Perlisten Releases a Supercharged S7t Limited Edition Speaker

Perlisten Limited Edition S7t Speaker

ThePerlisten S7t is, without a doubt, one of the finest loudspeakers we’veever reviewed. The launch of the formidable S7t (and the rest of the S series)was less than two years ago, but Perlisten's engineering team has revisited itsflagship model with the aim of pushing the state of the art even further. Theresult of these efforts is the new supercharged S7t Limited Edition, which made its worldpremier at the 2023 High End exhibition in Munich.

Limited to just 50 pairsworldwide, the S7t Limited Edition will sell for $30,000 per pair, withdistribution taking place in the fall of this year. The new speaker featuresupdated woofers with lowered inductance and increased linear excursion for anoverall improvement in low frequency capability. The transducers in the speaker's signature DPC-Arrayhaven't changed, but all three of the drive units have been coupled to amassive aluminum heatsink that "takes power handling and reduced thermalcompression to all new levels," according to Perlisten. The crossover has beenupdated as well. Perlisten CEO Dan Roemerwill pair-match parts to 0.5dB and perform a full battery of measurements foreach speaker at the company's USA head­quarters. This measurement data willthen be provided to the customer. Each speaker will be signed, certified, and serialized by Dan Roemer.

Ifyou’re lucky enough to have ears-on experience with the S7t, you’d be forgivenfor wondering how the new woofer in the S7t Limited Edition could exceed thestandard-setting performance of the original, which exhibited superb transientresponse, low distortion, and excellentextension. But the Perlisten engineering team sought to improve low frequencycapability and thermal management, starting with a redesigned voice coil andmagnetic circuit.

The new woofer has lower overall inductance and is capable of20% more linear excursion. How was this achieved? First, a secondary shortingring was used, which "doubles as a large heatsink inside the motor structure,coupled to the external copper heatsink using a unique mounting system ofaluminum fasteners." The external heatsink is then floated above the rear ofthe t-yoke assembly. This arrangement allows the airflow created by the voicecoil's excursion to provide convection cooling of the voice coil and heatsinks.The voice coil windings have also been redesigned. Together, these changesresult in improvements in linear excursion, distortion, thermal compression,transient performance, and midrange clarity, according to Perlisten.

Thenew woofer, with its increased excursion, required Perlisten's engineers tolook for ways to improve the speaker's stability and vibration isolation. Theydecided to team up with the folks at IsoAcoustics to design a customisolation/damping system only available on the S7t Limited. The speaker'smassive 40-pound machined steel base is now perched on custom isolation feet,which attenuate internal reflections and isolate from external vibrations whileresisting lateral movement and oscillations to maintain correct alignment withthe listening position. Perlisten says the result is "greater sound clarity andopenness." (We’ve heard for ourselves how effective IsoAcoustics isolation feet can be.) Meanwhile, the speaker'scabinet has been upgraded for the Limited Edition, and it now sportsradiused carbon fiber over HDF side panels. Not only do these radiusedpanels increase cabinet stiffness, they also provide an 8% increase in cabinetvolume without increasing the speaker's footprint. Plus, they look positivelybadass. Perlisten says the increased volume "allows for full advantage to betaken of the newly designed woofer's excursion capabilities."

Lastbut not least, the S7t Limited Edition features a revised crossover to optimizethe changes made to the woofer and cabinet. In addition, Perlisten is sortingall components to 1% tolerances before hand-matching each crossover and speaker pair to within 0.5dB.This process is taking place at the company's R&D headquarters in Madison,Wisconsin. Each speaker will be subjected to Klippel nearfield scans beforebeing pair-matched and certified. Customers will receive spinorama measurementsof the specific pair of speakers they purchase.

TheS7t Limited Edition represents something extraordinary, introducing newdimensions to our global presence within the audio industry. Each individualcomponent has been optimized and the enclosures have been updated with radiusedcarbon fiber over HDF sidepanels. Simply stated, the Limited Edition stands as our masterpiece, bringingnew kudos to the Perlisten team.

—Perlisten CSO Lars Johansen

Be sure to tune into our Youtube Livestream event June 8th at 2pm EDT where we talk with Dan Roemer about the S7t Limited Edition speaker and he shows us the inner workings of these beauties.

Moreinformation: Perlisten S7t Limited Edition

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

Jacob is a music-lover and audiophile who enjoys convincing his friends to buy audio gear that they can't afford. He's also a freelance writer and editor based in Los Angeles.

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