That sounded wrong. We’re also not entirely sold on the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” stance in this particular case.
Throughout the history of audio, speaker designers have tried to come up with the ultimate speaker. Although perfection hasn’t been reached, there are several legendary speakers that come close.
In fact, the speakers of today borrow a lot from past designs, but that doesn’t mean that the result always turns out for the best.
For its Elypsis1512, Stratton Acoustics claims to be inspired by classic speakers such as JBL 4350, Tannoy Buckingham, and the Urei 815a. These are speakers with a reputation for playing loudly with minimal distortion and compression.
Speaker Design
Stratton claims that the Elypsis1512 is designed to pay homage to the classic speakers mentioned above but with a contemporary design that employs the best modern driver technology and electro-acoustics with up-to-date design and manufacturing techniques.
Another Stratton goal was to design a speaker that could solve the problem of speakers sounding best for specific music genres. With one set of speakers that could do it all, you wouldn’t require an “audio butler” (Stratton’s words, not mine) to bring in the “correct” speaker system or have different speakers set up in different rooms for the music you wanted to listen at any given time.
However, in Stratton’s quest to make what it considers the ultimate speaker, they have ended up with a 300-pound behemoth that might sound great but physically overwhelms the room and distracts from the role of the speaker to reproduce great sound. You can’t stop looking at it, and we don’t mean that in a good way (If you are a guy with a female partner, she will love it – NOT!). Ideally, speakers should blend in with most room decor while projecting great music or movie sound.
Let’s find out what’s up with the Stratton Acoustics Elypsis1512.
- The Elypsis1512 is a three-way passive speaker with twin 380mm (15-inch) bass drivers, a single 300mm (12-inch) midrange driver, and a mechanically decoupled, 29mm (1.2-inch) soft dome tweeter with a precision waveguide.
- The crossover between the midrange driver and tweeter is intended to maintain linear midrange off-axis frequency response.
- The drivers on the enclosure’s front panel are placed in an asymmetric array, which results in similarly asymmetric horizontal dispersion.
- Elypsis1512 speakers are offered in mirror-imaged pairs.
Bass Drivers and Ports
The Elypsis1512’s twin 350mm (15 inches) woofers use reinforced paper diaphragm drivers, each rated at 800 Watts of power handling. The drivers feature a 113mm (4.5 inches) voice coil, an aluminum demodulation ring, and a twin spider suspension system. It is capable of ±14mm linear excursion.
The Elypsis1512 enclosure provides a 230-liter internal volume for the bass drivers.
For added low-frequency support four large-diameter internal and external flared ports are included which are tuned to 34Hz.
Midrange Driver
The midrange driver is very large by most standards measuring 300mm (12 inches).
Midrange driver construction includes a reinforced paper diaphragm with a 75.6 mm (3 inches) voice coil, a neodymium-iron-boron magnet, and a copper-sleeved pole piece.
Tweeter
As mentioned previously, the Elypsis1512 incorporates a 29mm diameter soft dome tweeter and an aluminum waveguide.
The tweeter mounts within the Elypsis1512 enclosure via a Stratton Acoustics patented decoupling assembly for better isolation from mechanical vibration.
The tweeter features a neodymium-iron-boron magnet system with a double copper capped, T–shaped pole piece and a flow-optimized rear enclosure.
Enclosure
Manufactured from a combination of 24mm and 18mm CNC routed birch panels, the Elypsis1512 enclosure includes a 46mm Front Baffle capped with a CNC machined acrylic outer baffle. Internal bracing is used for sturdiness. Also, the internally divided midrange enclosure volume incorporates non-parallel panels designed to suppress internal resonance.
Specifications
- Speaker Type: Quad bass reflex loaded 3-way passive speaker.
- Enclosure: Braced Birch Wood
- Bass Drivers: 2 x 380mm (15 inches) with paper diaphragm and ferrite motor system.
- Ports: 4
- Midrange Drivers: 1 x 300mm (12-inch) with hand-doped paper diapraghm and NeFeB Motor system.
- Tweeter: 29mm (1.2 inches) with waveguide-loaded soft dome and NeFeB Motor system.
- Crossover Frequencies: 350Hz and 2.5kHz
- Frequency Response: 45hz to 18kHz (+/- 2dB)
- Low-Frequency Cut-off: -6dB @ 28Hz
- Midband Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m): 96dB
- Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
- Minimum Impedance: 8 ohms between 100Hz and 10kHz
- Group Delay: <12ms above 40Hz
- Amplifier Compatibility: Any amplifier will work according to Stratton Acoustics
- EQ Options: MF and HF +/- 2dB
- Connections: Tri-wire/Tri Amp Neutrik Speakeron sockets
- Dimensions (HWD): 876 x 1001 x 515mm (34.5 x 39.4 x 20.3 inches).
- Weight: 140kg (308.6 lbs)
Price & Availability
The Stratton Acoustics Elypsis1512 is sold in pairs and starts at:
- £69,000 for the Pure “off the shelf” design.
- Up to £76,500 with available Bespoke options for the Cabinet, Metal Components, Front Plate and Rings, Grille, and Stand.
- If you want to go beyond the Pure and Bespoke options, you can opt for the Absolute option which allows you to work directly with Stratton’s design team on a complete custom-made speaker based on the Elypsis1512 (price to be determined on a case-by-case basis).
Contact Stratton Acoustics for US and Global Pricing.
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Mike Cornell
March 27, 2023 at 1:04 pm
I’d seek out some JBL’s over these! 2 15” woofers and the +/- 2db frequency response only goes down to 45hz and is 6db down at 28 hz? What’s up with that?
Ian White
March 27, 2023 at 1:52 pm
Mike,
That and the rather ugly design.
Best,
Ian White
Chris Boylan
March 27, 2023 at 3:07 pm
As comical as I find these speakers (I literally thought they were an April Fool’s Joke), I can’t help but be intrigued by them. Any word as to when they may be showing these somewhere in North America?
Ian White
March 27, 2023 at 3:41 pm
CB,
Probably at AXPONA in Chicago.
Ian
ORT
March 27, 2023 at 7:51 pm
While I cannot bear the price, I can still easily lift and move these speakers, albeit one at a time and given my physical handicap I would have to place them on a dolly. Yes, I am a wimp.
As an enthusiast of the great silent film “Metropolis” I am often drawn to that which reminds of the style of said film and these speakers do so in their own way. Others may not see what I do but that is what is meant by “the eye of the beholder”. My visual preferences are why I like many a tube driven integrated (hybrid or all tube) amplifier.
Some may cry, “Apostate” at the mentioning of “hybrid” equipment, again such is in the eye and ear of the beholder. If I see a difference that is pleasing to MY eye and hear nothing that causes me to eschew a design, I say as much.
Wharfedale’s Dovetale Heritage come to mind as outstanding in the looks department and a personal (looks!) favorite, the KLH Model 5 are way up there too! I can hear some say, “Neither of those look remotely like they belong in “Metropolis!”. True. But they look classic/vintage and that is enough that either look like they belong in my home.
Thanks for a look-see at these!
ORT
GM
March 27, 2023 at 9:23 pm
Reminds me of that ancient CBC TV series, “Here Comes the Seventies”
Ian White
March 27, 2023 at 11:00 pm
Gord,
I was almost hoping that you would say the “King of Kensington” with Al Waxman.
My mother grew up in Kensington Market after they came over after the war and my parents helped fund the restoration of one of the synagogues in the neighborhood.
I could picture Al pulling a sheet over these. And placing his 14″ TV on it to watch HNIC.
Best,
Ian White
Scott Lylander
January 7, 2024 at 2:00 pm
I actually like the design and looks with the OEM stands and grill. But you know me, in love with BIG speakers! Oh, and my Tannoy HPD do not have good WAF at all, haha.