Technics - SB-G90M2 Floorstanding Speaker (Single)

A three-way floorstander with the same coaxial point-source driver handling midrange and treble, two 160mm woofers below it, a cross-braced cabinet and bi-wiring terminals. 1,114mm tall, 35kg. Sold as a single speaker.

The SB-G90M2 applies the coaxial idea where it does the most good and leaves it alone where it does not. Midrange and treble — the band where imaging is decided, and where a conventional speaker’s two drivers being in two places causes trouble — are handled by a single coaxial unit, a 160mm midrange with a 25mm dome tweeter mounted in its centre so both radiate from one point. Below that, two more 160mm woofers do nothing but bass, where the wavelengths are long enough that driver position hardly matters.

That is a three-way, four-driver arrangement with crossovers at 500Hz and 3.4kHz. The coaxial unit is Technics’ Advanced Phase Precision Driver with a Linear Phase Plug to time-align its two outputs.

The cabinet gets a lateral reinforcement board forming a cross structure inside, in addition to the dedicated mount baffle carrying the coaxial driver. The reflex port exits at the bottom of the woofer cabinet.

The terminals are bi-wiring, which Technics is explicit about: the woofer and the mid-and-treble section can be driven by separate amplifiers so the back-EMF the woofer generates never reaches the midrange crossover. It is a 4Ω load at 86dB per 2.83V, and Technics recommends 40 to 200 watts.

Two things to know before ordering. As with the SB-C600, the published frequency response of 33Hz to 90kHz carries a −10dB tolerance, which is a very loose window; Technics publishes no tighter in-band figure and we are not going to pretend the number means more than it does. And this listing is for a single speaker — Technics publishes every figure per cabinet, right down to one grille and four spikes, and dealers are split on how they sell it. If you want a stereo pair, order two.

Features

• Three-way, four-driver design: coaxial midrange and tweeter over two dedicated woofers
• Two 160mm cone woofers, one 160mm coaxial midrange, one 25mm dome tweeter
• Advanced Phase Precision Driver with Linear Phase Plug on the coaxial unit
• Crossovers at 500Hz and 3.4kHz
• Lateral reinforcement board forming a cross-brace inside the cabinet
• Bass reflex port exiting at the bottom of the woofer cabinet
• Bi-wiring terminals — woofer and mid/treble can be separately amplified
• 1,114mm tall including spikes, approximately 35kg
• Sold as a single speaker

Specifications

• Type: Three-way, four-speaker bass reflex floorstanding loudspeaker with a coaxial midrange and tweeter
• Sold as: A single speaker. Every figure Technics publishes — weight, dimensions, one grille net, four spikes — is per cabinet, and Technics never states pair or each. Order two for stereo
• Drivers: Two 160mm (6½″) cone woofers, one 160mm cone midrange, one 25mm (1″) dome tweeter mounted coaxially in the midrange unit. Four drivers in total
• Driver design: Advanced Phase Precision Driver with Linear Phase Plug. The midrange and tweeter form a coincident point source in the same way as the SB-C600’s coaxial unit; the two woofers below handle bass conventionally
• Enclosure: Bass reflex. Technics states the port structure is provided at the bottom of the woofer cabinet
• Cabinet material: Not published
• Bracing: A lateral reinforcement board forming a robust cross structure, in addition to the mount baffle carrying the coaxial driver
• Frequency response: 33Hz–90kHz at −10dB. As with the SB-C600, that is a very loose tolerance and Technics publishes no tighter in-band figure
• Nominal impedance: 4Ω
• Minimum impedance: Not published
• Sensitivity: 86dB at 2.83V/m, or 83dB at 1W/m — both published together, the 3dB difference consistent with the 4Ω nominal load
• Recommended amplifier power: 40–200W, tested to IEC 60268-5 short-term maximum
• Crossover frequencies: 500Hz and 3.4kHz
• Crossover slope: Not published
• Binding posts: Bi-wiring speaker terminals. Technics states the woofer and the mid and high range unit can be driven by separate amplifiers to eliminate the effect of the woofer on the rest. The exact terminal hardware type is not specified
• Bi-wiring: Supported
• Dimensions: 292 x 1114 x 366 mm (W x H x D), including spikes
• Weight: Approximately 35kg per cabinet
• Grille: Included, one per speaker. Attachment method not specified
• Spikes: Four supplied per cabinet
• Country of manufacture: Not published
• Warranty: Panasonic administers Technics warranty in the United States and the term varies by model rather than by product category. The SB-G90M2 is listed in Technics’ own US warranty table at three years parts and three years labour. Technics states that product registration is not required and does not extend coverage. A dated sales receipt is required, coverage runs to the original purchaser, and the product must be purchased and serviced in the United States. Non-rechargeable batteries, antennas and cosmetic cabinet parts are excluded.