Gold Note XS-85 black lacquered (pack of 2)

Five drivers housed in a dual 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 imposing Italian tower brings together the Tuscan manufacturer’s know-how in a monumental format where every technical choice serves a natural and dynamic sound reproduction.

A dual 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-wave resonances that usually affect rectangular speakers and greatly 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 vent internal reflections. A 3 mm laser-cut aluminum plate links the two cabinets structurally and contributes to the 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 volume vented by 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 fitted with a solid aluminum grille to reduce stray reflections and improve rigidity.

Drivers developed with SEAS and Ehmann

Gold Note worked with Norwegian specialist SEAS on the design of 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, exceptionally 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 treatment gives the cones a balance of stiffness and damping conducive to 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 voice-coil gap, which preserves treble transparency in exchange for thermal management handled by an elliptical aluminum rear chamber. The neodymium magnet and copper hexagonal-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 frequencies at 200 Hz and 2200 Hz and 12 dB-per-octave slopes. 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-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 the nominal 4 Ω rating, which eases the job of the power stage and permits the use of modestly powered amplifiers, provided they can deliver sufficient current.

Integration and placement

With 89 dB sensitivity and a semi-resistive impedance, the XS-85 is easy to drive from around thirty 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 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 affects bass texture and the overall sense of openness.

Italian handcrafted finishes

Each pair of XS-85 speakers is hand-assembled in Gold Note’s Tuscan workshops. The main cabinet comes in a black finish, while the side panels are available in three options: genuine gold leaf for strong visual presence, 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 the generous dimensions (36 cm wide, 1.28 m high, 66.5 cm deep), calls for carefully planned, ideally final placement.

Technical specifications

General information

• Type: 3-way floorstanding speaker with double cabinet
• Design: high-rigidity catenary curved panels
• Manufacturing: 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 (semi-resistive)
• Maximum admissible power: 300 W RMS

Driver configuration

• High-frequency section: 1 × 2.54 cm silk dome tweeter
• Midrange section: 2 × 15.24 cm Nextel-coated paper cone drivers
• Low-frequency section: 2 × 22.86 cm Nextel-coated paper cone woofers
• 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 with rhodium plating

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, ultra-gloss Italian walnut or glossy piano black