Description
SAKURA is our second and ultimate A.I.R loudspeaker system. With A.I.R. the enclosure disappears, and with it, box sound and coloration associated with traditional loudspeakers.
A.I.R is derived from the well-known dipole model. With a radiation pattern in the form of an eight and the removal of the box, it eliminates side walls reflections and enclosure resonances. At Eden Acoustics we were looking for the best of what a dipole loudspeaker could offer, while refining the sound, in a more modest size and with improved looks. After multiple tests and measurements, we removed the baffle and added a sophisticated digital processing system, which resulted in a livelier, more holographic sound.
SAKURA pushes the limits by removing the TÔMEI centre bass module and installing one bass driver in each tower. Two new 6inch (156mm) mid-bass units are installed in each tower. These modifications improve the dynamics, lower distortion, and result in blindingly fast reproduction of sound, with faster, deeper bass rendition.
SAKURA systems come with two new DSP options. The Nexus is standard and offers better DACs and improved Sharc™ DSP chips. It offers a Room EQ system and many new features. The DEQX Pre-8 DSP is optional and still improves in sound and features. Both are ROON™ ready and offer network music streaming capabilities.
SAKURA is a 3-way A.I.R. loudspeaker using 4 drivers:
- Two sliced cone 156mm (6-inch) mid/bass drivers featuring an extremely large linear excursion (13mm – 0.5inch),
- One Scan Speak Illuminator tweeters,
- One long-throw, one-inch linear excursion, thirteen-inch (34cm) bass driver to reproduce the lowest registers of bass with incomparable speed and accuracy.
The tweeter has been chosen for its fatigue-free listenability and outstanding sonic transparency. Both mid-bass and bass drivers offer extreme linear cone excursion to sustain the high demands of the A.I.R. architecture.
All drivers are perfectly integrated in time and phase, with no baffle to restrict high and mid frequency dispersion. The result is an incredibly airy and large soundstage that seems to float into the room. Some call it holographic acoustics and indeed SAKURA gives that feeling of really being at the concert or in the studio with the artist.
SAKURA’s central control unit comes with first-class components from Hypex, Analog Devices, XMOS and AKM.
A new Analog Devices SHARC DSP Audio Processor and Crossover called Nexus is used to optimize each driver’s amplitude, impulse, time and phase response. The new DSP can up-sample to either 192k or 384k. New features include a Raspberry PI4, The RPi4 is directly connected to the DSP through its I2S interface. It can send streams to the DSP like a music server. It can also receive streams of music through wi-fi or Ethernet. Other features include Bluetooth APTx-HD, Headphone Amplifier, improved DAC modules (Velvet Sound DACs by AKM), Room EQ is available with a Phantom power microphone input and internal measurement system.
Hypex NCORE™ amplifiers are directly connected to each drivers’ voice coils. Without any power-robbing, phase-shifting, passive crossover parts in the signal path, SAKURA delivers blindingly fast sound reproduction and lifelike immediacy.
The CCU accepts connections through balanced/unbalanced analog, S/PDIF coax IN and OUT, USB Class 2, Ethernet and with an optional Network Music Server (NMS), streaming through Airplay, UPnP/DLNA, Bluetooth and ROON™.
The DEQX Pre-8 top-of-the-line DSP system is offered as an option for an additional 1750$. The OEM version that we can add into our control unit should be coming by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Some features of the DEQX:
- Hexacore ARM Processors
- 5 x digital inputs
- 4 x digital outputs
- Roon™ ready
- Network Steaming
- Speaker calibration and Room EQ
- ESS Sabre Pro ADC and DACs