QLN Reference 9 Speaker

Cabinet design
A slanted baffle provides perfect time alignment between the drivers with focus on correct phase behavior.
The Cabinet is optimized for a minimal baffle area that suppresses baffle effects with its truncated pyramid cabinet top and standing waves inside the structure. The result is a three-dimensional stereo image with life-like depth and spatial cues of the recording environment even in a larger cabinet design.

The Reference 9 with 40mm thick walls, and a heavily braced cabinet is fully constructed from Qln’s proprietary Qboard® technology, effectively eliminating structural resonances in the acoustic chamber.

The bass reflex port with its trumpet shape at both ends also further eliminates air turbulence. The Cabinet is supported by two strong, solid legs with adjustable feet that support both hard wood/stone flooring as well as floor with soft carpets.

Woofer
Cone area, weight, and motor system (magnet) are the most important factors that influence how the speaker will sound in the lower frequencies. To achieve dynamic and airy bass performance a high precision 9-inch, thin carbon sandwich design driver with low cone weight was chosen.

This new custom-designed 9-inch woofer is a state-of-the-art driver with an open, low-compression basket allowing for high-speed air flow without reflection or compression. The cone is a coated, ultra-stiff carbon sandwich design. Stronger and stiffer than aluminum or other commonly used cone materials. This woofer also possesses a unique balance between stiffness and low resonance at higher frequencies because of how the special thin carbon sandwich design is made. It can produce fast and well-defined bass over the whole frequency range with the lowest amount of distortion.

Midrange
For the Reference 9 we developed a new driver based on the experience we acquired from the Kevlar mid-woofer used in the Signature. We still use our special Qln coated Kevlar cone material but with a new voice coil and magnet system, improving sensitivity and dynamics for this dedicated use as a midrange driver.

A 7” midrange was chosen as the best size to seamlessly bridge the tweeter and woofer.

The size of the woofer and tweeter affect the size and role the midrange has. It should blend effortlessly with the woofer and tweeter. A smaller-sized driver will lack body in the lower midrange, and any larger-sized driver will lose dynamics and resolution at higher frequencies. Our custom-designed 7” Kevlar midrange has both the low-end capability and the ability to resolve higher frequencies because of the controlled bent cone that decreases moving mass.

Tweeter
The tweeter we have chosen for Reference 9 takes the work we developed for the Signature and makes further advancements to the acoustic chamber, optimizing it to how the crossover is designed.

The new 25mm wide surround tweeter offers remarkable vocal reproduction and excellent imaging at all listening positions. Its large roll surround and textile dome diaphragm provide a flat frequency response above 30 kHz with outstanding off-axis dispersion. The unique air flow magnet system and its rear chamber eliminate any compression, reflections, and resonances.

Crossover

Cables, speaker connectors, and internal damping.