For Christmas I got a pair of Lafleur X1 speakers for my 2 channel system. I heard them first at the 2009 HiFi show in Montreal and were the most impressive product I heard at the show. They are a Quebec company and use Scanspeak Revelator drivers. Have a listen if you ever have a chance.
They replaced my B&W 804's and as good as they were, the X1's are far superior. Knocking on the enclosures is like knocking on a brick. Completely dead. Amazingly deep base for a monitor with a 5" driver and very satisfying. I have no craving at all for deeper base. I have not heard a speaker with such a large soundstage and pinpoint imaging. I will be comparing them to my Paradigm Signature S6's in the coming weeks and I'm afraid the X1's will topple them, although they are a more expensive speaker as well.
The stands weigh a ton. Top platform has 3 brass discs inset into it where the 3 spikes on the underside of the speakers rest. I will take pics of the stands without the speaker. The bottom of the speaker is ported as opposed to the front or back. Apparently it is done this way as they always have control how far the port is from the nearest surface. The columns of the stands appear to be ductile iron. These are what give the stands most of their heft. I will post more pics soon.
Beautiful speakers Blue. Can't wait to hear the comparison of those against the S6's. Fun. Hey I know you use to have the huge SIMS amps but I see in your pictures there is a Bryston amp? More new gears?
Still have the Simaudios. The pics above actually are not mine. I have not been able to take my own pics yet as its been too hectic with Christmas. I plan on taking some of my own pics in the next few days. However, the Lafleurs are currently being driven by my Rotel gear in another room. I am thinking of upgrading the Rotel stuff. Considering giving Xindak a try, but not sure yet.
My system being powered by the Simaudios is shown below
you are posessed, bm. Very nice collection! The lafleurs are very rare indeed, probably something that most have never seen before. They seem a Canadian thing, for the most part, I find.
That's not the first time I've heard that. As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of Canadian gear. (Simaudio, Anthem, Paradigm, Lafleur, Harmony).
I'm away for Christmas right now, but once I get home, I will take some pics of my own of the Lafleurs. Lafleuraudio is a relatively new company that have made quite an impression with their speakers. I am now trying to determine what to change the Rotel to for the Lafleurs. I mentioned Xindak as that is what they were using at the Montreal HiFi show. They have also used Simaudio as well, but I wouldn't mind giving Xindak a try as they make some pretty impressive stuff.
I've considered Classe, but I certainly wouldn't say "hands down" over Sim, or Anthem. But certainly a consideration. Another great Canadian company for sure.
They are great, detailed yet warm, great bass and vocals are something else with these 24kg (each) monsters. They do get hot, but that's typical for class A amps. These run in class A for the first 50 - 60 watts. They seem suberbly built and well designed with high end components. I loved my MF A5 but I like these even more.
If those Lafleurs sound as good as they look then you really have some nice speakers there. My Xindaks run Quad 22l's and do so very nicely, although these amps make me yearn for higher end speakers. But, I think it will be many Christmasses before that happens.
Amazing read on the design of those speakers bluemark (as follows) - boy are they expensive, though.
Lafleur X1 Design:}
The X1 ($14,000 USD per pair) is small and dense. Slightly larger than the average minimonitor at 14"H x 11"W x 17"D, and weighing just about 42 pounds, it feels like a solid chunk of wood. A fair bit of engineering has gone into its heavy, dead cabinet. First, the cabinet comprises many horizontal layers of high-grade, Russian-cherry plywood. The center of each slice is cut out by a CNC machine, the slices then stacked atop each other to the desired height. Part of the CNC process involves cutting small holes in each slice around the perimeter of the cabinet. When the slices are stacked, a threaded, stainless-steel rod is then inserted through each vertical series of holes. These rods are then torqued down tight to clamp all the slices solidly together.
All internal edges are radiused -- there are no sharp surfaces. The front panel, a single slab of steel, is affixed to the cabinet not by screws or bolts, but by two more steel rods that extend horizontally through the speaker to join in the middle in a Y configuration, and secured with a bolt at the back of the speaker. This cabinet design has been exceptionally well thought out -- I would assume that this cabinet construction is responsible for a substantial portion of the speakers' $14,000 price. Lafleuraudio claims that each pair of X1s takes a full month to build and finish. Once you've seen one with its top panel removed, it's easy to believe.
The X1's front baffle is covered with padded leather. The horizontal striations of the plywood laminae stand out beautifully in the lighter finishes, and contrast nicely with the leather front. If I were ordering this speaker, I'd choose a lighter color; with the darker finishes, it's hard to see the different layers. After all, it's this construction that sets the X1 apart -- why not show it off?
At the rear is one pair of really nice binding posts. At first I thought the X1 was a sealed design, but while talking to Emanuel Lafleur, I discovered a port hidden underneath the rear end of the speaker, right where its you-know-what would reside. Lafleur informed me that he aimed the port to fire downward, as it would then be more likely to be a consistent 24" from the nearest surface (the floor) -- a distance calculated into the design of the speaker and its dedicated, massive, beautifully designed stands, which are included in the purchase price. (My review samples came with a set of very heavy, four-post metal stands.)
Top-notch, seriously high-end drive-units are used in the X1: a Scan-Speak Revelator 5" woofer and a Scan-Speak 1.5" tweeter. For the price, they should be. The X1's crossover is wired point to point in what Lafleur claims is a unique, proprietary design. The crossover components are potted in bitumen in order to control resonances. The company specifies that the X1's sensitivity is 87dB/2.83V/m and that it presents the amplifier with an impedance of 8 ohms. The frequency response is claimed to be 45Hz-20kHz.
Bluemark, after reading the review quote that George copied here, I am in awe of these speakers. However, and I'm not knocking them, but I really wonder how multiple layers bound by bolted rods would be any more beneficial than solid mdf when the density would, imo, be more uniformly spread throughout the enclosure mass. It just a design concept that makes me wonder though I admit I'm clueless when it comes to physics. Without hearing these speakers and regardless of the price, I sense they would sound absolutely wonderful. But, is it more in the design and parts rather than the construction? I find them quite intriguing and would love to hear them.
I would have thought the exact same thing prior to hearing them, but goes to show what I know. I guess the goal was stiffness as opposed to homogeneity. I don't think they are using the traditional plywood that we get from the hardware stores. All I know is that these speakers are the most dense I've ever experienced. Like I said in an earlier post, when I knock on the side of them, it is like knocking on the side of a brick. Totally dead. I've wondered what effect laminating several layers of MDF together that are cut using the same CNC process would accomplish. In any case, what they have done is working. It is the same process used by Magico in the pic below:
"but I really wonder how multiple layers bound by bolted rods would be any more beneficial than solid mdf when the density would, imo, be more uniformly spread throughout the enclosure mass."
My understanding would be this isn't just an attempt at creating a very dense material, but also at resonance control. Using different materials at different layers would control resonances (each layer would have a different resonance frequency) better than a single material which can "ring" at a single frequency.
My understanding would be this isn't just an attempt at creating a very dense material, but also at resonance control. Using different materials at different layers would control resonances (each layer would have a different resonance frequency) better than a single material which can "ring" at a single frequency.
Do you really think the design would be that in depth? I would doubt that would be the case (imo) - each layer seems to be from similar material anyway. But I agree a laminated structure may do as you suggest Chris. However, from the photos it would seem they are bonded by glue under pressure as well as bolts giving them as much solidity as any laminated piece of timber.
The birch material being used is most effective in a cross-patterned laminate across the grain. It makes sense to increase this property by using a stack of the same material. Well, to me, anyhow.
No luck in Montreal, days too long, maybe next trip.
