Castle RRP Price List Aug 2012
Castle RRP Price List Aug 2012
Castle RRP Price List Aug 2012
HISTORY
History - Since 1973 Castle has been a loudspeaker manufacturer in the truest possible sense with both design and manufacture of their world famous
speakers housed entirely in one factory. Castle is rare amongst loudspeaker manufacturers in that they not only manufacture the drive units and
electronic components found in their speakers but also the beautifully hand crafted real wood veneered cabinets used to enclose them. When Castle was
formed the founding concept was to be a complete loudspeaker manufacturer and despite changing times and the globalisation of manufacturing Castle
still retain this as the basis for the company.
KNIGHT SERIES
Knight Series - The Castle Knight series is born of a complete understanding of acoustic principles, exceptional high-frequency clarity, depth of
character and lustre - remarkable traits which reflect its outstanding performance. Featuring Castle's trademark of smooth and rich performance, a new
standard in build and value in a package dedicated to high-quality stereo audio, whilst performing with speed and accuracy, characteristics that are
important in enabling close acoustic matching to achieve the highest level of performance. Detail and neutrality are of utmost importance when building a
loudspeaker, an evident characteristic shown throughout the design and construction of the Knight series.
High frequency driver - The Knight series was designed and manufactured using drive units and components built in-house, from the ground up - only
possible because of our world-class research and development. The Knight series achieves superb high-frequency performance using a 'soft-dome'
tweeter which produces a more controlled performance than metal equivalents and an innovative aluminium-core voice coil which matches and even
exceed the bandwidth possible from metal domes without having to worry about inherent problems. Accuracy of high frequencies is core to the ability of
any loudspeaker to render three dimensional soundstages whilst providing high class acoustic performance.
Cabinet design & Bass driver - In most loudspeaker designs, room modes are easily excited by forward or rear-firing reflex ports, which can cause
resonance and a resulting 'boom' at particular bass frequencies. Whilst giving an impression of an impressive bass response, this boom frequency masks
all others making bass indistinct and slow. Using TPT (Twin-Pipe Technology), a new generation of transmission-line, vented through the speaker base -
a system that couples the bass response within the cabinet enclosure using a twin-pipe quarter wave design to provide a smooth and even bass
response which augments that from the main bass driver with clarity. Using a rigid yet light mixed-fibre cone material in the bass driver makes it fast
enough to track the most complex score and its unique 'TPT' (Twin-Pipe Technology) transforms the performance of all its floorstanding speaker models,
using the internal volume of the cabinet to extend the bass response without using unruly reflex ports. Adorned with the highest quality genuine wood
veneer, the Knight series offers more than just a taste of high-end luxury.
Format centre
Bass 130mm x2
Tweeter 25 mm soft-dome
Amplifier Power 25 - 150 w
Nom. Imp 8 ohms
Sens.1W@1M 91db
Freq Range at -6 dB 65 hz - 40 khz
Pictured in cherry Height 165mm
Width 550mm
Depth 262mm
AV Shield yes
COMPACT SERIES
Quality loudspeakers do not come any smaller than this. Following significant research into the optimum design requirements for a satellite speaker it
quickly became apparent that any design smaller than the chosen size would lead to the significant sonic impairment of the system. Once this basic
design parameter had been established, the Castle design team then concentrated on the design and construction of a cabinet as inert as possible and to
the development of excellent drive units for installation in the cabinet.
Despite the compact size of the enclosure, Castle's team decided that a 15mm MDF board was the minimum acceptable to achieve the stiffness required.
Both the internal and external surfaces of the board are fully veneered to further increase stiffness and long-term rigidity. This fundamental rigidity is then
further enhanced by the extensive use of internal bituminous damping.
The Castle Compact Satellite uses two new drive units specifically developed for this project. The tweeter is a 19mm (3/4-inch) fabric dome with a
neodymium magnet assembly; this unit, despite its small size, has been developed to have a large radiating area, ensuring optimum dispersion
characteristics. This design has also been optimised for extended high frequency response and is one of the few tweeters capable of performance up to
40kHz, making it an ideal tweeter for use with DVD-A and SACD source material.
The 110mm (41/2-inch) bass-mid unit has been Klippel optimised and features a woven glass fibre material offering good internal damping, smooth
response and excellent dynamic capability that is so required in modern AV speakers. The unit also features a four-layer voice coil, offering extended
power handling and a magnet assembly featuring a copper cap on the pole for maximum dynamics and an aluminium ring to compensate for induction
variances. These last two design items are normally only found in drive units retailing at significantly more than the Castle Compact Satellite.
Having successfully designed both the drive units and the cabinets Castle have ensured breathtaking performance by the careful integration of the
elements into one complete system. The enclosure is a closed box design, facilitating easy room placement, which has a Q of 0.7 and a fs of 90Hz, The
drive units are integrated into the cabinet by way of a fourth order Linkwitz-Riley crossover using both Polypropylene capacitors and balanced resistor
technology in the tweeter section. All these combine to produce a speaker with both ease of placement and faithful rendition of any signal fed into them.
The Compact Cube is a 150-watt active sub woofer that has been designed to compliment the other elements of the Compact System. As the name
suggests, this is a compact design, being a cube of around 350mm (14 inches) in size. Yet despite these compact dimensions the Cube packs a punch,
the sort of punch you need to convey the realism of the sound tracks found in today's movies.
At the heart of the Compact Cube is a 150-watt discrete amplifier, which can provide the level required for the full enjoyment of the movie. The amplifier
has a built in "Time Power Sense Limiter" to ensure high peak power output with no danger of overload conditions developing. The amplifier also includes
an auto on/off function, which is signal sensing in its operation; this means that in operation it is as simple to use as possible.
This is matched to a 250mm (10 inch) high excursion bass unit, featuring an air dried paper cone, rubber surround, Kapton voice coil and flux-optimised
high-power magnet system. All of which means that the speaker can translate the electrical information the amplifier delivers into audio you can enjoy.
To marry these two units together, the crossover is an extremely sophisticated unit allowing maximum flexibility of delivery whilst offering full system
protection. It utilises a 6th order excursion-optimised FiNo (Fink-Notthoff) alignment for maximum output with the smallest possible cone movement. The
crossover also incorporates a fully adjustable 2nd order 40-200 Hz upper frequency cut off for the Compact Cube as well as phase switching to allow
seamless integration of the Cube both into the system and the room. Finally the output of the Compact Cube is fully adjustable both to ensure excellent
system matching but also to allow further adjustments to compensate for variations in recordings.
All this is housed in a classic Castle cabinet, which benefits from over thirty years experience in the design of acoustic enclosures. The cabinet is again
manufactured in MDF board, but in this case a far thicker grade is used. The 18mm board is again veneered on both sides and in this application also has
an internal ring brace to further reduce unwanted vibrations within the cabinet. Unlike the other elements of the Compact's the Cube is a reflex design,
meaning the cabinet is vented. To achieve this with no loss of detail, a large diameter double-trumpet port tube is utilised, firing downward toward the
room floor, allowing easy room placement to be achieved.
CLASSIC SERIES
Model Product code Description / Specifications Finish Trade RRP
Stirling 3
Thanks to programme of continuous research and development, Castle brings refinement to a new reflex ported design in Stirling 3, and replaces the
world famous Severn model. For this completely new design, we have chosen fully shielded drive units to ensure optimum performance in both stereo
and AV or multi-channel modes.
The drivers themselves, Castle's renowned 28mm soft dome tweeter, as used in their most expensive designs, and two 130mm die cast bass-mid units
are deployed in a d'Apollito arrangement, with the bass units symmetrically placed above and below the tweeter. The improved image location conferred
by this configuration makes the Stirling 3 the ideal companion speaker with which to fully exploit the latest developments in resolution audio technology.
The new design also uses a downward firing reflex port, venting between the cabinet and the plinth, this space being variable to allow for optimum room
matching and more flexible placement options. The crossover, which uses audiophile components selected for their sonic quality, carries a terminal
housing adapted for bi-wiring this advanced specification system.
And remember, Stirling 3's rigid, yet elegant 18mm MDF cabinet is available in a choice of eight real wood veneers.
Conway 3
The all-new Castle Conway 3 is the largest floor standing reflex ported speaker we have made for some years. It is also the most advanced. Its driver
complement comprises our renowned 28mm soft dome HF unit, bracketed by two fully shielded, high power 150mm bass/mid units in a d'Apollito arrangement,
for more precise imaging and greater projection.
The massive magnet assemblies used for the two bass units also contribute to a tighter, more dynamic sound quality, a feature re-inforced by the use of ultra-
rigid 25mm MDF panels for the Conway 3's cabinet, ensuring that its 960mm height does not result in any loss of tightness or coherence of sound. In the same
vein, the Conway 3's downward firing reflex port is tuneable to match the acoustics of the room, allowing greater placement flexibility and maximum performance
from today's advanced digital programme sources.
A bi-wire crossover, using only the highest quality audiophile components further enhances the Conway 3's versatility and appeal. As you would expect from
Castle, the home of craftsman technology, the Conway 3's stylish cabinet comes in a choice of eight standard veneers.
Howard S3
Not so much a refinement of the Howard S2, but a total reworking of an old and trusted favourite, the Castle Howard S3 features a slightly more compact
cabinet than the earlier model, with a twin-pipe internal design similar to the Harlech. Its two 150mm woven carbon fibre coned bass units, one forward
firing, the other vertical, are tuned to different frequencies to give tremendous depth of bass, down to 32Hz, and room filling imagery.
The bass units share features found within other models in the Classic range, namely the shaped pole piece for improved dynamics, the copper coated
aluminium voice coil wire for reduced moving mass and CasWire internal wiring for greater transparency. Additionally, the Howard S3 has a hard-wired
crossover featuring top quality ICW capacitors and WBT terminals for the most secure connection possible to speaker cables.
As with all Castle speakers the Howard is available in a choice of eight real wood veneers, each one hand finished by craftsmen to the highest standard.
RICHMOND ANNIVERSARY
RichmondL Castles top book shelf speaker in real wood Lacewood
RICHMOND 1'499.95
The Richmond Anniversary is Castle’s smallest and first loudspeaker to redefine studio monitor sound and furniture quality craftsmanship. It offers exceptionally natural
reproduction of musical instruments and voices across all musical genres. Its enhanced dynamics and transient capability bring musical richness and excitement that will
have you exploring your entire music collection.
Castle engineers succeed in reducing panel resonance to below audibility by using multi-layer, composite panel materials, a loose fibre weave and bitumen damping pads
to absorb internal sound waves. Additional internal bracing ensures that the dynamic capabilities of the drive units are fully realized. Special attention is also paid to the
construction of the grille cover. The frame is composed of two different wood materials for added rigidity thereby minimising any form of resonance.
The new Richmond Anniversary employs a 130mm carbon fibre woven bass unit and a polyamide micro-fibre 19mm dome tweeter. The bass driver operates as a pure
piston over its pass band and offers a remarkable bandwidth and superb dynamic performance. The tweeter has exceptionally wide bandwidth, with the upper limit of high
frequencies extended to well beyond audibility. The use of a simple but thoroughly researched crossover network with Linkwitz-Riley slopes achieves superb linearity over
a wide listening angle. Crossover components have core bass inductors, generously oversized air core inductors and Castle’s proprietary, low-loss polypropylene
capacitors.
Input to the crossover and drive units is via updated bi-wire terminals which accept bare wires, spade lugs, pins or 4mm plugs allowing your preference of speaker cable
connection. Together with the crossover PCB layout, the bi-wire terminals allow full star grounding back to the amplifier for minimal crosstalk between the split frequency
sections.
Beautifully veneered in real lacewood, specially chosen by highly experienced Castle cabinet craftsmen, some of whom have specialized in selecting the right veneer for
each application for more than 30 years, the new Richmond Anniversary will complement conventional to modern room environments.
SPEAKER STANDS
Model Product code Description / Specifications Finish RRP
Features:
Rigid Column Construction
Excellent torsional rigidity
Improved grounding with floor
Spikes prevent flattening of carpet
Specifications:
Dimensions (WxHxD): 250 x 570 x 300mm
Gross Weight (kg): 19.0
Top Load Weight (kg): 80
Black only
Features:
Rigid Column Construction
Excellent torsional rigidity
Improved grounding with floor
Spikes prevent flattening of carpet "Can boost your
Specifications: speakers' detail,
Dimensions (WxHxD): 225 x 568 x 305mm attack and openness"
Gross Weight (kg) 12.0 What HiFi
Top Load Weight (kg) 50
Black only
SPEAKER CABLE
To get the best from your Castle loudspeakers we recommend QED speaker cables
Speaker cable is an essential component in any Hi-Fi or Home Cinema System. More than 30
years of product development, has led to QED becoming the market leader in award winning,
high performance speaker cables to suit any budget. Our designers continuously challenge
the frontiers, experimenting with new materials, construction and shielding to ensure QED
speaker cables will always deliver the very best possible sound.