JansZen Loudspeaker Products

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charcoal drawing of JansZen One

<a href="home.htm">Home</a>   <a href="products.htm">Products</a>   <a href="company.htm">Company</a>   <a href="services.htm">Services</a>   <a href="news.htm">News</a>   <a href="ordering.htm">Ordering</a>   <a href="contact.htm">Contact</a> In the 1950's, the old JansZen Model 130 when mated with an AR-1, and in the 1960's, the full-range KLH Nine and Acoustech X, produced a stirring sense of realism and exhibited progressively improved technology. Many believe they were the best sound reproducers of their day. And in the thirty or so years since Arthur A. Janszen's last major accomplishments, you have probably heard some other fine-sounding electrostatic systems, as well. The new JansZen Loudspeaker has taken all that and extended it. With A. A. Janszen's elder son David at both the helm and the "drafting board", we bring you a truly new generation of loudspeaker system. The design is based on innovative electrostatic element development, judicious application of the intervening decades of advances in basic technology, and an emminently practical yet effective enclosure design. All that, yet with a direct line to original developments that started it all. The sound is simply the closest thing possible to what originally reached the microphone during recording. In any A/B test comparison, you are almost sure to be impressed by the differences. At the risk of inviting accusations of excessive hyping, we can honestly say that when you first hear them, those first notes out will give you a sense of being there so strong that you may feel like hurrying to take your seat, although hearing certain recordings might make you forget you even have a seat. As you listen, you'll actually feel your senses heighten. Every detail is accurate, clear, immediate, without sounding sterile or cold. Your favorite singer seems to be performing right in front of you. The sound is so real, you almost have to look. It all comes from something simple to say, yet exceedingly hard to attain: Sound waves that equal the recording. You may not be troubled by the sound of lesser reproduction, but expect to be surprised by how deeply your ear and mind naturally respond to music played on a JansZen system. Our first product is called the JansZen One, an electrostatic / electrodynamic hybrid with a unique combination of technologies. The design of its electrostatic elements is completely new, and several innovative aspects have been added and combined. Still, it has critical elements of the original Arthur A. Janszen technology at its foundation, some of which has never been in the public domain, and this is something that one can easily detect from the sound. Key System Characteristics <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Flat frequency response - eliminates spectral emphasis and coloration</li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Cylindrical, forward-only radiation pattern - </li> <ul> <li>Minimizes the involvement of room acoustics</li> <li>Cuts in half the difference in sound level when moving away from a speaker, so one's location between the speakers has remarkably little influence on the stereo effect</li> </ul> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Flat membrane elements - maximizes phase coherence, minimizes distortion, prevents multi-resonant spectral coloration, and provides the ultimate transient response </li> <li>Acoustical damping -- prevents fundamental resonant spectral coloration</li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Negligible levels of harmonic distortion - prevents harmonic coloration</li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Negligible levels of intermodulation distortion - prevents dissonant ring coloration</li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Wide dispersion of high frequencies - creates a large, uniform listening area</li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Wide dynamic range - transmits the finest nuances and hidden details while reproducing loud passages with ease </li> </ul> <ul style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;"> <li>Extremely potent sound pressure levels at very low frequencies - convincingly recreates percussive impacts, sub-sonic vibrations, and a pipe organ's lowest registers </li> With any fine loudspeaker system, there is always something special about the drivers and the enclosures that support them. But please read on about how we attain our uncompromising sonic objectives. Our founder not only has unique access to proprietary aspects of Arthur A. Janszen's original ESL technologies from the late 1940's on, but he is also an innovative engineer in his own right, with a lifelong exposure to acoustical engineering principles, and an extensive background in physics and engineering. Singularly true reproduction requires a singularly focused design, and the JansZen ESL achieves this. The chief technical aspects of JansZen systems are: </ul> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> Membranes: Common to all modern Electrostatic (ES) drivers is the use of thin, light membranes for producing the sound. Under the proper conditions, they can take nothing away from the sound nor add anything of their own. Also, with no need to accelerate a massive cone, coil and bobbin, or to flex a rubber suspension, or in the case of ED membrane speakers, to accelerate a heavy deposit of conductive metal in a low magnetic field, a very large portion of the energy applied to these drivers actually moves air. Provision of the proper conditions is the key to getting the best sound from ESL's, and JansZen does this better than anyone. Wide-dispersion tweeter geometry: Membrane loudspeakers and particularly membrane tweeters are known for their tendency to direct the higher frequency sound in a tighter beam. This creates a "sweet spot" in the listening area where the sound is best balanced. Away from this position, outside the high frequency sound beam, the high frequency content is reduced, and moving farther off-axis increases the effect. In contrast, the JansZen Loudspeaker tweeter geometry eliminates this beaming effect, so that the full sound range can be heard from anywhere within a very wide listening area. This is done without tipping multiple drivers away from each other or using curved radiating surfaces, which are techniques that disrupt accurate sound reproduction in numerous ways. Unified midrange/upper bass drivers: With the primary sonic information co-radiated, rather than split out into separate areas, the sound delivery is exceptionally natural. Combined with their coherent radiation pattern, the placement of instrumentalists and vocalists on the sound stage is very realistic and precise. Closed-back ESL enclosure: Most ESL systems, including the older JansZen full-range ESL designs, attempt to circumvent beaming (sharp directionality of high frequency sound) by using a dipole arrangement, radiating sound equally from both front and rear. Reflections within the listening area are relied on for distributing the high frequency sound. There are four drawbacks to this arrangement: 1) Low frequency output from the drivers is lost to interaction between the fronts and rears of the drivers, 2) The sound becomes very dependent on the suface and cavity related acoustics of the room (i.e., the ambience of the room is added to the ambience of the original recording), 3) The sound at different frequencies reaches the listener at different times, as well as interfering constructively and destructively along the way, and 4) The speakers must be placed a considerable distance from the rear walls to prevent interference peaks and achieve sufficient distribution of the reflections, increasing their effective footprint. As mentioned above, the new JansZen systems do not suffer from sound beaming. Because of this, a full, closed-back enclosure can be used, and the dipole arrangement avoided, so the drawbacks just mentioned do not occur. The low frequency output is retained, the sound becomes largely independent of the wall acoustics, all the sound arrives at the listeners' ears after traveling the same distance, e.g., with its phase coherence and frequency balance intact, and floor space may be conserved by placing the units near a wall without harming the sound. Line array ESL arrangement: Most loudspeakers are approximately point sources, meaning that the sound radiates in a spherical pattern, about equally forward, up, down, and to the sides. Because a significant part of the sound from such drivers reaches the listener after reflecting from the floor and ceiling, the acoustics of these surfaces and the recombination of reflected sound waves become important factors in the sound. The sound pressure also drops off rapidly with distance. By using a line array arrangement, JansZen systems radiate sound in a cylindrical pattern, namely mostly to the front and sides, and very little up or down. As long as your ears are situated below six feet and above two feet from the floor, this has significant benefits: There is minimal involvement of your room's acoustics, so JansZen systems sound very similar in different rooms and locations within a room, and are exceptionally easy to install to audiophile standards. Also, the sound level drops off at a much lower rate with distance, meaning that stereo imaging is preserved even when you are considerably farther from one speaker than the other. Diffraction feathering. Although the enclosures are rectangular, the drivers are tipped slightly to one side. This creates an empty area along each side of the driver that varies in width continuously from top to bottom. Not a new idea, but never before applied to ESL's, this variation distributes the frequencies and amplitudes of the interference between soundwaves that wrap around the edge and bounce back around to the front from the sides of the enclosure. As a result, diffraction peaks are many but negligibly small in amplitude, while the critical cylindrical radiation pattern is given only a negligible twist. If the edges of the elements and the enclosure were parallel, this would cause at least one noticeable peak and dip in the frequency response. Damping. To prevent natural membrane resonances from coloring the sound, it is important to provide acoustical membrane damping. Many ESL's use a see-though design that increases loudness at the expense of resonant coloration, as well as inviting intermodulation distortion during resonant excitations. In JansZen ESL's, membrane resonances are fully damped. Impedance matching. The inherent modulus of our proprietary membrane material combined with our special tensioning methods improves the match between the acoustical impedance of the membrane and that of the air load. Improved air load matching reduces distortion in the sound, provides some inherent damping of resonances, and improves efficiency. Constant Q: Because JansZen membranes are driven in a constant-Q polarization mode, the very slight asymmetries caused by inevitable variations in manufacturing do not introduce significant non-linearity in the force on the membranes. This keeps distortion inaudibly low in every unit made, regardless of how loud these units are played. Many ESL's use a variable-Q system to increase loudness at the expense of distortion, but JansZen achieves efficiency without this compromise. Polarization (bias) supply: Variations in polarizing voltage are held to inaudible levels using P-I-D (proportional-integral-derivative) closed loop control. During routine changes in environmental and surface conditions, which can vary the output of a simple voltage multiplier, the voltage is automatically held to specification. Our use of heavily overspecified components and epoxy potting assures long-term reliability. The supply is also uniquely instrumented for monitoring its operating parameters, with simple green/red light indicators for normal and abnormal operation. </div> </div> <div style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left:80px;"> Uniform force: Under the conditions present in a JansZen ES element, the membrane experiences a force that is applied evenly across its entire surface, so it moves as one. This differs from even the very stiffest electrodynamic driver cone. It is something not fully accomplished even in electrodynamically driven membranes, because the distribution of their conductors can not be perfectly even, nor in curved ESL panels, due to their inherent dimensional asymmetries. Uniform force makes the phase coherence perfect, and also eliminates the possibility of multiple axial vibrational modes, preventing the peakiness and coloration that is practically impossible to eliminate in a wide-range cone driver. Furthermore, the membranes of JansZen ES elements are tensioned especially evenly, and the extreme flatness and uniform manufacture of the stators (frames) maintains a very uniform gap between the stators and the membranes. This prevents transverse waves from being generated along membrane surfaces, which would be a hazard to smoothness of response as well as reliability. It also minimizes distortion that would be caused if different amounts of force were delivered in the forward and rearward directions. Flat elements. JansZen elements are physically flat, and flatness is the key to providing force that is uniform across the membrane surface as well as equal front to rear. </div> <div style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left:80px;"> Durability. JansZen ES drivers are unique in their use of a membrane material that does not degrade appreciably during decades of use in the presence of ionized oxygen, and which is fabricated so that arcing is inherently suppressed. This makes them so stable that they should last indefinitely. </div> <div style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left:80px;"> Ultra-low distortion, long-throw woofer: In JansZen hybrid systems, an electrodynamic (ED) woofer is used for the lower part of the bass range, from about 250 Hz down, where the phase effects associated with this type of driver are inaudible. A low crossover from midrange to woofer is possible in a JansZen hybrid because our unified upper bass / midrange ES drivers exhibit an extended low frequency range for their size. Relative to a full-range ESL system, this particular hybrid arrangement will not represent a sonic compromise for most listeners. At the same time, it offers a considerable size advantage, as well as sub-sonic impulse delivery that simply can not be provided by ESL's of any practical size. A suitably distinguished 12" electrodynamic woofer driver was developed for the JansZen hybrid systems by woofer design legend Thilo Stompler of TC Sounds (<a href="http://www.tcsounds.com/">http://www.tcsounds.com/</a> -- best viewed using IE). It incorporates several innovations for keeping distortion down to negligible levels. The suspension and spider were designed using FEM (finite element mesh) dynamic computer modeling to provide exceptionally linear force and damping over the entire range of travel, which is a quite long inch and a half. This greatly reduces distortion relative to drivers having a more conventional setup. This suspension and spider do not "grab" the motion near its limits, and it is the use of integrated amplification that prevents overdriving and destruction of the driver. A copper shorting ring under the gap plate helps linearize the flux field, keeping the motor force nearly linear over its entire range of travel. This also minimizes flux modulation, which would otherwise show up as intermodulation distortion at high output levels. A copper sleeve over the pole piece helps keep the impedance low, so that more energy is available for producing sound. It uses an extremely stiff aluminum cone to prevent breakup, and a massive die-cast basket to eliminate flexure of the driver structure. State of the art magnetics and electronics: In ESL systems, where the loudspeakers themselves have extremely low distortion figures, the transformers and electronics tend to be the so-called weak links. In developing the step-up transformers that generate the high electrostatic voltages for moving the membranes, special materials and methods were used to prevent this component from introducing distortion into the system. The ESL transformers are driven by PWM (Class D) amplifiers with unique features that provide linearity and noise figures that far exceed system requirements without squandering appreciable power as heat. Its base-band recovery filter network incorporates specially designed inductors for maximum linearity. The woofer is also driven by Class D amplifier, in this case a 1000 W RMS circuit with base technology from Bang & Olufsen. By using separate amplifiers for the ED woofer and each part of the ESL array, the primary crossover networks are run at line levels, eliminating the need for large pickup-prone capacitors and stray-field generating inductors. All-class-D operation allows high power generation without the need for ventillation, so there is no fan noise or even much heat added to your listening environment from the electronics. Practicality <div style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left:40px;"> When it comes to day to day usability, JansZen loudspeaker systems are every bit as practical as any standard loudspeaker. Treble dispersion is very wide, so the listening area is large, with no awkward "sweet-spot" listening position. Also, compared to earlier designs that use dipole radiation, the lack of "beaming" eases the potential impact of the room configuration on the aggregate response, so they will sound very similar in different rooms and locations within a room. At 17" wide x 16" deep x 72" high, the JansZen One loudspeakers are a reasonable size, which contributes to the realism to the sound. <ul> <li>Long-term reliability equals or exceeds the best electromagnetically actuated loudspeakers. This is because: (a) Membrane motion is small, (b) All high voltage components are protected from electrostatic accumulation of airborne particulates, and (c) All materials were carefully chosen for durability under the particular operating conditions found in ES loudspeakers.</li> <li>The loudspeakers are protected by an unconditional one year warranty against failure of any sort, with three years on the drivers.</li> <li>As a result of their unique design, there is no membrane-destroying arcing. If a listener overdrives the system, clipping distortion will be heard, but no damage will be done.</li> <li>Regarding safety, all high voltage parts are kept inaccessible behind grounded metal, and no ozone is generated for unwelcome introduction into your living space.</li> <li>The loudspeakers are physically rugged, and can be shipped by ordinary freight and handled normally when moving.</li> <li>Accessories are not needed, because JansZen loudspeakers start out with a virtually flat frequency response and perfect phase coherence. This lets you tailor the sound using just your preamp and signal processing equipment, although emphasis controls are provided for the top and bottom rolloffs. We supply top-quality line-level cables to your length specifications. If you're used to a collection of special capacitors, crossovers, loudspeaker cables, phase-restorative interface boxes, and so on, well, we hope your grieving period will be brief.</li> <li>The electronics are vibration-isolated from the enclosure to eliminate any hint of microphonic pickup and ensure maximum durability.</li> <li>The system is shielded against electrostatic and magnetic interference.</li> <li>We plan to offer a wireless interface at a later date for those who wish to locate their loudspeakers in positions that are hard to reach with wire from their playback equipment. Due to the extra digitization and decoding steps, some listeners may notice a difference in the sound. One would expect the difference to resemble that between playing vinyl records and CD's, but it is up to the individual listener to make the determination.</li> JansZen One </ul> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Two-channel (formerly known as stereo)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrostatic elements covering range of treble / mid-range / upper-bass -- wide dispersion without facets or curves -- innovative new design</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrodynamic lower-bass woofer with aluminum cone and low distortion motor and suspension </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Three Class D power amplifiers per side (tri-amp) providing frequency channel isolation and controlled line level crossover regions</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Maximum SPL at 1 kHz, 0.25% distortion, between speakers, 3 meters back: 100 dB</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Maximum distortion at 94 dB, between speakers, 3 meters, 15 Hz to 20 kHz: <0.1% </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Frequency response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 3 dB </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Low bass (-1, -2, -3, -4, and -6 dB @ 50 Hz) and sub-sonic (-6 and -12 dB @ 20 Hz) de-emphasis controls for tailoring rolloff to room size and personal preference</li> <li>Input imedance: 18 k Ohm; 1V RMS (2.83V p-p) for full volume</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Size 19" (48 cm) wide x 16" (41 cm) deep x 72" (183 cm) high (free-standing configuration)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Weight (each side) 150 lb (68 kg)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Power requirement (each channel) 1.2 kW max. (adapts to any mains voltage/frequency worldwide) </li> <li>Price: $18,000. </li> JansZen Two </ul> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Two-channel (formerly known as stereo)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrostatic elements covering range of treble / mid-range / upper-bass -- wide dispersion without facets or curves -- innovative new design</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrodynamic lower-bass woofer with aluminum cone and low distortion motor</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Three Class D power amplifiers per side (tri-amp) providing frequency channel isolation and controlled line level crossover regions</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Maximum SPL at 1 kHz, 0.25% distortion, between speakers, 3 meters back: 94 dB</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Maximum distortion at 88 dB, between speakers, 3 meters, 25 Hz to 20 kHz: <0.1% </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Frequency response (anechoic environment) 35 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 2 dB </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Low bass (-1, -2, -3, -4, and -6 dB @ 50 Hz) and sub-sonic (-6 and -12 dB @ 20 Hz) de-emphasis controls for tailoring rolloff to room size and preference</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Size 14" (35.5 cm) wide x 15" (38 cm) deep x 48" (122 cm) high (free-standing configuration)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Weight (each side) 100 lb (45 kg)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Power requirements (each side) 800 W max. (adapts to any mains voltage/frequency worldwide) </li> <li>Price $16,000. (provisional)</li> JansZen Three </ul> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Two-channel (formerly known as stereo)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrostatic elements covering range of treble / mid-range / upper-bass -- wide dispersion without facets or curves -- innovative new design</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li>Electrodynamic lower-bass woofer with aluminum cone and low distortion motor</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Three Class D power amplifiers per side (tri-amp) providing frequency channel isolation and controlled line level crossover regions</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Maximum SPL at 1 kHz, 0.25% distortion, between speakers, 3 meters back: 88 dB</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Maximum distortion at 82 dB, between speakers, 3 meters, 30 Hz to 20 kHz: <0.1% </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Frequency response (anechoic environment) 42 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 2 dB </li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Low bass (-1, -2, -3, -4, and -6 dB @ 50 Hz) and sub-sonic (-6 and -12 dB @ 20 Hz) de-emphasis controls for tailoring rolloff to room size and preference</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Size 12" (30.5 cm) wide x 13" (33 cm) deep x 26" (66 cm) high (free-standing configuration)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Weight (each side) 50 lb (68 kg)</li> </ul> </div> <div style="margin-left:40px;"> <ul> <li style="margin-left:0;">Power requirements (each side) 400 W max. (adapts to any mains voltage/frequency worldwide) </li> <li style="margin-left:0;">Price: $5,000. (provisional)</li>