Gold Note XS-85 gloss walnut (pack of 2)

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

A dual cabinet inspired by the Renaissance

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

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 provides structural coupling between the two cabinets and contributes to overall rigidity. The base rests on a 3 mm stainless steel platform equipped with concealed 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 aluminum anti-turbulence bass-reflex ports. The upper cabinet accommodates the two midrange drivers in sealed chambers, as well as a second open cavity with a solid aluminum grille to reduce unwanted reflections and improve rigidity.

Drivers developed with SEAS and Ehmann

Gold Note partnered with Norwegian specialist SEAS for the design of the four cone drivers. The two 22.86 cm woofers and two 15.24 cm midrange drivers share a common architecture: Nextel-coated paper cones, particularly low moving 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 coating gives the cones a balance between rigidity and damping that promotes a fast, natural response.

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

Triple-network crossover with resistive loading

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

The thick, anti-resonant fiberglass PCB carries carefully selected components: audiophile-grade 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 a nominal value of 4 Ω, which eases the workload of 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 easy to drive 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, making this speaker more suitable for medium to large-sized rooms.

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

Italian handcrafted 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 strong visual impact, ultra-gloss Italian walnut for a classic, warm touch, or high-gloss piano black for a more discreet integration. The 90 kg weight per speaker, combined with 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 loudspeaker with dual cabinet
• Design: high-rigidity catenary curved panels
• Manufacturing: handcrafted, made in Italy
• Drivers: developed with SEAS, treated Nextel 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 (semi-resistive)
• Maximum admissible power: 300 W RMS

Driver configuration

• High frequencies: 1 silk dome tweeter, 2.54 cm
• Midrange: 2 treated Nextel paper cone drivers, 15.24 cm
• Low frequencies: 2 treated Nextel paper cone woofers, 22.86 cm
• 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
• Packaged weight (pair): 200 kg

Available finishes

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