived, the Phalanxes were positioned approximately 6 feet away from the rear wall, 3 feet from the side-wall / record/book shelves and separated by approximately 6 feet. The Poseidons are inconspicuously placed at the rear in the comers of the room. (My room measures approximately 18 feet long by 17 feet wide with 8-foot ceilings, though shelving reduced the room's width to 15 feet). My usual listening position is approximately 9 feet from the speakers. While I was extremely pleased with the sound of the speakers, nothing could have prepared me for the transformation Marchisotto would impart. After Marchisotto worked his magic, I realized more than ever, that the Phalanx/Poseidon speaker system has the ability to reveal the effect of the smallest change, be it an active or passive component. Take, for example, the placement of the blockbuster Sonic Frontiers Power 3 amplifiers. When Marchisotto arrived, the amplifiers and speaker crossovers sat on the floor between the speakers. He suggested moving the amplifiers and crossovers closer to the front end and away from the speaker drivers' super-powerful, cobalt magnets. Fortunately, Marchisotto had remembered to bring along a 20-foot run of the Black Orpheus speaker cable (specifically designed for these speakers). Moving the crossover boxes and amplifiers away from the speakers produced a soundstage as open, delicate, airy and focused as anything I've ever experienced. (Two other owners of large-scale systems reported a dramatic improvement in sound quality when they moved their amplifiers away from between the speakers. One system uses JM Labs Grande Utopias driven by Audio Research Reference 600 amplifiers; the other uses Wilson Audio XVGrand SLAMMs driven by jadis JA-500 amplifiers.)

Next, we placed four generic aluminum tiptoes under the Power 3's instead of three. We heard the difference immediately! The sound became cleaner, with more air and see-through detail. Over the next couple of days, we experimented with various combinations of amplifiers and interconnects in order to understand the importance of synergy in audio. We tried various combinations: the Audio Research VT100, the Cary 300SE and even my Power 3's in both balanced and unbalanced configurations. Each time Phalanx/Poseidon depicted substantial sonic differences.

We ultimately settled on the Power 3 amplifiers run in unbalanced configuration. We also, in the end, decided that the best sound was coaxed from the system using the under-$200 Audio Electronic (made by Cary Audio) interconnects between the amplifier and the Sonic Frontiers Line-3. Because the Phalanx/Poseidon speakers are very neutral and revealing of all shortcomings, the associated equipment must be of commensurate quality. For example, the Sonic Frontiers gear is not tubby, nor is the Clearaudio Insider Gold romantic unless it's on the recording. Neither are the Krell amplifiers or the Black Orpheus speaker cable colored. The fact that Phalanx/ Poseidon works well with these components tells you that these pieces of electronics are extremely accurate and neutral.

The time spent with Marchisotto taught me a very important lesson: Experimentation and keeping an open mind are two of the keys to quality sound reproduction. The goal is musicality, accuracy and fidelity but you won't get there without component compatibility. All the pieces of the puzzle have to fit together.

THE ULTIMATE LISTENING EXPERIENCE

What the Phalanx/Poseidon does better than any speaker I have encountered is absolutely nothing. These speakers just disappear and allow the music to blossom. Period. The Alnico drivers, driver configuration and speaker array, all contribute to the Phalanx's sense of openness and effortlessness. Mating this fast a speaker to a subwoofer is usually asking for trouble, but the Poseidon's speed allows a blending of the two speakers that is seamless. I've discovered prodigious bass information on many recordings with the Acarians that was lost with other speaker systems. The electronic crossover's almost unlimited ability to fine-tune the sound allows the Phalanx/ Poseidon owner to adjust level and, if necessary, compensate for room frequency aberrations (especially if your room is not symmetrical).

CAPTURING THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

If you're skeptical, try Hugo Rignold and the Royal Opera House orchestra's performance of Prokofiev's Cinderella (Decca Eclipse 597) on for size. Listen to how the speaker combines softness and power in the delicacy of the percussionist's strokes, its ability to capture the air surrounding the timpani on the last movement of "The Galop." Orchestral music can be extremely powerful, dynamic and very exciting. On systems that cannot create these dynamic contrasts, the music can sound closed-in, congested and harsh. As Marchisotto so aptly observed on Poulenc's Concerto in G minor for Organ, Strings and Timpani (Argo ZRG 878), "...the organ literally breathes." Phenomenal sound quality. Simply breathtaking. With a world class front end and electronics, you are assured of getting your money's worth with Phalanx/Poseidon.

Want a new reference for tight articulate, deep bass? Grab your copy of Leopold Stokowski conducting Ives's Orchestral Set Number 2 and Messiaen's L'Ascension (Decca PFS 4203). I knew this was a great recording (the UK PFS, not the London SPC). just how stunning wasn't apparent until I was able to create the dynamic contrast and tonal harmonies present on this record with this speaker system. And before I forget, let me state how clean and detailed these speakers are at high and low volume levels. Some speakers sound very good when you play them at concert-hall levels. Not nearly as many systems can reproduce the entire sonic spectrum at low-volume-levels.

The speaker's outstanding soundstaging qualities are best exemplified by Rachmaninoff's Vespers (EMI ASD 2973). Here the speaker produces as accurate and realistic a soundstage as I've heard. Pushing the record-cutting limits, EMI condensed what Melodiya and Capitol originally released as two separate records onto a single LP. The bloom and beautiful glow in the mezzo-soprano's voice on "Praise the Lord, oh my soul" and the undertones of the bass baritones against the church acoustic were outstanding. You must listen to a work like the Vespers to understand how the speakers completely disappear, leaving just a wall-to-wall, front-to-back and floor-to-ceiling chorus. Each choral layer, as well as the three-dimensional bodies of individual soloists, is captured with pinpoint accuracy.

One recording I use as a test for tonal, harmonic accuracy is Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic's performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (DGG 139 010 early tulip pressing) paying attention to the "Bydlo" (an Oxwagon) portion. There is a strong buildup of the Berlin Philharmonic's powerful string section, and the highlighted tenor tuba should shine through the recording with its woeful harmony. If there is too little upper bass, the tuba sounds thin and the strings lack their resonant strength; with too much bass, you lose the individuality of the massed strings and the tuba sounds, well, tubby. In this recording, when you have your system balanced properly, the richness and clarity of the strings highlight the beauty of the tuba, and you'll intuitively know what this instrument should sound like, even if you've never heard the tenor tuba before.

DEFINING TRANSPARENCY

Playing the wonderful Shostakovich 1st Symphony with Walter Weller conducting the L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande (Decca SXL 6563) turned into an aural delight. The piano's percussive quality and its correct perspective in relationship to the orchestral accompaniment at the end of the "2nd Movement (the allegro)" is as realistic as I have ever heard reproduced. Listen to the heads of the kettle drums being struck by the mallets in the allegro molto. Startlingly realistic in perspective- extremely fast and full. You can feel the skin of the drum head.

To continue to make statements conceming each characteristic of the speakers ability is ludicrous. Words cannot describe what listening can capture. From the speed and openness of the transients contained on Isaac Albèniz's Suite Española with Raphael Frubeck de Burgos and the New Philharmonia (Decca SXL 6355) to the rich, natural acoustical beauty of Wolf's The Italian Song Book with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf accompanied by Gerald Moore (EMI SLS 937), the Phalanx/ Poseidon delivers the emotion that live music conveys. This speaker system transports you back in time to the original recording venue like no speaker I've ever heard.

Every lightning-fast transient attack at the opening of the Romero's rendition of Rodrigo's Concierto Andaluz (Mercury SR90488) to the lengthy decay present at the end of the "Tango" in Gould's Latin American Symphonette (RCA LSC 2532) is delivered by this breakthrough speaker system. The emotional excitement that Ivry Gitlis and Martha Argerich evoke in the stunning Debussy Sonata in G major (Dischi Ricordi RCL 27018) leaves you physically drained of all energy.

In the end, the Phalanx/Poseidon does something that no other speaker does: NOTHING, absolutely nothing, between you and the musical performance.

A STEPPING-STONE TOWARD AUDIO NIRVANA

Marchisotto has created a speaker system that unfailingly reveals the characteristics of all the upstream components. Even Marchisotto, by his own admission, is not sure of the speaker's limitations. In other words, the electronics, front-end components, cables, etc. need to play catch-up. Listening to the Phalanx/Poseidon system caused me to rewrite several rules that I previously thought were fixed in stone. In the past, I've opted for longer runs of interconnect and shorter runs of speaker cable in my systems. Everyone knows the reasons, but try and tell that to these speakers. It seems state-of-art speaker systems prefer the opposite. Like those amplifiers between your speakers? Move them! And resist that urge to neaten up the Black Orpheus speaker cable or you will two dimensionalize your soundstage.

I'm tempted to call this system a musical instrument, but because these speakers impart no sound of their own, I can't. All they do is perfectly re-create the source material you provide them. And remember, the words are synergy, component compatibility and experimentation. I strongly urge you to listen to Phalanx/ Poseidon; I intend to enjoy mine for a lifetime.

Alón Phalanx/Poseidon System, Acarian Systems, 15 Woodview Drive, Nesconset, NY 11767. Tel: (516) 265-9577. Designer: Carl Marchisotto. Price, Phalanx System: $22,000 (high-gloss black-ash finish with black cloth); piano-black polyester finish with black cloth extra.

Poseidon System: $15,000 (standard high-gloss black-ash finish); piano-black polyester extra. DQ-LP1 Poseidon Crossover: $2,000.

Black Orpheus Speaker Cable: $950 / 10 ft. quad-wired set.

Technical Specifications Phalanx The Phalanx is a four-way speaker system consisting of one tweeter, one midrange, five midwoofers and one bass driver per channel (the Phalanx's low-frequency response can be extended using separate, Poseidon subwoofer modules). When mated with the Poseidon subwoofers, Acarian modifies the Phalanx crossover to cut-off signals under 40 Hz. Each Phalanx/Poseidon driver uses rare and costly cobalt (Alnico) magnets for the lowest possible musical distortion. Because of the Phalanx's unique array design, the speaker operates as a dipole virtually free of all enclosure colorations from 125 Hz to 25,000 Hz. For the cleanest possible bass, Marchisotto mounted the ten-inch, long throw, cobalt magnet driver in a sealed, infinite baffle enclosure. All low frequencies eminate from the driver cone, rather than ports or passive radiators, for the purest possible sound. The midbass driver complement employs an open baffle array of five-5 inch Alnico magnet cone drivers. These ultra-low distortion transducers operate from 125 to 400 Hz. From 400 to 3,500 Hz, Acarian mounts their most advanced five-inch cobalt magnet driver in an open baffle array. Frequencies from 3,500 to 25,000 Hz are handled by a dipolar, 1-inch twin cobalt ring, Aluminum alloy dome driver. Computer aided design (CAD) along with extensive listening sessions were used in the development of the Phalanx's passive external crossover. This crossover contains quadwired terminals for maximum performance allowing the use of one to four amplifiers with the speakers. The four way crossover utilizes forty, extremely high quality components. Frequency Response: 16 to 25,000 Hz (with Poseidon/ 20 to 25,000 Hz (Phalanx alone)). Impedance: Nom.: 8 ohms/Min.: 4 ohms. Efficiency: 87 db. Size: 58 inches high x 12 inches wide x 17 inches deep. Weight: Approximately 140 pounds per speaker/Passive external crossover (included): Size: 9 inches high x 14 inches wide x 36 inches deep. Weight: 30 lbs. Poseidon The Poseidon subwoofer is a passive system using two stacked modules per channel. Inside each module are two 12-inch, long-excursion cobalt magnet drivers. Each module operates as a sealed isobaric array providing stereo bass. The construction of the Poseidon's drivers allows for inherently low musical distortion without correction; in contrast, other speakers often ran to correction schemes to reduce driver distortion. Each Poseidon module fires into its mating module in a Dynamic Compression Loading arrangement to improve the air loading of the array and control low frequency transients. Low-frequency sounds are radiated into the room through a circumferential slot. Frequency response: 16-40 Hz +/- 3 db (as used with Phalanx). Impedance: 2 ohms each module (1 ohm per channel with mono amplifier). Weight: approximately 110 pounds per module or 220 pounds per channel. Size (stacked): 40 inches high x 16 inches wide x 30 inches deep. Active Crossover Acarian uses a modified DQ-LP1 electronic crossover to mate the Poseidon with the main Phalanx system. Each crossover channel contains adjustments for frequency, level, equalization and filter bypass. The frequency controls are infinitely variable (in contrast to conventional stepped controls) which in combination with the equalizer and level adjustments, allows the modules to be set up in virtually any room. For example, unsymmetrical rooms can be tuned to maximize left-right response. DQ-LP1 Electronic Crossover, 40 Hz (12-18 db/octave for Poseidon).