Massimo Costa strikes again!

I'd published this news post.

Massimo Costa strikes again? – This time it's the Albedo Agadia with diamond or ceramic tweeter. Either option combines with a 5" ceramic midrange and three 7" ceramic woofers all from Accuton's Cell Concept range via 2nd-order acoustic filters for 86dB/4Ω sensitivity. At dimensions of 45 x 28 x 140cm DxWxH, the build remains reasonably compact but 140kg/ea. of raw mass shows unexpected seriousness of construction. These cabinets are naturally endowed with Massimo's trademark Helmoline resonators to cancel internal propagation effects, linearize the impedance and with it, optimize an amplifier's control over the woofers. The available finish is black leather with walnut as shown. That's where the post ended. And it had started without a question mark.

A few days after the Munich show, Massimo Costa contacted me. "I must point out that this is no design of mine or better, it started with an idea I never finished because in the meantime my job changed. Due to the 4-hour driving distance between me and Albedo and the fact that I'm getting older, I handed off design work for Albedo to young designer Juan Loyaza. I moved to Alare, Audia's speaker brand for which in Munich we introduced the Remiga 2 speakers. Others will follow soon. I've been friends with the Audia crew for over 25 years and this new challenge seemed interesting to me."

I added Massimo's corrections to the news post and affixed the question mark to set them up. Then I instantly hopped over to Alare's site. In passing I'd already been aware that Audia had launched a speaker division in mid 2021. Yet one look back then at their Audio Technology 10"/8" dual-woofer dual-transmission-line tower with 30mm concave Accuton diamond tweeter and an equally stout 120kg/ea. weight tag had quickly disabused me of any reviewing notions. Such tweeters take serious coin out of the till, such weight—and the attendant crates requiring storage in the interim—blow out my abilities. But learning that Massimo was involved changed everything. He's my favorite speaker designer working with Accuton ceramic drivers. To this day I own a pair of his original Albedo Aptica.

Remiga 2 [crates at left] remains altogether too big and heavy for my abilities but the "others will follow soon" teaser had me hopeful. Alare's growing flock might soon include a model cut back down to my kind of size and weight?

How about it, Massimo?

We're all getting older. Compact, modestly weighty and easy does it now. Let's leave hulky and sweaty to the young Turks.

As it happens, Massimo had good news. "I'm working on a project that I'm sure will fit your constraints."

Ask and ye shall receive!