Verdant Audio Blackthorn 1 - Carbon Fiber Cabinet Stand-Mount Speaker (Pair)

Fullfillment on black cabinets will occur within two weeks of order - 

Summary Reviews:

"The Blackthorn 1s kind of knocked me over with their disappearing act. The tone neutral, and extension both fast and sharp. But the imaging was godlike." - Eric Franklin Shook, part-time audiophile - Verdant Audio - Art Audio CAF 2019

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/04/25/verdant-audio-art-audio-roon-musical-fidelity-ps-audio-axpona-2019/

"The Blackthorn 1s were especially impressive on first hearing; instrumental timbres were true on the Shostakovich recording." - Andrew Quint, The Absolute Sound - Loudspeakers Under $20K

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/axpona-2019-andrew-quint-on-loudspeakers-under-20000/

"Sincere Thanks!...To Verdant Audio for press support, and trying to play my own music on their nicely balanced stand mounts, powered by the beautiful Art Audio Carissa amps. I enjoyed it, men." - Gary L Beard, Positive Feedback - My AXPONA Adventures

https://positive-feedback.com/uncategorized/my-axpona-adventures-music-and-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/

Sound:

Our flagship, the Blackthorn 1 offers a massive soundstage, neutral tonality and brilliant imaging.  These speakers lay a recording bare.  If a recording is bright and fatiguing, you will hear it.  If a recording is rolled off and warm, you will hear it. These are precise and are our ultimate audiophile expression.    

The Silver Reference upgrade takes these speakers to another level. They may drift from neutral to a hair bright given the sizzle one expects from silver wire but expect nothing less than amazing detail and an even more amazing soundstage.  .   

Brilliant all around monitors, are best paired with a sealed subwoofer with the crossover set at 60hz.  Pairs best with amps that deviate only slightly from neutrality or are dead neutral unless you prefer a more colored sound profile. The pair brilliantly with the Art Audio Quartet mono-blocks or the Opus 4 mono-blocks.   

Cabinet Technology:

The Blackthorn cabinets are made from panels of Carbon Fiber with a DuPont Nomex honeycomb core.  Carbon Fiber offers superior rigidity and the honeycomb core offers superior sound damping.  Outperforming even the thickest MDF, these cabinets are truly special.  This approach is limiting in that panels can’t be curved explaining the bold, and distinct styling.  Alternatively, Nomex is far superior to alternatives like balsa meaning what we give up in flexibility in styling we make up for in performance.  It is finished with an automotive grade paintjob for quality and durability.

Drivers:

The midrange is Eton’s Arcosia. Made from a magnesium composite and coated in an olefin film, the Arcosia has superb musical characteristics.  It has exceptional tonal balance and a nonchalance to its soundstage that makes it immersive and realistic.  Eton’s tweeters are made of a magnesium composite coated in ceramic.  This sandwich is extraordinarily rigid and imparts the finest detail without a hint of hardness or brightness. 

Crossover:

Eton speakers are well designed and don’t require extraordinarily complex crossovers.  Using a hybrid second and third order design allows for a seamless transition between tweeter and woofer for a homogenous sound.  ClarityCap CSA Capacitors were chosen for their ability to deliver an uncoloured sound with exceptional detail and nuance.  Goertz Copper Foil inductors were selected due to their tight tolerances and exceptional quality ensuring a clean and consistent sound from speaker to speaker. 

Kimber Kable and WBT Binding Posts:     

To ensure the signal arrives at our superb crossover and drivers in the purest possible form, we opted to use only the best wire and binding posts.  Flexibility is not a concern inside a speaker cabinet so although a bit more expensive we, opted for solid copper wire from Kimber Kable for its precise and focused sound.  WBT Binding Posts were selected for their obvious quality and precision. 

Specifications:

Drivers -

• Mid Woofer: 5.9 inches (150mm) – Magnesium Composite
• Tweeter: 1 inch (25mm) Dome – Ceramic Magnesium Composite Dome

Enclosure Type-

• Mid Woofer: Rear Vented
• Tweeter: Sealed

Measurements

• Sensitivity: 84 dB (2.83V @ 1M)
• Maximum SPL: 7dB Continuous (1M) and 115.8dB Peak
• Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms / minimum 7.4 ohms @ 167 Hz
• Recommended Amplifier Power Range: 30 to 100w

Frequency Response:   

• 60 Hz – 18.7 kHz +/- 3 dB
• 51 Hz – 19.1 kHz +/- 6dB
• 43 Hz – 20.0 kHz +/- 10dB

Dimensions

• Height: 15 inches
• Width: 8.5 inches
• Depth: 11 inches

Product Weight

• Weight Per Channel: 12 lbs

Silver Reference Upgrade:

Our upgrade to Silver Reference will include WBT Silver Binding Posts, Kimber Kable Silver Wire and VCap Capacitors on the tweeter.