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CFX 2.16
Best Product of the entry level
price/performance „excellent!“
Best Product of the entry level
Best Product of the entry level
Mac Audio CFX 2.16 - Noble components at entry-level prices
One system stands out in the
range of new Mac Audio
loudspeakers: the CFX 2.16.
It just doesn't look like an
entry-level product, it appe-
ars much too noble for that.
Let's take a closer look.
Well, you actually can't complain, is
what we think, as we encounter nice
grid screens, well-matching loudspea-
ker stands and a tidy 1.5 metres of
cable when unpacking the boxes.
And then the crossover filter with lid
made from solid brushed aluminium
and chassis that are also encased in
aluminium. Also the bass midrange
speaker's die-cast basket with a dia-
mond-cut design which also includes
very well fitting pole plates. Wow! The
cone suspension possesses sufficient
space in the basket to allow the Mac-
16 to be fitted with a wide spider that
is able to work properly over wide ran-
ges. The bead has been embedded in
a groove along the basket edge so that
it can't be harmed by the screw heads
during assembly - just a detail, but an
important one. The cone is made from
a very strong composite consisting of
two layers of
glass fibre with an
airy honeycomb between
them which creates an ultra-stable but
relatively light "board". All this is roun-
ded off with a matching dust cap that
doesn't have to fulfil a stabilizing
function but which like the bead is
made from thin rubber that enables it
to suppress cone resonances.
rope. The
fabric cone is
so thin that the
damping felt that kills hard reflecti-
ons on the pole plate beneath is easily
visible.
The crossover filter is also special. It
comes with an extremely practical
goodie - a pole reversal switch - so
that determining the tweeter's correct
polarity in cars is just a matter of
seconds. The filter circuit is also much
more than just run-of-the-mill: to make
the tweeter absolutely clean at around
three kilohertz, it was given a stop filter
for its resonance frequency which tar-
gets this range to make it quieter. A
12-dB filter is also responsible for
separation.
Tweeter and filter
The Mac-Audio tweeter presents itself
in a nobly turned metal case and is
protected by a grid screen which pro-
bably doesn't incidentally put you in
mind of certain high-end Scandinavian
tweeters. The dome cone has benefi-
ted from a great deal of development
work. Its profile, for instance, doesn't
possess any parabolic curves but a
catenary that looks like a sagging
 ced so realistically and capti-
vatingly that you
begin to think
you are liste-
ning to a
much more
e x p e n s i v e
l o u d s p e a k e r
system. Cymbals shine
as do the harmonics of natural
instruments in fine unobtrusive
brilliance. The excellent dyna-
mics that make the air shake
when abrupt changes in volu-
me occur extend right through
the full frequency band. Which
makes listening to music great
fun particularly with well-recor-
ded pieces. The Mac also
counts among the best where
accuracy is concerned. Steve
Strauss' voice growls nicely
and particularly naturally out of
the boxes and what you hear
conforms to what you had in
your mind - even with female
vocalists. Norah Jones stands
very firmly and above the loud-
speakers while she murmurs
into the microphone in the fami-
liar way. Goose pimple alarm is
probably the best proof that a
In principle, the tweeter looks
like a filter of the second order
consisting of a series coil and
parallel capacitor whereby a
small resistor is responsible for
capacitor attenuation so that
the circuit puts you in mind of
an impedance equalizer. A
second coil has been switched
in parallel to the first and is also
equipped with a resistor to atte-
nuate its effect. All in all, great
efforts usually only associated
with high-end components and
not with a set for well below
200 euros are apparent here.
Laboratory
The measurements for the Mac
Audio chassis also do not dis-
appoint. We easily measured a
cut-off frequency of 25 kHz for
the tweeter, which means that it
is well above average. The dis-
tortions, on the other hand,
were very restrained.
Even at massive levels, neither
of the two individual loudspea-
kers could be made to produce
any distortions - which speaks
for very careful design work.
The CFX chassis therefore pre-
sent themselves not only as
visual titbits, but also as techni-
cal ones.
Sound
The next wow factor occurs
when the CFX is connected to a
power amplifier. Things start
very powerfully whereby the
bass range draws particular
attention to itself. Incre d i b l e
volumes are possible when
electronic beats fiercely impact
the cones. Low and clear
attacks are produced in such a
way that leaves only one thing
to be said: hats off! In regard to
beat, the large drum is reprodu-
loudspeaker system can make
music.
Conclusion
Mac Audio has produced a real
peach with the CFX. The
system and its components
make an incredibly expensive
impression for the price. The
very powerful and very good
sound does the rest to make
the system the best you could
wish for in this range
Entry-level class
Price/performance: excellent
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