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This wasn't the case however and Franscesco was quick to point out that his speakers can handle over 250 watts. It became evident that the E.A.Rs were clipping at a volume level far above what I was comfortable with but it did at least define what the limits of the amps were if not the speakers. Dialing down the Music First TVC only a few notches had the E.A.Rs sigh with relief even though the volume was enough to leave the ears ringing if experienced for more than a few minutes. Whilst not the ideal match for those who'd like to involve the whole neighborhood, this pairing was excellent nonetheless and the actual quality of bass very good indeed. At this point it was time for more substantial sustenance than the earlier bacon butties. The system was left playing on repeat while we enjoyed a hearty English carvery before my guests said their goodbyes and departed. The EARs hadn't been used for some months and I knew they needed at least 24 hours before sounding their best. A little about the configuration of the drivers now which is best dealt with by reproducing an email I sent to Franscesco.


Q: A quick question to clarify the description of the speakers. The Volterras are described in your literature as being 2.5-ways yet there are four drivers. Can you clarify the definition and perhaps add your thoughts as to why you chose this configuration? A little research suggests that 2.5-way usually refers to two or more drivers covering the same region with each having a different cut-off frequency plus a tweeter as opposed to a classic 3-way with separate drivers for bass, midrange and treble. The Volterra's additional super tweeter seems to be the fly in the ointment of such a definition as I'd have assumed this makes the Volterras a 3.5-way design unless super tweeters are discriminated against and don't have their input (or rather output) recognized.

A: The Volterra was conceived as the bigger sibling of the compact Fiesole standmount. We did not want to spoil the acoustic qualities of the Fiesole but merely add some lower bass and possibly just a pinch of extra refinement to the mid/high frequencies. Doubling the 6.5" midwoofer was not suitable for noticeable extra bass and therefore the classic 2.5-way solution was not considered. We ended up with what we might call a 'vintage' 2.5-way system. I said vintage because nowadays adding an extra woofer with a quite low cut-off is no more à la mode. Why I'm not sure but I can think of the greater ease making a classic 2.5-way instead of dealing with the more complex integration of an additional bigger woofer. However, when properly done (with right phase behavior of the two transducers) the latter is quite remarkable.

Furthermore we decided to let the mid/woofer roll off naturally as dictated by its overdamped bass reflex tuning instead of a bandpass filter. The result was impressive naturalness on the mid frequencies which we were not able to reach by adding a high-pass to the mid/woofer. Regarding the lower woofer, we decided to run it sealed. The reason was to have extended tight bass and at the same time a system which would not become problematic in a mid-sized room of ca. 16-30m². We think this hybrid solution of overdamped port plus sealed box is pretty original, not revolutionary of course but something that's a sparkle of originality just as Rosso Fiorentino did with his paintings. But perhaps that's too pretentious from us? Although we consider the super tweeter an important part of our systems, we decided to 'discriminate' against it on the count. We thought it would generate confusion as a super tweeter doesn't yet enjoy the same recognition as other transducer units. The 2.5-way designation on our datasheet is therefore 0.5 (woofer) + 1 (mid/woofer) + 1 (tweeter). We could also argue that while it is correct to consider the woofer a half way (it only covers a small portion of the frequency band), the super tweeter covers a bigger region and therefore should be considered a one way. But the region covered is beyond the 20kHz limit so a clear categorization becomes messy.
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This probably wasn't an explanation any pedant worthy of the label would accept without a sense of unease yet for the rest of us I think we'd appreciate that super tweeters have muddied the waters when it comes to categorizing speakers. The DVD-A vs SACD format war may be a thing of the past but I am constantly being reminded that downloads are the future. The jury is still out on whether higher-res extended frequency titles will lead to super tweeters becoming more popular. If they do we might just see traditional definitions of loudspeakers erode over time. Pondering concluded, it was time to grab a notepad and pencil (analogue still beats out digital when it comes to taking notes), dig out some familiar battle-weary CDs and some at least to me newer titles which I hope will be of interest to you.

Tom Jones Spirit in the room [Island Records]. You want 'in the room'? Play this Ethan Jones production and you'll be asking Tom what he wants to drink, if he needs to use the loo and what aftershave he's wearing. This is primarily a collection of covers (there are a few originals tracks) yet Tom's phrasing and intonation are so mesmerising at times that he puts his stamp on every song and embeds something of 'The Valleys' into their DNA.


Blind Willie Johnson's "Soul of a Man" will have you stomping your foot along to the bass pedal whilst wishing you could Google "what is the soul of a man?" so Tom would end his pleading for the answer. What an absolute delight this album is. I speak as somebody who although a long admirer of Tom Jones' peerless vocal quality had never bought an album of his before. Even before he sang the first note on the first "Tower of Song" track, my appetite was wetted by the barely discernible analogue background hiss which accompanies some of my favorite AAD CDs from the 70's. Not exactly the inky-black background which gives some audiophiles multiple orgasms—a tricky feat with most audiophiles male—though personally I class myself as a music enthusiast who wants to connect to music, not silence. And boy does Tom grab the listener's genitalia and connect.