The Borderland Mk IV
Carbon Mk IV
Omnidirectional Loudspeaker
Reference Series
Award Winning Loudspeaker
Originally introduced in 1992, the Borderland was immediately successful in a number of key markets. Now in its Mk IV form, the Borderland remains our most popular loudspeaker. It combines our unique carbon fibre DDD driver with a downward firing 12–inch woofer and a sophisticated crossover network. Employing an extremely rigid octagonal cabinet, it sets impressively high standards for immersive stereo imaging, transparency and musicality.
The Carbon Mk IV is a luxury version of the Borderland, finished in carbon fibre. When the Carbon Mk I was introduced, there were a number of technical differences between it and the Borderland Mk I, which is why it was given a different name. Now the only difference is the finish, but the name lives on.
Your own seat at the concert
When you listen to the Borderland Mk IV, it is easy to understand why it is our most popular loudspeaker. It creates an expansive and immersive, three-dimensional sound stage in the room that allows you to imagine you are listening to real musicians playing, rather than just listening to a very good recording. This is enhanced by its ability to create the sense space that you experience in the concert hall.
Coherence, dynamics and resolution
The Borderland’s the DDD driver covers the range from 190Hz to 24kHz, almost all that you hear, with just the very low-end filled in by the 12-inch woofer. This produces an exceptional top to bottom coherence which is essential to produce a convincing stereo image. It also allows the size of the instruments to be more accurately rendered. This is difficult to achieve when an instrument’s frequency range is split over several drivers and especially so when this split straddles the midrange, where our hearing is most acute.
With a moving mass of less than 3 grams, the DDD driver gives the Borderland an outstanding dynamic response. There is no sense of compression and the attack of the music’s transients sound convincingly real.
Another strong suit of the Borderland is its ability to resolve fine detail in the recording. This, together with the Borderland’s outstanding coherence, dynamics and resolution combine to produce a sound that is truly effortless.
Extended bass with low distortion
The Borderland Mk IV uses a single 12-inch woofer of the same type used in our prestige Loreley Mk III model. This provides the Borderland Mk IV with a degree of bass extension normally associated with high quality component sub-woofers. Most impressive is that this is achieved with a cabinet of relatively modest dimensions, making this a loudspeaker that is easy to live with.
The bass driver is located at the bottom of the cabinet and works in a sealed enclosure. To provide a smoother bass response, the Borderland’s bass system uses a Helmholtz resonator. This consists of a small additional cavity located in the top of the cabinet, which is linked to the main bass enclosure by a small opening. By carefully selecting the resonator’s resonant frequency, unevenness in the bass response is avoided.
The revolutionary DDD driver
The heart of all German Physiks loudspeakers is our revolutionary DDD driver. This is an omnidirectional driver with an exceptionally wide frequency range. Despite its simple appearance, it is in reality an extremely sophisticated design.
It provides 8 important advantages to all German Physiks loudspeakers and this combination is what sets them apart from other loudspeakers.
A realistic stereo image more like you experience in the concert hall.
A stereo image that is enjoyable in almost all positions in your room.
An exceptionally coherent sound.
Accurate portrayal of musical instruments’ tonal characteristics.
An exceptional transient response.
Being omnidirectional they are comparatively quick and easy to set up.
The DDD driver’s low moving mass reduces cabinet resonances.
The carbon fibre DDD driver is physically extremely rugged.
Easy to set-up and use
The DDD driver’s omnidirectional radiation pattern and wide frequency range make the Borderland Mk IV less critical of its position in the room than conventional loudspeakers, so they are comparatively quick and easy to set up. Another advantage of being omnidirectional is that no toe-in adjustment is required, which further simplifies the set-up procedure.
The Borderland Mk IV will drive rooms up to 90 square metres (950 sq ft) in size, yet the footprint is a modest 404mm x 404mm (15.9” x 15.9”). It can also work well in smaller rooms.
Separate inputs are provided for the woofer and DDD driver crossover inputs, allowing single or bi-wire connection.
Jumpers on the loudspeaker’s rear panel allow the high frequency output level to be adjusted in 4 steps: -2dB, flat, +2dB and +4dB, enabling the user to easily compensate for the variations in the absorption of high frequencies that can occur due to different types of furnishings and room construction.
Low resonance cabinet design enhances transparency
Colouration caused by resonances in a loudspeaker cabinet, where the cabinet itself starts to radiate sound energy, can seriously degrade the sound quality by obscuring detail. To counter this, Borderland Mk IV, like the HRS-130, uses an octagonal cross-section cabinet. The panels on this cabinet are smaller and stiffer than those of an equivalent size square section cabinet would be. Critically placed internal bracing further increases rigidity.
A special damping material called Hawaphon® is applied to the inside of each panel. This adds mass to the panel to reduce the resonant frequency and its internal structure very effectively converts vibration energy into heat. Hawaphon® achieves a broadband attenuation of structure-borne sound of more than 50dB, which is a remarkably high figure.
To damp resonances of the air within the cabinet, the whole of the inside of the cabinet is lined with a thick layer of high-density felt.
Designed for a lifetime of listening pleasure
As you would expect from a German product, the quality of construction and reliability are first class. We use the same quality of parts in this speaker as in our luxury products, where we design for a minimum life expectancy of 25 years.
Meticulous care and attention are paid during manufacture. Prior to assembly all components and materials are subject to a rigorous inspection. We also carry out detailed inspections at each stage of the manufacturing process. We can afford to do this as we build our products by hand in small batches. After assembly, the performance of each loudspeaker is measured. It is then burnt-in for at least 12 hours and then measured again. Once the burn-in process is complete, each loudspeaker is given a final detailed physical inspection before being packed.
Award-winning
Discover what leading voices in the hi-fi industry are saying about the Borderland Mk IV from Germany Physiks. These respected professional reviews dive into its performance, design, and true high-end credentials. Click the Read Reviews button to explore the reviews and see why this speaker is earning serious acclaim.
Finish options
To achieve a luxurious look that matches their outstanding sound quality, all our loudspeaker cabinets are hand-built and finished in Germany by skilled cabinet makers.
The standard finishes for the Borderland Mk IV are high-polish polyester in black or white and macassar, walnut cluster and pappel cluster high-polish veneers. The Carbon Mk IV is only available finished in carbon fibre.
Other high-polish veneers and high polish polyester in custom colours are available to special order. Please consult your dealer for price and availability.
Impedance: 4 ohms
Frequency response: 28 – 24,000Hz
Power handling: Nominal 300W / Short term 600W
Amplification required: Minimum 160W/4 ohms
Crossover frequency: 190Hz
Crossover slopes
DDD section: 12dB/octave electronic & 18dB/octave acoustic
Woofer section: 12dB/octave electronic & 18dB/octave acoustic
High frequency adjustment: -2dB, flat, +2dB and +4dB centred at 8,000Hz
Sensitivity: 86.1dB for 1W at 1
Operating principle: 2-way loudspeaker with 360° surround radiation using the German Physiks DDD driver
Input connectors: 2 sets of WBT nextgen™ binding posts
Drivers: 1 x carbon fibre DDD driver / 1 x 12-inch woofer
Recommended room size: 15 - 90 square metres / 160 – 950 square feet
Dimensions: 404mm W x 1,229mm H x 404mm D (15.9" W x 48.4" H x 15.9" D)
Weight: 54kg / 119lbs
Warranty: 5 years
As part of our process of continually improving our products, we reserve the right to change specifications without notice
German Physiks DDD Loudspeakers Models
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The HRS-130
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The Borderland Mk IV
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![Black and white illustration of a tall, hexagonal physics laboratory apparatus, labeled "GERMAN PHYSICS" at the base.]()
The Carbon Mk IV
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The PQS-302
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The PQS-402
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![Line drawing of a vintage street lamp with a curved base, decorative pillars, and multiple lantern-style lights on a black background.]()
The Loreley Mk III
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The Emperor Mk II
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The Gaudi Mk III
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