Displaying items by tag: switzerland - StereoLife Magazine

Piega has unveiled the Premium 801, a new floorstanding loudspeaker that takes its long running Premium Series into fresh territory between the existing Premium 701 and the Coax 611. Conceived as a reference model for the range, it is intended to combine Swiss precision engineering, meticulous craftsmanship and a more ambitious acoustic architecture in a slim, elegant enclosure that still integrates easily into domestic living spaces. The aim is to offer a speaker that raises performance standards in its category while remaining recognisably part of the Premium family in both sound and appearance.

Piega is probably Switzerland's most famous loudspeaker manufacturer. Founded in 1986 by Leo Greiner and Kurt Scheuch, the company was initially a typical hobbyist, garage-based manufactory. Kurt concentrated on developing transducers, while Leo took on design matters and the company's finances. At some point, ribbon drivers became Piega's trademark and have remained so to this day. The cheapest models use drivers built with this technology to reproduce high frequencies, while the top-of-the-range speakers also use larger ribbon midrange panels. Because the designers allow them to play backward, the result is unique loudspeakers resembling electrostatic panels, supported by dynamic drivers only in the low frequency range. Piega's flagship designs demonstrate technical capabilities and audiophile splendor hidden under the guise of a minimalist design. During my test of the Coax 711 LTD speakers, their coaxial midrange/tweeter ribbons and aluminum enclosures fascinated me so much that I decided to find out more about them, which led to an interesting conversation with the brand's head of research and development, Roger Kessler.

The Swiss speaker specialist expands its successful Coax series with four brand new models and, at the same time, presents a technically refined limited edition of the already well-known Coax floor-standing and bookshelf speakers. "Noble aluminum enclosures and ribbon loudspeakers" would probably be the answer of most hi-fi fans if you were to ask them about the most important features of Piegaloudspeakers. The four brand-new models, Coax 811, 611, 411, and Center 211 feature these characteristics and offer numerous technical innovations that significantly enhance the sound quality of the quartet.

Once again, mastermind Kurt Scheuch's research and development team have succeeded in making the already very illustrious aluminum columns and bookshelf loudspeakers even more audiophile. A step forward has also been made in aesthetic terms. In order to refine the appearance, Swiss designer Stephan Hürlemann has fitted the front covers flush into the C-shaped cabinet profile, creating a formal harmony that fits perfectly into every room.