EXPIRED: EOI - VIVID AUDIO B1 Loudspeakers

Snake · January 12, 2020

Item: Vivid Audio B1 Loudspeakers (Graphite) Metallic
Location: Miranda, NSW, 2228
Price: $11,500 negotiable RRP $25K
Item Condition: Excellent 9/10
Reason for selling: Climbing in the same brand
Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, Bank Transfer
Extra Info: Never thought I would move these on. They were to be my end game speaker.

These are true high end speakers and searching the web you will find all very positive reviews.

One owner. Over a number of years some members here have heard these speakers poorly set up (amateur)

I have heard them poorly set up elsewhere also so they did not impress.

I have only recently set them up well and encourage any serious buyers to listen and inspect.

I have all the factory supplied accessories (jumpers, spikes, gloves, books etc) and wooden shipping crates.

Here is a small sample of some review, summary and conclusions -

The Vivid Audio B1 is a mid-sized, floor standing model. This is not your typical square box design, and for a good reason too. Every aspect and component of this loudspeaker has been scrutinized and reinvented to create a dynamic and box less sound.

As with other Vivid Audio loudspeaker designs, this unique cabinet is a result of its function. Designed to be virtually invisible, free from distortions and reflections as typically found in traditional speaker enclosures. The B1 features Vivid Audio's patented drivers coupled to tapered tube absorbers for reaction cancelling.

Moulded by serious rethinking of dynamic loudspeaker design, the Vivid Audio B1 loudspeaker is any passionate audiophile's dream. Ultra high performance, technology and aesthetics converge to create this unique loudspeaker.

Unusual in a world constrained by the vagaries and pressure of a fashion conscious market, the Vivid Audio B-1 represents an almost perfect test piece for the technology involved. The pure pistonic drivers pioneered by Lawrence Dickie in his original B&W Nautilus have been honed to a fine focus in this loudspeaker system.

The B-1 is a floor standing model which incorporates four drivers in a 3 & 1/2 way system. B-1 employs a single D50 mid range (patent pending) driver between 900Hz and 4 kHz with the range beyond being handled by a D26 tweeter (patent pending). Below 900Hz the B-1 uses two C125 mid-bass drivers (patent pending), one mounted on the front baffle and one on the rear baffle of the cabinet. These two drivers are internally coupled via a screw tensioning unit for reaction cancelling. Both drivers receive the same signal at frequencies below 100Hz while above this point the drive to the rear is progressively attenuated leaving only the front driver to operate all the way to 900Hz in order to keep the distance between drivers at a minimum around crossover. Fourth order filters ensure phase coherence through both main crossover points resulting in a seamless and symmetrical polar performance.

Integral to the B-1 enclosure is the stand. Made from the same carbon fibre loaded polyester compound as the enclosure, this considerable yet graceful design provides an exceptionally stable footing while not detracting from the acoustic environment surrounding the loudspeaker, thanks to the small frontal area of each arm. To further guarantee the stability of the complete system, a total of five custom spikes are mounted around the periphery of the base. Adjustment of the front and rear spikes sets the attitude while the remaining two can then be brought into contact with the floor for maximum stability.

Within each of the streamlined arms are hidden separate conduits to guide the Van den Hul® interconnecting cable away from the two internally mounted crossovers into the base. Precision machined WBT® gold plated terminals are discretely located at the rear of the base to allow a visually unobtrusive connection to the outside world.

Conclusion - Australian Hi Fi Magazine 2013

It’s been two in a row at the Kramers’. The last speaker I reviewed was also an extraordinary mix of high technology and state of-the-art performance. In fact, by pure coincidence it was the B&W 802 Diamond, a speaker that bore developed technologies that Dickie himself invented back in his days with the company. And indeed, there were remarkably-clear similarities between the two speakers in the evenly uncoloured, sweet and resolving mids and highs. In the B1, Dickie continues the tradition and carries the concept in a new and more personal direction. The B1 is truly a remarkable mid-sized speaker which features intelligent design and engineering while never losing sight of the heart and soul of music. Vivid indeed. Edgar Kramer

Configuration: 3 & 1⁄ 2 way vented cabinet
Cabinet material: Complex loaded carbon fibre filled polymer
HF – D26 – 26mm metal dome unit with Tapered Tube loading
MID – D50 – 50mm metal dome unit with Tapered Tube loading
LF – C125 – 2 x 158mm metal coned unit (coupled)
First D26 Break Up mode: 44,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 89dB @ 2.83Vrms and 1.0 meter on axis
Nominal Impedance (Ohm ): 4
Frequency range – 6dB points: 35 – 36,000Hz
Frequency response: 39 – 33,000 Hz +/- 2dB on reference axis
Harmonic distortion (2nd and 3rd): < .0.5% over frequency range
Cross over frequencies (Hz): 100, 900, 4000
Power handling (music program) watts rms: 300
Loudspeaker dimensions (H, W, D cabinet, D base) mm: 1095, 265, 375, 420
Net weight (kg): 38
Shipping dimensions (H, W, D) mm: 1250, 430, 530
Shipping mass (kg): 50