Cabasse loudspeakers

For the development of the new flagship La Sphère, fitted with the 4-way coaxial unit QC55, the Cabasse team has been intensively working on the heart of the system, the 3-way unit covering the low-midrange, midrange and high frequencies. Based on the TC22 tri-axial driver from the Kara and Baltic, this new unit called TC23 has been so significantly improved that we decided to reconsider the design of those fabulous speakers.

For the evolution of Kara, the one and only restriction to our team's creativity was to keep the beloved silhouette of the initial speaker. All other parameters were to be reconsidered if the change was audibly positive. The new speaker was improved so dramatically, that the evolution turned into a revolution and the name into Karissima.

New TC23 tri-axial driver

Because they form a portion of pulsating sphere, the 3 co-axial transducers from the TC23 present a constant directivity index, as the directivity of the smaller membranes are not affected by the larger ones.

To obtain such a result without compromising linearity, efficiency and power handling parameters of each, our engineers used all their know-how and experience in the exclusive use of hi-end technologies - like the in-house die-casting of Rohacell foam and the most powerful rare earth magnets available. Fitted in a lens made of a sandwich of composite materials with high damping capacities, the TC23 is responsible for frequencies from 80 Hz to 22 000 Hz.

This 3rd generation of 8" co-axial 3-way unit is fitted with a brand new tweeter includes an exclusive diaphragm made of a new generation of expensive polyether. The production of these membranes is carried out by computerised machines created by our team. The process is automatic but very slow, preventing any alteration of the characteristics of the material involved and insuring accurate and the exact same parameters for every item produced. Rigid, light and damped, this diaphragm brings a perfect linearity of the response curve up to 25,000 Hz, with an excellent power handling and reliability over time.

This new membrane material was also selected for its excellent rigidity/weight ratio and the perfect mechanical homogeneity with the ring membrane of the midrange unit. Fitted with a Duocell diaphragm made of Rohacell foam, the low-midrange transducer has been redesigned with an extended stroke and reinforced power handling.

Removable grill

We listen to our speakers without grills, but a grill is a good protection against mechanical intrusion. Some people also prefer not to feel like being stared at by the concentric unit. So we designed a removable grill. Thanks to rare earth magnets, pulling out the grill or putting it back is very easy and can be repeated every day with no risk for the drivers.

Adjustable bracket for the spherical enclosure of the TC23

Thanks to this device, the vertical orientation of the TC23 can be adjusted. This feature is of importance when the listening spot is within a relatively short distance of the Karissima and the sound stage is too high.

New 12" woofer

The 22" woofer from the Saturn 55 and La Sphère has proved that the Nomex honeycomb dome technology Cabasse pioneered for audio applications in the '80s offers a perfect match with our tri-axial units. The 12" 30ND40 has been especially designed for the Karissima enclosure. Thanks to its very powerful magnet and the stunning rigidity/weight ratio of the honeycomb dome diaphragm (total moving mass of 99 g) , it presents a very high force factor of 15 T.m and thus a 94 dB efficiency. The long 45 mm voice coil and the low resonance frequency (27 Hz) provide wide extension and high power handling with very low distortion rates. Mounted on the top of the speaker's cabinet just below the spherical enclosure of the TC23, it almost forms a 4-way point source system.

4 ports design

The enclosure of Karissima is fitted with 4 ports firing at different levels to offer the maximum efficiency and smooth the in-room response. Their position at the bottom of the cabinet for one and one third down the top for the 3 smaller ones has been determined by calculation and numerous tests. The wide port at the bottom is successful in killing vertical standing waves. The bass-reflex is tuned at 31 Hz. The symmetrical horn shape of the ports and their large total surface area ensure efficient flow with no air noise.

Rigid and stable enclosure

The best woofers require the best cabinet for clean uncoloured low frequencies. The curved body of Karissima is remarkable for its elegance but the real function of its non-parallel sides is to prevent the creation of standing waves. The rigidity of the elegantly curved multi-layer wood panels, combined with internal bitumen damping and a sophisticated bracing, evoke the hull skeleton of a wooden racing boat. Effectively transmission of vibrations is eliminated.

The stability of the speaker relies on the heavy granite plate used as a reflector for the bottom port. This plate is fitted with adjustable cones. Designed and produced by Cabasse, they benefit from our research on much larger cones of the Saturn 55 . Both aluminium parts are linked with a special elastomer O-ring with high damping capacities but are rigid enough to guarantee a perfect stability of the Karissima when filtering vibrations both ways. With Karissima sits on a wooden floor, the cones are filtering the vibrations of the floor created by energy air transmitted by the woofer. The aim of this cone design is to keep the TC23 away from room vibrations.

High-tech cross-over

The passive cross-over of Karissima has been designed after intensive developments with direct measurement and listening comparisons with La Sphere, which is fitted with an digital active processor.

The final touch has been brought by selecting hi-end components from SCR, considered the best manufacturer for capacitors for audio.

For interconnections, we have selected Kimber Kable 4VS loudspeaker cable and WBT terminals. 2 pairs of terminals allow passive bi-amping of the Karissima.

3 classy finish:

Karissima is offered in 3 elegant finishes:

• traditional wild cherry natural wood veneer with pearl black sphere for the TC23
• warm Santos finish, made of wild cherry veneer dark red tainted with pearl black sphere for the TC23
• dark trendy Wenge finish with a light pearl sphere for the TC23