Arguably the most technically interesting speaker, the Scintilla is certainly one of the most expensive on the market at £4,950 a pair. However, there are certain special problems. First, the impedance of this speaker falls below 1ohm its loading is essentially resistive in nature by virtue of a simple crossover, but it does require a very powerful amplifier - one capable of supplying substantial current. At present this can be satisfied by another line imported by the Scintilla UK agents, the Krell KSA-100, and the later addition of a second KSA-100 would allow double mono operation, with bi-wiring and bi-amping to each system, a technique which optimises the performance.
When this speaker was originally tried on the 4ohm tap of an ARC amp, the resulting sound, while of excellent quality, proved quite inadequate with regard to the maximum volume level attained. The Quicksilver mono valve amps are unusual in that they have a 1ohm tap which will drive the Scintilla to modest levels, but since this inefficient speaker requires both volts and current, only a transistor amplifier with a high muscle factor is really appropriate here. On test we used a KSA-100 with great success, while the loan of a pair of KSA-200 monoblocks produced really effortless high sound levels. Originally obtainable in either 1ohm or 4ohm form, the Scintilla now comes in 1ohm form only, so many amplifiers are ruled out.
A second problem concerns the open panel design. While this is a great strength in terms of freedom from box colorations, it does generate a 'back wave which reflects from the rear walls; such open panel speakers are highly critical with regard to room placement, and do not work well at all in some rooms. At this price level both dealer and listener must be prepared for a decent home trial, and consider an alternative if the Scintilla doesn't work out.
This speaker comprises a large scale substantially-built panel, essentially two-way and using a massive bass/midrange panel of semi-ribbon construction coupled with a vertical line mid/tweeter a true ribbon 1.9in wide and running for much of the considerable 1 .5 metre high of this visually striking system. Each speaker measures 88cm wide at the base, tapering to 74cm at the top. Flanking the main 0.5in ribbon element is a group of four 0.5in 'supertweeter' ribbons, two at the front and two at the rear.
The bass element is of pleated aluminium foil reinforced by specially placed strips of Kapton film. The diaphragm is not self-supporting and is suspended on compliant mountings to decouple the resonance modes via the mechanism of differential tuning and also to endow the system with the additional freedom of partial pistonic motion. It is driven by an array of bar magnets bonded to the perforated back steel plate. The bass system represents a considerable radiating area, comparable with eight 12in woofers, and is also capable of a respectable excursion.
This is an extremely heavy and awkward product - it takes two people to unpack and place the systems (180lbs each). Their relatively shallow 9cm depth is stabilised by an aluminium plate foot, secured by strong diagonal struts at the rear. All components used are of the highest quality while the panels themselves are rigid and inert.
SOUND QUALITY
Here is a speaker that has some extraordinary qualities. Seemingly quite devoid of subjective panel resonance or coloration, it offered a seamlessly broad frequency range of almost unparalleled definition. From 50Hz upwards, the bass/midrange was superbly natural. Piano was reproduced with a strong sense of the instrument actually being in the listening room and it also seemed to avoid the 'mechanical' quality so prevalent in the hi-fi reproduction of piano. The left hand playing was a revelation in terms of tonality and in the discrimination of subtle intonation and style of playing. This astonishing performance was maintained throughout the midrange to the treble, providing an exceptionally lifelike rendition of human voice. Singing was delightful, with exceptionally good focusing and a strong feeling of dimensional solidity.
The treble was 'sweet, lacking sibilance or 'edge' and with excellent transparency. Furthermore this vital 'high end' quality was held through the midrange right down into the mid-bass Low frequency localisation was heard as if for the first time.
Stereo images showed fine width, height and depth over a wide frequency range regardless of the complexity of the programme scoring. No trace of audible distortion could be heard at any conceivable power level, the system possessing all the hallmarks of very low distortion.
The bass performance was very powerful extending to a solid 20Hz in my room, though I found the overall bass level below 40Hz to be a little on the heavy side. Such a response is better suited to larger than my 19ft 6in room, and its correct low frequency balance was confirmed subsequently in rooms 26 to 36ft long.
Tonally, the speaker's character was marginally rich, with an audible presence depression that is kind to matching solid-state amplifiers and helps to produce a pleasing overall balance. Properly set up, this speaker was capable of a supremely musical and authoritative performance.
Due to the difficulties in visiting any anechoic chamber with such a weighty example, some tests were carried out in my listening room. Sensitivity was rather low at 79dB/W, and the watt referred to here is a nominal 8ohms reference, so in truth the Scintilla's efficiency is very low indeed.
Measured close up, the bass panel showed a pretty uniform response which extended down to 20Hz, albeit with a gentle roll off. Similarly smooth results were obtained in the higher frequency range up to 16kHz Between 16 and 17kHz, some interference occurred between the ribbons and the slot aperture in which they are mounted, but no real evidence of related subjective effects were noted during the auditioning. Good integration was shown by the off-axis set of responses, corresponding with the wide driver bandwidths.
The computed listening area in-room response was better than expected in view of the known effect of back wave cancellations. From 40Hz to 16kHz the response was quite uniform, if gently down tilted, with the slight rich tendency we noted. Below 40Hz the bass rose by some 8dB as seen in the 25Hz and 30Hz third-octave bands. How this sounds depends largely on placement and the size of the room.
The impedance curve showed a loading of typically 0.9ohms up to 1.8kHz above which point it improved to around 2.5ohms. Very low resistance speaker cable is essential for best results and to minimise power losses in the connection.
Some sample tests were made for distortion and showed that in the bass, even with a substantial 96dB sound level, the distortion was low at around 1%. At higher frequencies, 0.05 % to 0.1% distortion was typical; these are excellent results.
The Apogee Scintilla is not perfect - for my taste at least it is a mite bass heavy and is mildly recessive in the presence region - but it nonetheless offered a superbly coherent, wide range sound which was at times surprisingly lifelike. Piano and voice reproduction was a revelation while a fine stereo image focus and exceptional level of transparency is held over a very wide frequency range. No subwoofer need be contemplated. In real terms coloration is very low and although it is a beast to drive well, the reward is a sound stage of great scale and authority. A true audiophile system, it is well worth the effort and expense needed to obtain the excellent results that are possible.
Reassessed First reviewed 1986, Current typical price £5000.