Another was that the basic DEQX unit cost about $3000, and the price rose with the addition of A/D, D/A, and
The DEQX processing in the XdA does all the hard work for the user. Crossover and EQ are customized for
N H T X d
the
its power handling. This, and a smoothly shaped cabinet devoid of edges on its front surface, contribute to the smoothness of the XdS’s
The XdA also includes four Power- Physics
m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d
averaged across a 30° horizontal window centered on the satellite’s tweeter axis. Below 300Hz, this graph shows the combination’s estimated farfield response, calculated by adding the nearfield responses of the sub- woofer and woofer and taking into account acoustic phase. The region covered by the subwoofer, below 110Hz, can be arbitrarily raised or lowered using the XdW’s
It is not only a flat
Fig.8 NHT XdS driven by XdA, lateral response family at 50", normalized to response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response
a speaker having a neutral balance; its radiation pattern also has an effect in all but anechoic rooms. Here the NHT XdS also offered superb performance. Fig.8 shows its lateral dispersion referred to the response of the tweeter axis, which has been subtracted from all the traces so that only the changes are apparent. The contour lines are evenly spaced, and there is only a trace of the usual
Performing a loudspeaker’s crossover and equalization functions in the digital domain means that its acoustic performance, in theory, can be optimized in both the frequency and time domains. So, when examining the XdS’s
Fig.9 NHT XdS driven by XdA, vertical response family at 50", normalized to response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response
Fig.10 NHT XdS, step responses on tweeter axis at 50" of unequalized tweeter (red) and woofer (blue). (5ms time window, 30kHz bandwidth.)
www.Stereophile.com, November 2005