Sapphire Audio Sapphire XLs owner manual The Sapphire XL, Specifications

4

The Sapphire XL

Thank you for your order and congratulations on becoming the owner of an ACI speaker system. These fine speakers will provide you with many years of listening pleasure!

ACI speakers are designed to offer extremely high value and performance. Read the rave reviews of the Sapphire series going all the way back to the late 80s. The Sapphire series has the reputation of being the best value, stand-mounted monitors that money can buy and has been frequently compared to the most expensive high-end monitors. By purchasing directly from the factory you eliminate costly markups. You will find that your Sapphire XLs will compare favorably with systems costing far more!

We’ll put the Sapphire XL against any speaker in the world for overall balance and musicality. The Sapphire XL has phenomenal detail and resolution yet it does not have the somewhat harsh quality that many detailed sounding speakers have. It is extremely coherent from top to bottom and the dynamic range of the XL has been significantly improved from its predecessors.

The bass response of the XL is truly amazing. The response is tight, deep and tuneful. Those who wish to have a truly full-range system may want to add our Force XL, Titan XL or Maestro XL powered subwoofer(s). These subwoofers are adjustable for a perfect match with the Sapphire XLs. The addition of one or a pair of these subwoofers allows for the accurate reproduction of the lowest musical tones and increases the output capability of the system.

The Sapphire XL is the result of ongoing research and development by the ACI design team.

Specifications

Frequency response: 48-20kHz ± 3db anechoic, 60-20kHz ± 1.5db (usable in-room response extends cleanly to 38-40Hz)

Nominal impedance: 6 ohms, minimum impedance 4.5 ohms, low reactance

Sensitivity: 85.5db 1 watt/1 meter

Bass-loading:4th order, low Q, rear ported system

Recommended RMS Power: 35 to 200 watts per channel

Tweeter: 1” hand-damped silk dome with aperiodic rear chamber, cast faceplate and ferro-fluid

Bass-mid:5 1/2” cast-frame with paper cone, rubber surround; long throw, low distortion motor system with vented pole piece

Cabinet: Variable wall thickness; 1" MDF front baffle, 3/4"- 1 1/2" MDF side and rear panels, extensive interlocking bracing structure. Internally damped with dacron and acoustic foam.

Finish: Satin Black, Cherry, and Piano Black

Inputs: Gold plated binding posts

Dimensions: 12” H x 8 1/2" W x 12 1/2" D

Weight: 22 lbs each

Recommended accessories: Sound Anchor or Atlantis stands, Force XL, Titan XL or Maestro XL Powered Subwoofers, DH Labs Cables.

Design Philosophy for the Sapphire XL

Modern speaker design is a combination of science, art and sweat. A successful design such as the Sapphire XL requires thousands of hours utilizing computer modeling, several generations of prototypes, precision testing, critical listening and many “fine tunings”.

Our design goals for the Sapphire XL were to produce a compact, attractive speaker with smooth, uncolored, wide-range response, holographic stereo imaging, good sensitivity, high power handling, and long term enjoyability. This Sapphire XL is the most advanced model of a speaker family first produced in 1988. The Sapphire XL had to be a true “monitor” with nearly full-range response that could be optionally used with subwoofers. And, as an ACI product it had to sell for far less than the state-of-the-art monitors it would compete with. We are pleased to have achieved and in some areas exceeded our goals by