Soundcraft ABSOLUTE 4P BROCHURE

MAIN FEATURES

High definition linear
phase design

Flat on- and off-axis
frequency response

Custom designed
magnetically
compensated drivers

Long throw Aerogel™
170mm LF driver

25mm ferrofluid-cooled
soft dome tweeter

Vented cabinet with large
flared port, for extended
low frequency response,
even at high levels

Integral low distortion
100W (LF) and 100W (HF)
power amplifiers, with
full protection/limiting
for both drivers and
amplifiers

Constant voltage active
crossover, with time
compensation for driver
alignment

Stepped input level
control for accurate setup

Switched 40Hz HPF
allowing higher sound
levels from bass-heavy
music signals

XLR connector for
balanced signals, RCA
phono-type sockets for
unbalanced signals

Spirit by Soundcraft™, Harman International Industries Ltd.,
Cranborne House, Cranborne Industrial Estate, Cranborne
Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3JN, England.
Tel:

[phone]. Fax: [phone]

Spirit by Soundcraft™, 11820 Kemper Road, Auburn,
CA. 95603, USA. Tel: [phone]. Fax: [phone]

http://www.spirit-by-soundcraft.co.uk

Part # ZL0417

ABSOLUTE PHASE LINEARITY

A true phase linear design prevents
phase lag to ensure that all frequencies
reach your ear at the same time,
essential for accurate monitoring.
Many designs attempt to overcome the
problem by playing with the physical
alignment of the drivers, invariably
leading to phase lag at low frequencies.
In contrast, Absolute 4Ps achieve true
phase linearity by the use of Spirit’s
active VCS crossover which
electronically ‘aligns’ the drivers.

ABSOLUTE SOUND QUALITY

To achieve Trevor Stride’s design brief
of a natural, uncoloured sound, 4Ps use
bass cones custom-made from HD-A

(High Definition Aerogel™). This

remarkable new composite exhibits

very high internal damping, high
rigidity and low mass. Being lighter
and more rigid than standard paper
designs, 4P’s cones are at least 2dB
more efficient and very low in
colouration. Furthermore, Trevor
chose ferro-fluid cooled soft dome
drivers instead of metallic tweeters
which can create unwanted spurious
HF resonances. Flat response is
maintained off-axis by the newly

designed tweeter face plates, and

the edges of the substantial 18mm

MDF cabinet are radiused to help
prevent HF refraction and
interference.

ABSOLUTE POWER

Two 100 watt amplifiers in each
enclosure make Absolute 4Ps the

most powerful active monitors

in their price class - but that wasn’t

the prime objective. The use of an

active VCS crossover, coupled with

dedicated drive to the LF and HF
units, enables the frequency
response characteristics of the
system to remain flat at all
levels. Built-in protection
circuitry also works together
with the amplifiers to provide a
constant safeguard. A switchable
40Hz High Pass Filter allows

accurate, high level monitoring of
bass-heavy music signals as well as
simulating the response
of typical ‘hifi’ speakers
to facilitate home
studio mixing.

Amplifier Power Output: HF – 100 Watts RMS

LF – 100 Watts RMS
Frequency response (half space on axis): 40Hz - 22kHz, -3dB
Crossover (constant voltage, linear phase): 2.4kHz
Efficiency (half space): 115dB max SPL @ 1m
Driver complement: 170mm LF/25mm HF
Dimensions (HxWxD): 395 x 240 x 330mm

15.5 x 9.5 x 13”

Weight: 13.8kg (30.5lbs) each

E&OE. Spirit by Soundcraft ™ reserves the right to alter designs or specifications
without prior notice. 7.3.97

SPECIFICATIONS

THE INSIDE STORY

ABSOLUTE COMPATIBILITY

4Ps cater for both professional and
semi-pro connections, and can be used
with a wide range of input sources
such as mixers, CD Players, and DAT
machines. Industry standard XLR
connectors handle balanced signals
(+4dBu) while gold-plated phonos
take care of unbalanced sources
(-10dBV). Further accurate left/right
channel matching is assured by the
stepped input level controls.

ABSOLUTE PROTECTION

4Ps are protected by a ‘zero­colouration’ active circuit, that has

no adverse effect on sound quality, and
which continuously monitors operating
status by simulating drive unit power
dissipation. Any signal approaching
danger level will be progressively limited
by precision electronic attenuators,
without affecting transients. A red LED
on the front panel illuminates when the
protection circuit is limiting, giving you
plenty of time to re-adjust your levels.
If the yellow LED lights, the amps are
running too hot and it’s
time to reduce
levels.

Input Waveform
Non Phase Linear System

(low frequencies lag behind)
Absolute 4P

Phase Linear System

100 Watt HF Amp

Tweeter

Woofer

100 Watt LF Amp

Active Phase Linear

VCS Crossover

100

90

80

70

60

50

10 50 100 1k 5k500 10k 20k Hz

dB

pirit Absolute 4P active monitors put

you in command of the mix by taking
away the uncertainties of sound
reproduction. Whilst some passive
speakers can prove unpredictable due to
external factors over which they have no
control, 4P’s active design optimises the
performance of built-in amps, drive
units, and electronic crossovers to
ensure that they work together as a
cohesive whole.

The DESIGN CONCEPT

Absolute 4P has been designed by Trevor
Stride, the man behind the acclaimed Absolute
2 and Absolute Zero monitors.

Trevor has over 15 years of audio design
experience behind him, working for a number
of the industry’s leading names. Trevor’s
design philosophy is deceptively simple:

• Any professional monitor should exhibit an

even frequency response at high and low

levels, on and off axis;

• It should have the most accurate possible

time domain response;

• It should have the most natural, uncoloured

sound possible, whatever the price level;

• It should not exaggerate or enhance sound

to satisfy individual tastes;

• It should not cause listening fatigue which

often arises from the inappropriate use of

driver materials;

• It should be reliable in prolonged,

professional use.

To satisfy these criteria, Trevor has scrutinised every element of 4P’s
design to optimise its performance.

Four built-in amplifiers (2 in each cabinet) are high-calibre,
professional devices, which have been ‘custom tuned’ to perfectly
match the drive units. The active VCS crossovers have been
designed to prevent distortion of the system phase response
(a common characteristic of systems which rely solely on physical
driver alignment) by electronically aligning the drivers. Close
proximity between the electronics and the drivers has a benefit ­the short cable runs minimise signal loss, which means greater

efficiency and better dynamics. Both drive units are custom
designed and magnetically compensated. The 6.5 inch (170mm)

bass driver has a low-resonance cast chassis, phase plug and
cone made from High Definition Aerogel™. The result is an LF
unit which, when compared to a paper cone of the same weight,
has a remarkably high stiffness-to-weight ratio and very good
damping - two highly desirable yet normally elusive qualities.
Thanks to the versatility of the active system, HF response is
extremely flat with superb dispersion; the 30° off axis response
extends to 17kHz. Because of the wide dispersion angle of the
tweeter, the cabinet design has large radii on all edges to
minimise edge diffraction effects. For absolute flexibility, the 4Ps
may be used in a vertical or horizontal position, the latter being
accomplished by simply rotating the internal amplifiers through 90°.

Absolute 4P

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVE MONITOR SYSTEM

APPLICATIONS

Nearfield monitoring in large studios

Small studio monitoring
Home studio monitoring

Video edit/post-production suites

Multimedia

High quality small venue sound

reinforcement/distribution

Absolute 4Ps at
Strongroom Two,
London

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