02.27.2008 — One of the companies leading the charge to introduce new loudspeaker designs into the U.S. market is French manufacturer Cabasse.

The company’s products are now available in the U.S. through its distribution partner, the St. John Group.

Cabasse’s products stand out because of the company’s strict adherence to its core design philosophies. The company employs spherical cabinets to avoid problems of diffraction and implements coherent time-aligned drivers for proper phase during playback.

The company’s line is vast, including everything from the statement LaSphere flagship speakers to in-ceilings and reasonably priced freestanding products, like the iO2, which can be stand, shelf, wall or ceiling mounted.

For review, St. John sent me a complete 5.1 system, made up of a pair of stand-mounted iO2s, three standard, base-mounted iO2s and a Satorin 25 powered subwoofer.

Spherical Design Houses Friendly Technologies

The iO2—like its big brothers, the Baltic Evolution and the LaSphere—features a spherical cabinet that houses a time-aligned, Spatially Coherent Source (SCS) coaxial driver array, which utilizes a Kaladex-dome 1.1-inch tweeter and 5-inch woofer.

Cabasse rates the speaker at an extremely amplifier-friendly 93 dB efficiency and 8-ohm nominal impedance levels. The company also says the speaker can handle 80 watts of power, with peaks of 580 watts, and can turn all this power into sound pressure levels (SPLs) as high as 122 dB.

The Santorin 25 subwoofer has a traditional, box-type design. The cabinet features a 10-inch woofer and 250-watt amplifier.

Cabasse rates the sub’s frequency response at 34 Hz to 150 Hz—comparable to the iO2. The standard design model of this sub, therefore, suggests the iO2 system’s unique spherical design does not necessarily compromise sound quality.

Assembly is Simple; Low-end Content Works

Because of the speakers’ unique industrial design, the iO2 system arrived on a skid.

Once I began to unpack the boxes, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the main left and right speakers, which were in large boxes, shipped already assembled. The only thing I had to do was screw in the floor spikes.

As for the other speakers, they shipped nicely with a cool magnetically attached base, allowing the speakers to be angled into any position.

The sub had a traditional design. So, I simply replaced my RBH with the Cabasse by connecting my line-level cable to the unit.

After finishing the cabling connections, I set my Bryston pre/pro’s speaker setting to “small” and began to adjust the crossover.

This is where I began to question the literature that came with the system. The speaker’s rated frequency response is 180 Hz to 22 kHz and the sub’s frequency response at 34 Hz to 150 Hz.

Immediately after reading this, I suspected the speakers could handle more low-end content and I also worried that, with the crossover set at 180 Hz, I would be able to localize the sub.

My solution was to set the crossover at 150 Hz and break the speakers in. I also adjusted as needed, as St. John advised.

I popped in “G3: Live in Tokyo” and started with John Petrucci’s “Glasgow Kiss.” About six bars into the song, I paused the video because I found the lower mid-range to be boomy.

I lowered the crossover to 120 Hz and then, finally, to 100 Hz, which I found to yield the best balance and weight.

The Performance Tested

To listen to the system, I used such content as “300,” the G3 DVD and a variety of two-channel rock and blues.

As a cinema system, I thought the iO2 package performed well. Dialog was clear and discernable. Deep bass, while not the strength of the sub, was firm.

I found that once I dialed in the crossover, the sub integrated with the speakers well. In all, I liked the way the system imaged while maintaining an immersive soundstage.

Jack-of-all-Trades Solution

Overall, the Cabasse package reminded me of the Sunfire CRM-2/Solitaire 10 system I reviewed back in July 2007.

The differences, I found, were that the Sunfire threw a larger, more airy soundstage and the companion sub was smoother in its octave-to-octave performance, and the Cabasse system imaged better, played louder and its sub had better low-end definition.

The iO2 system’s installation versatility, unique style and reasonable price make it a jack-of-all-trades solution for installers looking to keep inventory management process lean while also maintaining a performance pedigree.

MSRP iO2: With stand, $2,044 each; On base: $867 each. Santorin 25 subwoofer: $1,711.