



Product News
Statement MC Step Up Transformer
Available Options on Coincident Speakers
Technical Notes

Pure Reference Extreme |
Editors Choice The Absolute Sound |
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Super Victory |
Editors Choice The Absolute Sound |
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Partial Eclipse II |
Editors Choice The Absolute Sound |
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2011 Saw Another Year with Many Prestigious Awards
Garnered by Coincident
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The Coincident Pure Reference Extreme (CPRE) may be the most accurate and true-to-life loudspeaker on the market today. It's actually the opposite of the MBL. It does not recreate a concert, it does not beautify recordings; and it looks relatively ordinary. Considering all the MBL does right, the Coincident does the same things more realistically and correctly. It is a thinking man's loudspeaker that speaks the truth whether or not you want to hear it. When I say more realistically, I mean that literally. The imaging is the best in the business. It's exactly what the microphone(s) picked up and it replicates what the recording engineer intended you to hear. Let me be clear: The Coincident allows you, for the first time, to experience that actual craft of the engineer. Countless examples of crappy, thin, or compressed recordings are deconstructed by the Coincident and reassembled in a more realistic fashion. It's as if other speakers smear the sound. And it's all presented, phase perfectly, in a broad array across your room-an immersive Holodeck of sound.
The CPRE is a three-way design that functions more like a two-way with a subwoofer. Its super-fast ceramic Accuton mid- and high-frequency drivers cover the ground from 100Hz to 27kHz. The woofers are tonally correct with perfect pitch and definition. If you are accustomed to midbass (chesty) exaggerations, you'll have to rewire your thinking. Once you do, you'll never go back. The crossover is simple and first-order. The sensitivity is 94dB, and the load is tube-amplifier-friendly.
Over the years, TAS Executive Editor Jonathan Valin has “ticked” numerous Magneplaners as the best bang-for-the-buck in high-end loudspeakers (and does again in this GE-Ed.). I'm going to add the Coincident Pure Reference Extreme as one of the very best performance-for-dollar products in the ultra-high-end market today. The CPRE is downright magical with low-output triode amplifiers, but is also surprisingly realistic and vivid with big solid-state amps. Not to mention, it's out of this world with vintage Heathkits and Fishers. The CPRE is on of the most versatile and realistic loudspeakers available today. (Reviewed in Issue 209)
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We are now excited to introduce the MK. II version of the highly acclaimed Dragon amplifiers. The improvements include:
1. Dual power transformers in place of the previously used single unit. The new transformers individually possess the capability of powering the amplifier. In tandem, they are coasting only using less than 25 % of their rated capabilities. The result is a far cooler operating amplifier, thereby improving reliability and long term
stability. Additionally, the Dragon is now virtually noiseless. It is incredibly quiet which is a remarkable feat for an amplifier this powerful operating at such high voltages. Sonically there is an improvement from top to bottom. The bass is tighter, deeper and punchier. The mids and highs are more transparent and the soundstage more expansive. Due to the reduction in noise, overall revelation of low level detail is enhanced.
2. Chassis Rigidity - To accommodate the dual transformers of the MK. II Dragons, the chassis has been enlarged by 20%. The amplifiers are now 2" wider and 2" deeper and 1" higher. They now weigh 85 lbs, which is 20 lbs heavier than the previous model. The chassis is now more rigid which results in the virtual elimination of chassis induced resonances. The MK. II now utilizes 6 ceramic isolating feet to stabilize the unit.
3. The standard supplied 211 tubes will now be the exceptional Shuguang Pevane. They represent a marked sonic improvement over the previously supplied standard Shuguang. The Pevane is also more durable and reliable and runs 15% cooler.
4. AC ground lift is now included. This switch conveniently eliminates hum created by AC ground loops.
The MK. II Dragon is now the finest sounding, high power amplifier in existence. Its purity is within a hair's breath of the finest SET 300B amplifiers (the Frankensteins) yet its power delivery is awe inspiring. It also runs cooler and is exceptionally quiet.
The purity, transparency and continuousness of a DHT SET but with the power, explosive dynamics, weight and impact of a huge push pull pentode amplifier - sounds mutually exclusive, not any longer. The 211PP Dragon mono amplifiers are such a creation. These amplifiers are absolute state of the art in terms of components selected, circuit design and execution and construction quality. This is unique among high power, push pull DHT triode amplifiers. There has never been a high power, DHT amplifier built to this standard with sonic performance at this level. The Dragons are capable of driving even the most difficult speaker loads.
Features include:
211pp Dragon MK. II Mono Amp
Output Power: 75w (Triode) / Push-Pull Class A
Output Impedance: 8ohm,16ohm
Frequency Response: 20hz-20khz ±1db
T.H.D.: <1%, 20hz-20khz (Ref. Output)
Input Sensitivity: 1v
Input Impedance: 100kohm (Rca)
S/N: >90db
Tubes: (6EM7×1, 300B×1, 211×2) / Channel
Power Requirement: Ac 115v Or 230v±5% 50/60hz (Selectable)
Dimension: 270 W x 189 H x 520 D (mm)
Gross Weight: 41 Kgs
Net Weight: 38.5 Kgs
Price:
$10999 US /pr. includes freight.
$ 9999 US/pr. when purchased with any Coincident speaker.
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Coincident's Reference System:
Featuring Double Pure Reference Extremes
"This system points out some significant flaws in my own. I would like to adopt it as
My Reference in Absentia. Listening to my familiar music on CDs and your LPs had a profound impact I will be processing the experience for quite some time, I expect.
Quite simply- it was incredible.
Thank you, Israel."
Rick Becker- enjoythemusic.com

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Statement MC Step Up Transformer
Coincident set out to design and create the finest moving coil step up transformer ever made. This was not meant to be a good value product or simply another alternative to amplifying the low level signal of a moving coil cartridge. It had to be purer, more transparent with lower noise and distortion and provide sufficient gain so that the performance of the best cartridges would be realized. The result is the Statement.
It utilizes the finest 6N copper transformers with steel and iron shielding so that it is impervious to noise, hum and RFI. Bandwith is 10 hz - 25khz with no possibility of signal saturation.The case is fabricated out of the same stainless steel mirror finish of the Statement Phono and Line Stages which adds more shielding and total rigidity. The internal moving coil transformers of the Statement Phono Preamp are identical to the Statement MC Step Up except for the fact that they are set at 20 db of gain and cannot be changed to 26 db.
The Statement offers 20 db or 26 db gain options and four adjustable impedance settings. Any impedance setting can be internally incorporated.
If the goal is to hear the ultimate performance of your chosen moving coil cartridge, the Coincident Statement MC Step Up Transformer must be your choice. In order to maintain its reasonable price given its high cost of manufacture, Coincident is offering the Statement only on a direct to consumer basis. If it were to go through traditional dealer networks, its selling price would be doubled.
Specifications:
Gain: 20dB or 26 db (internally adjustable)
Input impedance: 3-10, 11-30,31-100,101-300- Can be changed to customer's specific request.
Output impedance: 47k ohm
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz(±0.2dB)
Channel balance: <0.1dB
Channel separation: >90dB
Shielding: permalloy +silicon steel + soft iron
Dimensions: 203 mm x 260 mm x 390 mm.
Weight: 28 lbs.
Price: $2499 US
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NOW ADDED TO CLASS A MOVING COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
COINCIDENT STATEMENT M/C TRANSFORMER -
by www.high-endaudio.com
The Coincident Statement is now the finest MC step-up I've ever heard, of any type. The discovery of a new reference component is always a cause for a "celebration", though, in this case, it will have to be tempered. This is because the Coincident's degree of superiority over the former reference, the Bent Audio Silver, is quite subtle. In fact, to even initially hear the differences took numerous A/B/A/B comparisons (after basic A/B comparisons failed for me).
Read full review at www.high-endaudio.com
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COINCIDENT PURE REFERENCE "EXTREME"
by www.high-endaudio.com
The "Extreme" is simply the "Original" Pure Reference, with the exact same drivers and crossovers, but in two separate cabinets (a mini-monitor and a subwoofer), instead of one large floorstander. With the monitor sitting directly on top of the subwoofer (at the front), the Extreme is around 12" shorter, though its subwoofer takes up around 50% more floor space, because it is 4" wider. The price for the Extreme is $ 26,000, compared to $ 22,000 for the Original.
Read full review at www.high-endaudio.com
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Passive Preamp- In essence is merely a volume control designed to attenuate the signal going from the source (usually a CD player) to the amplifier. Since it is passive, it has no inherent gain because it has no active components (tubes or transistors) in the signal path.
The quality (sonic purity) will be largely dependant on the volume potentiometer used. The finest discrete resistor pots will sound more accurate than a variable one, for example, since the signal travels through only one resistor at any given setting and is therefore not dependant on volume position as is the case with a variable pot. Many believe that transformer volume controls can be superior to even the best discrete resistor pots, since the TVC is inherently passive while the latter still requires the audio signal to traverse a resistor. The TVC is more costly to properly implement since the best transformers are very expensive.
Type, length and quality of the internal wire will also affect the sound as will the connectors being used. The inclusion of a selector switch will compromise the ultimate transparency of the sound to a greater or lesser degree compared to a passive eschewing this switch.
Active Preamp- Not only controls the volume of the source component but since it uses active devices (tubes or transistors) in the signal path it has gain. The active preamp inherently has many components in the signal path compared to a passive. It uses all the components of the passive with the addition of a power supply, capacitors, resistors, gain devices, and means by which all these parts are connected.
Logic would seem to dictate that the active preamp must adulterate the signal to a far greater degree than the passive by virtue of all those additional components.Further, since the active has the additional disadvantage of requiring a power source, tubes or transistors it must not only impose far greater noise, it is also more costly and inconvenient to use. Why would anyone want to use the active in a system? Theoretically, it would seem nonsensical to use anything but a passive preamp.
The Imposition of the Real World –
Passive Preamp - While it is inherently simpler in design with no active components in the signal path, it is highly susceptible to component interaction. The affects of the IC cable (impedance, capacitance and resistance), the source resistance which is the combination of the potentiometer and the actual source and the input impedance of the amplifier are all critically important in potentially altering the audio signal from source to the ultimate sound being heard.
The length of the cables between the source and passive and then to the amplifier must be strictly attended to. Too long a cable and roll offs at both frequency extremes will occur. Impedances between the volume control and the imput impedance of the amplifier must be compatible in order to avoid sonic degradation. Furthermore, since a passive has no gain, the output voltage of the source component must be sufficient and the amplifier and the speakers need to be of high sensitivity or not enough ultimate volume can be achieved.
The purest, simplest but admittedly most inconvenient method of passive attenuation is to have discrete resistor pots installed at the amplifier input. This method avoids the extra cable interaction and achieves the desired amplifier input impedance.
To summarize, in order for a passive preamp to work properly the following conditions must be met:
1. Source component must have sufficient ouput voltages;
2. Short, low capacitance cables must be used between the source to the passive and from passive to the amplifier;
3. Output impedance of the passive's volume pot should be low (less than 25k) while the input impedance of the amplifier should be sigificantly higher (100k);
4. Amplifier's input sensitivity should be high (minimum of .75v for full output).
5. Speakers should be high sensitivity (minimum of 90db).
If even one of the above conditions is not adhered to, passives will offer highly compromised sonics. However, when all of the above conditions are met, there are very few active preamps on the market that will yield better sound overall. For an active to provide superior sound, will require an amazing unit designed and executed to the highest level. (translation- it will not be cheap- but do not confuse excessive price with high performance- however high performance will be expensive).
Active Preamps - Due to the use of a myriad of components in the signal path, most active preamps severely color the sound. The signal entering them rarely resembles the sound exiting them. Theoretically, an active preamp should emulate a straight wire with gain. It should be as pure and transparent as the finest passives in an optimized system yet offer the benefits of gain and nonsusceptibility to component or cable interaction. This task would seem impossible to fully achieve and arguably no active preamp currently available has been completely successful in its accomplishment. The realistic goal of an active preamp is to provide sound with all the advantages inherent in the design with drawbacks that are so minor as to wither into insignificance when viewed in its totality. Achieving this objective requires the following:
1. The finest passive and active components available connected with the shortest signal paths possible;
2. A power supply that is impervious to voltage fluctuation or current demands;
3. The finest form of signal attenuation;
4. The purest gain devices;
5. Low output impedance;
6. A highly rigid chassis that is not prone to resonances.
The inherent practical advantages of an active over a passive is that due to output buffering, interaction between the source, connecting cables and amplifier input impedance ceases to be an issue. Further, due to added gain, much greater flexibility in system assembly is possible.
The other huge advantage presented by an active line stage is that it amplifies the source signal to a higher level, unlike a passive design which has no gain, so that the power amplifier is able to more accurately pass this signal to the speakers. This is similar to what occurs when inserting a moving coil transformer or head amp into a low gain phono stage. The low level cartridge signal becomes amplified so that the phono preamp can transmit this incoming signal more accurately to the amplifier. While the system now has an extra component in the signal path which would intuitively create the impression that purity would be compromised, the opposite results- greater fidelity is achieved. Not only is the sound more dynamic, harmonically more complete with superior rendering of the frequency extremes, there is a noticeable enhancement in detail retrieval.
Coincident has up to the advent of our Statement Line Stage recommended the use of the best passives when all the system conditions were optimized. The sonic compromise inherent with all previously auditioned active units in terms of imposed colorations were too obtrusive to ignore, despite their other advantages.
Coincident Statement Line Stage -
All the requirements mentioned above to create the superior active preamp have been met. The end result is an active line stage that is virtually as pure and transparent as not only the best passives but as accurate as going directly from the source component to the amplifier using the finest 1m interconnect. The sonic leap in dynamics, weight, impact and punch as well as full extension at both frequency extremes is dramatic.
The enhancement of musical enjoyment wrought by the insertion of the Coincident Statement Line Stage into an audio system is of enormous proportion. As reviewers and owners of the unit have confirmed, the superiority of the Coincident over passives and existing active preamps is not subtle. A short audition is all that is required to hear this level of advancement.
300B Tubes For Frankenstein Amplifiers
The Coincident M300B Frankenstein amplifiers are supplied with Electro Harmonix 300B Gold Grid tubes. At their price, they offer very good sonics from top to bottom and have proven themselves to be quite reliable. There are other 300Bs available and if tube rolling is appealing feel free to try experimenting. Our advice, after years of experience with 300Bs in the Frankensteins is as follows:
The finest 300B available is the Shuguang Treasure Black Bottle. Not only are the sonics the best we have heard, we have not experienced a single failure in the field. We have not heard a superior sounding tube, nor one that is more reliable. Coincident supplies matched and tested pairs.
We are hesitant to recommend any of the mesh plate 300Bs since they tend to be prone to microphonics due to the inherent resonant nature of their internal structure. We also have stopped recommending KR 300Bs, despite their superb sound, due to their poor reliability and the manufacturer's reluctance to honor their warranty.
If anyone has any questions or comments about 300B tubes in the Frankenstein amplifiers, feel free to contact us.
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VIDEOHIFI interviews Coincident Speaker's Israel Blume
Coincident Speaker Technology is proud to still state that unlike the majority of current speaker companies (i.e. Revel, Aerial, Von Schweikert, Red Rose etc.) all its speaker models are designed and completely manufactured in Canada.
All the crossovers are meticulously hand soldered in Canada, matched to within 1% tolerances using the finest Canadian and American components. Coincident does not use poor quality Asian sourced crossovers that are pre built and cost a couple of dollars. The price of one capacitor used in a Coincident speaker crossover exceeds the cost of these entire crossovers that are finding there way into very expensive competing speakers.
All internal wiring is manufactured in Canada using American 6N copper. Only the finest Canadian dielectrics like polypropylene and air Teflon are used. Our wire sounds the best and is very expensive to manufacture and labor intensive to terminate. Other high end speaker companies use off shore cable that is sonically inferior and costs pennies.
All Coincident speaker enclosures are meticulously CNC and hand crafted at our facilities in Canada. Only the highest quality Canadian made hardwood MDF using furniture grade cherry wood veneer which is pressure applied on both sides of the board is utilized. Having our enclosures made in China, as most other speaker manufacturers, would save 80%-90% of the cost. However, we would not even think of doing this since the quality of workmanship simply does not compare. Inspect a Coincident enclosure with those made in China and the difference is painfully obvious. Coincident will never sacrifice quality for profits.
All the drivers of Coincident speakers are sourced from only state of the art manufacturers such as Scanspeak, Vifa and SEAS. Coincident does not use any Chinese manufactured drive units that are knock offs of the above noted brands. Many high end speaker companies no longer use the expensive, best sounding drive units made by these European companies, instead opting to use inferior sounding and incredibly cheap (costing as little as a couple of dollars) Chinese units that are almost visually identical. The consumer is fooled into believing he is buying an expensive speaker using Scanspeak drivers when in reality the drivers are very cheap poor quality units that only physically resemble those drivers.
Coincident Speaker Technology is committed to providing the high end audiophile the finest value loudspeakers in the world. Coincident, therefore, will NEVER sacrifice quality. No detail is considered too trivial if it enhances the sonics or build quality of our speakers. Coincident will never offer an inferior product in pursuit of greater profits. Therefore, none of our speakers will be made in China nor will any of our models use inferior components because they are inexpensive to purchase and will increase our profit margins at the expense of quality. Coincident speakers exist for only one purpose: to provide the discerning music lover with the finest sounding, best built loudspeakers available anywhere near their selling price.
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The Coincident Sound
We are often asked, "What do Coincident Speakers
sound like ?" Our answer, "we try our hardest
to make them sound like nothing". The theoretically
perfect audio component would sound like nothing.
It would simply transmit the signal it is being fed
with no alteration, enhancement, subtraction or distortion.
Our goal with all Coincident models is for them to
pass as much musical information with the least possible
coloration. Coincident speakers do not editorialize
or attempt to glamorize the sound. For example, there
is no intentional boosting of the midbass to provide
the illusion of more bass, nor the rolling off of
the high frequencies to make the resultant sonics
more pleasing. Coincident Speakers are designed to
be as musically accurate as possible. We attempt to
create on open window on the musical event, with nothing
interfering between the music and the listener. Consequently,
Coincident Speakers are very revealing of the musical
source, the room in which they are placed and the
ancillary components used. It must be emphasized that
high resolution DOES NOT connote low musicality. On
the contrary, the better a component is at revealing
the information it is sent, the more accurate and
by definition, the more natural it will be since it
will closer approximate the live music listening experience.
Those seeking to replicate the thrilling experience
of listening to live music will greatly appreciate
the "Coincident Sound". Our reference standard
is live music and our goal is to get as close to the
sound of real instruments playing in a real space,
as present technology will permit.
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Why
Biwire?
Biwiring is when a loudspeaker has separate connections
to the bass and the treble/midrange. The idea is to
use individual speaker cables to each section. Besides
being profitable to cable manufacturers, since the
user is required to purchase double the amount of
speaker wire, are there any sonic benefits to this
arrangement?
The answer is yes and no. Yes it is a benefit for
loudspeakers that are not properly designed. In speakers
where the crossover sections are interdependant and
not adequately isolated from one another, biwiring
will likely offer a sonic benefit. However, in speakers,
(like all Coincident models), that have all the crossover
sections, (high pass, low pass etc), completely separated
and isolated from one another and are run to the binding
posts, (as opposed to being interconnected between
sections and wiring all the hots and grounds to the
speaker's binding posts), biwiring affords NO sonic
advantage and may actually involve a sonic degradation
depending upon the speaker cable used.
Coincident recommends biwiring only in those cases
where a consumer has the intention of biamping his
speakers. A biwiring option will be necessary if one
is biamping a system, meaning separate amplifiers
will be powering different drivers. Otherwise, biwiring
is not only totally unnecessary and a waste of money,
but a pain in the derriere.
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Mirror
Imaged Side Firing Woofers - Advantages
Unlike the majority of other speaker companies that
place their woofers on the front of their speakers,
Coincident mounts their woofers on the side of the
enclosures in a mirror imaged configuration.This is
done because there are 3 distinct advantages with
NO downside.
TOP
1. Elimination of Diffraction Effects -
Since the largest drivers,(the woofers), are mounted
on the side of the enclosure, the front baffle can
be made as narrow as the smaller midrange drivers,
thereby eliminating diffraction effects, (which are
responsible for impairing image width and creating
high frequency smearing).
2. Flexibility of Speaker Placement -
Because the side firing woofers are mirror imaged,
there are two positions to avoid room standing waves
- woofers aiming to the inside or to the outside.
In a room devoid of standing waves, (a very rare phenomenon),
there would be absolutely no sonic difference whether
the woofers were firing inside or outside, (so long
as there is sufficient distance to the side wall in
the case of outside firing). This is so because the
crossover frequency to the woofers is so low, (typically
125 hz), where the wavelengths are very long, (in
the range of 9 ft). This means that the woofers can
be placed a distance as much as 9 ft away from the
midrange units and still achieve seamless driver integration.
The Stereophile Show 2001 provides a dramatic real
world illustration of the benefits of mirror imaged
side firing woofers. The demonstration rooms were
plagued with a standing wave centered at 100 hz (
elevated in amplitude by 12db!). This was the case
when the Total Eclipse woofers were firing to the
outside and as other exhibitors experienced, when
the woofers were front facing . However, when the
woofers aimed to fire to the inside, the room standing
wave was avoided and flat frequency response to below
30 hz was achieved.
3. Simulation of Steep Crossover Slope-
Since high frequencies are directional, (low frequencies
are not), aiming the woofers to the side of the listening
position causes out of band high frequency information
to be attenuated, thereby simulating an acoustical
high pass filter. Therefore, the electrical first
order crossover (chosen for reasons of purity and
phase coherency- attenuates out of band frequencies
at a rate of 6db per octave), of Coincident speakers
act more like an acoustical third order slope (with
its advantages of steeper attenuation- 18db per octave-
of unwanted out of band high frequencies), but with
no sonic penalty since no additional electrical components
are added to the signal path.
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Amplifier
Power - How Much Is Enough?
This is a question that is asked almost more frequently
than any other.As with most issues in audio,the answer
is complex and depends upon the following:
1. Speakers being used- Sensitivity and the impedance
curve being critical.
2. Personal preferences of the listener- Type of music
listened to and at what output levels.
3. Size of room - To fill a larger room will take
proportionally greater amplifier power.
Speakers-
Acoustical output is dependant upon the power of the
amplifier used and the efficiency with which the speaker
being driven can transform the electrical signal into
sound.The term "sensitivity" is a speaker
measurement that reveals how much sound (in decibels)
is produced at a specified distance, (usually 1 meter),
from the speaker when it is fed a specified input
signal, (usually 2.83 volts which is equivalent to
1 watt into 8 ohms). Therefore, a more sensitive speaker
that has a flat, benign impedance curve (of 8 ohms
or more), will produce greater acoustical output with
the same specified amplifier power than a less sensitive
speaker or an equally sensitive speaker that has a
reactive, low impedance modulus. For example, a speaker
that is 3 db more sensitive than another will require
only half the amplifier power to generate the same
sound output.
If a speaker has a sensitivity rating of 85 db @1
watt - 1 meter, to achieve an output of 88 db would
require double the amplifier power or 2 watts.91 db
output would take 4 watts. For 100 db output of sound,
would require 32 watts of power. And if this speaker
was rated at 4 ohms, a 64 watt amplifier would be
needed to produce 100 db.
By contrast, a 94 db sensitive speaker would require
only 4 watts to achieve a 100 db output level. Since
most listening in the home environment is undertaken
at 85 db or less, it can be clearly seen that only
a fraction of a single watt of amplifier power is
all that is required for the vast majority of listening.
A 100 db output, which is loud, still needs only 4
watts of power to attain. However, it must be emphasized
that while listening at an average level of 100 db,
during musical passages that are very dynamic with
lots of low bass content, many hundreds of watts may
be necessary, (albeit for only the duration of a millesecond),
to avoid amplifier clipping.
The above example clearly demonstrates how significant
the sensitivity and impedance curve of the loudspeaker
is upon determining how much amplifier power is necessary.
Personal Preferences of the Listener-
As the above example illustrated, higher listening
levels requires greater amplifier power. Therefore,
the output levels the listener chooses to listen at,
will be critical in determining the amount of power
that will be satisfying. The listener who is content
at levels of 80 db will need a fraction of a watt
while someone who likes to listen at 105 db will be
using almost 260 times more power!
Of equal importance is the type of music enjoyed.
Full orchestral music, for example, is very demanding
on amplifier power in order to reproduce the exceptionally
high levels of dynamics coupled with very low bass
content (which uses enormous amounts of power). Conversely,
chamber music, light folk etc. is usually listened
to at lower SPLs and its musical content requires
far less amplifier power to accurately reproduce.
Furthermore, some listeners prefer a punchier, gutsier
sound presentation than others whose priorities lie
more in the area of detail retrieval, imaging etc.
For some, visceral impact is mandatory or at least
may represent much more of a priority than it is to
others. These personal predilections must be factored
into the equation of how much power is sufficient.
Room Size -
All things being equal, the larger the room, the more
amplifier power required to fill it. The sensitivity
rating of a speaker is the measurement of acoustical
output at a distance of 1 meter. The further away
the listener is from the speaker, the lower the sensitivity.
Therefore, a speaker producing 94 db from 1 watt of
amplifier power at a distance of 1 meter will produce
less sound pressure when the listener is 2 meters
away. For a speaker to energize a room of 1000 cubic
feet, for example will require significantly less
amplifier power than to do the same in a 2000 cubic
foot space. As a real world example, at the recent
2001 CES, Coincident demonstrated in a hotel suite
of 1872 cubic feet using a 24 watt amplifier. To achieve
similiar sound pressure levels and bass impact in
another space of 7200 cubic feet, required 3x the
amplifier power.With the same 24 watt amplifier in
the much larger room, the sound was not as weighty,
impactful or as dynamic as it was in the aforementioned
smaller environment.
Conclusion-
With easy to drive speakers, like Coincident, many
are afforded the opportunity of using low powered
amplifiers like SETs with completely satisfying results.
For those in a compact room, who listen at moderate
levels to jazz , light rock, folk etc, then the inherent
superiority of the best SETs will be appreciated.
That is not to suggest that SETs are for everyone.They
are decidely not. If your musical tastes are focused
on big orchestral music, heavy rock, etc., and you
listen at high spls in a large listening space, then
small tube amplifiers may not be your sonic cup of
tea. It would be recommended that a more robust amplifier
be used.
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Available Options for Coincident Speakers

1 . Coincident Extender Feet are specially designed
out of solid aluminum to enlarge the footprint of
any speaker by 4”. The feet conveniently
attach to the underside of the speaker with a supplied
bolt that screws directly into the thread where the
spike was previously inserted. The spike then screws
into the extender foot making leveling a painless
procedure since the spike is clearly visible because
it is no longer underneath the speaker.
The Extender Feet maximizes the rigidity
of the speaker interface to the floor thereby reducing
micro movement of the speaker to an appreciable degree.
The sonic benefits are instantly audible – more
solid and articulated bass, greater impact and enhanced
transient precision of the highs. Overall transparency
and detail retrieval are also readily apparent.
For aesthetic and sonic reasons, the Extender Feet
are truly a must-have on all Coincident floor standing
speakers. Not only do they dramatically enhance the
visual appeal of all Coincident speakers, the improvement
in performance is especially noticeable.

To take full advantage of the Extender Feet improvement, the oversize dual tapered, all brass spikes are highly recommended.
The Extender Feet come in 3 finishes: Matte black, brushed aluminum and high polished chrome.
Prices:
- Matte Black and Brushed Aluminum - $280 US for a set of 8.
- Oversize Dual Tapered Brass Spikes- $120 US for a set of 8.
- High Polished Chrome - $380 US for a set of 8.

2 . Biwire Terminals- (available on all Coincident
models) Not recommended (unless one intends to
biamp) since it involves no sonic benefit. Will be
available for those who insist.
Price: $100 US /pr.
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Cables- What is Important?
I would like to address some technical points applicable
to speaker cables in general and how they apply to
the Coincident CST1 and TRS speaker cables in particular.
It is commonly mentioned that capacitance is an important
factor in speaker cable performance. This is incorrect.
A speaker cable's capacitance is in parallel across
the power amp output, not in series with the signal.
The musical signal does not go through the cable's
capacitance to go back and forth between amp and speaker.
Therefore, speaker cable capacitance has very little
deleterious consequences upon the accurate transmision
of music along the length of the cable.
On the other hand, resistance, and even more significantly,
inductance, both have very profound affects on the
musical signal.
The resistance of a cable is determined by its cross
sectional area and by the material of the conductor.
The larger the gauge, generally the lower the resistance.
Low resistance cables have a low propensity to effect
frequency response deviations with a given loudspeaker
while high resistance cables have a higher propensity to
do the same. The sonic affect of the cable will be
dependant upon the impedance characteristics of the
loudspeaker. A high, flat impedance speaker will cause
little or no frequency response deviations (even with
a high resistance cable), but with a loudspeaker that
has impedance dips, a high resistance cable will superimpose
more of a frequency response deviation.
Self inductance is determined by the physical intimacy
of the 2 conductors of opposite polarity (hot &
ground). The more intimately intertwined the conductors
,generally speaking ,the lower the inductance.Without
getting too involved,it is safe to state,that the
lower the inductance, the more extended the high frequencies.The
higher the inductance ,the more rapidily will the
high frequencies begin to roll off.
Both resistance and inductance,unlike capacitance,are
critical to accurate reproduction, because they are
in series with the amp and the speakers. The music
must pass through the cable's resistance and self
inductance.
It is precisely for the above noted reasons that the
Coincident CST1 and the Total Reference Series speaker cables ,have been designed to be low
resistance and ultra low inductance and only medium capacitance.The proof of any design ,is
the sonic results with a very wide range of available
associated components.Our experience and those of
many hundreds of Coincident cable owners would appear
to substantiate that Coincident cables sound superb
with virtually all components.
Cable capacitance may be relevant in cases where circuit
impedance is high.It is therefore not recommended to have high cable capacitance on the
output circuit of a preamp with a source impedance
of a 500 ohms or higher.The output circuit impedance
of a power amp is however,very low, usually in the
range of .1 to .5 ohms which is far too low to be
affected by the shunt capacitance of even the highest
capacitance speaker cables. The only possible exception
where high speaker cable capacitance could be audible
would be the case of a high output impedance preamp
being mated to a very high output impedance amplifier
like a Sonic Frontiers, (somewhere in the range of
6 - 10 ohms), connected to a low impedance loudspeaker.
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19 Strauss Rd. Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. L4J 8Z6
Tel. (905) 660-0800
Fax. (905) 660-1114
Email. iblume@coincidentspeaker.com