Loudspeakers

The ES-7N, ‘son of ES-14N’, is a tale of two settings – freestanding or on-wall/bookshelf [see boxout]. In freestanding mode the axial response [Graph 1] is flat to within a tight ±1.6dB and ±1.8dB limits (re. 200Hz-20kHz) and sensitivity is 85.4dB /1kHz (or 86.0dB from 500Hz-8kHz), while switching to ‘Wall’ brings sensitivity up by +1.9dB/1kHz and a maximum of +3dB from 2.5kHz-10kHz [orange trace, Graph 1]. In this mode the response error is only fractionally higher at ±1.9dB and ±2.0dB, respectively, and the +12dB tweeter dome resonance [see Graph 2] at 29.7kHz and 40.8kHz unchanged. In all cases the pair matching between these ‘handed’ speakers is an excellent 0.35dB while THD, at <0.1% through mid and treble (re. 90dB SPL/1m), is state-of-the-art for a speaker in this class. Off-axis, the ES-7N retains superb uniformity [grey trace] but the ‘old school’ push-fit grille produces a more significant 5-6dB notch at 5kHz [blue trace] and should not be deployed for ‘serious’ listening.

The ES-7N’s impedance has two dips, at 4.6ohm/232Hz and a lower 2.95ohm/14.8kHz, but with fairly hefty +53/–66° swings in impedance phase below 150Hz it’s the bass EPDR of 1.8ohm/135Hz, not the 1.5ohm/10.3kHz, that will most exercise your amp. Switched to ‘Wall’ the impedance falls to 4.35ohm/285Hz, and sub-5ohm from 160-560Hz, but the bass EPDR is unchanged. The ES-7N’s inherent bass response does not change in either ‘Free’ or ‘Wall’ switch positions – proximity to the wall does this – the 48Hz port tuning augmenting the –6dB/66Hz roll-off of the 130mm PP coned bass/mid unit down to a very respectable 46Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz). PM