A good monitor combines a high degree of accuracy with untrammeled musicality. There aren’t many of those around – common wisdom has it that you can have one or the other but never both. The LS1 is the first monitor to prove conventional wisdom wrong. By integrating top quality digital signal processing, converters and amplifiers in one of the speakers’ legs, we were able to apply technical strategies no one had used before. As a consequence, the LS1 is not just a loudspeaker, but a complete audio system that only needs an analog or digital line source to perform.
Key Features:
- Custom color in any RAL
- Unidirectional down to 250 Hz
- DSP controlled frequency curve
- PCM up to 384kHz/24bit (DXD), DSD64 & DSD128
- Well-behaved off-axis response
- Digital and analog audio inputs
- Filtered analog subwoofer output
- Remote control of volume and settings
- Super low distortion NCore class D power amps
- Audiophile quality Seas drivers
- Magnesium Seas woofer
- Seas DXT tweeter
- Optimised NCore amplifiers
- Heavy footplate
True accuracy is about getting all the bits in the right place: not losing anything, not adding anything either. The LS1 offers this accuracy, reproducing a truly musical recording accurately, with all beauty intact. At the same time, the LS1 will also reproduce any imperfection, giving you all the information you need to get it right. These qualities make the LS1 an ideal monitor for both mastering and mixing.
Looking at the design, the box is much wider than it is deep, the small (14 litres) sealed box is designed to provide an effective baffle down to around 250Hz. It is suspended between two half cylinders that combat diffractions and function as an integral two-legged floor stand. An 8” magnesium woofer and a 1” dome tweeter divide the work between them. Smart use of DSP via a Computer Aided Calibration process during production linearizes the frequency response and allows for a controlled bass response down to 35 Hz.
Housed in one of the two legs are a 48/76-bit DSP, digital I/O, AD/DA, the same clock circuit as our CC1 master clock and the drive electronics, encompassing two 180W Class D power amplifiers of the groundbreaking Hypex NCore type.
The concept of the LS1 draws maximum benefit from intelligent application of DSP technology. An IIR crossover imposes exact LR4 acoustic slopes crossing at 1550Hz, and the phase is subsequently corrected using an idealised inverted all-pass filter, resulting in a maximally linear phase response without any pre-echo’s. This removes the “digital loudspeaker sound signature” typical of the more ubiquitous impulse inverted FIR designs.
Despite their compact size, the floor standing speakers are clearly intended as main monitors in mastering studios and mixing rooms that have space to put free-standing speakers. The DSP controlled analog subwoofer output allows for easy integration with stereo subwoofers, for those that need high SPL performance below 40 Hz. By selecting our SB1 or LS1s subwoofer, perfect integration with the main system is obtained, effectively turning the LS1 into a threeway system. The MU1 music player or LS1r remote offer convenient control of all functions inside the LS1.
LS1s
A pair of LS1s stereo subwoofers integrate seamlessly with the LS1 or LS1a. Its phase corrected crossover at 70 Hz is already build in the LS1, so just adding the subs turns the system into a unique phase coherent three-way system.
Although the LS1 on its own can play down to 40 Hz with quite impressive power, the bottom octave down to 20 Hz is hard to produce with a two-way loudspeaker system. Especially classical music does benefit from a balanced reproduction of these ultra low frequencies. Also, professionals who need to check their mix at raised SPL will value the lower LS1 system distortion offered by the LS1s option.
At low frequencies, wave lengths are so large that the speaker’s orientation does not matter. This fact offered us the opportunity to elegantly fit the LS1s between the legs of an LS1, facing upwards. As a bonus the LS1s can be taken off the footplate and placed in the optimum position for low frequency reproduction, that is not necessarily the ideal spot for the main loudspeakers. To match the immaculate quality of the LS1, we selected a top notch Peerless woofer and a 400W class D amplifier of Hypex fame.
LS1r remote
The beautifully crafted LS1r remote control is part of the LS1 hifi system. It features volume control, source selection and mute, just with one large dial. Two extra digital audio sources can be connected directly to the remote. When placed at a distance, a regular IR remote may be used for wireless control.
Every set (except the LS1a) also comes with a USB interface that facilitate connection of a Windows or Mac PC. It can be used to play audio from the computer directly into the LS1. Mac’s have native support, PC’s require a special driver. Via the same USB connection, the LS1 remote software can be used to setup the system.
LS1i
The Grimm Audio LS1i is a reference-grade USB audio interface, specifically designed for seamless integration with the LS1 loudspeaker system, but also usable as a standalone digital interface for other applications. Connect the LS1i to your computer via USB and send digital audio directly to your LS1 system without any loss of quality via the AES/EBU output.
The interface is designed with maximum signal integrity in mind, featuring ultra-low jitter, high-quality components, and complete electrical isolation. Combined with Grimm Audio's proprietary clocking and conversion technology, this results in a faithful reproduction without noise, jitter, or distortion.
In the Box:
- ls1v2 - Speaker pair;
- LS1r - Remote Control;
- LS1s - Subwoofer - pair;
- Manual
