Introduction - McIntosh XR50 Owner's Manual

Introduction

McIntosh Acoustic Engineers have achieved in the de-
sign of the XR50 Loudspeaker System, a level of high
performance. The XR50 provides superior spacious-
ness sound reproduction with unusual sound stage
depth in a full range system.
The XR50 utilizes a three-quarter
inch Titanium Dome Tweeter and 2 two
inch Midrange Inverted Titanium Dome
Drivers. Refer to figures 1 and 2. Since
the audio power is distributed among all
the drivers, each driver does not have to
work as hard, resulting in greater
power handling capability, dra-
matic reduction in distortion and
greater dynamic range.
The Low Frequency Section
of the System consists of a newly
designed six inch Woofer. Refer to
figure 3.
Figure 3
LD/HP Pat. No 5,151,943
1
4
The Woofer incorporates McIntosh's Patented LD/
HP Magnetic Circuit Design. Finite Element Analy-
® 1
sis and testing resulted in a design concept which
utilizes a pair of aluminum shorting sleeves in the
magnetic circuit. Refer
to figure 4. The sleeves
greatly reduce the nega-
tive influence of the fluc-
tuating voice coil field
on the permanent magnet
Figure 1
field. This results in lower
distortion due to more
linear magnetic flux in
the voice coil gap. Refer
to figure 5.
Additional
benefits are
Figure 2
less volume
compres-
sion due to
improved
heat trans-
fer through
the sleeves
and a cooler
operating
voice coil. Both measurements, as well as critical
listening, reveal ten times less distortion than previ-
ous designs. A good example of this low distortion is
incredible smoothness and clarity in the reproduction
of the human voice.
The Crossover Network used in the XR50 Loud-
speaker System is designed to ensure an even fre-
quency response over the entire audible range. The
Second Order Designed Network utilizes Capacitors
and Inductors with high current capacity. Refer to fig-
LD/HP
Conventional
Figure 4
ure 6. The XR50 uses low loss (DCR) Inductors in the
crossover network. The type of Inductor used in each
section of the crossover network has been chosen for
high linearity, even at high power levels. This prevents
distortion of the music at any frequency. The Capaci-
tors used are the low loss (ESR) types. The Network
also utilizes self resetting high current PTC Fuses to
provide an extra measure of protection.
The enclosure is an important part of the XR50
Figure 5
Loudspeaker System. It has a front to back and side to
side internal brace to form a dampened rigid Loud-
speaker enclosure. The Loudspeaker's small footprint
allows for a variety of different placements in a room.
Figure 6