Unknown loudspeaker
The Dutch loudspeaker brand name
LyricAudio is relatively unknown, especially outside the
Well known loudspeaker
Rendolf Zeeman
was involved in the construction of a special loudspeaker by the name VandenHul
monitor. The well famous VandenHul designed this complex and multi unit
loudspeaker and Rendolf Zeeman produced this well known loudspeaker. Large
numbers of this large heavyweight were not produced either, but the speaker is
certainly well known in the
1
Heavy, strong enclosure with non
parallel sides and separate inner enclosures.
2
Large
cost no object filter design, casted into synthetic resin.
3
Open
bass enclosure.
Physique
The LyricAudio
LS2 looks like a classical three way bass reflex box of considerable size. The
height is 105 cm, but the box does not look big, thanks to the limited width and
the sloping vertical ribs.
Technique
This tasteful
looking floor standing loudspeaker includes a few technical peculiarities.
Inside the cabinet a 4th unit is hidden from view and the cabinet is
divided into separate compartments. The internal boards separating the several
compartments are placed in such a way no parallel sides can cause standing
energy waves inside.
The 4th
unit inside lays the basis for the isobaric (or compound) bass system, which
was previously seen in the iconic Linn Isobaric loudspeaker. The underlying
theory is the front mounted bass unit is not restricted by the air at the back,
which will result in an asymmetric loading of air at the front opposed to the
air behind the unit. The internal unit moves the air in such a way the cabinet
will not reflect sound waves or load the front unit with pressure of any kind.
This explanation is too short to be precise, and certainly some questions arise
from this theory. Air inside the cabinet will still pose a mass and will mass
load both units. There can be time differences between the two units and the
second units has an asymmetric load itself, due to the conventional bass reflex
compartment behind it. But asymmetry in loading the inside unit is probably not
proving much influence for this unit is not radiating sound onto the listener
directly. So much for the theory and technique, intriguing as they are.
My sample LS2
My samples had
a problem many of these Lyrics speakers will have suffered from. The rubber
rings of the bass units disintegrate as time goes by. The set was offered to me
for a reasonable price with the message; “You will have to let the units
repaired.” I decided to repair the units myself and bought the set to
complement the System One of Nakamichi.
Missing parts
More proved to
be the problem with this set of LS2. A broken terminal for the cables had to be
replaced. Opening up the cabinets revealed a loose connector inside one of the
cabinets. This loose connector disconnected the internal bass unit. The sealing
of this cabinet suggested this loudspeaker was not tempered with any further.
The other loudspeaker was definitely opened up before and appeared to be empty.
The internal bass unit was no longer there. The front mounted bass unit still
was, but was far from original. The original Vifa had been replaced by a
Celestion unit of comparable size.
Simply
replacing the rubber rings proved to be impossible for now the units were
incomplete.
Replace and repair
At the
loudspeaker specialist it appeared the originally used Vifa P21 bass units are
still in production and available. They look completely the same and unchanged
in 20 years or so. Closely looking reveals some minor differences caused by
changes in manufacturing methods and possibly also cost reductions. Also the
rubber rings have obviously changed into a longer lasting version and also the
central dust cap is different and softer in the new model.
With two new
replacement Vifa units the other two needed repair still. The replacement
rubber rings were ordered and removing and cleaning of the old rings was done.
Gluing the rubber rings to the cone and chassis is a precise job because the
voice coils need to be exactly centered to avoid problems. I used white plastic
brackets to center the cone.
After repairing,
drying and testing the units the end result was near. All 4 bass units could be
installed. I mounted the newer units at the speakers’ front and the repaired
versions internally. This way, the differences of the new and old versions
sound wise, if any, would be spread over the speakers evenly, and true
identical speakers is the end result. The old and new units now look different,
with the substituted rubber ring in the old version, but the difference in
sound is something unknown.
Damping
After this the
loudspeakers could be used for listening. This proved to be very enjoyable
indeed. During the repair I had wondered why the bass reflex cabinet was
completely devoid of damping material. Had someone removed it to enhance the
bass, since the speakers had been trimmed from the use of the internal bass
units? I could see the heavy, strongly braced, cabinet would not resonate and
not influence the sound by much. That the sound would be so clean and colorless
that damping in the bass reflex part is totally unnecessary was more than I
expected. The low end with the compound drive system is powerful, neutral and
nicely detailed. It also has a very reasonable extension to about 30 Hz.
End result
The high and middle
frequencies also possess a neutral sound quality without the harshness or
squeakiness heard in many cone speakers. The speakers sound neutral and
controlled, especially dynamic wise. It does not possess the open quality of
top notch electrostatic speakers but will not introduce fatigue either. This
last quality results in high sound volumes possible, which many speakers are
not capable of delivering. This is nothing short 
of real high end performance. Another strong
suite of the Lyrics is the way the sound is spaciously displayed and the
projected sound sources can be individually identified in the large soundstage.
This strong point is a elevated quality that I recognize as the goal of the
designer, Rendolf Zeeman. In combination with the seventies System One of
Nakamichi a amazing sound was achieved. This combination, with the quality of
the power amp 620 combining effortlessly with the Lyrics, was an ideal medium
for listening to music.
Time has had
little impact on good sound, as the great sound of this seventies and eighties
equipment aptly shows. The set can endorse this statement for another 20 years,
of which I am convinced !