German Physiks
custom loudspeakers

Welcome to the January 2023 German Physiks newsletter.

This month we would like to talk about some of the custom versions of our loudspeakers that we make for the Chinese market. The size of this market and a very proactive distributor, NC Audio, allow the volumes necessary to make this viable.

German Physiks
Grand Unlimited

German Physiks Grand Unlimited in pappel cluster veneer

The Grand Unlimited is a custom version of our Unlimited Ultimate. Our Chinese customers liked the simple design of the Ultimate, but they wanted more bass than its 8-inch woofer provided. The Grand Unlimited uses a 10-inch downward firing woofer in the bottom of the cabinet. This extends the bass response roll-off point from 32Hz to 27Hz. It also uses a more sophisticated crossover developed from the HRS-130 that allows it to be bi-wired.

Chinese customers prefer veneer finishes to the high polish polyester used on the Unlimited and the most popular finish for the Grand Unlimited is the pappel burl veneer shown above. The Grand Unlimited does however look very good in white high-polish polyester. The set below was photographed in the showroom of our Swedish distributor, Audio Concept.

German Physiks Grand Unlimited in high polish polyester white

The owner of Audio Concept, Robert Grubstad, is a long-time fan of omnidirectional loudspeakers and also has a set of our Borderland Mk IVs. He told us:

”As you know omnis in general are very close to our heart. Always have and always will be. Both of these German Physiks designs are great examples, using the superb DDD driver, of how embracing, natural and dynamic music can be experienced in a home environment. Any music lovers real deal... Great work!”

Robert is planning to add a set of PQS-302s to his German Physiks collection in the near future.

Visit the Unlimited web page

Visit the Borderland Mk IV web page

Visit the PQS-302 web page

Visit the Audio Concept web site

German Physiks
HRS-120 SE

German Physiks HRS-120 SE in walnut burl veneer

The HRS-120 SE is based on the earlier HRS-120 and is largely an aesthetic modification.

It uses the same drivers and cabinet as the HRS-120, so has a Helmholtz resonator coupled to the bass cavity. This smoothes out the lift in the low-end response that would be generated by a standing wave in an undamped enclosure. This technique is used in the current HRS-130 and Borderland/Carbon models.

The original crossover has been modified to allow bi-wiring and the Nextel finish that was used on the base plate, top plate and diffuser on the HRS-120, has been replaced with a more luxurious high-polish black polyester finish. This is a much better match visually with the walnut veneer that is the most popular finish for this model. This is the most popular finish on all of the loudspeakers we sell in China. It is also the most expensive and the most difficult to apply of all the veneers that we use. It is only available in small pieces, so the veneer on each panel of the cabinet is made up of several smaller pieces that are very precisely cut and fitted together like a jig-saw. Any gaps are filled with coloured wax. This is a time consuming process that has to be done very carefully to achieve the desired effect, but the gorgeous result justifies effort involved.

Visit the HRS-130 web page

German Physiks
PQS-402 Custom

German Physiks PQS-402 Custom in walnut burl veneer

Our PQS-402 has always attracted a lot of interest at shows in China. Standing 1.5m tall (61”), it looks visually impressive and with a low-end roll-off starting at 24Hz and the ability to produce sound levels up to 118dB, it is also sonically very impressive.

German Physiks PQS-402 in satin walnut veneer

Many Chinese customers who were impressed with the PQS-402, did not have space in their apartments for such a big loudspeaker, so the idea for the PQS-402 Custom was born. This keeps the two stacked DDD drivers and combines them with one PQS-402 bass cabinet, fitted with two 10-inch woofers. Like the PQS-402, these components sit between a top and bottom plate, allowing the individual modules to be easily handled. The low-end roll-off starts marginally higher at 25Hz. The maximum output level is 112dB, which is quite high for an apartment room and probably more than enough as far as the neighbours are concerned.

The picture of a customer’s installation below shows that the loudspeaker comfortably fits into a medium size room. The stand under the loudspeaker in the top picture is made by our distributor in China and as you can see below, not everyone opts for this.

German Physiks PQS-402 Custom in walnut burl veneer

Visit the PQS-402 web page