This time active SVEN Royal 2R stereo system fell into my hands. Based on the name the sound must be royal. Or, maybe it is designed to sound a palace? We shall see. But now let us remove from the carton the “virginity pollen” and open it.
Package content and design
The system fell into my hands in the form, in which you will buy it – a heavy glossy box with the invariable Finnish flag, color picture of speakers and detailed technical description of speaker system abilities.
So, the following items are included into the package content: the detailed Operation Manual, warranty card (guarantee is 12 months of the date of sale), the speakers, remote control, batteries to the remote control, feeder (acoustic cable) and connecting cables: 2RCA-2RCA, 2RCA-mini jack. Straight away I want to pay your attention that the system is equipped with a real feeder, i.e. an acoustic cable to connect active and passive speakers. Generally, even distinguished producers supply something like a lace suitable only to check the system functionality. But here it is a powerful twisted copper wire 3 meters long!
The design is interesting. In the first place, open loudspeakers without grills. Such a defiant, and at the same time, imposing style. It is possible to see the operation of cones when the system active. In the second place, it is the black glossy front panel. It is painted with piano varnish, which has a wholesome effect on its appearance and gives particular charm. And there are steel fringes of loudspeaker frames on its background. Agree – there is something fascinating in that.
In the third place, material of speaker cases – MDF – is coated with veneer sheet imitating ebony. The veneer sheet is natural. There is a desire to stroke it feeling under the finger-pads the natural wood structure. Speakers have little non-removable legs, which do not scratch the surface and are designed to quench oscillations.
The phase inverter is located on the rear side. I hesitate to judge is it for good or for bad until the listening phase comes. What has gladdened me really is a screw terminal for the acoustic cable. Yes, the screw terminal, but not those feeble clothespins, spring clips from which wires fall out constantly. Even the feeder polarity has been indicated for much literate people. Connection of the active speaker to the passive one is classic, unpretentious.
A cone reminiscent of a bullet projects out of the very center of a broadband loudspeaker with brilliant domes of the braided polymer material. Many people consider this as a designer discovery, which has no relation to sounding of a speaker system. This is not the case. It is the patented development of engineers of Sven Company. They say the following as to the gold “bullet”: “Its bullet-shaped phase-equalizing body minimizes the amount of sound distortions and evens the gain-frequency characteristic”.
That is to say, with normal volume level, it is so to speak not needed, but with the extreme power, there will be no typical distortions with hoarseness or parasite rattle from speakers. And as a designer motion, it is a magnificent solution due to which speakers without grills look amazingly. In outward appearance speakers look as “audiophiles” shelf speakers.
Control
Control elements, naturally, are located on the active speaker and on the remote control. Let’s start with the active monitor.
The following elements are located on the small panel beneath squawkers:
- POWER LED signaling about the system operation mode and its status
- infra-red port IR
- FUNCTION small switch for mode selection
- two small switches VOL- and VOL+ for volume control.
You can have more possibilities when using the remote control. ON/OFF switch, fuse and commutation panel with two linear inputs are located on the rear side of the active speaker. There is also a big radiator to remove excess heat out of the amplifier.
We take the remote control in hands. It is not as big as a TV-set remote control, but it is also not as small as a “credit card” of a car cassette radio. It lies in hand comfortably; buttons are located at the optimum distance, it’s impossible to press several buttons simultaneously. Well, from left to right, from top to bottom.
- ON/OFF button (st-by), red color.
- Linear input 1 button, AUX.
- Linear input 2 button, РС
- BASS+/-: bass level control buttons
- MUTE: mute button
- TRE+/-: treble level control buttons
- RESET: return to default settings
- VOLUME+/-: volume control buttons
The remote control is powered by two ААА batteries. After pressing any button both on the control panel and on the remote control, we remove the system from the Standby mode, but you can enter back the system in this mode using the remote control only. Engineers of Sven Company found an interesting application of POWER bulb. When selecting a function the bulb lights with different colors.
If we control the volume level – the indicator lights green, LF timbre – orange, HF timbre – red. The control process (both from the remote control and from the control panel) is accompanied with the indicator blinking, but after reaching maximum or minimum values blinking stops.
Functional
Well, with the weight, color and dimensions is clear, let’s check the rest. So, the broadband loudspeaker. SVEN 6 Om and 50 W loudspeaker is used. It looks beautiful – the double, combined and powerful magnet, the real, durable basis and magnificent cone made of braided polymeric material! Why have I paid your attention to the magnet?
Just imagine, how long would a classic paper cone live with such powerful excitation? With the full capacity the motion amplitude is minimum 2.5 cm, whatever the paper impregnated with, it will not survive such excitation, it will be torn. That is why the polymer cone and rigid rings along the periphery are used and, as a result, we have deep basses and correct sound. But we anticipate. And to watch the cone movements is a fascinate spectacle, but I have already said about this.
A tweeter. It has the following marking – Sven, 2 Om 24 W. Having got in your hand this weighty item you understand that the tweeter has been developed for more serious speaker systems. I have paid attention to the carefully assembled damping pad – the loudspeaker does not rest directly on MDF, but on a special pad. Then, it is screwed on very tightly with self-tapping screws.
By the way, the whole construction is assembled with screws – not a single bolt or nut. A piece-work. Under close examination of this speaker system, you understand that the assembly is of very high quality. Such an impression that everything has been assembled manually. The qualitative filter has gladdened me frankly. In modern times, when there is the global economy in everything, starting from workers and ending with components, such stuffing even shocks!
Where are so many normal components from?! A regular transformer is heavy and iron, a primary amplifier is located on a separate board and a liner with all power supply elements – on the other. The operation microcircuit of the preliminary amplifier is carefully surrounded with the countless amount of electrolytes, the system has its own automatic voltage regulator, values of critical resistors have been selected with a safety margin – in general, the quality of 80th, when the best models of audio equipment were created!
Well, and now the most important thing – the end amplifier. It is mounted on TDA7294 microcircuit produced by ST Microelectronics Company. The scope of this article does not enable to get involved in the maze, but I mention that the nameplate capacity of this microcircuit is 100 W in the load range from 4 to 8 Ohm, and the declared nonlinear distortions in 1 KHz frequency with the full power and load 4 Ohm (minimum) must not exceed 0.01 %. I think it speaks for itself.
Sounding
At last we have come to that for the sake of which everything has been organized – the listening! I have thought for a long time about a testing method and stopped for subjective perception. Recently I tested speakers of one very well-known British company with the help of testing disks and programs. All results turned out ideal: total harmonic distortion, nonlinear distortions, amplitude-frequency characteristic, etc.
But after turning on a favorite music composition, I got some artificial lifeless sound. As if everything was correct, but the sound was wrong. And it was impossible to explain, what was not sufficient. In short, the sound is for sound addicts. Therefore, I decided to describe my impressions.
With low volume level comfortable for our age, the system sounded quite digestible – quite deep transmission of vocal, soft clearly legible reproducing of guitar parties, steady bass section. But it is good for the background music of Francis Goya type. But what about Pink Floyd? It must not be listened to with low volume level!
But sounding of classics has not disappointed even without the equalizer activity – the sound has been hard, every instrument has been listened in detail, and due to sounding of Shine On You Crazy Diamond I have got totally new impressions. I have Technics SC-EH760 stereo system and it as if steals the beginning, I have to increase the sound to the total level and then to reduce it sharply.
This has not been required in case with SVEN Royal 2R. With one volume level the system has produced “loud” whisper and the whole gamut of sounds performed by Pink Floyd. The similar sound I heard only on Sony MHC-S7AV audiophile system made in 2001 and armed with the most powerful subwoofer. But this system belongs to quite another price category.
Being in production ecstasy I have listened to AC/DC. The percussion section did not suffice me a little bit, but I thought, it was necessary to work a little with the amplifier.
With the classical music, the system was at its best. Beethoven sounded splendidly! Polonaise Oginski gladdened with the sounding depth and detailed scene. Wagner and his Valkyries were succeeded! The system deserves the audiophile rank!
Conclusion
For 200 of spent American rubles of full weight you get a stereo system, which works off every cent spent for it, and that is a great value nowadays. I haven’t come across analogous audio equipment for a long time. The system is produced in the best traditions of the golden audio age. You can enjoy music of any genre and style with this system. What has not been sufficient for me? CD loader or another format of similar quality for this system!