2024 wrap update
Last year didn’t involve much sitting around, so here’s a synopsis to prove it. We’ve now got two new products, an enormous manufacturing facility, and a space to share and call Ours.
As you may know we added Flare to the lineup, our now smallest offering - and something that certainly didn’t happen overnight. We’re known for our powerful and immersive presentation, which had to be embedded into Flare, totally non-negotiable. The result is a relatively compact loudspeaker that features a massive circular waveguide cast from bronze, elegantly extending beyond a low-tuned reflex cabinet housing a high-excursion 8” mid-bass driver - powered by an external 500w drive unit for each pair of Flares. To quote the bloke who walked into our HiFi show room and sat down expecting more of the same mundane ‘yeah fuck me’ - if that means anything to you. Shown in American Oak Black Japan.
Then @tom_fereday thought we should do something for Melbourne design week. Doesn’t have to be anything too crazy, just cast a whole speaker from aluminium and integrate the same constant-directivity performance like we do for all our other speakers, just don’t have any direct radiating transducers ruin the form! We’re certainly not experts at pattern making, but got a whole heap better on this project. 8 patterns later and four sand cast aluminium pieces come together to form Cast, a 3-way full range loudspeaker for use as either a single or in multiple units. Hand finished and exactingly tuned for smooth response and tonal balance. It may be made out of aluminium yet this is not our first rodeo, someone in the comments said ‘yeah like that’s gonna sound good’ - lol, wanna bet?
We rounded out the year with a handful of great install jobs both local and abroad - with Superwax Mini deliveries to the Greek Islands, LA, Sydney, and Flares to Singapore and Hobart, just to name a few.
If you’re thinking about making a purchase the trip to Hobart is now even more worth it as we’re showing everything @ours.hobart plus you’ll get to experience @sonny.hobart @ogee.hobart @restaurantmaria_ and rest at @ogee.guesthouse! Or stay up all night in front of Exhibition 30’s at @therealtwistedlime!
FLARE + SUB HEAD TO SINGAPORE FOR MAGPIE
You’ve probably heard us saying our loudspeakers don’t require subwoofers, and they don’t 😏 This Flare + sub combo is off to a music bar in Singapore where we expect higher than average listening levels. A smooth frequency response with low distortion demands a clockwise spin of the level attenuator, and by taking the load off of the Flare bass drivers the response can both be extended into lower frequencies, and increased output capacity enabled while maintaining the addictive low distortion punch we’re here for. The 12” sub is compact and features a CNC cut brass grille, and in this case a matching Walnut veneer.
Superwax mini in canberra - recess
We worked hard at Recess to optimise their acoustics before even talking about speakers. This well styled cafe in Canberra now hosts a pair of Tasmanian Blackwood Superwax Mini loudspeakers, both wall and ceiling mounted to optimise the coverage of their guests. We also supplied digital music steaming, turntable, and a SPL monitor controller to split audio both inside and outside from a central location.
FLARE - NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH
Projecting beyond, our Flare loudspeaker system reimagines compact acoustic design.
By allowing a large circular cast bronze waveguide to extend beyond the traditional constraints of the cabinet, Flare achieves tonal consistency and output capability that replicates the feel of our much larger loudspeakers in an approachable and unique form.
The 8” professional mid-bass and waveguide transducer are driven by a discrete digital drive unit that provides signal processing and bi-amplification for each loudspeaker from a central hub.
With 250w available to each unit, a pair of Flares are not only incredibly powerful but articulate, expressive, and captivating.
Full spec on the website - demonstrations available at Ours.
CAST POPUP AT OMOTENASHI HOBART
Hobart’s Lexus dealership and showroom has a unique dining element embedded in it’s interior. Omotenashi offers a premium Japanese dining experience for a small guest list. We teamed up with the guys to show off our Cast loudspeaker to compliment their Sunday afternoon Mochi schedule.
FINN REES - DAWN IS A MELODY - LISTENING SESSION AT OURS
Finn recently took over Ours for an impromptu listening session, joined by friends and family for the continuous playback of his album Dawn is a Melody. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting Finn, and look forward to the next soirée!
~
Ours can seat over twenty, and it’s now available for limited occasional and private events. Get in touch to find out more.
CAST - TOM FEREDAY COLLABORATION
Cast. A loudspeaker designed in collaboration with @tom_fereday. First imagined as pure form in mono material and simple geometry is realised with careful application of acoustic design, clever packaging, and four cast aluminium pieces.
DERRICK GEE + ACE HOTEL TAKEOVER
In December @gee_derrick took over the @acehotelsydney lobby bar for an evening of music and friends. We joined him with Superwax Mini and some illusive Mini subs that were kindly leant back to us by a local legend.
EXHIBITION 30 - PRO SOUND LOUDSPEAKER
With plenty of experience building sound systems for ourselves, our first real professional product wasn’t ever going to be a mimic of anything else on the market - and for good reason. Exhibition 30 is aimed at mid sized performance venues and clubs that demand a loudspeaker solution with HiFi performance, intense output, and superb directivity control. Our waveguides are always the hero, with all design, development, and manufacture done in house. This unit is carefully paired with the driver selection and cabinet response. The mid-bass element is fully optimised for use with subwoofers, maximising both rearward rejection and forward output power. It’s so directive a person standing in front of it appears to be the sound source when listening from behind it - no joke.
Exhibition 30 is a 3-way active loudspeaker system designed for high intensity music listening applications and professional sound reinforcement. A dual diaphragm compression driver plays into a large waveguide optimised for consistent coverage, and matches the output power and control of two 12” mid-bass drivers loaded into a compact cardioid enclosure tuned to minimise unwanted rearward energy. The result is a compact loudspeaker specific for performance applications. Shown in Black Japan with 21” subwoofer.
2023 STEREONET MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL HIFI SHOW IMPRESSIONS
“They are so pretty - I think I am headed for a pair at some stage”, “My favourite room though was Pitt & Giblin. Lovely guys with great ideas, great backgrounds and a great product. I go out to a lot of live music and their system was like audiophile sound reinforcement. It had balls, but only when it should have and finesse as well.”, “Bass and midband were effortless”, “blew me away with how smooth and wise the sound was. You could walk anywhere in the room and the sound didn’t change”
dutch vinyl equips both record stores with superwax mini
Both Melbourne and Brisbane Dutch Vinyl stores are now equipped with Pitt & Giblin Superwax Mini’s, providing smooth and consistent coverage of all music across the store floors. Our large waveguides offer superior coverage even at longer distances compared to ‘horn’ and direct radiating systems that were replaced, along with the subwoofers and expensive amplification that were made redundant.
TENET - large format taken to the extreme
Everything we know, all we’ve learnt, this is large format HiFi taken to the extreme. Recorded music listening scaled to the drama and theatre of live performance. At three metres tall these pillars represent everything that is Pitt & Giblin.
TENET, a stereo system like no other. With roots in live professional audio, and more recently celebrated HiFi systems, Pitt & Giblin merge these worlds to make something truly unique.
A highly optimised extended bandwidth high frequency module plays into a monstrous cast bronze expansion, which transitions to a solid laminated mouth piece. The purely point source signal also covers off on frequencies typically reserved for dedicated midrange devices. The consistent axial response and incredible dynamics hand over to dual 15” flanking mid bass drivers which are isolated in large sealed cabinets, and tightly control these troublesome frequencies beyond the abilities of traditional loudspeakers. This top section has in excess of 1200w RMS per side, which of course, is driven by active PASCAL amplifier modules and high-end DSP housed in the sub bass module.
Each pillar sits atop an extremely large sub bass system which displace well over a cubic metre each. Dual 21” opposed drivers fire into a cavity, whereby their mechanical forces cancel, resulting in purely acoustic energy that vents both fore and aft - with rearward reflex ports tuned well inside the ordinary ‘infra’ bass region. This segment has 2200w RMS on tap each side, for what can only be described as a ridiculous amount of bass.
TENET is absolutely ridiculous. It puts music on a pedestal, it expands the horizon of listening rooms and blows convention out of the water. That’s us, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Jack & Ross
exhibition 68 - sound system
This is it, the fresh rig!
The festival dust has settled and now it’s time to let you in on our latest. Pitt & Giblin have been designing manufacturing and operating PA systems for over a decade, so when a festival opportunity in Victoria arose we knew it was time to take a short interlude from our HiFi products, and do what we’ve been talking about doing for some years, and design and build a new PA!
The package itself takes our directivity control technology to a new level, by designing a massive (108cm/42” wide) fully sculpted waveguide with multiple apertures, and integrating the coverage with a 18” cardioid mid-bass system.
The control that the system exhibits is unbelievable, with consistent roll off across the audience area for incredibly smooth tonal balance, and rear rejection that boggles the mind. The acoustic performance is staggering, and backs it up with dynamic and exhilarating output to match from 70Hz-20kHz.
@linearesearch DSP and amplification drive each transducer set independently, with crossover, alignment, equalisation, delay, and protection for the expensive components to operate comfortably. No passive components here.
The highly sensitive 900w RMS waveguide system does 108db/1w, with dynamic continuous performance numbers at double, plus the 6000w mid-bass system -per side! With total system output including subs at closer to 50kW with all subs.
Manufacture for the new mains started on the 17th of January, for delivery on the 24th. Build time = 8 days 😮💨 The system is available to hire within Australia! 🔥
Additional info:
-The waveguides are constructed using stacked birch plywood, and coated in a Gunmetal Grey textured Polyurea scratch resistant coating.
-CNC cut segments make up the intricate waveguide, which is then assembled and finished by hand.
-Multiple drivers are used in the waveguide for both absolute output requirements, alignment, packaging, and pattern control. It’s unlikely this technology will enter our HiFi segment as the acoustic goals though similar, aren’t the same.
-Built in a week, designed iteratively on and off for a few years.
sydney audio club presentation
Last month we travelled to Sydney, to demonstrate Superwax to the Sydney Audio Club. A large part of our discussion was consistency of frequency response, why it’s important and how we go about designing a device that fulfils our performance goals. Superwax easily filled a large room, with decent absorption, and covered over 50 listeners. Jaws dropped as an image was easily achieved, with fantastic separation, and massive bass performance. “It’s very likely the best sounding system we’ve ever had in this space”. (And might I ad, probably for a fraction of the price!) Shown here - Tasmanian Ash + Moss.