Eclipse Back in the USA

Back in January 2007, Bob Deutsch reviewed the single-driver Eclipse TD712z loudspeaker from Japanese manufacturer Fuijitsu Ten. He was impressed by what he heard from this idiosyncratic full-range speaker, but the brand never established a strong foothold in the US market. CES saw the reintroduction of Eclipse to North America, now distributed by On A Higher Note. A new version of the TD712z, the Mk.2, made its debut at the Venetian, along with the TD520W subwoofer. “Female voice—simply perfect!” I scrawled in my notepad, there always being special to the presentation when you dispense with a crossover. The powered subwoofer, projected to sell for $3600, uses two 8” aluminum-cone woofers mounted on the sides, with their magnets joined by an aluminum rod, to cancel vibrational forces. I can confirm the effectiveness of this arrangement: with a loud, bass-heavy drum recording, the sub’s enclosure was as still as a rock.

Over at the Mirage, On A Higher Note’s Philip O’Hanlon showed me the Eclipse TD-M1 powered desktop system. Projected to sell for $1300, this comprises two powered, reflex-loaded, single-driver satellites. This offers 24/192 USB, AirPlay and WiFi connectivity, with an iPhone app available for control, and features a non-oversampling D/A converter. The TD-M1 can act as it own WiFi hotspot. I listened to Doug MacLeod at whisper levels, yet such was the clarity that the music still communicated effectively. This was the point O’Hanlon wanted to make: that the TD-M1 was perfect for office life, where loud levels wouldn’t be possible.

Source : stereophile[dot]com