Original title: The perfect balance between authenticity and beauty – Italian Casta Acoustics horn speaker SIENNA
At the end of last year, the author once wrote an article “The Great Atmosphere”, introducing Terra, the smallest horn-type floor-standing speaker from the Italian Casta Acoustics brand. That in-depth evaluation gave me a very good understanding of this young high-end horn audio brand from Italy. Intuitive and nice impression. The history and technical characteristics of the Casta Acoustics brand have been introduced in detail in the previous article, and interested friends can refer to it.
Casta Acoustics currently has four horn speaker products. In addition to the Terra floor-standing speakers introduced last time, there are also Luna bookshelf speakers, as well as Sienna and flagship Elettra, all of which are large horn-type floor-standing speakers. So this time, let’s take a closer look at the second-ranked SIENNA floor box under Casta Acoustics.
It is also a two-way low-frequency reflex large floor-standing horn speaker. Casta Acoustics’ SIENNA is different from the TERRA we have introduced before.
1. Unit settings are different
TERRA uses a unit configuration of two 1-inch horn-type compression drivers + 10-inch woofers, while SIENNA is upgraded to a combination of three 1-inch horn-type compression drivers + 12-inch woofers.
From the appearance, there is almost no difference between the two in terms of the diaphragm material and suspension edge of the speaker. Technically, they both use a Casta technology called “High Speed Woofer technology”. It’s just that SIENNA’s low-frequency unit has a larger diameter, reaching 12 inches.
2. The horn diffuser is different
Although the horn drivers of the two speakers both use Casta Acoustics’ unique “Large Format Waveguide technology”, the horn diffusers of the two are slightly different in shape. The TERRA uses an oval horn mouth, while SIENNA adopts a nearly square opening form, which is coupled with the wooden structure in front of the unit to form a larger horn-type diffusion structure, which can have better sound diffusion and radiation performance.
3. Different frequency division points
An important technical feature of Casta Acoustics is that both the bookshelf box and the floor box adopt a two-way design, and the crossover point is lower, so that the horn unit is responsible for a wider frequency band, which is more conducive to the integrity of the sound. Among them, the crossover point of TERRA is 1200Hz, while SIENNA is slightly lowered to 1000Hz, so the mid-high frequency horn composed of three horn arrays will be responsible for a wider frequency band.
4. The number of inverted holes is different
Due to the use of larger-diameter units and cabinets, the number of SIENNA’s back port has been increased from two to three in TERRA, so it can also bring better low-frequency dive (30Hz) and better low-frequency Quantity.
The design ideas of the two are actually very similar. In addition to the two-way and horn-type design introduced above, in terms of cabinet design, SIENNA also adopts the same three-stage structure as TERRA. This relatively independent design method can not only ensure the unique functionality of specific parts, but also form a unique appearance style of Casta Acoustics, which is unforgettable.
sound performance
The previous TERRA evaluation of Casta Acoustics was conducted in the small listening room on the first floor of Xinxingguang Audio, with an area of regarding 18 square meters. The large listening room on the second floor, with an area of regarding 60 square meters, is equipped with a 089 advanced CD player from Deutsche Welle and the flagship pre- and post-amp combination of Bulgarian Thrax (Rose Knight).
First-class vocal appeal
If the most profound feeling regarding the TERRA audition before is “the magnificent atmosphere”, then to say that SIENNA can impress me the most, the first is the rich vocal appeal.
During the audition process, we auditioned a number of vocal recordings, the more representative ones are Nora Jones’ “come away with me” and DEECCA’s “Opear Hits”, whether it is a lazy and leisurely jazz female voice or a majestic and full voice Classical vocals, under the interpretation of SIENNA, can show the original vocal characteristics of singers, and they also have considerable appeal in the sense of atmosphere and space of music. Especially in the interpretation of classical opera, SIENNA makes people feel as if they are in the splendid palace opera house in Italy. A noble and penetrating musical appeal reaches people’s hearts and makes people immersed in the atmosphere of music.
great sense of space
A good sense of hearing requires not only a high degree of fidelity of the instrument, but also a real sense of space and precise positioning.
When listening to the Mendelssohn works by Kramer and Argerich produced by DG, the interaction between the two masters on the stage is as if in front of us. The positional relationship between the violin and the piano is clear and real. The separation is good, with excellent transient response and detail reproduction, all of which lead to extraordinary musical appeal and excellent immersion.
Magnificent low-frequency volume and excellent texture
Because it is equipped with a 12-inch large-diameter unit, the low-frequency volume and texture displayed by SIENNA in a large space of 60 square meters is undoubtedly a step further than the previous TERRA.
When replaying the music with rich low frequency like “Bamboo Banquet” and “Listening to China 2”, we can feel the energy surging of the large wind instruments one following another, the immersive sound waves, and the continuous bass drum. The surging power inspired by the percussion. The low frequency displayed by TERRA is clean, powerful, fast and regular. It is not as domineering and exaggerated as some cinema systems, but it expresses the low frequency that should be in the music just right, and renders the atmosphere of the music and the bottom plate. The right degree, so that the proportion of each part in the music is appropriate and coordinated, which undoubtedly requires considerable tuning skills and experience.
Summarize
Casta Acoustics from Italy, although it is a young Hi-End, each product can be said to be solid and cost-effective. The logo of Casta Acoustics is the dark side of the moon, and when reflected on the sound, it is an excellent music background pitch blackness and tranquility.
After reviewing two Casta products in succession, I am already intuitively and deeply impressed by the brand’s sound characteristics. Its products have found a delicate balance between the “authenticity” and “beauty” of sound, and are powerful tools for enjoying music. Within a reasonable budget, choose a model suitable for your listening space, and I believe Casta’s products will definitely bring you the enjoyment of musical beauty.
