Whatmough SIGNATURE SERIES 3-Way Floor Standing Speakers - S505i
The Signature 505i floor standing speaker sits above the Signature P33i as Whatmough's ultimate purely passive design. Compared to the award winning Signature P33i, the Signature 505i offers an extended dynamic range, higher levels of accuracy and a more open and effortless soundstage.
The Signature 505i is built from the ground up for the true audiophile who appreciates the subtle nuances and natural timbre of vocal and stringed performances as well as the weight and impact of an orchestra in full flight. The Signature 505i is a versatile speaker and an accomplished performer with everything from Jazz and Classical, through to Rock. Proudly handcrafted in Australia, the Signature 505i continues the Whatmough tradition of the uncompromising approach to the pursuit of sonic excellence.
Cabinetry
The Signature 505i's cabinets are finished in deep charcoal on the front, top, rear and bottom plinth with Santos Palisander (Brazilian Rosewood) or Bubinga (African Rosewood) real timber veneer adorning the sides. The cabinets are a dual rear ported configuration featuring 25mm thick walls with extensive internal bracing, acoustic chambering and dampening control materials to minimise resonation.
Drivers
The Signature 505i is a 3-way line array design centered around the same ring radiator tweeter found in our flagship Paragon. This ultra expensive, hand made, tweeter is incredibly fast and detailed. The wave guided centre plug and an extended frequency response beyond 40kHz, a full octave above most conventional dome tweeters, ensure a smooth and open tone. Twin 100mm Polyglass midrange drivers with an extremely low cone mass (just 4 grams) cover the 400-3,400Hz range and produce an incredible transient response, sonic clarity and tonal accuracy, particularly around vocals. A pair of 180mm Kevlar bass drivers cover frequencies up to 400Hz and are renowned for their rigidity and tight control of bass response.
Crossover Network
The use of the highest quality components extends beyond the drivers. The beautifully designed, hand built, crossover networks in the Signature 505i contain air cored inductors made from the highest purity copper and premium quality polypropylene film capacitors. Each crossover network is meticulously point-to-point hard wired and all components positioned to avoid undesired interactions. The crossover networks are housed in their own isolation enclosure to keep them away from internal resonances or interference. Frequency optimised Cardas (USA) internal wiring is used exclusively.
Binding Posts & Spikes
The Signature 505i features solid copper Cardas (USA) binding posts that are silver plated and Rhodium coated to provide the best connection possible and are considered by many to be the world's best. For optimum performance we recommend running in tri-wire or even tri-amped configuration.
Oversized, hardened, spikes are used to provide a precise rigid coupling to the floor. The spikes pass through solid steel girders that are bolted to the bottom plinths of the speakers. The spikes provide a very stable footprint and are easily adjustable.
Specification
Driver Configuration
2 x 180mm Kevlar bass drivers
2 x 100mm Polyglass mid-range
1 x 35mm dual concentric diaphragm with a wave-guide centre plug. This tweeter uses an unusually large neodymium magnet structure
Nominal Impedance
4 ohms
Amplifier Power Requirement
25 200 watts per channel
Power Handling
Transient peaks in excess of 250 watts. Average level of 100 watts
Sensitivity
92dB input level of 2.83 volts (1 watt into 8 ohms)
Frequency Response
32Hz to 40kHz +/- 3db
External Crossover Module
Individually calibrated for each speaker in the pair for precise response match. Very high quality Cardas rhodium plated solid copper tri-wired terminals.
Dimensions
1420h x 285w x 380d (mm)
Weight
80kg each. Including external crossover
