Klipsch Palladium P-39F Owner's Manual page 9

Loudspeaker Components -2
Treble Compression Driver
Low distortion, high sensitivity, wide bandwidth and neutral tonality have been,
in this ground-breaking design, pushed beyond the standards for any previous
Klipsch driver.
Built around a .75-inch titanium dome, the tweeter makes use of two very large
high temperature N35H neodymium magnets in an unconventional configura-
tion. The titanium dome and surround are formed as one common unit.
The chamber behind the tweeter dome is resistively damped via a filled tube
to reduce reflection of the back wave—and thereby the distortion that would otherwise be produced. The phase
plug that puts the dome into a compression mode also has a unique chamber within it that extends the upper
frequency limit of the driver. This proprietary technique offers numerous benefits, including the elimination of
undesirable standing waves in the high pressure layer between the phase plug and horn. The result is a smooth
impedance transfer function, and a benign load on the partnering amplifier. Additionally, this technique produces
Crossover Network
The network is a two board construction located adjacent to the speaker's base
plate, which conveniently positions the tri-wire input connectors at floor level.
This minimizes the length of speaker wire and produces a clean finished look.
Through very accurate driver engineering, the system offers excellent perfor-
mance without the need for corrections in the crossover network. A crossover
should provide a smooth transition from driver to driver, allowing each element
to operate at its optimum performance within its designed frequency range. This
accomplished, the network can be a straightforward design and use extremely
high quality parts without imposing unnecessary budget constraints. A simple,
Mid and Treble Network
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smoother amplitude response through the high frequency
range. With its unique horn and phase plug, the P-39F tweeter
demands far less drive current from the amplifier, so the driver
can maintain full dynamic capability at any volume level.
This driver is inherently flat from 3 KHz to 30 KHz. and has an
inherent sensitivity some 10 dB greater than direct radiating
designs. Distortion is also reduced by a factor of 10 dB, against
conventional tweeters.
Bass Network
elegant crossover also means the speak-
er will have a more direct and coherent
character as compared with products that must employ complex
networks to iron out their shortcomings. Polyester capacitors along
with all air-core inductors, ensure best performance and longevity.
The network produces a fourth-order electro-acoustic filter when
combined with the smooth, natural roll off of the drivers.
Loudspeaker Components -3
Cabinet
Functionally, any loudspeaker enclosure provides a mechanical placement
of each transducer, a method for suppressing acoustical radiations and a reso-
nant chamber to extend low frequency performance. The P-39F is an artistic
blend of beauty and functional performance. Its industrial design was guided
by the global consultancy of BMW Group DesignworksUSA.
Enclosure resonances can be suppressed through the geometry of the en-
closure and mass of the panels. The P-39F enclosure contains nonparallel wall
structures and thick, high mass walls. Nonparallel wall structures significantly
decrease standing waves. Cabinet wall thick-
nesses are a minimum of 1-inch thick with an
even thicker front baffle. Custom inner and
outer laminated panels sandwich a middle layer of dissimilar material designed with
a different mechanical impedance to ensure the cabinet does not color the sound.
To further increase enclosure stiffness, four "H" braces are strategically positioned
in the enclosure to reinforce the structure, control resonance and minimize modal
standing waves. The massive front baffle design allows all woofers and the mid/
high horn structure to mount flush to the exterior edge. The width of the front
baffle has also been minimized to decrease the total area. A smaller front baffle
directly correlates to improved off-axis performance. The overall enclosure was de-
signed to extend the low frequency response of the three woofers to 39Hz (-3dB).
This fourth-order, vented enclosure contains three custom flared, tuned ports
cleverly blended into the rear of the curved enclosure. Just below the ports, a high
mass aluminum and steel base is integrated into the bottom of the enclosure. The
base contains four adjustable floor anchors, which decouple the cabinet from the
floor by supporting the cabinet at just four points.
Tractrix® Horn Design
Horn-loaded technology is the driving force behind the remark-
ably accurate Klipsch sound. Horns offer high efficiency, low dis-
tortion, controlled directivity and flat frequency response, allowing
them to more closely reproduce the quality and tonal charac-
teristics of live sound. In the P-39F, the high and mid-frequency
drivers both use the latest evolution of our Tractrix® Horn design,
featuring a 90° x 60° coverage pattern and a lofted throat design
for exemplary on-axis response. These horns have been molded as
a single unit, using a proprietary, acoustically inert, carbon-infused
thermoset composite material. The high- and mid-frequency
drivers are connected to the horns via chamber-dampened phase
plugs that result in a 4:1 compression ratio, delivering remarkable
efficiency with astonishingly low distortion. This arrangement
allows the P-39F to provide a unique combination of precision,
clarity and effortless power.
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