Mission Introduces New Flagship Pilastro Loudspeaker

28-Jan-02

The engineers at Mission Electronics were given a clear-cut assignment: create the ultimate performance loudspeaker -- accept no compromise, and spare no expense. For people who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of sonic perfection, this assignment was a dream come true. Now, after two years of intensive refinement, the result of their work is on display at the 2002 CES -- the remarkable new Mission Pilastro.A Refined Audio MasterpieceNoted Peter Comeau, Director of Acoustic Design, Mission, ""In ancient Roman architecture, the Pilastro is the fundamental support, or pillar of a building. This name perfectly sums up the philosophy behind the Pilastro loudspeaker. The Pilastro is the foundation of a world-class music system capable of achieving astonishing fidelity, musicality and emotional impact. Coupled with this state-of-the-art performance is Pilastro's elegant styling and understated grace, as befits a true work of art. The Pilastro is indeed a masterpiece of form and function, in the same manner as its Roman namesake."" Unsurpassed Musical RealismThe Pilastro loudspeaker is designed to reproduce music with all the nuance and expression of live performance. To this end, the Pilastro blends innovative engineering, the most advanced driver technologies, and premium construction techniques. The loudspeaker boasts a frequency response from 22 Hz to 56 kHz, along with an extremely high 95 dB efficiency, to reproduce the entire musical spectrum with unsurpassed realism and dynamic power.The Pilastro loudspeaker is designed to work with the very best of today's music systems. When used with a solid-state amplifier, sound reproduction is smooth and seamless, even during the most demanding musical peaks. In addition, tube amplifier aficionados will be thrilled by the Pilastro's effortless, relaxed quality and ability to play at satisfying volume levels even using exotic, lower-powered tube amplifiers.Custom Drivers, Built From The Ground UpAll the drivers in the Pilastro are completely custom-designed. The tweeter is a work of art in itself -- a 1-1/4-inch ring dome, ferrofluid-cooled design featuring a neodymium magnet, pressure-controlled rear chamber, and integral phase plug to deliver remarkably smooth, yet detailed and extended high frequency response. The dual 6-1/2-inch midrange drivers are constructed utilizing a special natural fiber cone material, precision elastic surround, and Kapton voice coil former, a combination that yields fast transient response, exceptional acoustic transparency, and natural, accurate tonal qualities without any trace of ""hardness.""The Pilastro's four 8-inch woofers employ an air-dried Nomex cone and a large diameter, double-layer voice coil on an aluminum former, for extremely well-controlled, articulate bass response with minimal distortion. The woofers operate in conjunction with six complementary 8-inch ABR (Auxiliary Bass Radiator) passive radiators to achieve extreme bass extension. To sonically blend these superlative drivers, the Pilastro features an audiophile-grade, hard-wired crossover network, connected using custom-designed, silver-plated OFCC (Oxygen-Free Continuous Copper) cabling.Granitech -- The Ultimate Enclosure MaterialThe Pilastro's sonic capabilities are in no small part a result of the enclosure itself. The enclosure is constructed from Granitech, a unique composite material that resembles granite, yet can be molded into a gently tapered shape that is acoustically inert, and eliminates internal standing waves and cabinet colorations. Granitech is finished with the appearance of highly polished marble, making the Pilastro a stunning visual as well as sonic statement. Traditionally, an enclosure as rigid as the Pilastro's would pass all internally generated vibration from the woofers to the floor it was standing on. Previous efforts to solve this problem have included techniques such as decoupling, isolation, and mass damping. With Pilastro, Mission engineers solved the problem by pairing the woofers in opposition to each other and linking them by means of an internal ""force pipe,"" a solution that enables each woofer pair to self-cancel internal vibrations, while improving transient impact and low-frequency focus.Stunning Finishes To Complement Every DecorThe Mission Pilastro's awe-inspiring sonic performance is matched only by its magnificent appearance -- a streamlined, slim, tower design with gracefully contoured Granitech top and side surfaces, accented by exotic wood side panels. Pilastro is available to order in a choice of mirror-gloss Granitech finishes and veneered wood side panel options to complement the most luxurious decors and living environments. Every Mission Pilastro loudspeaker pair is completely hand-built by the company's most skilled artisans and accompanied by a numbered certificate of ownership, signed by chief designer Peter Comeau.The Mission Pilastro loudspeaker will be available in the first quarter of 2002 at a suggested retail price of $35,000 per pair. Mission loudspeakers are exclusively distributed in North America by Denon Electronics. For more information, visit www.del.denon.com/speakers.

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