The promise of Single Driver technology delivered at last!

Trained in old world traditions of joinery and hand-finishing, Terry Cain is a master craftsman. Every one of his products, from the Abby to the Studio Ben ES is of heirloom quality. However, fit and finish alone do not make for a great loudspeaker. Terry has devoted countless hours to the study and implementation of cabinet design appropriate for single driver loudspeakers. The realization of full-range, single-driver speaker technology has been a particular obsession of the Japanese. Terry has absorbed everything the Japanese have done and has put his own ideas to work to produce single driver loudspeakers that function at the limits of the possible.

Utilizing Fostex drivers from Japan, all of the Cain & Cain speakers are an easy load to drive. While designed with single ended triode amplifiers in mind, all models will perform well with higher- powered solid state amplifiers.

Terry views building a loudspeaker as akin to building a musical instrument. He eschews the use of MDF and fiberboard in favor of solid wood baffles. To quote him directly in reference to the Abby Loudspeaker: "Single driven speaker systems when properly set up and fed a nice clean watt or two can provide musical enjoyment far beyond what multi-way speakers are capable of. These speakers do not WOW you with what they are capable of . They will WOW you with what the musician is capable of.

Advanced forms of tubed amplification such as directly heated triodes and quiet push-pull amps seem to have an ideal synergy with this type of speaker. The low powered 2a3 and 300b amplifiers are what this system is designed for. The immediacy these speakers are capable of is a powerful lure that can pull you into the music further than most speakers can by virtue of (their) simplicity.

The all wooden front of the cabinet is designed to aid in low level resolution. In an industry devoted to utilizing "the latest materials" we have actually lost touch with what solid wood can do for sound reproduction. All solid woods exhibit a sonic signature that influences the sound of associated equipment. The Alder wood fronts … were chosen for light weight and extreme rigidity as well as reflectivity. And of course forest sustainability and availability. Using solid Alder wood adds to a "lively" sound that will find appreciation in acoustical music particularly. The low level decay of notes of strings and percussion tend to become easier for the ear to track and ambiance from the recorded venue can now be further appreciated easily. Being solid wood, minor imperfections in the wood such as pin knots and color changes appear and contribute to a "natural" and pleasing look.

Assembly of the precision parts is done without fasteners and is done manually one case at a time ensuring solidity and consistency.

Finishing is done in our new state of the art finishing room."

The Studio Series are true rear horn-loaded designs. The Abby is a ported, modified Voight pipe. All Cain & Cain speakers can be characterized as being extremely coherent, devoid of any "honking" or horn resonance common to most horn-loaded designs and as providing full and ample representation in both the bass and high frequencies - something very difficult to achieve with one driver (super-tweeter notwithstanding). It is our opinion that Cain & Cain has, at long last, delivered on the promise of single-driver, full-range design.

The ABBY......$1500 - ported, modified Voight pipe with 166mm. Fostex FE 166e driver ......natural alderwood
Dark finishes adds $250 - hunter green, cobalt blue, rosewood red, tobacco sunburst
Dimensions: 9" W x 9" D x 70" H - 65 lbs.
Sensitivity......95db ~ 1 watt ~ 1 meter Frequency Response......<40Hz ~ 20kHz (+ / - 3db)
Nominal impedance......8 ohms
Minimum impedance......5 ohms

The ABBY Nearfield, small-room version......$1500 - ported, modified Voight pipe with 165mm. Fostex FF-165K driver
Dimensions: 9" W x 9" D x 70" H - 65 lbs.
Sensitivity......95db ~ 1 watt ~ 1 meter
Frequency Response......<40Hz ~ 17kHz (+ / - 3db)
Nominal impedance......8 ohms
Minimum impedance......5 ohms

Single Horn BEN......$5500
with 208 mm.Fostex Sigma driver, alnico super tweeter and NEW FOSTEX brass driver adaptor rings: Added mass and ridgid coupling combine for unparalleled transient response and clarity.
Dimensions: 12.5" W x 23" D x 48" H (round maple baffle is 14.5" wide // maple front platform is 20" wide) - 110 lbs.     
Sensitivity......97db
Frequency response......<40Hz ~ 20kHz (+ / - 3db) Nominal impedance......8 ohms
Minimum impedance......5 ohms

Intermediate Double BEN......$5500 - 6" driver
Dimensions: 18" W x 18" D x 70" H - 110 lbs.
Sensitivity......95db
Frequency response......<40Hz ~ 20kHz (+ / - 3db)
Nominal impedance......8 ohms
Minimum impedance......5 ohms

Studio BEN ES......$12,000 - alnico supertweeter, Hovland cap, coil based attenuator
Dimensions: 19" W x 22" D x 70" H - 130 lbs.
Sensitivity......97db
Frequency response......<40Hz ~ 20kHz (+ / - 3db)
Nominal impedance......8 ohms
Minimum impedance......5 ohms

Please contact us to arrange an audition::

email

Phone: 415-897-8884

Fax: 415-897-7338

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