Floorstanding speaker YG Acoustics Sonja XX 3

Four-way reference loudspeaker with eight in-house drivers and the third generation of the Ultracoherent crossover

The XX 3 is a four-way passive floorstanding loudspeaker from the YG Acoustics reference line, conceived as the maximum performance achievable in a single tower enclosure. Each channel works with eight in-house YG drivers and with the third generation of the Ultracoherent crossover, which grew out of new theoretical models, multi-domain simulations and thousands of hours of listening-based voicing. The model was created for the brand's twentieth anniversary and represents its technological peak.

The cabinet is machined from aircraft-grade aluminium in three-layer and five-layer construction with constrained layer damping, which suppresses panel resonances and keeps the enclosure acoustically inert even at high levels. The high frequencies are handled by a 26 mm hybrid Lattice tweeter with an airframe structure made from a specially selected aerospace alloy, machined in-house by the manufacturer. The midrange is served by two 15 cm drivers, the mid-bass band by three 18.5 cm drivers and the bass register by a pair of 28 cm drivers; all of them use YG's own aluminium cones with neodymium or extremely powerful magnet systems.

The crossover, dividing at 90 Hz, 360 Hz and 1.85 kHz, is optimised simultaneously for frequency response, phase coherence, phase slope and transient response. It uses silver-gold alloy capacitors, custom pure metal foil models, foil resistors and damped inductors, laid out on an anti-resonant PCB with a low dielectric constant and low loss factor. The computationally optimised layout minimises interactions between components, which shows itself in precise phase integration of the bands over a wide region around the crossover points.

The result is usable output from below 20 Hz all the way to 40 kHz with exceptionally low distortion and outstanding pair matching. The tweeter's wide angular dispersion enlarges the optimal listening area, while micro-detail is located precisely within a wide and deep soundstage. A sensitivity of 88 dB at an average impedance of 4 \u03a9 with a 2.8 \u03a9 minimum calls for a current-capable amplifier; the weight of 170 kg per piece and the height of 148 cm reflect the massive cabinet construction.

Key features

• Design: Four-way passive floorstanding loudspeaker, eight drivers
• Tweeter: Hybrid Lattice 26 mm with aerospace airframe construction
• Cabinet: Multilayer aircraft-grade aluminium with constrained layer damping
• Crossover: Third-generation Ultracoherent, crossing at 90/360/1850 Hz
• Bandwidth: Usable output from below 20 Hz to 40 kHz