SS-X90ED is the flagship model of the new X-series speakers from Sony.
TEST RESULTS
CONSTRUCTION FEATURES: The appearance of the speaker leaves an impressive impression. Massive, well-damped housing is made of MDF. The edges of the front panel are gracefully rounded. The slightly curved sides, which also level out the “standing waves” inside the case, look aesthetically pleasing. A wide front panel gives plenty of room for the big woofers. Space for the studs at the base of the enclosure. The smooth curve of the beveled front panel is a very convenient place to place the hypertwister. The entire top of the speaker and the hypertweeter unit are made of aluminum. The tweeter diaphragm is protected from the outside by a fine-meshed metal mesh. There is no fault in the fact that the design of the new “Sonics” painfully reminds B&W speakers. Imitating the maestri is not a sin, especially if you manage to do the sound on the same level.
Now about the construction details: The SS-X90ED is a 3-way configuration with a reflex port. The rather large bass reflex port extends to the front of the speaker. The port is connected to the woofer compartment by a long labyrinth made inside the cabinet using several bulkheads. This design further lowers the lower boundary frequency of the speakers.
The SS-X90ED is equipped with Sony’s latest hypertwister, which has a metal dome with a diameter of 25 mm. According to the manufacturer’s technical data, the hypertwister voices frequencies up to 70 kHz. So it’s fully prepared for SACD or DVD-Audio playback.
The midrange driver is equipped with a Kevlar 165-mm diaphragm, the center of which is covered by a black colored plastic dust cap. Two woofers with fabric cones also feature 165mm octave size. The bass/midrange drivers are equipped with cast metal baskets, which are screwed to the case with six steel screws. Since all the speakers are magnetically shielded, you can put the speakers next to the TV set without worrying about the quality of the picture. The speakers are wired with gold-plated terminals. Number of them allows Bi-Wiring/Bi-Amping connection.
In conclusion, the SS-X90ED is available in two colors: maple and black.
AUDIO QUALITY IN STEREO mode: first of all we want to note the impressive low-frequency foundation of the sound of SS-X90ED. For example, on Hermitage Chamber Orchestra recordings, the bass line was held to life confidently as an integral part of the music. On the same parts many other speakers pay less attention to bassoons and bassoons, as if they weren’t full members of the orchestra. The bass of the speakers is best suited for reproducing rock music, it combines the pressure and accentuated pulses. Amount of bass component in the sound should satisfy the most fastidious fans of crazy drive. Plus, the Sonics are great at high volume and avoid noticeable distortion.
The midrange and the top looks less “juicy” compared to the bass, but the main sound details are clearly conveyed. Dynamic contrast is slightly better in the upper frequencies, the middle is slightly inferior in this respect. However, this does not affect the emotional sound of the SS-X90ED. The sensations are sometimes overpowering, too much energy in the speakers, which during the sounding of “live” instruments manifests itself in a coloration of timbres.
Another feature of the speakers is the large-scale presentation of the images. Yes, the apparent size of the instruments is a bit large, especially in the lower register sound sources, you can also complain about some angularity of the contours of the images. But for all that, the stereo panorama build-up by the Japanese looks quite impressive.
PRICE: $750.
SUMMARY
ASKS: low, powerful bass overload resistance rugged cabinet construction.
DISCONDITIONS: slightly squeezed and sketchy midrange, tonal balance is shifted to the lower frequencies.
CONCLUSION: The SS-X90ED has its own musical character that helps them play rock and dance music with gusto.
