XTZ Sound Cinema Series (M6, S5, Subx12) Loudspeakers Preview

XTZ Sound is a brand most Audioholics should be familiar with.  Established in Sweden back in 2004, XTZ produces a wide variety of gear including loudspeakers, amplifiers, and even measurement equipment. We’ve previewed their top of the line Divine series speakers in the past, and more recently we’ve reviewed their Room Analyzer II Pro measurement kit. Today we’ll be looking at XTZ’s new Cinema Series, comprised of the M6 LCR speaker ($1,000/ea), S5 surround speaker ($700/ea), as well as the SUB 1X12 ($1,100/ea) and SUB 3X12 ($2,500/ea) subwoofers.  These aren’t just another set of black boxes utilizing boring, conventional driver layouts as you will see in our breakdown of these unique products.

Cinema Series M6 LCR Speaker

The first thing prospective buyers are likely to notice about the M6 is its shape. As opposed to the boxes we all know and love, the M6 utilizes a trapezoidal cabinet.  XTZ says this helps reduce internal standing waves, not to mention the fact that it gives the Cinema Series a unique look. To further deaden the enclosure, HDF is used versus ordinary MDF, including a 27mm ( about 1") thick front baffle. Once you remove the grill, you’ll also find an irregular driver configuration: a total of 4 – 1” tweeters are mated to a pair of 5.25” mid/woofers in a sealed alignment. The M6 utilizes what we’d qualify as a 2.5 way arrangement: a single 1” tweeter covers the range from 3kHz on up; below that point, the other three tweeters kick in, covering the range from 3kHz down to 1.2kHz. Under 1.2kHz, the 5.25” mid/woofers take over, and dig down to a rated -3dB point of 75Hz. The folks at XTZ also note that all drivers used in the Cinema series are custom built to their specs, as opposed to off the shelf designs.

The XTZ Cinema M6 LCR speaker features an 8 layer painted satin black finish and piano black baffle.

There are several benefits of this tweeter array. Relative to a single tweeter, you get increased Sd (surface area) and sensitivity, improved power handling / reduced thermal compression due to having four voice coils, and reduced distortion. The tight spacing and selected crossover frequencies also mean the array should effectively operate as a point source while assuring a wide angle of dispersion. Finally, the low crossover point to the mid/woofers should also reduce the effects of lobing when the speaker is placed horizontally as a center channel.

In terms of specifications, we note that the -3dB point of 75Hz means the M6 requires the use of a subwoofer to achieve full range sound.  XTZ recommends a crossover point between 80-120Hz. On the electrical side, the M6 is a 4 ohm nominal speaker (3.2 ohm minimum) with a sensitivity of 89dB with 2.83V at 1 meter. Taken together, we’d recommend the M6 be paired with relatively stout amplification capable of driving a 4 ohm load.

Cinema Series S5 Surround Speaker

On the face of things, the S5 surround looks to simply be half of the M6 LCR speaker. The S5 utilizes twin 1” tweeters paired with a single mid/woofer in a sealed box. However, there are a couple of differences worth mentioning. The woofer size steps down to 4”, and both tweeters in the S5’s array operate from 1.2kHz on up versus the M6’s more complex arrangement. More importantly, the S5’s side panels hold a hidden surprise: 3” drivers which operate from 400Hz on up.  Thanks to this addition, the S5 offers a few different configuration options for users to choose from: front-firing, dipole mode, and dipole 3X mode which utilizes all of the system’s drivers.

The Cinema S5 surround speaker; look closely and you'll see the 3" side-firing driver.

Looking to the S5’s spec sheet, you’ll find that similar to the M6, the S5 has a -3dB point of 80Hz, again meaning that a subwoofer is a must. Also like the M6, the S5 is a 4 ohm speaker (3.4 ohms minimum), though sensitivity is a tad lower at 87dB with 2.83V at 1 meter. As such, the S5 needs to be used with a good quality amplifier rated down to 4 ohms.

Cinema Series SUB 1X12 and 3X12 Subwoofers

Given that both the M6 LCR and S5 surround speakers roll off around 80Hz, it’s not a surprise that XTZ is offering a subwoofer (or two!) with the Cinema Series lineup. The subs in question are the 1X12 and 3X12. For those unable to crack the meaning behind those model numbers, we’ll elaborate. The SUB 1X12 is a vented subwoofer boasting a single 12” driver motivated by a 500W RMS amplifier (900W peak). The SUB 3X12 offers … wait for it …. three 12” drivers powered by a trio of the aforementioned 500W RMS amps. Like the M6 and S5 speakers, the subwoofers offer a trapezoidal cabinet to set them apart from the multitude of ordinary black boxes on the market.

The Cinema Sub 3x12 (left) and Sub 1x12 (right).

On the technical side of the equation, the SUB 1X12 offers a frequency response of 19Hz-160Hz. A sealed mode is also supported, which offers a response of 24Hz-160Hz. The SUB 3X12 offers marginally better extension, down to 16Hz and 22Hz in ported and sealed modes respectively. Looking at the product page, one will also find XTZ proudly boasting that the SUB 3X12 offers up to 120dB of output.  Unlike some manufacturers who corner load their subwoofers in a concrete bunker and measure output from a foot away, XTZ’s figure was arrived at with ground plane testing at 2 meters, using a 40Hz sine wave. Want more? XTZ was kind enough to provide us with their internal CEA2010 test results for both the SUB 3X12 and SUB 1X12:

Manufacturer Supplied CEA 2010 Test Results (2 meter Ground-plane RMS)

Given the data above, it appears that the SUB 3X12 meets our Bassaholic Extreme room rating with headroom to spare, which means that it is recommended as being capable of working for very large spaces (>5,000 cubic feet) and/or users that just plain like an extra helping of bass. The smaller SUB 1X12 on the other hand looks to fall into our Bassaholic Large category, meaning we recommend it for spaces from 3,000-5,000 cubic feet in volume and/or for users who usually listen at moderate volume levels with occasional high volume playback.

Summary

One thing is abundantly clear, even at a glance: XTZ Sound’s new Cinema Series speakers aren’t going to be mistaken for anything else on the market. With trapezoidal cabinetry and unconventional driver arrangements, the offerings are undoubtedly unique. Of course in this case, there are some good reasons for thinking outside of the box: trapezoidal cabinetry for instance doesn’t just look different, it serves to reduce internal standing waves, improving sound quality as well. Frankly, we’re very interested to run these speakers through our battery of tests to see just what they can do. As is, XTZ looks to have some very compelling products on their hands.

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