Gold Note XS-85 gold leaf (pack of 2)

Five drivers housed in a double cabinet with sculptural curves, 90 kilos per speaker, a frequency response from 30 Hz to 30 kHz: the XS-85 embodies Gold Note’s vision of what an unrestricted floorstanding loudspeaker should be. Conceived in the workshops of Montespertoli, near Florence, this large Italian tower brings together the Tuscan manufacturer’s expertise in a monumental format where every technical choice serves a natural and dynamic reproduction.

A double cabinet inspired by the Renaissance

The silhouette of the XS-85 immediately stands out with its curved lines, derived from a geometric principle that Gold Note calls the “catenary curve”, in reference to Michelangelo’s work on self-supporting architectural structures. This absence of parallel faces is not just aesthetic: it eliminates the standing resonance modes that usually affect rectangular speakers and significantly reinforces the rigidity of the cabinet.

The construction uses a multilayer sandwich structure. The front baffle and side panels reach 45 mm in thickness thanks to a double layer of curved panels. The rear panel incorporates a 10 mm ventilated metal brace, while the top features a massive 100 mm panel designed to simulate an open baffle and evacuate internal reflections. A 3 mm laser-cut aluminum plate ensures structural connection between the two cabinets and contributes to the overall rigidity. The base rests on a 3 mm stainless steel platform with hidden adjustable spikes and a slight 2° backward tilt to optimize time alignment.

The internal architecture physically separates the frequency ranges. The lower cabinet houses the two woofers in a vented volume with two anti-turbulence aluminum bass-reflex ports. The upper cabinet houses the two midrange drivers in sealed chambers, as well as a second open cavity fitted with a solid aluminum grille to reduce stray reflections and improve rigidity.

Drivers developed with SEAS and Ehmann

Gold Note collaborated with Norwegian specialist SEAS to design the four cone drivers. The two 22.86 cm woofers and the two 15.24 cm midrange drivers share a common architecture: Nextel-coated paper cones, particularly low mass (around 6 grams for the woofers), aluminum phase plugs to prevent cone deformation under high excursion, and rubber surrounds with adaptive compliance. The Nextel treatment gives the cones an ideal balance between rigidity and damping, fostering a fast and natural response.

The 28 mm silk-dome tweeter was custom-developed by Ehmann, a German manufacturer renowned for its high-end drivers. Its design is distinguished by the absence of ferrofluid in the gap, which preserves treble transparency at the cost of thermal management being handled by an elliptical aluminum rear chamber. The neodymium magnet and hexagonal copper voice coil ensure a linear response up to 30 kHz.

Triple-network crossover with resistive load

The XS-85 passive crossover uses a three-network Dual-Slope topology, with crossover points at 200 Hz and 2200 Hz and slopes of 12 dB per octave. The midrange section incorporates a “multi-slope summing” design that optimizes integration between the two 15 cm drivers and ensures a smooth transition to the tweeter.

The thick fiberglass PCB with anti-resonance properties carries carefully selected components: audiophile polypropylene capacitors, hand-wound air-core inductors, and exclusive graphite resistors developed by Gold Note. The semi-resistive design allows the impedance to remain stable despite the nominal 4 Ω rating, which eases the burden on the power stage and allows the use of amplifiers with modest wattage, provided they can deliver sufficient current.

Integration and placement

With a sensitivity of 89 dB and semi-resistive impedance, the XS-85 is easily driven from around 30 watts, while handling up to 300 W RMS for the most dynamic passages. The recommended minimum listening distance is between 1.5 and 2 meters, which makes this speaker suitable for medium to large rooms.

Connection is via rhodium-plated Gold Note binding posts, and the internal wiring uses in-house conductors. The damping material inside the cabinets favors natural fibers over synthetic foams, a choice that influences the character of the bass and the overall “breathing” of the speaker.

Italian artisanal finishes

Each pair of XS-85 is hand-assembled in Gold Note’s Tuscan workshops. The main cabinet comes in a black finish, while the side panels offer three options: genuine gold leaf for a strong visual presence, ultra-glossy Italian walnut for a classic, warm touch, or glossy piano black for a more discreet integration. The weight of 90 kg per speaker, combined with its generous dimensions (36 cm wide, 1.28 m high, 66.5 cm deep), calls for careful and ideally final placement.

Technical specifications

General information

• Type: 3-way floorstanding speaker with double cabinet
• Design: high-rigidity catenary curved panels
• Manufacture: handcrafted, made in Italy
• Drivers: developed with SEAS, Nextel-coated paper cones
• Sound reproduction: natural, dynamic, high resolution, virtually zero distortion

Acoustic performance

• Frequency response: 30 Hz – 30000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 89 dB SPL (2.83 V / 1 m)
• Nominal impedance: 4 Ω (quasi-resistive)
• Maximum admissible power: 300 W RMS

Driver configuration

• High frequencies: 1 silk-dome tweeter, 2.54 cm
• Midrange: 2 midrange drivers with 15.24 cm Nextel-coated paper cones
• Low frequencies: 2 woofers with 22.86 cm Nextel-coated paper cones
• Ultra-light cones ensuring fast, detailed, and natural reproduction across the entire audio spectrum

Crossover

• Crossover frequencies: 200 Hz and 2200 Hz
• Filter slope: 12 dB / octave

Amplification

• Recommended power: minimum 30 W
• Maximum admissible power: 300 W RMS

Connectivity

• Gold Note binding posts, rhodium-plated

Dimensions and weight

• Dimensions (W × H × D): 357 × 1280 × 665 mm
• Net weight (pair): 180 kg
• Shipping weight (pair): 200 kg

Available finishes

• Main cabinet: black
• Side panels: gold leaf, high-gloss Italian walnut, or high-gloss piano black