(Grand Monument Reference shown.)

      
      The Osborn Monument has been designed and constructed in Australia, without compromise, in order to obtain an absolutely awesome sound quality. The only criteria in the choice of components, materials, size and cost is the achievement of the ultimate sound quality.

          Previously the choice of a speaker always led to major compromises. If you wanted musical transparency and neutrality, you have had to turn to more delicate speaker systems that are less efficient, less dynamic, and cannot play as loud. You have had to trade off one set of ideals against the other. For this reason most high end speakers are small or medium size. Therefore most were of similar performance, each trading some element of the performance to gain an edge in whatever area the designer felt was the most important.

          Large powerful speakers which could reproduce the weight and power of live music became slow, ill defined and lacked the dynamics and transient attack of real instruments. Large speaker systems also tended to have a less precise soundstage and did not handle intimate detail as well as smaller, less dynamic systems. One of the first speaker systems to overcome these problems and combine the best attributes of both systems was the Osborn Epitome. Many considered the Epitome, matched with the optional bass units to be virtually the mythically perfect speaker. The success of the Epitome combination led the designer, Greg Osborn to extrapolate the formula to its ultimate conclusion………. The Monument.

          The Monument is a monster speaker standing 1.62 meters high and weighing more than most adults. The treble is handled by a 30mm inverted dome uncoated titanium tweeter with a 1.2 Kg vented magnet. This tweeter is lightning fast with a much more natural, shimmering high frequency then other high tech metal domes which are becoming popular.

          The Grand Monument Reference uses the incredible Beryllium (Be) tweeter. This is arguably the finest tweeter available today. This is the tweeter used in the JM Labs Grand Utopia. The grand Utopia is considered by many to be the finest speaker available today. (By those who have not been privileged to hear the Grand Monument.) The Be tweeter features two unique defractors to give the tweeter a wider dispersion. The Grand Utopia suffers from "beaming", this results in a small sweet spot, which results in poor stereo imaging outside this narrow area. The Grand Monument has an excellent stereo image right across the listening area. The magnet assembly is constructed of a high Force Neodymium ring magnet, This rare earth magnet has a 10 times stronger and more focused magnetic field then even the best conventional magnet.

                    The mid range and mid bass is handled by a 179 Polyglass coated Neoflex driver. The speed and sonic integrity of this driver is astonishing. The bass is handled by two monster 300 mm Polyglass bass drivers, weighing over 13 Kg each. These drivers have massive motor assemblies with exposed voice coils for instantaneous cooling. The massive magnet structure ensured that the cone is kept under ridged control at all times. The cabinets are constructed of very heavily braced 32 mm Customwood and the lead lining as described above. Each Bass driver operates in its own massively braced, ported enclosure. The finest components available are used in the hard wired crossovers. The bass inductors weigh about 8 Kg. each.

          The overall performance is extraordinary. A huge precise soundstage with every instrument locked firmly into its own position in space. Plucked and percussion instruments are lightning fast with their natural resonance's and decay clearly audible. There is no dynamic compression, regardless of the volume. The bass is lightning fast with tremendous authority. The dynamic ability of these speakers is truly shocking, with bass that will shake the entire house and the listeners body.

           These speakers are totally unfazed by any type of music, no matter how delicate or demanding, from the tinkle of the tiniest bell to the full bodied roar of a brass cannon.

          We are very proud of this speaker and they stand as a monument to the ideals of the designer and to the power and the majesty of the full Symphony Orchestra.

          One of the amazing characteristics of the Monuments is their incredible bass control. This allows them to perform brilliantly in surprisingly small rooms, where lesser speakers overpower the room.


Monument Specifications:

Speaker Dimensions
Monument	1620 X 440 X 482 mm.
Grand Monument Reference	1620 X 440 X 482 mm.
Weight (each)
Monument	126 Kg.
Grand Monument Reference	170 Kg
Effeciency
Monument	92 db for 1 watt at 1 meter.
Grand Monument Reference	92 db for 1 watt at 1 meter.

 

Driver Dimensions:
Tweeter  (For Grand Monument):
	25mm Inverted Dome tweeter with pure Beryllium dome. Be costs 100 times more than gold, and is extremely difficult to shape.  But is awesomely light and rigid.  Frequency Response to 40 kHz.   High  Force Neodynium ring magnet. Most likely the World's best treeter.
Tweeter  (For Monument):	5 mm thick zamal alloy metal front plate, super high Young modulus Tioxid 5 coating on titanium dome, coated foam surround.Double magnet, tuned chamber, acoustical impedance control device (a.k.a : phase plug).
Mid Range:
	179 mm Kevlar cone with cast aluminum frame. 40mm edge wound flat aluminum wire. Total moving mass 11.8g. Driver weight 3.0Kg.
Bass:
	2 X 300 mm Utopia "W Cone". 77 mm edge  wound flat copper wire. Cone weight 94.6 g. Driver weight 13.5 Kg. each. Resonant   Frequency 30 Hz.

                         

FREQUENCY RESPONSE
Grand Monuments	15 to 22000 Hz. Tweeter  accuracy  throughout  operating range  +0/-1db.
Monuments	15 to 20000 Hz +/- 3 db. -10db   points 10 and  21000 Hz.
Cross-over points	125 Hz and 3500 Hz @ 12 db/Octave.
Minimum Impedance	5.0 Ohm.
Rec. max. power	120 Watts R.M.S per Channel.
Rec. min. power	10 Watts R.M.S per Channel.

                                                      The above specifications show why these speakers are capable of such extraordinary transient performance and yet reveal such intimate detail in the music. This fidelity is possible due to the fine tolerances and light weight of the driver cones and voice coils and the massive motor assemblies which rigidly control their movement. These are the same bass drivers as used in the Wilson Audio Grand Slams and the same motor assembly and basket as the bass drivers used in the GM Labs Grand Utopia.  The tweeter is the new upgraded version of that used in the Grand Utopia and vastly superior to the tweeter used in the Grand Slam, which uses the same tweeter the Standard Monument.   This allows the decay of the ringing of small bells and tiny musical detailto be clearly audible.

                                                   The Grand Monument Reference features heavy lead lining to all exterior surfaces. The same heavy bracing is used, but all areas between the bracing are covered by a unique sandwich lining. Heavy acoustic felt is used to separate the heavy lead sheet from the cabinetry. A further layer of heavy acoustic felt is placed over the lead and the entire sandwich is stapled to the walls of the cabinet. This result is what is effectively a box within a box. Wrapping the outside of the speaker is similar to knocking on a brick. This totally inert cabinet construction results in the ultimate sound reproduction.

                                                   Sound quality differences between the Grand Monument Reference and Monument is that the sound is even more focused. The stereo image is more stable and larger. Inner detail is significantly improved. Bass control is surprisingly better. Bass integrity and overhang, and the effects of room resonance's are improved.  The differences are quite significant.   Is the extra cost justified? If you are seeking the ultimate speaker? Yes!

The Warranty on all Osborn Loudspeakers is 5 years for parts and Labor.

Reviews and Comments:

Handout in pdf

International Audio Review (May 2001)
Enjoy The Music.com
Bound for Sound