Cabasse Alizé 06 white (pack of 2)
Complementary product
Cabasse Alizé 06: three-way floorstanding speaker with BC10 coaxial driver
A coaxial driver at the top of a narrow front baffle, three bass drivers lined up below and a cabinet with rounded corners that is far removed from the usual rectangular box: the floorstanding speaker in the new Alizé range from Cabasse stands 1.15 m tall and weighs 27 kg. It sits above the Alizé 03, a bookshelf speaker that uses the same coaxial driver. It is aimed at spacious living rooms, where its three bass drivers have enough air to move.
Midrange and treble come from a single point
The BC10 driver houses a dome tweeter at the centre of the midrange cone. Both radiate along the same axis, from a single source, whereas a conventional speaker stacks two drivers several centimetres apart. Cabasse has made this principle, which it calls SCS (Spatially Coherent Source), the hallmark of its speakers, from La Sphère to Java MC40.
On the Alizé 06, the BC10 takes over from the bass drivers at 670 Hz and hands over to its tweeter above 3,700 Hz. The entire range responsible for voice intelligibility and the timbre of most instruments therefore comes from this single point of emission. The benefit is twofold. The stereo image stays in place when you move away from the central seat, and tonal balance depends less on ear height: with a dome and a cone stacked vertically, the balance changes as soon as you stand up, much less so with a coaxial driver.
Three Rohacell bass drivers to reach down to 39 Hz
Below the coaxial driver, three 16.5 cm 17MD18 drivers work together up to 670 Hz. Their cones are made of Rohacell, a rigid polymethacrylimide foam used in aerospace, which is very light for its stiffness: the cone follows the signal without deforming, even when moving a lot of air. Cabasse has also revised the magnetic circuit, meaning the magnet and metal parts surrounding the voice coil, to better control cone movement in the bass.
Three medium-sized cones rather than one large woofer: the combined radiating area remains substantial, and each driver retains enough responsiveness to blend smoothly with the BC10’s midrange at 670 Hz, a high frequency for a bass driver. The bass-reflex enclosure, with a tuned port that extends the low-frequency response, takes it down to 39 Hz. The lowest string of a double bass (41 Hz) and the kick drum therefore come through without the help of a subwoofer.
Choose an amplifier for its current rather than its watts
With a sensitivity of 91 dB, the Alizé 06 reaches high sound levels with little power: doubling the wattage only adds 3 dB. Cabasse recommends between 50 and 400 W. This broad range covers both a moderately powered integrated amplifier and a powerful amplifier installed in a large room.
The decisive figure is impedance. Nominally 8 Ω, it drops to 3.4 Ω at certain frequencies, below the common 4 Ω threshold. At these points, the speaker demands current, and an amplifier whose power supply sags under a low-impedance load loses control of the bass at high volume. It is therefore better to choose a model rated as stable into 4 Ω, with power that increases significantly between 8 and 4 Ω.
A 1.15 m floorstanding speaker with sculpted curves
The cabinet measures 1,149 mm high, 325 mm wide and 360 mm deep. Cabasse has designed it with rounded corners and pronounced curves throughout, and the front baffle aligns the coaxial driver and three bass drivers vertically. The whole assembly rests on a plinth fitted with isolation feet, which limit the transmission of vibrations to the floor. Two finishes are available: ivory white and intense black. At 27 kg per speaker, unpacking and positioning are best done by two people.
Like any floorstanding speaker with three bass drivers, the Alizé 06 benefits from being placed away from walls: too close, and the bass becomes bloated and loses definition. Move it forwards a few centimetres at a time until you find the right balance. In stereo, it forms a main pair for a living room. In a home cinema system, it handles the front left and right channels of an AV receiver.
Documentation
French
Technical specifications
Model and acoustic design
- Type: 3-way bass-reflex floorstanding speaker
- Coaxial midrange-tweeter driver: BC10
- Bass drivers: 3 × 17MD18
- Diameter: 41.91 cm
- Diaphragms: Rohacell
Acoustic performance
- Crossover frequencies: 670 Hz, 3700 Hz
- Sensitivity: 91 dB
- Frequency response: 39 to 22000 Hz
Amplification and impedance
- Recommended amplifier power: 50 to 400 W
- Nominal impedance: 8 Ω
- Minimum impedance: 3.4 Ω
Dimensions and weight
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 1149 × 325 × 360 mm
- Weight: 27 kg
Frequently asked questions
What is the exact size of the woofers?
16.5 cm, or 6.5 inches. Some documents indicate “16.5″” or a diameter of 41.91 cm: this is a unit conversion error; the 17MD18 belongs to the 17 cm speaker family.
Should I add a subwoofer?
In stereo, rarely: with a response extending down to 39 Hz, virtually all music recordings are covered. In home theater, the LFE channel in movies goes lower and warrants a subwoofer. The AV receiver then distributes the bass between the subwoofer and the floorstanding speakers, which it can filter or allow to run full-range.
How does it differ from the Alizé 03?
The bookshelf speaker uses the same BC10 coaxial driver and the same 17MD18 woofer with a Rohacell cone, but only one. It measures 399 × 249 × 300 mm, weighs 11 kg and extends down to 59 Hz. As the midrange and treble are reproduced by the same driver, the two models can be combined in the same system without any tonal mismatch, with the Alizé 03 as rear channels, for example.
Is a tube amplifier suitable?
The 91 dB sensitivity allows it, provided the amplifier has a 4 Ω output tap (because of the dip to 3.4 Ω) and a power output close to the 50 W that Cabasse specifies as the minimum. Small single-ended triode amplifiers delivering just a few watts fall outside the intended range.
Can a home theater receiver power the Alizé 06?
Yes: the nominal impedance of 8 Ω matches the default setting on most AV receivers. Given the minimum impedance of 3.4 Ω, choose a model whose power supply can handle the load when all channels are driven. Alternatively, power the two floorstanding speakers with a stereo power amplifier connected to the AV receiver’s preamp outputs.
What is the connection with the Java MC40?
The coaxial driver bears the same name, BC10, as the one in the Java and Minorca MC40. The Java MC40 pairs it with two 17 cm woofers with Duocell cones. The Alizé 06 steps up to three woofers with Rohacell cones and a revised magnetic circuit.
- Eco-contribution included in the sale price.
