XLH AV Reference 1812 loudspeakers

There have been myriad legendary reference speakers built since
the early days of high end audio. Some
were full range, many were not. Many I have
worked with in my career at high end shops across the US, having the extremely
good fortune to not only hear them, but to listen at length over time with
different kinds of electronics, which is the best way to truly assess a speaker’s
sometimes elusive character.

I have listened to and worked on and
repaired and setup some of the best speaker systems ever offered. And not just heard them in passing but lived with them for 40-50 hours a week
for months and years – sometimes decades as in the case of Quads – in my
work. Demonstrating them over and over
to people who were at turns critical, bemused, mildly impressed or blown
away. Starting in the early 80s with the
Magnapan Tympanis and MGIIIa, the Snell Type AIII and its near polar opposite
the Klipschorn; the Linn Isobariks, the best from Infinity – the Beta and IRS; the
McIntosh XRT22s; the Avalon Eidelons and Wilson X1 and X2, the MartinLogan CLX,
The Magico Ultimates and Q7 mkII, the Rockport Arrakis and Altair, and of
course THE midrange reference, the Quad ESL series…”57s” “63s” and the 2808/09
and 988/989. These are all speakers I
have spent extended listening and demonstration time with, driven by the best
electronics of each era.

In that context, these XLH 1812 Reference horn speakers are
serious contenders, with richness, power, expression and pleasing tonal balance, ready and waiting to be unleashed all out
of proportion to your common horn loudspeaker system. I auditioned them on the
XLH M2000 monoblock amplifiers and they sound fantastic. Each speaker contains a large ported
enclosure containing a JBLPro 2241 18-inch woofer crossed over to dual 6-inch
cone drivers at 250 Hz in a separate sub-enclosure. A 31 x 31-inch, bi-radial
2366A horn is perched on top of each speaker, driven by a JBL Pro 2446 2-inch
throat compression driver, which handles the frequencies from 1250 Hz to its
natural roll-off at about 15 kHz. A “slot” super tweeter on the front panel –
the JBL 2405 – comes in at 13,000 Hz.

Crossover design uses all premium parts. Here is a great description of the 1812
Reference crossover network by Bill Epstein of Dagogo:

“A full description of the 1812 system would be incomplete
without reference to its crossover: a network of electronic components that
instruct the various drivers when to play and when to become silent, like an
orchestra conductor. Without the crossover we merely have a collection of
speakers in a box. The real art and science of speaker design centers on this
crossover.

“In a 4-way speaker like the 1812, it is a very complex
device that, in addition to “conducting” the orchestra, emphasizes some and
de-emphasizes other sounds of the drivers as they interact with their
environment, the air and boundaries of the room as well as the box in which they
reside. I removed the 18-inch woofer from the cabinet to observe the crossover.
I, and some others present who observed the massive coils, resistors and
capacitors of the device were literally awestruck. One imagines [designer] Mr.
Jain Zhong trying this and that type and value of capacitor, whether metal, or
film, or oil-based over many hours and days of trial and error to achieve the
exact sound desired from the system. Here was a perfect understanding of how
really esoteric (and expensive) oil caps are needed one place and film and foil
in another. As impressive as the externals of the 1812 may be, the crossover is
an absolute work of art proved by the incredibly well integrated, from bottom
to top, sound of the 1812. There is never a hint of discontinuity between drivers
and the sense that the sound comes from a single source is easily believable
with eyes shut.”

Sensitivity is 97dB SPL, 2.83V @1 meter…. Power handling 600
watts per channel.

The sound is buttery smooth with macro- and micro-dynamics that
are apparent even to the casual listener at low volume, making the music come
alive with expression.

The tonal balance is right on target: rich, warm, full and
yet exquisitely detailed using the XLH solid state monoblocks.

I have auditioned them and examined these speakers with a
fine tooth comb and they are functionally perfect. There are some cosmetic issues
around the bottom edges in the rear, because these were show speakers, moved at
least once to CES, and are the pair actually reviewed in this
article by Bill Epstien for Dagogo online.
I have included as many pictures as I have of them.

Also, the 18-inch JBL woofers show some signs of scratches
or other imperfections that do not actually penetrate all the way through the
driver, so they are also perfectly functional if not new-looking.

Please know that these speakers come packed in four large
crates and have a combined shipping weight of over 1000lbs.

2006 Retail Price: $50,000.00 per pair

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue24/xlh.htm

http://www.dagogo.com/xlh-1812-horn-floorstanding-speaker-review