Snell Acoustics certainly has a tower of power to show off.

A flagship model for two-channel audiophiles, the Reference Tower A7 Loudspeaker is the first in Snell’s “Illusion Series” — perhaps the illusion being that the musicians sound like they’re right in front of you.

The D’Appolito Array uses dual 5.25-inch magnesium midranges mounted over and under a silk dome tweeter, combined with twin 10-inch long-throw woofers for exceptional smoothness and dynamic range.

I was fortunate enough to experience the A7s first-hand earlier this summer at Snell’s headquarters in Massachusetts, and that smoothness and range was more than evident. Snell VP Bob Graffy highlighted a broad soundstage and incredibly dynamic range from high to low end through a rich classical selection from Rachmaninoff; silky vocals from Jane Monheit; and beautifully crisp imaging and intimate soundstage with Michael Camilo’s jazzy “Tequila”; for our own demo material, CE Pro senior editor Bob Archer popped in John Petrucci’s dazzling guitarwork of “Glasgow Kiss” and I went with the Allman Brothers’ live version of “Soulshine” for a combination of bluesy vocals and quality instrumentation.

While multi-channel speaker systems have become widely desired with the growth of home theaters for surround sound, two-channel is still the way to go when it comes to true musical enjoyment, and Snell’s A7 has that squarely in mind.

Here are some of the other specs:

• Output to over 110 dB, with bass rated down to 27 Hz
• Casted aluminum base, stabilized by four integrated feet
 
• Natural cherry with silver grilles or black-painted walnut with black grilles finishes
 
• Other wood finish, color and shading can be special ordered

The A7 carries a hefty MSRP of $35,000 per pair, but audiophiles will find that money well spent on this luxury model.

For more, go to www.snellacoustics.com.

About the Author:
Arlen Schweiger - Managing editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen contributes product news items to electronichouse.com along with his role on the print publication. Got a tip? Send it along!