About Airpulse A100 Active Speakers
Enter the world of superior audio performance with the Airpulse A100 Active Speaker System, the entry level model for audiophiles in the early stages of their musical appreciation journey. Hi Res certified, the A100 speaker is the perfect companion to play high resolution audio files in PCM or DSD formats.
Following the successful launch of the A200 and A300, the all new A100 miniature bookshelf speakers with a 5" (127mm) woofer now joins the Airpulse active speaker family. The perfect combination of Hi-Res digital audio processing technology and an aesthetic of understated elegance creates a High-Fidelity audio system with intoxicating sound quality and visual appeal. The A100 has an exquisite piano lacquer appearance, inheriting the appearance and sound characters of Airpulse's flagship model 7001 near-field monitor speakers designed by Phil Jones. Using the same XMOS core as its bigger brother A300, this unassumingly small cabinet delivers outstanding performance beyond your expectation.
Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter: The A100 horn loaded ribbon tweeter inherits the mechanism of the tweeter in the flagship 7001 near-field monitor speaker. The thin aluminium ribbon diaphragm has high sensitivity, superb transient response, extended frequency range and well-defined resolution. The meticulously formulated horn shape produces directional and optimized high frequencies from the ribbon tweeter, so they are aimed at the listeners, minimizing unwanted effect from room reflection. This also leads to superior imaging which results in full and three dimensional sound with each detail well defined.
5" Aluminium Cone Low Distortion Mid/Woofer: The mid-woofer is a 5" (127mm) unit with a hard anodized aluminium alloy cone suspended in a heavy, ultra rigid cast magnesium alloy frame. The proprietary aluminium alloy cone was designed through a meticulous process analysing different types of cone geometry and materials using a Klippel Laser Doppler Interferometer. The 35mm diameter voice coil is larger than most loudspeakers of this size. It has been shown that larger voice coils have less power compression because they run at a cooler operating temperature. Sonically this means a more realistic dynamic representation of the music as it's dynamics in music that give it emotion and exhilaration. The cooler running temperature of the voice coil also has the side benefit of a more reliable loudspeaker since cooler voice coil means much less chance of speaker failure.
Fully Digital Amplifier: The power amplifier is built around two TAS5754 Class-D amplifiers from Texas Instruments. This component is one of a handful of Class-D amplifiers on the market which combines high input sample rate support and high output PWM carrier frequency. These two characteristics are essential to achieve low background noise and low distortion. The up-to 192 KHz input sample rate support guarantees the entire link for digital processing runs without any change in sample rate signal. Its 768 KHz output PWM carrier frequency, double the typical 384 KHz found in traditional Class-D amplifiers, is more suited to driving the highly sensitive ribbon tweeter. One TAS5754 is connected in bridge mode to the left and right channel woofer while the other amp is connected in bridge mode to the left and right channel ribbon tweeters.
Airpulse A100 Review
"If you're after a desktop monitor, we doubt you'll find a finer one than this Airpulse A100. But if you can, I'll wager that you'll be paying a lot more for it that you would for the A100! This Airpulse model would also be a great speaker for a hi-fi system in smaller rooms, particularly if you add a subwoofer. But either way, do yourself a favour and make sure that you send the A100 wired audio from a DAC or streamer to ensure you're taking full advantage of the amazing performance on offer." Australian Hi-Fi
Our Take On The Airpulse A100 Active Speakers
Flexibility is key with these Airpulse A100 Active Speakers. They can play back hi-res audio through the optical and USB digital inputs as well as handle legacy components such as a CD player or iPod through the two analogue RCA inputs. You can add a powered subwoofer for some low end oomph and adjust the tone via bass and treble controls on the back panel. A handy remote control lets you turn the A100 on, select inputs, turn the volume up and down and mute the system, all from the comfort of your chair. The latest Bluetooth 5.0 lets you stream all the music you want from your smart device and the A100 sounds much bigger than its size while doing it. Convenience, good sound, stylish design and three gloss finishes. The Airpulse A100 Active Speakers offer a heck of a lot of performance for the money.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Compact Remote Control Powered Speakers with Analogue & Digital connections
- Tweeter: Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter
- Mid-Woofer: 5 inch (127mm) Aluminium Cone Mid-Woofer
- Amplifier System: Digital Amplifier with Xmos Processor
- Power Output: Tweeter L/R: 10W + 10W, Mid-Woofer L/R: 40W + 40W
- Frequency Response: 52Hz - 40KHz
- Signal-Noise Ratio: ≥90dB(A)
- Connections
- Left/Right Speaker link connections
- Subwoofer out
- Aux Stereo Analogue RCA input
- PC Stereo Analogue RCA input
- USB-B Digital input (supports up to 192 kHz sample rate)
- Optical Digital input (supports up to 192 kHz sample rate)
- Bluetooth
- Figure of 8 Power Socket
- Rear Panel Controls: On/Off, Volume, Bass, Treble
- Remote Controls: On/Off, Input Selection, Volume Up/Down, Mute
- Input Sensitivity
- AUX: 450 ± 50mV
- PC: 550 ± 50mV
- USB: 400 ± 50mFFs
- Optical: 400 ± 50mFFs
- Bluetooth: 500 ± 50mFFs
- Sub Out: 800mV Max (changes as the master volume changes)
- Hyper-Rigid Cast-Magnesium Alloy Frame Woofer
- Internal Wiring by Transparent Cable
- 18-mm thick high strength MDF with Piano Lacquer Finish
- Qualcomm's Bluetooth V5.0 chipset CSR8645
- 2 x 384 KHz Traditional Class-D amplifier
- Included Accessories: Remote control, 3.5mm to 2 RCA analogue audio cable, 2 RCA to 2 RCA analogue audio cable, Speaker connecting cable, USB connecting cable, Optical digital audio cable, Power cable, User manual, Cleaning cloth, Foam Wedge Desktop Stands
- Available Finishes: Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red & Matte Black
- Cabinet Size (WxHxD): 160 x 283 x 255mm each
- Weight: 11kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 3 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.