JansZen Nine.Five Electrostatic Dipole: JansZen Audio’s KLH Nine Reimagined

American JansZen Audio has introduced JansZen Nine.Five acoustics – a combination of electrostatic panels and bass modules in an open case. Speakers arranged vertically in a row operate at frequencies below 200 Hz. The rest of the range is reproduced by an electrostatic panel installed in parallel.

We can assume that the history of the creation of new items began in the mid-1950s, when Arthur A. Janssen (Arthur A. Janszen) developed a prototype acoustics KLH Nine. In the modern iteration, special attention was paid to the seamless connection of the speaker ranges and electrostat. It is important that a large total radiation area allows you to create a natural and clean bass. The company promises sound “smooth as silk from top to bottom.”

In addition, the JansZen Nine.Five columns, according to the manufacturer, have the properties of a linear array. This, according to the developers, allows you to listen to the speakers both sitting and standing – this does not affect the character and volume of the sound.

In terms of system performance, the speaker is powered by six 8-inch woofers and one electrostatic driver, which JansZen calls an 8 x 48-inch synthetic aperture line array. The recommended amplifier power is 80-500 watts per channel at 8 ohms (JansZen Nine.Five minimum impedance is 4 ohms). All of this is housed in a hardwood frame with perforated steel rear grille. And, like any electrostat, Nine.Five needs to be connected to the network.

In the US, the JansZen Nine.Five speakers are sold directly by the company at a base price of $19,500 a pair – but are now sold out.