Amphion by Dr.Head

Amphion was founded by Finnish entrepreneur and engineer Anssi Hyvönen, who discovered his passion for high-fidelity sound at a young age. At the age of 14, Anssi's father gave him money to buy his first audio system in their small Finnish town of Kuopio, where the selection of audio salons was surprisingly high-quality.

A couple of years later, Anssi upgraded to higher-grade equipment, which he still uses to this day. He found that he had an excellent memory for the sound of audio components, and he could compare them even remotely, which greatly helped him in creating his own audio systems.

Later, Anssi worked in Hong Kong selling audio systems, where he met talented manager Petteri Kolonen and speaker developer Antti Louhivaara. Together, in 1998, they founded the brand Amphion.

Initially, the company's headquarters and assembly line were in Helsinki, but due to family circumstances, the Hyvönen family had to return to their hometown of Kuopio. Anssi spent several hours commuting to work each day. When they discovered a nearby manufacturer of speaker enclosures, the entire company moved to Kuopio in 2000.

Amphion's first speaker model was the two-way bookshelf speaker Argon with a 165mm main driver. The concept of the brand's naming convention revolved around using the names of inert gases like Argon, Helium, Xenon, and so on. This symbolized that Amphion speakers, like inert particles, do not interact with the environment, meaning their sound quality should not be heavily influenced by the room acoustics, making it easier for audiophiles to match compatible components.

The company later introduced smaller bookshelf speakers called Helium, followed by floor-standing speakers named Xenon. While Amphion quickly established good relationships with Finnish Hi-Fi dealers, they primarily targeted the export market as the domestic market was relatively small. A significant success came when their Argon and Xenon series were well received at the High End Show in Frankfurt in 2000. Today, Amphion products are available in 58 countries across all inhabited continents.

Amphion speakers caught attention with their modern Scandinavian design created by industrial designer Risto Pentikäinen. Since speakers are often placed prominently in a room, their design needed to be visually appealing, versatile enough to fit any interior, and appealing to customers of various tastes and ages. This design approach has been recognized, with Amphion receiving an award for innovative design and construction from HiFi+ in 2021.

Amphion's strength lies in its use of proprietary technologies that set these speakers apart from other brands. A key functional and aesthetic detail of Amphion speakers is the signature U/D/D waveguide (Uniformly Directive Diffusion) — now in its 5th generation. This waveguide principle ensures uniformly directed diffusion of sound waves, creating a homogeneous sound field. This helps in minimizing reflections in the room.

Another key technology in Amphion speakers is lowering the crossover point to 1600 Hz, allowing the tweeter to blend seamlessly with the mid-range driver's sound. This design solution is specific to Amphion speakers and is tailored to the materials, construction, crossovers, and cabinets of their models.

Amphion also prefers using passive radiators over traditional ports. These radiators sync with the active driver's movements, creating additional air pressure to enhance bass frequencies.

Amphion engineers adhere to the concept of controlled dispersion in their speaker design. The cardioid directivity of their speakers, focusing sound forward while minimizing lateral and rear propagation, helps reduce room interactions and is especially beneficial in untreated rooms.

In 2007, the company's founders parted ways, leaving Anssi Hyvönen to take on the leadership. In 2010, a new chapter unfolded for the brand. Anssi stumbled upon a documentary about Finnish microphone developer Martin Kantola, sparking a collaboration that led to a professional line of studio monitors. The first model in this line was the small studio monitor One12.

The close collaboration with musicians became another creative approach for Amphion. In 2021, Martin Kantola, bass guitarist Tom Stenback, and producer/musician Emmanuel "Manu" Laudic partnered to develop the company's first active model — the full-range studio monitor One25A. This speaker features a 25mm titanium tweeter, 135mm aluminum midrange driver, and a 255mm woofer, with the tweeter and midrange drivers isolated in separate chambers.

Anssi Hyvönen prefers to create passive speakers, believing it ensures greater longevity, component compatibility, and performance. Therefore, even in the active model One25A, the built-in (but removable) amplifier can be taken outside the speaker for flexibility.

Amphion's "Chemical Elements Table" representing its speaker lineup, consists of three home series named after inert gases: Helium, Argon, and Krypton, as well as professional studio monitors under the One, Two, and Base series, along with Amp amplifiers.

Amphion offers a range of home and studio audio equipment, including the entry-level Helium series, which features a simple, elegant design and two-way construction with a 1600 Hz crossover frequency. The Helium410, a compact speaker with a 115mm paper driver and 25mm titanium tweeter, received prestigious awards in 2021. The Helium510, a bookshelf speaker with a larger 135mm driver, provides deeper bass. The Argon series offers richer bass with three bookshelf models, including the compact Argon0, Argon1 with a 130mm driver, and Argon 3S with a dual-side passive radiator. The Argon 3LS and Argon 7LS feature passive radiators, bringing listeners closer to studio sound in a home setting.

Amphion's flagship model, Krypton 3X, showcases advanced technologies, including a 25mm titanium tweeter in the U/D/D waveguide, two 203mm midrange drivers with papyrus cones, and a side-firing 254mm aluminum woofer.

The company's studio equipment lineup includes monitors and amplifiers designed for modern recording industry needs, such as the One12 model for extreme near-field listening, the One15 monitors for transient reproduction and bass quantity, and the One18 model for various recording tasks in different spaces.

Advanced Base solutions can turn a two-way studio monitor into a full three-way system, improving midrange reproduction and reducing intermodulation distortions. The FlexBase25 system allows crossover frequency and bass levels to be customized for specific rooms and audio tasks, providing flexibility and precise tuning. The company's studio lineup also includes two amplifiers: the Amp700 model, providing 700W per channel for 4-ohm speakers, and the Amp400 version, providing 410W per channel.

Amphion's bold decision not to offer a commercially popular warm and bass-heavy sound but instead present a more natural, open, and transparent sound has been well received by discerning audiences.

Anssi Hyvönen promises to prioritize high technologies and quality materials over prestige or expensive finishes in the cost of their models. Sound quality takes precedence, and honesty of sound reproduction and a natural acoustic landscape have become the brand's signature, attracting audio enthusiasts.