AUDIENCE announced its ClairAudient The ONE a couple of years ago, touting it as the “world’s biggest little” loudspeaker. Hyperbole apart, the good news is that the single-driver loudspeaker is now ready to be shipped worldwide
This is the smallest model in the Audience loudspeaker line-up and aimed at those putting together a desktop music system or want a compact unit for the home stereo or AV set-up. The dimensions of 179 x 140 x 170mm (h/w/d) indicate a true commitment to this purpose.
The brief was to produce the best small speaker at the price, according to Audience president John McDonald.
“The ONE represents our efforts to produce the finest small speaker possible.
“It employs Audience’s exclusive A3-S full-range crossover-less driver to deliver pure, expansive sound with dynamics and soundstaging capabilities that might not seem possible from such a small speaker – until you hear it,” he added.
The 12mm A3-S full-range crossover-free driver is the same one to be found on every Audience ClairAudient loudspeaker. Matched to this is a purpose-designed passive radiator.
Audience claims that the ONE measures flat from 50Hz to 20kHz, in-room, when placed on a desk or near a wall. If sited away from a wall, a subwoofer can be used to attain full-frequency response. The quoted 84dB response makes it a low-efficiency speaker but the four-ohm load means it’s not too hard to drive.
A choice of colors can be had, in high-gloss – black, red, white and blue – complete with black grilles that are magnetically attached to the speaker’s front.
The ONE retails at US$995 per pair (for black and blue finishes, with white and red to be announced soon). Add desktop stands for US$75 a pair. Ask your dealer for more details.
