Though generally known as a loudspeaker manufacturer, Sonicweld does not design or sell speakers alone – we produce complete systems exclusively. This means that each Sonicweld product requires only a source component for operation, which could be anything from an ultrahigh performance multi-format disc player to an iPod. We believe passionately in this unconventional, holistic approach, because it transcends on every level the performance and aesthetics available from a conventional system cobbled together with components from disparate manufacturers. The Sonicweld design philosophy might be summarized in two words: synergistic minimalism.
By intimately melding the amplifier and signal processing electronics with the loudspeaker design, we are able to achieve a level of harmonized integration between the different sub-systems that would be unattainable otherwise. For instance: when designing conventional electronic components such as preamps or amplifiers, it is common practice to use DC blocking capacitors in the input and output circuits; otherwise any DC present on the signal cable would be greatly amplified, wasting power, robbing dynamic range, and potentially damaging the downstream speakers. Caps in the signal path have long been recognized as sonically undesirable, yet designers generally use them because they have no way of knowing whether the upstream components have DC offsets or not.
In a Sonicweld system, the input and output conditions under which the amplifiers operate are precisely known. We are therefore free to eliminate undesirable, unnecessary components such as DC coupling caps, amplifier output protection circuits, connectors, and wiring. In fact, our design process is centered on completely avoiding the limitations of conventional, multi-component systems. These inherent shortcomings are often controversial and confusing, such as the choice of speaker cables. There are hundreds of models on the market – how is the beleaguered audiophile to chose among them? Each claims to provide exclusive, almost magical benefits to the lucky owner, but sampling even a small percentage of all the available cables is cost and time prohibitive. By contrast, there are no speaker cables in a Pulserod. Each amplifier is mere inches away from the speaker it drives, connected by custom-designed printed circuit boards that are optimized for this specific task. We believe that eliminating a component is always preferable to even its most expensive, exotic alternative. Only by realizing that an audio system functions as one large, complex component can a truly optimal design be achieved.