Altisonus is predicated on the reality that music is meant to be experienced, not consumed. We want your listening experience to be free of distractions. We want the emotional connection to be between you and the music, not the empty, fleeting euphoria of the mindless cheers of a crowd.
Altisonus is pure serotonin. Immerse yourself into the incredible satisfaction of well-done album. Altisonus personalizes the album into an intimate work of art. Continuing a tradition that began in 1980, every Altisonus loudspeaker is individually crafted for uncompromising listeners. We’re interested in the quality of your listening experience, not the quantity of sales we can extract from you.
We are not interested in making mass quantities of loudspeakers because of the inevitable compromises that would be required. Instead, we want to ensure that each Altisonus is at its optimum. We’re more interested in moving your emotions than in merely moving boxes.
Please understand that our goal of giving you an uncompromised listening experience is not served by letting an Altisonus be used in any situation that is less than ideal. Altisonus reveals every subtlety, each nuance of the source recording and the playback equipment, the good and the bad. Superlative recordings reach their full potential, inferior recordings are made painfully apparent.
Therefore we cannot sell an Altisonus unless the following conditions are met:
1.) Not all every amplifier technology provides the effortless clarity and emotional impact that justifies owning the ultimate audio equipment. Traditional Class A vacuum tube (valve) amplifiers continue their popularity, despite being a nearly century old technology, because they are just, well, right. Altisonus will give you the full benefit of a Single Ended Triode or Directly Heated Triode amplifier.
Similarly, a uncompromised Class AB push-pull amplifier, tube or solid state, comes alive when played through an Altisonus. Subtle dynamics and complex textures reveal the full potential of these amplifiers.
We strongly discourage Class D amplification, especially those using the ubiquitous TPA3116D2 and similar chips. While the efficiency of Class D amplification is unrivaled, its sound quality suffers. Low level details, subtle textures, and the nearly imperceptible psychoacoustic cues that create an intimate, emotional listening experience are absent from Class D amplification. This is a technological limit inherent to Class D that, despite improvements since their introduction, ultimately cannot be fully overcome.
NOTE: The amplifier powering the Altisonus:Realizations must be from a manufacturer on our approved list. If you have an amplifier that is not on the approved list you may submit it for evaluation prior to us authorizing the sale. If a submitted amplifier does not pass the approval process then the sale of an Altisonus will not be authorized until an amplifier from the approved list is purchased. The current Approved Amplifier List is on the Altisonus:Realizations page.
2.) The Altisonus must be assembled using the same cable that you will be using to connect the Altisonus to your amplifier. Otherwise you will not be realizing the full benefit of the cable. If the cable is not available (out of production), please choose another cable for both the internal wiring and the connection to the amplifier.
If you wish, for your convenience we can use our in-house manufactured cable and supply enough for you to replace the existing cable connecting to your amplifier.
3.) We strongly recommend that Altisonus be biamplified or triamplified (depending on the model).
Nevertheless, we understand if you prefer a traditional amplifier arrangement. In this case we will craft an optimized passive crossover that best matches your amplifier, the exact components in the Altisonus, and your room acoustics; a surcharge will apply. In our experience, biamplification/triamplification is not only superior sounding but cost-effective.
A list of Approved Electronic Crossovers is on the Altisonus:Realizations page.