VANA, Ltd. has announced the availability of the Audio Physic Step plus and Tempo plus loudspeakers in the US market through a network of audio retailers. The Step plus is a bookshelf speaker and the Tempo plus is a floor-standing speaker utilising the same midrange and tweeter technologies as the Step plus with low frequency drivers integrated within the enclosure. Both loudspeakers have been completely redesigned since the prior Step and Tempo models and benefit from many of the technological advances realised during the development of the company’s flagship speaker, the Cardeas 30 LJE.

The Step plus and the Tempo plus (Pictured) share a brand new 1.75-inch tweeter (HHCT III) and 5.9-inch midrange (HHCM II) that have been engineered exclusively for Audio Physic. These unique ceramic coated aluminium drivers utilise proprietary hybrid cone construction that combine the dampening characteristics of modern polymers with the stability and stiffness of metal. Each driver’s suspension system and basket chassis are mechanically decoupled from one another in a unique design that reduces unwanted resonances. Audio Physic refers to this technology as the Hyper-Holographic Cone chassis (HHC), which improves clarity and detail significantly verses conventional drivers. In addition to the elaborate HHC basket construction, the midrange driver is also equipped with a fixed metal phase plug designed to reduce heat. Each driver is housed within individual compartments in the cabinet. The entire inner cabinet has been updated to include extremely stiff open cell ceramic foam bracing elements that stabilise the enclosure. 

The Tempo plus incorporates two high-performance 7-inch aluminium bass drivers situated across from one another in the side walls of the enclosure. The Push-Push configuration of the woofers creates a symmetrical distribution of force on the loudspeaker cabinet.

Both the Step plus and the Tempo plus feature newly engineered crossover networks. The interior wiring and the premium grade WBT™ binding posts, all mechanically decoupled from the cabinet, are also a critical part of these new designs.

The unique cabinet shape of both new models serves to reduce standing waves in the interior of the loudspeakers that can jeopardise crisp midrange reproduction. The gentle rearward tilt of the cabinets helps to balance out phase differences between the midrange and tweeter, which are mounted flush to the surface of the baffle. The enclosures have been updated to include open-cell ceramic foam bracing elements in a labyrinth-like array that reduce cabinet wall resonances. Any acoustic energy emitted into the cabinet interior gets absorbed by the pores to a level of inaudibility.

The Audio Physic Step plus and Tempo plus are both available now. US MSRP is $2595 (pair) for the Step plus and $5995 (pair) for the Tempo plus in standard Cherry and Walnut Wood Veneer finishes, and $2795 and $6495 respectively for Black or White High gloss or Ebony Wood Veneer.