Unison Research – MAX 2 – 2-Way Front-Reflex Floorstanding Speakers (Pair)

This new Unison Research model is designed to be matched, in particular, to the Unison Research valve amplifiers. For this purpose, not only the sensitivity but also the impedance were optimized. The MAX 2 is a two-way floor standing, reflex-loaded system, of important size however compact. The reflex ducts are front firing to make it easier to place the diffusers in the room. This speaker can also be used as a front channel in home theater systems. With two pairs of diffusers (front and rear) you get a high-impact home theater system that does not require a center channel or sub-woofer.

This is undoubtedly a definitive loudspeaker with: full extension of the low frequency, capable of reproducing high sound levels, not too difficult to fit into the environment, with a clear and defined midrange and high quality in high-frequency reproduction.

Speakers

The 15″ woofer (Italian production) is equipped with a diaphragm made from a dough of vegetable and carbon fibers, the moving coil has a diameter of 100 mm, it has two layers (one internal and one external) with an aluminum former. There are also two metal rings that control of the variation of the magnetic flux to reduce the harmonic and intermodulation distortion to a widely inaudible level.

The magnet is neodymium made. The external suspension is made of fabric composed of 51% cotton and 49% polyester, shaped as a triple wave and damped with a newly developed product. The basket is die-cast for maximum stiffness.

This woofer can dissipate more than 800 watts of continuous power, much more than it will have to handle under actual conditions of use. This guarantees the complete absence of any phenomenon of thermal compression.

The compression driver (Italian production) has an aluminum diaphragm with a 74 mm aluminum coil and aluminum windings to cancel the stresses and deformations caused by temperature. It is loaded with an elliptical Constant Coverage ESS horn with wide dispersion (60°x50°) made of molded polyurethane. Incredibly rugged, linear, and with a natural sound and free of any nasality.

The directivity index is constant within plus or minus 0.85 dB up to more than 12kHz.

Crossover

The electrical slopes of the cross-over are asymmetric (6/12 dB/octave). The cross-over is made with very high-quality components. The inductors are air wound with OFC copper wire, Mundorf capacitors, and MOX resistors have been carefully selected. The cross-over PCB is made by SET (Italy).

Particular care has been taken to smooth the impedance curve to reduce the effect of the cables and of the damping factor of the amplifier (tube or solid-state). The electrical impedance is in compliance with DIN 45500 for nominal 8-ohm speakers. A switch regulates the roll-off of the higher frequencies.

Cabinet

The cabinet is made of MDF, 25 mm thick, veneered in natural wood, and is equipped with a front reflex port. The structure is further stiffened by internal bracing.

The internal volume of the cabinet (about 130 liters) is coated with open cell polyurethane with a pyramidal profile.

The front panel, MDF 30 mm thick, is covered in synthetic leather. The speakers are mounted flush with the panel and the inner side of the panel is properly milled to avoid coloration in the midrange.

In essence, despite being a diffuser made with components also suitable for professional use, the cabinet has been built according to the dictates of the HiFi. The front panel has rounded edges without protrusions of any kind so as not to “ruin” the impulse response with harmful border diffraction.