Carver’s main project right now is a new line of speakers, all loosely based on the Cinema Ribbon concept he created for Sunfire. First up will be the Amazing Line Source ALS1000, a towering line array he expects will be ready to ship in three months. (Unfortunately, none of the new speakers was in working order for my visit.)
They’re $27,000 per pair, and more or less require the addition of a subwoofer; Carver plans to put together package deals with the SubRosa slim subwoofer he designed for Sunfire.
The nearly floor-to-ceiling height of the speaker is key to its function. “It’s a true line source,” Carver said. “The sound source goes up to infinity and down to infinity. Imagine it’s a bunch of candles, and you put mirrors on the floor and ceiling. It’d look like candles going up and down to infinity. Even though the reflected candles are virtual, they make just about as much light as real candles.
“You get an unbelievable, spacious soundstage. It can reproduce a marching band and you really get the sense that it’s a marching band.”
