French loudspeaker specialist Triangle releases the new Solstice line, a reinvention that preserves the spirit of tradition created by the company’s highly successful Esprit line.
The new series includes the Solstice 8 3-way mid-sized floorstander, the Solstice 3 2-way standmount, and the Solstice C3 centre channel speaker. The entire line shares Triangle’s new tweeter and mid-woofer driver technology which refines generations of transducer design.
For starters, there’s the new 25 mm (1 inch) magnesium dome tweeter, featuring a ‘Barrel’-shaped cut-out which is claimed to cause a “volumetric compression at the suspension”. The technique is said to optimise frequency response and improve integration with the Solstice midrange driver. The tweeter is loaded via a re-shaped horn profile which Triangle states as adhering to the ‘OS-SEW’ (Oblate Spheroid Super Elliptical Waveguide) principle, allowing enhanced and uniform dispersion characteristics (also helped by a re-shaped phase plug). The tweeter is driven by a powerful neodymium magnet motor which airs into a rear absorption chamber controlling internal reflection waves while also reducing distortion.
The mid-woofer used across all three models now incorporates a newly designed and highly rigid 160 mm (6.5 inch) die-cast aluminium basket with improved airflow for voice coil cooling, a natural cellulose pulp cone, and a new “rear-glueing” system which expands the radiating surface.
The Solstice 8 augments the low frequencies with two additional 160 mm (6.5 inch) woofers. The new low-distortion woofer drivers are a concave cone design eschewing the need for a dust cap. The result is a stiff cone which is also lightweight. Like the mid-woofer driver, the new woofers feature cut-edge front mounting hardware allowing for a slimline front baffle profile.
The crossover network is designed as a combination of 2nd-order bandpass for the mid-woofer and 3rd-order high-pass filter at 2.8 kHz (3.7 kHz and 250 Hz for the Solstice 8). It employs high quality components and has been optimised with appropriate slopes and precise phase response for seamless inter-driver transitions. The network features MKT capacitors, air-core inductors, and cement-coated resistors. Triangle has redesigned the binding posts which are said to include superior conductive materials. Solstice 8 has provision for bi-wiring or bi-amping and features a bottom-firing bass reflex port.
The Solstice line features rigid MDF cabinet architecture with rounded edges for enhanced dispersion characteristics. Triangle’s DVAS (Driver Vibration Absorption System) sees the use of a plywood brace which also couples to the rear of the drivers via a damping material and foam gasket in contact with the magnet structure. Cabinet finish options are Black Ash, White, Teak and Birch. Solstice 3 can be optioned with the S05 dedicated stand available in matching colour finishes.
The new Triangle Solstice loudspeakers are said to land in Australia soon and will be available for audition at distributor Audio Marketing’s country-wide dealer network.
Triangle Solstice Loudspeaker Line
Price: Solstice 8 AU$4000, Solstice 3 AU$2000, Solstice C3 AU$1100
Australian Distributor: Audio Marketing
+61 2 9882 3877
www.audiomarketing.com.au
