Loudspeakers are the final component in the sound reproduction chain, and their importance is often debated. While some argue that loudspeakers don’t measure well—citing high harmonic distortion, limited bandwidth, and frequency nonlinearity—others emphasize harder-to-measure qualities like directivity, stored energy, and time alignment. These parameters require advanced equipment and expertise to evaluate, while aspects such as signal-to-noise ratio, breakup behavior, and diffraction interference are discussed only by seasoned experts with specialized tools.

Despite these imperfections, loudspeakers reveal differences between components like DACs, even when those components have far superior specifications. While speakers do introduce audible artifacts, these distortions differ in character from those of other components in the signal chain.

Lyra Loudspeakers: A Case Study in Excellence

The Lyra speakers stand out with their 90dB sensitivity, making them suitable for low-power amplifiers or large rooms. Their robust design ensures they can handle high stress without compromising performance.

Tweeters

After extensive research into dome, cone, ribbon, AMT, and bullet tweeters, we identified a common flaw: many struggle with high mids at realistic volumes. The Lyra tweeter is a custom-designed, low-compression ring diaphragm driver paired with a proprietary waveguide, enabling seamless performance down to 1600Hz—far surpassing industry standards.

Distortion and Intermodulation Distortion (IMD)

Standard tweeters often exhibit high stored energy and IMD, producing out-of-band artifacts. The Lyra tweeter, however, delivers fast, clean sound with negligible IMD.

Filter Slopes

Steep filters are essential to prevent midrange frequencies from reaching the tweeter, but they can introduce phase shifts and group delay. Lyra speakers use horn loading to create an acoustic high-pass filter, complemented by a first-order electrical filter, achieving the necessary slope without compromising performance.

Midrange Purity

The bass/midrange drivers feature magnesium diaphragms for low distortion and stored energy. However, high-frequency signals can excite diaphragm resonances. To address this, we implemented a notch filter inspired by AM radio technology, eliminating the resonance and delivering one of the cleanest midranges available at any price.

Dynamic Compression

Often overlooked, dynamic compression caused by voice coil heating is minimized in the Lyra. The ultra-high-sensitivity horn tweeter (108dB/W) avoids power-induced heating, while the metal diaphragms of the bass/mid drivers enhance cooling, ensuring crisp transients and unrestricted dynamics.

Directivity

Lyra speakers optimize tweeter directivity to match the bass/mid drivers, creating a smooth, natural response with balanced reflections and decay.

Enclosure Design

The all-metal, one-piece front baffle eliminates cabinet vibrations, enhancing holographic imaging.

Bass Performance: A dual-driver, ported configuration extends bass response below 35Hz in-room, with minimal group delay down to 50Hz, ensuring full-bodied, solid instrument reproduction.

Filter Components

High-quality, resonance-free foil-wound inductors and polypropylene capacitors are housed in a vibration-damped, potted enclosure, preventing interference and maintaining signal integrity.

The Lyra speakers, with their all-aluminum construction and Thrax family styling, represent a showcase of cutting-edge audio technology. Hearing them may well change your perspective on what loudspeakers can achieve.