"Centaurus"
Simplicity defies the imagination. In the pursuit of our holy grails
often it is the simplest configurations that actually deliver.
The Model 15 is such a design.
After over 25 years of loudspeaker design the PandaTM range of loudspeakers has now been consolidated into two models:
Panda Model 10
Panda Model 15
The Panda Model 15 is actually 2 different possible configurations.
Both Model 15 variants have a two forward facing 9 inch woofers
and a single side firing 15 inch subwoofer in the same enclosure.
The Model 15's are supplied in Left and Right Pairs allowing the
sub-woofers to either fire into the centre space or off the walls.
The forward firing woofers handle frequencies from 40Hz up to 800Hz,
while the side firing subwoofer handles frequencies from 18Hz up to 40Hz.
At the lowest frequencies the forward facing woofers act as
passive radiators for the subwoofer.
The Woofers and sub-woofer are wired in push-pull quasi band-pass
configuration.
The Woofer enclosure is 820mm high x 520mm wide x 650mm deep.
The internal volume of the enclosure being >195 liters.
The forward facing woofers and the midrange and tweeter transducers
are all fastened onto the same Monolithic Panel which is 50mm thick.
Only the Woofers work into an enclosure. The tweeter and midrange
transducers have an open back.
All transducers are secured with custom made fasteners.
The woofers are fitted with W7 WireTailsTM
and wired with Fine Silver Strip ( 99.998%Ag ) and the Woofer enclosure
is fitted with Pure Copper // Gold on Silver electroplate// M13
MkV Monopoles® via the 'shortest-path'
connection.
The midrange drivers ( 2 pwr box ) and the tweeters are secured
onto the same monolith ( which is 50mm thick ) as the forward facing woofers
except that they sit free of being in an enclosure.
The top of the Model 15 is best described as an open panel speaker.
The midrange and Tweeter are decoupled from the panel with the use
of lead rubber gasket composite.
The midrange // tweeters are wired with 450/45 Fully Served High
Purity Copper Litz Wire.
Crossover components include the best capacitors; resistors and
metal foil inductors.
The upper section variations are:
Config Alpha: Single Dome mid and Soft 28mm Tweeter in Discrete
configuration.
Config Gamma: Single Dome mid and Heil Tweeter in Discrete
configuration.
Upper transducer wiring ingress are fitted with two sets of
M16
Monopoles®.
Hence the Model 15 can be run either from one single amplifier or
bi-amped or tri-amped or even quad-amped and can be supplied without crossovers
so that the system can be adapted to an electronic crossover.
CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE:
ALL PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS.
| Model | Alignment | Midrange | Tweeter | Price |
| Alpha Centaurus | Discrete | Dome | Soft 28mm | $AUD 31,650.00 |
| Gamma Centaurus | Discrete | Dome | Heil | $AUD 36,540.00 |
ALL PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS.
The prices are tantamount to wholesale direct prices as the Model
15 is only available directly from Bocchino Audio. True retail value is
higher but because these are supplied direct there are considerable savings
to the buyer.
In the discrete alignments the tweeter is sitting at the top
of the Monolith and radiating its high frequencies in as near a perfect
spheroidal dispersion as possible with the midrange directly under
on the same centerline as the woofer and tweeter.
SO HOW DOES THIS NEW DESIGN SOUND.
Bass is distinct and precise and very real. The rest of the sound
spectrum is spread, in true holographic mode, before the listener with
a crispness and freshness that once heard leaves the listener asking for
more.
There is oodles of detail and timbre. Vocals just hang suspended
precisely where placed in the recording and sounding as real as any loudspeaker
is capable of delivering today.
The Model 15's soon become invisible and the listener is involved
in music as a participant in the performance.
'Welcome, to the 'private space'!
What makes the Model 15 distinct from the Panda Model 10 loudspeakers
is that this range was specifically designed with home theater in mind.
By incorporating the subwoofer with the main loudspeaker it gives
the option of separately powering the subwoofer while keeping all the low-frequency
radiation sources in one enclosure and working synergistically with the
rest of the loudspeaker elements of the same enclosure rather than as an
external adjunct that sounds all too much like an 'added on' component.
The bass reproduction on the Model 15's will shake rooms, houses
and whole neighbourhoods.
Use with care!
Specification:
Frequency Response:
Full Frequency Response: 25Hz - 26Khz +/-3.0db.
Dimensions:
Maximum height: 1300mm, width: 520mm, depth: 650mm.
Nominal Height with D'Apollito alignment for midrange // tweeter
is 1250mm.
For twin midbass + Heil Tweeter the height is 1300 mm.
The bass enclosure is: 520w x 820 h x 650 deep.
The rest is a single panel 50mm thick and continuing up from the
bass enclosure as one piece; Like a Centaur!
Crossover points are:
40Hz Fourth Order
800Hz Second Order
and 3250Hz third order between midrange and tweeter.
Impedance: 6 Ohms.
Isolation decoupling: 8 Stainless Steel MonofeetTM
provided with each pair.
Fs: 25Hz; -5db@18Hz; -2db@23KHz.
Efficiency is >88db @ 1 watt @ 1 meter @1KHz.
Qtco <0.650.
Recommended amplifier power: 50 Watts to 250 Watts: nominally 100
Watts.
Enclosure Type: Fully Sealed Woofer enclosure and open panel for
mids and tweeter on same Monolithic front panel.
With side-firing subwoofer in L & R configuration.
Binding Posts: 2 pair of BMNP-M13MkV
Monopoles® for bass enclosure
and two pairs of M16
Monopoles®
for mids and tweeters.
Woofer binding posts: W7WireTailsTM.
Woofer enclosure internal volume: >195 litters.
Enclosure Weight: 155 Kilos.
Freight in Australia free; International POA.