XTZ Divine 100.33 LCR Loudspeaker Preview

We're always surprised to find that there are audio companies out there that we don't know about. Some we are unfamiliar with, sure, but completely ignorant of? Doesn't happen often. If you add in that a company is Internet Direct and that they are focused on giving you the best value for your money, and for sure you'd think we've heard of them.

Not this time.

XTZ is a Swedish company that is looking to make their mark on the world of high end audio. How are they doing that? By selling direct but not cutting costs by using lower quality materials. You may look at their prices and think they are high, but compare them to the competition using the same components and it quickly becomes apparent that they are quite the deal. From their website:

We think it´s important to be honest about our products. There is nothing to be gained by trying to make reality look better than it is. For example, there is no such thing as a perfect crossover filter. This is always a compromise. We also very often point out that the listening room itself is of great importance. Not even the best system will sound good in an acoustically poor room. The room is the largest part of your system!

Brings a tear to our eye, really. A high end company that realizes that it isn't expensive cables and river rocks that make speakers sound better or worse? Very refreshing. XTZ has a number of products on their website including everything from measurement systems (for measuring your room/speaker frequency response), to subwoofer amps, to integrated and separates, to speakers, to cables. A bit of a one-stop-shop for your high-end enthusiast. We decided to focus on one of their newest speaker offerings.

The Divine 100.33 LCR is based off the larger, floorstanding, 100.49 (we have no idea how they are coming up with these numbers) speaker. There are no pics available of the back of the 100.33 LCR but, we assume, it will look quite similar to the 100.49. The 100.33 can be, of course, positioned on it's side or standing up making it the perfect speaker for those that want three identical units up front. A cradle is included for horizontal placement and the logo on the front is magnetic and can be rotated. The grilles are integrated into the drivers so that the Divine 100.33 always has that "naked" look that many audiophiles crave without giving up the protection grilles provide.

The Divine 100.33 has the same 1" tweeter and 6.5" midrange drivers as the 100.49 floorstanding speaker and the drivers are arranged in a vertical MTM configuration. The 100.33 sports a Visation ceramic dome tweeter. It is shielded with an internally damped cavity and ventilated voice coil. The midrange driver comes from Accutron (Thiel & Partner) and also has a ceramic cone. The crossover features air wound coils and MKP capacitors and MOX resistors. The enclosure is constructed out of MDF and features a convex design. At nearly 60 pounds, we weren't surprised to learn that they added three rib-style braces to the 10.6" wide, 23.6" tall, and 15.7" deep speaker.

Very little is given on the 100.33 LCR's performance other than it is 4 ohm nominal and has 89dB efficiency rating. While the 100.49 floorstanding speaker had a way of completely disengaging the crossover so that the speaker could be run actively, the 100.33 looks to have only the passive crossover option (the top of the pic to the right). The XTZ Divine 100.33 has two rear ports with port plugs for tuning your bass response. There are also jumpers for adjusting the tweeter response in four different steps (-4dB, -2dB, flat, +4dB). Both of these features work together to ensure that your new speaker sounds as good as it can in your room.

With all Internet Direct companies, we have to mention testing options. While the 100.33 doesn't appear to be shipping to the states yet (as least, we couldn't find a way to order one on their website), they do have an in-home testing option. You order the speaker (or any of their products) and try them out for three weeks. If you don't like them, you can send them back for a full refund (minus shipping). We understand that they do have another option which is to put down a deposit and get a set of loaners for testing. If you like them, you pay for the remainder of the speaker and send on the loaner to the next person.  You, of course, get a brand new set of speakers.

Conclusion

At an estimated (based on the Euro price) $2000 each, the XTZ Divine 100.33 LCR loudspeaker system isn't exactly an impulse buy. But considering the technology that is going into it, the price seems more than fair. With ceramic midranges and tweeter, the ability to tune the bass and tweeter response, and gorgeous Walnut or Piano Black finishes, they are certainly eye catching. The 100.33 have only recently started shipping and we are not sure when they'll be coming to the states. When they do, we're hoping to get a pair in for review.

For more information, please visit www.xtzsound.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.