Image 400 series Loudspeaker range

The first thing you notice with Image speakers is their hand made build quality. Nothing is left to chance. They look great with their perfect finish, double gold cable terminals and copper floor spikes. The cabinets are held together with a special glue which takes days to set and not something you would find on a production line speaker. This along with bracing and fibre fill inside the speakers means there is definitely no cabinet rattle. High quality drivers and tweeters are utilised which are normally found in much more expensive imported speakers. Images own crossovers designed for each individual model complete the sound performance picture. The Image 400 series speakers are so good and such excellent value that it makes supporting New Zealand made simply an added bonus to your purchase decision. It fair to say that over the years the Studio References and 414s have been, with good reason, our most popular speakers. And yet with their hand made wood finish each pair is individual. Standard finish is rimu. Black and custom finishes available to order. All Image floorstanding speakers are supplied with and floor plinth and solid brass floor spikes.

Archived page: January 2016

– The new speaker ranges from Monitor Audio offer great value, highly specialised speaker technology and a choice quality finishes

Learn all about the latest developments for Image speakers - full update here.

Read about the new high quality 'Petite Performa' stand mount and floor standing speakers. Also find out more about how the floor-standing models are now greatly improved by a 'tapered design' base that increases the footprint of the cabinet and adds visual impact. You can also upgrade any existing Image floor-standers with these bases - (and we could even be cheeky and point out that there are plenty of imported speakers that could also benefit).

Image Studio References

If we had a short list of ‘best buy’ products the Studio References would be on it. Don’t tell Chris at Image but these are at a bargain of a price for the performance of this speaker. It is a larger bookshelf speaker which incorporates the same bass/mid driver as the 412 and 414 speakers along with a soft dome tweeter. You really have to go to over $ 2,000 to get a better sounding bookshelf such as Sonus faber. Whatever you’re preference in music the Studio Reference will play it superbly. That big driver gives it a full voluptuous sound while the quality tweeter provides sparkle. As with Images the excellent crossover work and solid cabinets provide control and stability so that individual instruments are in their place and the music spreads around the room. They are one of those speakers that hooks you into listening to the music not the speaker. So, if you are after a bookshelf or stand mount speaker and want something special, but not quite at high end level, the Studio References are for you.

Image 411

The 411 is the newest addition to the Image range with the aim of filling a niche in the area of modestly sized floor standing speakers. For smaller rooms the single driver 410s fit the bill perfectly but the 411s fill a medium sized room by virtue of the extra driver helping extend the bass response along with the slightly larger cabinet. Common to both 410 and 411 are the hand made 14cm bass/midrange drivers from Morel with their oversized Hexatech voice coils. These drivers have excellent power handling and control. These two 'babies' of the Image floor standing range of speakers are your solution to having a well priced, compact, yet full cabinet speaker. And your decision on which to choose will be defined by your room size, amplifier and musical tastes. If looking to set up a modest sized Image home theatre speaker package the 411s would be an ideal choice for your fronts. If your budget allows the higher performing 412s will be where we steer you for music listening.

Image 412

Whatever your musical tastes, the Image 412 floor standing speaker will perform flawlessly in a wide variety of rooms and situations. Earlier research into speaker design via the large ‘flagship’ Image Reference model (since replaced with the Revelation), was distilled into the more affordable 412. The same 16cm Morel bass/mid driver is employed. This boasts a massive 75mm Hexatech voice coils for ultrahigh power handling and signal response. The smooth and detailed treble extending well beyond 22kHz comes from this famous Morel MDT33 driver, frequency matched to within close tolerances. The high quality tweeter, extra structural bracing & flared port contribute to a very sophisticated sound quality that has both sweetness and fullness like no other speaker at this price. And, because cabinet detail is an integral part of every Image loudspeaker it should not go unnoticed that the 412 boasts the same internal bracing and sand filled technology used in larger models. Floor standing for bigger, better performance while taking up little space; looks to kill and sound to fill rooms both large and small - our customers’ favourite two way speaker.

Image 414

For larger rooms or where more sound pressure level is required, Image has designed the 414 floorstanding speakers in a ‘two and a half way’ configuration that offers higher sensitivity and higher power handling. The two identical 16cm Morel drivers work in tandem in the low frequencies to double the cone area for a more extended and authoritative bass response. The upper driver is then left to cover the critical midrange frequencies with the uppermost level of coherency and resolution. Of course the same hefty triple magnet tweeters raise the overall quality to an astonishing new level. Typically found in overseas loudspeaker models in the $10-50,000 price range, this Morel MDT33 boasts a triple magnet assembly, weighs in at 1.25kg (2.65lbs) and come as matched pairs within 0.25dB tolerance. All in all the 414s set an even higher standard in the performance for money ratio. Have a listen and we’re sure you’ll agree. This along with the superb finish quality of the cabinet makes them an easy choice.

401 Monitor bookshelf speaker – NZ$ 1,100

Studio Reference bookshelf speaker – NZ$ 1,400

410 floor-standing speaker – NZ$ 1,600

411 floor-standing speaker – NZ$ 2,000

412 floor-standing speaker – NZ$ 2,400

414 floor-standing speaker – NZ$ 3,200

Floor plinth retro fit older models of 412, 414 and Revelations NZ$ 200

Bi-wiring and beyond.

Most Image models feature bi-wiring. This is intentional and clearly indicates that the best performance will be achieved by make use of this configuration. We enthusiastically recommend the NZ made Slinkylinks cables for this. You should also be aware that bi-wiring is just the first step. Our best systems are bi-amped or better - in this configuration you can achieve the ultimate in control, quality and power. Image speakers are built to allow you to use them in the most demanding applications. We are happy to advise you on the best options for your system. Email us with your enquiry.

So why choose to buy your Image speakers from Totally Wired?

Totally Wired are an independent, locally owned retail store. We therefore have no financial connection with any import agency. Hence, we have always been strong supporters of the worthy New Zealand manufacturers.

We have a real store and carry stock so you can come in and listen. Failing that we have many years of selling Image speakers and have the expertise to help you choose.

So, even if you are outside of Dunedin, its reassuring to deal with people that you know will answer the phone when you call and will be around next year. Plus, we will deliver to you for free.

And we make a worthwhile donation to the World Wide fund for Nature with every purchase over NZ$ 2,000.

Related links

• Image Loudspeakers
• 2010 Update
• Image Supreme
• Image Revelation
• Image Home Cinema
• Image On Wall Speakers
• Slinkylinks Cable