Legacy Focus/Steradian Environmental Processor: A Followup Report.

It is hard to believe that it was way back in Issue 54 that I reviewed the Legacy Focus loud-speakers. As I mentioned in that article, I did most of my listening at that time with a prototype version of what was to evolve into the Steradian Environmental Processor in my system. That version had no adjustable controls. It was (literally) a black box that included a notch filter to help deal with the "room boom" caused by floor-to-ceiling reflections and a high-pass filter that made the system into a 6th-order system on the bottom end, increasing low-bass response down to the high teens and imposing a sharp cut-off below.

Later, I received a production version of the Steradian. The box was still black, but it was now much more attractive. The front panel of this new version sported a large knob that allowed for user adjustment of the bottom end response. I have found the Steradian to be a useful supplement to the Focus system, and thought it would be a good idea to offer our readers a brief overview what the Steradian does.

First, the Steradian still incorporates a notch filter to help ease problems associated with the typical 8-ft distance between the floor and the ceiling. If you are interested in the Steradian but have a higher ceiling, Legacy Audio can adjust this filter to meet your particular needs.

Second, the Steradian incorporates circuitry that works to increase stereo separation at lower frequencies. This circuit is not nearly as radical as say, a Carver holography circuit, but it does provide an extra measure of perceived stereo separation.

Third, the Steradian still incorporates a filter that changes your Focus speakers from a 4th-order system on the bottom end (the natural characteristic of a vented system) into a 6th-order system with a lower cutoff frequency but a steeper rolloff below cutoff (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch).

Finally, and probably of most interest to Focus owners, the Steradian allows the listener to "dial in" the bottom end of his or her Focus speakers by providing a variable bass contour that is designed to work in harmony the room gain that exists in the listening environment. This control is not simply a bass tone control as would be found on a preamplifier or receiver. By adjusting the rotary knob on the front panel of the Steradian, the listener can adjust the bottom end of the speakers' response to make it sound more optimal in a given room. This last feature of the Steradian allows the speakers to be optimized to various room sizes. For example, a listener in a small room will most likely set the control at a lower setting than a listener in a large room. Moreover, the control allows the listener to adjust for the bass characteristics of different recordings.

In my room, for example, I found the generally optimum setting of the control to be at about the 11 a.m. position of the control. Less than that left the bass a little light and tight, while more than that made things start to sound too thick and woolly down low. Occasionally, however, I would run across a recording for which cranking the control up a bit made the bottom end sound better (for example, the Chick Corea and Origin CD that I reviewed in Issue 77).

As far as availability of the Steradian goes, it can be ordered as an option for an extra $895 when you purchase a pair of Focus speakers, or it can be purchased as a stand-alone item for a price of $1,295. No, that's not inexpensive by any means, but the unit is beautifully built, with premium-quality parts, and it is not a high-volume component as far as sales go. (Incidentally, Legacy Audio's Whisper speakers come with a Steradian, but that unit is dedicated to those speakers because of their unique bass alignment.)

Can the Steradian be used with other speakers? The answer is one of those old "yeah, but ..." affairs. First, note that the Steradian is designed to work with vented systems. Second, note that the algorithms involved are based on the assumption that the speakers can ia) put significant low bass into a room and (b) handle a good amount of boost on the bottom end without getting into trouble. Remember that each Focus cabinet contains three 12" woofers. Lesser systems may be pushed beyond their capabilities by the Steradian. So, yeah, the Steradian can work with other speakers, but ...

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed having the Steradian Environmental Processor in my system. It gave me a way to adjust the bottom end of the speakers that allowed me to get maximum enjoyment from a variety of recordings, and it enabled these large speakers to sound great in my not-so-large-room. Without the Steradian in the system, the speakers could get a bit boomy, and I clearly preferred having the Steradian switched into the system.

If you already own, or have contemplated owning, a pair of Focus speakers, you might want to contemplate complementing them with a Steradian. If you already own, or have contemplated owning another large Legacy Audio or other vented speaker with formidable bass capabilities, you might want to contemplate complementing them with a Steradian Environmental Processor, but -- you might want to check with the folks at Legacy to see whether they would envision any compatibility problems. -KWN

Addendum: According to Legacy Audio, the name of the Steradian is being changed to STEP1 (STereo Environmental Processor). "A rose by any other name ..."