Swiss Stenheim is launching their new Alumine Five LE, a deluxe version of the equally brand new Alumine Five SX, at the Munich High End.
Stenheim is best known for their aluminum cabinets and high-efficiency drivers used in them. There is now a new addition to the manufacturer’s lineup: the Stenheim Alumine Five LE. This is the more luxurious version of the also new Alumine Five SX. They both feature an elegant aluminum plinth made from a solid block of metal. This, according to the manufacturer, ensures greater stability of the speakers. At the same time it should provide resistance against vibration. Furthermore, it allows for easy adjustability to obtain the optimal arrangement, so says Stenheim: ‘It enables the Alumine Five to deliver its ultimate performance, with amazing clarity and musicality. This platform can be retrofitted to any Alumine Five already produced, resulting in a significant sonic upgrade’.
Rear settings panel
According to Stenheim, the speakers themselves are derived from the award-winning Alumine Five SE, itself an upgraded version of the Alumine Five, ‘with top-of-the-line crossover components, connections and improved internal wiring. The Alumine Five SX also features a rear adjustment panel for room customization. This system was originally seen on the more expensive Reference Ultime Two model. You use it to select different bass-treble profiles to adjust the sound to specific characteristics of the listening room. Sound quality is – the fabriant reports – “further enhanced by a new ground pole, which allows the speaker to be connected to a grounding system. The Alumine Five SX is immediately recognizable by its anodized tweeter horn and sidebars. It is the first speaker in the Alumine Five family to receive this improvement, which will be introduced in the rest of the series in the coming months.’
LE, limited to just 10 units
The all-new Alumine Five LE is a (severely…) limited edition of the Alumine Five SX. Only 10 pairs will be made, to be exact! In addition to the Five SX’s impressive specifications, the Five LE model, according to Stenheim, ‘features a number of luxurious aesthetic touches. Available only in Full Black, the tweeter horn, side bars, platform details and spike covers are gilded with gold leaf. The upper sound box is covered in leather with a gold embroidered Stenheim logo. The rear sound box is adorned with a Stenheim emblem. An optional three-piece flight case is available‘.
“After hearing for ourselves the sonic difference our Reference platform made to the Reference Ultime Two, we knew we had to develop the same concept for our highly successful Alumine Five model,” said Jean-Pascal Panchard, CEO-owner, Stenheim Suisse SA. “These new Five SX and Five LE models are a further step in our mission to deliver the ultimate in loudspeaker performance for demanding music lovers.”
Made in Swiss
Like all Stenheim loudspeakers, the Alumine Five SX and Alumine Five LE are designed and hand-built in Switzerland. The Alumine Five LE is a 3-way design with crossovers designed with – we read in the announcement ‘the best quality components from boutique suppliers such as Mundorf and Jantzen and is equipped with highly efficient custom drivers (94 dB) allowing a wide variety of amplifiers to be used.
Technical data
For convenience, here are all the specs:
- Passive 3-way floorstanding speakers
- 2x 25cm (10″) woofers, 1x 15cm (6.5″) medium driver, 1x 2.6cm (1″) soft dome tweeter
- Dual front laminar port bass reflex design
- Full aluminum construction
- 4 independent chambers
- Aluminum platform with 4 wide-range (4cm) heavy-duty spikes (M30, fine pitch)
- Phase-coherent crossover using, according to the manufacturer, “high grade, audiophile parts from Mundorf and Jantzen“
- Room Control panel with bass and treble control
- Ground connection
- Frequency range : 28Hz to 35kHz
- Sensitivity : 94dB SPL, half space
- Maximum driveable power : 200W RMS, 400W Peak
- Minimum recommended power : 20W
- Nominal impedance : 8 Ohms (minimum 3 Ohms)
- Dimensions (including platform): Height 131 – 134cm (51.6″ – 52.8″) x Width 48cm (19″) x Depth 38cm (15″)
- Weight (including platform): 139kg (306lbs) per piece
- Alumine Five SX available in metallic Light Grey or Dark Grey with black front and back
- Alumine Five LE only available in Full Black and gold leaf.
The Alumine Five LE will be shown at the Munich High End in the Stenheim Room, Atrium 4.1 room F113, and is already available to order, as is the Five SX.