Danish loudspeaker maker Davone Audio has introduced a new model named the Reference Three. As implied by its name, the Reference Three is positioned below the Reference One and Reference Two. The manufacturer claims that the Reference Three embodies the spirit of the renowned Reference series in a more straightforward and elegant design, merging clarity and openness with a spacious atmosphere. Music is presented with sophistication and simplicity, ensuring that each performance is both engaging and welcoming.
Davone Reference Three: beryllium tweeter
The Davone Reference Three’s tweeter features a beryllium diaphragm. Thanks to its incredible stiffness and lightness, many manufacturers consider beryllium the ultimate material for a tweeter diaphragm. While soft diaphragms turn human choirs into grit and hard rock into noise, beryllium can easily separate complex harmonics, keeping the music pure and precise, even at high listening volumes.
But it doesn’t stop there. Davone takes an unconventional approach and mounts the tweeter flush with the baffle, as opposed to the usual recessed placement. This allows the tweeter’s dome to unimpededly develop its broad off-axis response, essential for an expansive, open sound. This unique dome placement is rare and requires precise rounding of the baffle to prevent diffraction and a more complex crossover design. However, the resulting advantages outweigh the challenges.
To complement this design, Davone developed an exceptionally narrow surround around the dome to eliminate any lingering “soft dome” coloration. With a moving mass of just 0.1 grams and a magnetic flux density of 2.0 Tesla, high-frequency reproduction achieves reference-level quality. The specified frequency response ranges from 38 Hz to 30 kHz (at -3 dB level).
Davone Reference Three: seven-inch woofer with cellulose glass composite cone
By combining cellulose with fine glass fibers, this cone material combines the best of both worlds. Cellulose provides damping properties and a warm, natural sound, while glass fibers add stiffness and control, reducing unwanted resonances. The coating process further stabilizes the cone and ensures consistent performance across the entire audible spectrum.
While traditional paper diaphragms can cause coloration at higher levels, the cellulose glass composite maintains neutrality and detail, even under demanding dynamics. To support this, a Balanced Drive motor structure minimizes distortion by keeping the voice coil movement symmetrical, ensuring clarity and precision across the entire range. This careful balance allows the woofer to deliver a smooth, natural midrange, along with articulate and well-controlled bass. The result is a driver that is both musical and precise, providing an ideal foundation for the Reference Three. The end result, according to the designers, is an engaging, open sound with a remarkable sense of ease.
The Reference Three’s housing is made of 25-millimeter-thick bent birch plywood. Its dimensions are 90 x 31 x 24 centimeters (H x W x D), and the Reference Three weighs twenty kilograms.
Pricing and delivery information have yet to be announced.
