X-bit labs

Hi-End HiVi Swans S200A Stereo System Review: Elegance of a Piano (page 2)

Category: Multimedia

by Sergey Samarin

[ 04/24/2007 | 05:57 PM ]

First Look

When I opened the box I took out two nice-looking speakers wrapped carefully in special soft cloth bags. Having taken the speakers out of the package I continued my search for accessories inside the box. Here is what the package contained:

• Two nice-looking speakers;
• Acoustic signal cable;
• RCA-Minijack cable;
• RCA-RCA cable;
• User’s manual

The speakers’ surface was covered with black piano lacquer, which not only indicates that this is an extremely high-quality solution, but also makes its undoubtedly attractive from the aesthetic standpoint. Most of you will agree that we usually see much cheaper materials used for speakers finish, such as plastic or veneering. Actually, most manufacturers try to get the price of their acoustic system down at any rate by using cheaper materials and components, so that their solution could look competitive and appealing against the background of other alternatives. However, when it comes to High-End economy is not taken into consideration any more.

The front of the satellites is decorated with cloth grills with the Swans logo (swan). The grills can be easily removed revealing the appearance of the front panels enforced with metal front pads. The pads most certainly serve to make the black dynamics stand out against the background of the black casing. Without them the whole thing wouldn’t look as impressive as it does, for sure.

Swans S200A feature phase-inverter acoustic design. As you can see from the picture, the tweeter is located right beneath the woofer. The phase-inverter port is on the back, a little above the woofer axis and is 35mm in diameter and 85mm deep.

Below the phase-inverter port there are balance and RCA Outs.

 
These are brand name clamping connectors of the right and left satellite.

The left satellite is connected to the right one with a thick multiple-strand acoustic cable. Its ends are tightened in big beautiful clamping connectors. All the electronics, including the power supply unit, fit inside the right satellite. As you can clearly see, there is a treble-unit and a volume control knob. All knobs are made of metal.

The system can be connected to the audio source in two ways: you can either use an RCA-connection or AES3 (XLR3) ports that are common on professional equipment.

Swans S200A has a power switch on the back of the right satellite. The system is protected against power instabilities with a safety fuse.