STONES SOUND STUDIO      ARTISAN™      Speakers and Kit's                 Peerless      Super  High Definition  Speakers

PEERLESS SPEAKER SYSTEMS                                                      HISTORY                  VERSION   V 1 to  V 23                                                         

Designed By                          Russell Storey                                                                                                                                                   Stones Sound Studio Welcome to our new range of professionally engineered and locally built speaker systems. To save on cost we have made these premium speakers available in kit form for easy construction. Boxes come completely assembled for you to insert drivers and construct crossovers. Every aspect of the cabinet design has been customised to suit our Peerless drivers precisely, with port and box volume tailored to maximise the performance of the HDS and XLS range of premium speakers. A new improved tweeter for the range has been specifically developed, in conjunction with Peerless Denmark and Russell Storey our audio consultant, to closely match the HDS series of mid-woofers, the uniquely specialised counter-sunk tweeter and cabinet combinations. Cabinet design and matching development has been achieved using the latest in computer analysis software and with the building experience of Stones Sound Studio, specialists in premium, exotic, custom speaker design. All cabinets are precision manufactured by the latest computer controlled techniques from medium density custom wood (MDF) with a choice of genuine wood veneers and Australian hardwood decorative trim panels. The Peerless HDS range of drivers and XLS range of subwoofers offer incredible performance and value for money. When correctly matched to our custom designed cabinets and precision crossovers with premium quality components the result is a finished speaker unit that rivals the best audio available in the world. You will find our new range of speakers beautiful in appearance and performance giving exceptional sound quality to music and fantastic dynamics and realism to digital DVD home theatre.

PREMIUM QUALITY AUSTRALIAN MADE CABINETS GENUINE AUSTRALIAN WOOD VENEERS OR BLACK VINYL DEVELOPED EXCLUSIVELY FOR WES COMPONENTS PROFESSIONALY DESIGNED AND OPTIMISED CABINET DESIGN & FINISH IS PREMIUM GRADE A EXCELLENT AUDIO PHYLE QUALITY REPRODUCTION EXCEPTIONAL REALISM FOR MUSIC AND MOVIES NEW TECHNOLOGY DRIVERS FOR DIGITAL AUDIO SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPED CUSTOM HDS TWEETER WORLD LEADING PEERLESS DRIVERS FROM DENMARK ONLY PREMIUM QUALITY COMPONENTS USED THROUGHOUT

DESIGN NOTES

Designed By Russell Storey of Stones Sound Studio
Welcome to our new series of audiophile home theatre speakers.
HDS & XLS are special high-end, high definition speaker systems for both the home theatre and music reproduction. Usually you have a speaker system where you are relaxing to your music collection in HiFi stereo. But this has now changed, with the introduction of DVD, multi-channel surround sound is here to stay! Extra demands are put on speakers as they now have to be optimised for both precision music listening as well as the dynamics of DVD home theatre action with its special effects and sound tracks. As often requested, WES Components has introduced a premium level solution. Incorporating our new and impressive Peerless range of drivers, and thanks to the design experience of Stones Sound Studio, we have a very impressive and capable range of speakers, all at a reasonable WES Components price.

Premium Cabinet Design and Manufacture

The latest in speaker analysis and design software is used to accurately establish correct box tuning to suit specific driver specification (also measured by SSS). Various prototypes were then tested and improved upon until the desired sound was achieved. Months of work and many years of experience combine to produce a well balanced sounding speaker system. Premium audio quality demands only the best and we also understand that your room and life style today wants minimal visual impact. So we have developed cabinets that are both attractive and functional yet optimized for the best possible performance, considering cost. The attention to detail, build quality and professional finish of these cabinets is very impressive. Available in an economical black vinyl option or very handsome, genuine wood veneers.

Peerless of Denmark Peerless has been making drivers in Denmark for leading speaker manufacturers, providing cutting edge premium quality units, since the 1930's. This new series of speaker units is a culmination of their many years of experience and the best driver materials & accurate manufacturing techniques. Below are some examples of the modern technology incorporated.

NEW Peerless HDS tweeter Our new HDS Peerless tweeter is a 1" treated cloth soft dome unit, developed by Stones Sound Studio in conjunction with Peerless of Denmark. This brand new tweeter was specifically redesigned and adapted to our new HDS series of speaker boxes, and features a wider, smoother sound dispersion with the alloy flat face plate, giving better, flat, off-axis response, excellent dynamic range and an improved natural sound. Micro low level detail is achieved with a pure copper voice coil, a low inductance motor system, conical felt damped internal cavity chamber and the use of high density reversed Double-Magnets which produces maximum flux density yet lowers the stray magnet field for shielding. The voice coil now uses a new, extremely low viscosity ferro-fluid which aids in keeping the tweeters heat dissipation temperature down, reducing compression and increasing the dynamic program range and maximum power of the unit. The efficiency and detail of this newly developed tweeter outperforms units many times its cost and being specifically matched to our new speakers gives us an amazingly high performance audiophile sound at incredible value.  HDS 810653

HDS Peerless High Definition Sound of Mid-Woofers

The design achievement of this new driver series is an impressively ample and articulate sound from compact units. Advanced build technology with an aerodynamic, ridged cast aluminium frame holding an oversized, high flux magnet, a low compression, rear ventilated, Nomex spider, SBR rubber surround and a 5 layer polymer laminate cone, double bound to a high power, quad wound, voice coil that has over an inch of travel in an improved, distortion reducing magnet system using aluminium shorting rings (and a phase plug for the HDS455s). Dramatic improvements in dynamics, efficiency, detail, maximum dB output, and long term reliability from such compact drivers, that sound and also look like they are very high performance.

XLS Peerless Subwoofers

Peerless have pushed the Sub-Woofer to new performance extremes with the Xtra-Long-Stroke Series of drivers, specifically designed for very high performance and long endurance at high SPL. All aspects in design and construction of this series is for reproducing extra clean, tight, deep bass. Self induced distortion and varying impedance with exertion is virtually eliminated by the new aluminium shorting ring and spacer motor system, comprising a 50mm diam' 4 layer voice coil in a double stacked magnet for high efficiency and a very high power rating. The fibre composite cone is molded from wood-free pulp comprising a blend of nomex, kevlar and glass fibre bonded by polymers to give an ultra-stiff yet relatively light cone that is fast and will stay stable even under extreme load. Aerodynamic, ridged, alloy basket. Extra wide, SBR rubber surround. Vented Dust cap and open voice coil for reduced compression, and almost 2 inch of exertion protected by soft mechanical clipping. This driver series is powerful, efficient & robust, yet produces fantastic, distortion free bass that will satisfy the audio connoisseur to the Sound-Off champion.

NEW Peerless 8" XLS Sub-woofer

The XLS range of Sub-woofers has pushed the envelope further for the performance digital demands of DVD theatre with the XLS 12" Sub giving phenomenal performance from such a small enclosure. However, it was also necessary to design a more compact unit to suit smaller establishments. To this end Stones have developed a new Cast chassis  8" version of XLS driver to again achieve audiophile performance at a reasonable cost. The new XLS800 subwoofer will out perform most 10" subs of twice the volume with clean, articulate, deep bass.

NEW STONES SOUND STUDIO  Upgraded Subwoofer Amplifier STONES S200W-V2

After testing many internal sub-woofer amplifiers from makers all over the globe, we decided to perfect our own. The new S200W amplifier from WES Components has been developed  by STONES SOUND STUDIO after considerable testing and modifications to achieve very stable performance in the low frequency domain down to the sub-sonic 5Hz.   Special Video  audio filters at 24db/Oct  we developed  so that the subwoofer unit can be adjusted to suit both music and home-theater bass and also allowing in conjunction with the freq ,level, phase controls   some adjustment for room  resonant modes.    Again we have achieved this while maintaining excellent value for money. To get this level of performance usually costs considerably more. Essential for the XLS800 and highly recommended for the XLS1000 sub-woofers this excellent subwoofer amplifier can be used with any subwoofer speakers .

Premium Component Crossovers

Components used in the HDS & XLS range are all premium quality for best audio performance. A new range of inductor coils and capacitors was imported by WES Components to achieve the best sonic performance at a reasonable price. The Solen range of capacitors, for example, was developed in France for the European Space Agency! Only air coils are used, because of their sonic performance. Gold connectors and OFC cabling, all combine to maintain a very high level of sonic purity.

Sound Signature Matched For Home Theatre

To best reproduce the DVD home theatre audio experience, it is recommended by most installers that all speakers be identical. This is to achieve a seamless transition of sound from one speaker to the other without any obvious change in tone. You can accomplish this by using a combination of all HDS250 speakers (HDS255c as centers). However, it can also be achieved by the use a combination of different speakers in this range, due to the close sonic resemblances of each HDS speaker. eg. For a most impressive setup, use the HDS455 as mains, the HDS255c as your center and the conveniently compact HDS150 or HDS250 as surround speakers. The choice of XLS800 or XLS1000 depends on room size and potential listening volume.

Passive Radiator V's Ported Sub Woofers

The XLS1000 uses one 12" Active driver and one 12" Passive radiator. This is a "Drone Cone" that utilises the low frequency energy within the box, similar to a port but with some distinct advantages in that it improves performance and specifications. The XLS1000 dual cone design achieves superior audiophile sound with lower than normally achievable frequency response at very high SPL if required. This impressively clean and deep sound is without the air breathing distortion normally associated with an over exerted vented enclosure used at such low frequencies and high potential volume levels. To reduce turbulence in our XLS800, with the single 8" XLS driver, we use tapered internal bracing and large, dual 65mm ports that are also flanged for reduced turbulence distortion.

Curved Edge Design

Where possible or practical, edges in the box are tapered. This includes the speaker grills, internal bracing and the port edges. When a sound wave from a loudspeaker reaches an edge of a speaker cabinet, for example, it creates a new source of sound that appears to emanate from there, referred to as "Edge Diffraction". Rounding off corners will reduce this diffraction distortion. It is also a prime example of the attention to detail the designer has gone to achieve the best results possible.

Acoustically Aligned Coaxial Array [& Tweeter Flare System]

If you look at the HDS250 and HDS455, you will observe the tweeter is COUNTERSUNK into the box with a mid-woofer above and below. As a result of this alignment, the sound from the tweeter leaves the box and reaches your ears at the same time as the mid-woofers sounds. This eliminates the usual midrange delay, reducing "Lobbing" (sound interaction between drivers) and achieving a near perfect transient response. This physical alignment, the unique front face tweeter flaring and the precision crossover phase alignment, all work together to give many transient improvements, particularly at the obstreperous crossover frequency point. The focus and realism of each performance will surpass what standard flat baffle speakers can normally reproduce, and all with consummate accuracy. Horizontal and vertical off-axis response is also improved, producing a greater "sweet-spot" and giving a wider, deeper 3D sound stage perception, reducing the fallacious effect of where you are in the theatre. Everywhere is the best seat in the house!

Bi-Wire & Bi-Amp Compatible

Dual binding posts on all HDS models for the option of connecting signals to the tweeter and mid-woofers separately. This allows use of multiple amplifiers with active crossovers or, a more controversial tweak, you can bi-wire from a single amp. It is claimed that this will improve tweeter response and efficiency. The gold binding posts are shorted as default for normal twin cables. We do highly recommend though, the use of transcendent quality OFC cables for connection as direct improvements will result. SSS recommends our WES Code OFC348 cable as the best value for money. We use this cable for internal wiring on all HDS models.

Some computer measured testimonials;
F graph of our HDS250	Impedance graph HDS250	SPL of the 8" Subwoofer	MAX SPL of the 12" SUB
Click for close-up views