A passionate audio expert, Raja shares his knowledge and solutions with customers worldwide. In this review, he examines the Audac Viro5 Compact Loudspeaker, covering its specifications, design, features, sound quality, and performance to see if it lives up to expectations.
Prabhu. S. (Raja)
Director of Operations at ihD Ltd | Lead Consultant in AV, Acoustics, ELV, Security, and IT
Good sound enhances any experience, whether at home, in a café, or outdoors. The Audac Viro5 is a powerful, compact speaker from the Belgian pro-audio brand AUDAC. It is a 2-way performance speaker designed for both indoor and outdoor use, delivering high-fidelity, natural sound for music and speech. It works well in various settings, from homes to demanding outdoor environments like parks, hotels, and clubs. Its aluminium construction and grill with hydrophobic cloth protect against all weather conditions. The combination of fabric, sealing rubbers, and drainage holes at the bottom makes it IP55-compliant. The Viro5 is available in black (B) or white (W). In this review, Raja examines its specifications, design, sound quality, and features to see if it meets expectations.
Physical equipment
The Viro5 speaker is equipped with a 140mm 2-way coaxial unit, which combines two drivers in a single unit for optimal performance. It features a 1’’ soft dome silk tweeter, designed specifically to handle the mid and high frequencies with clarity and precision. The soft dome design helps produce smooth, natural high-end sounds, ensuring that vocals and higher musical notes are crisp and clear. For the low frequencies, the speaker uses a 5¼’’ treated paper woofer, known for its ability to produce deep, full bass. This combination of drivers allows the Viro5 to deliver a balanced and detailed audio experience.
Specification
The Viro5 is a 5” 2-way coaxial speaker that delivers an impressive 120W program power, 240W peak power, and 60W AES. It is capable of producing a maximum SPL of 110dB, ensuring powerful sound output. With a wide frequency response range of 50Hz to 20kHz, the speaker covers both low and high frequencies with clarity. Operating at an 8-ohm impedance, it can fit various setups. The 160° conical dispersion ensures broad coverage, making it suitable for larger areas. Additionally, the 70/100V transformer tapping option offers flexibility for different installation configurations, such as constant-voltage systems.
Connectivity used for review
The Soundcraft Notepad 8FX mixer and Audac SMQ 750 amplifier were used for testing, with the amplifier set at 0dB and the limiter adjusted to match the speaker’s power handling capacity. No equalization was applied, ensuring a flat response during testing. The high-pass filter on the amplifier was set at 55Hz, while the low-pass filter remained off.
We set up a stereo connection by connecting two speakers to separate channels of the amplifier for a 2-channel left-right configuration. The audio was sourced from a MacBook Air via an unbalanced EP stereo connection. The signal was routed through the Soundcraft mixer, which converted the unbalanced audio to a balanced XLR output for both left and right channels. The testing focused solely on stereo playback to evaluate the speaker’s performance, ensuring it provides sufficient detail for use in either a stereo or mono BGM system.
Aesthetics of equipment
The Viro5 is a professional speaker that not only delivers high-quality sound but also boasts an aesthetically pleasing design. It is also IP55-rated, making it weatherproof and suitable for outdoor use. With different mounting options, it’s easy to install the speaker in various places and setups.
Built quality
The rugged build of the Viro5 is evident when you hold the speaker, giving you a sense of its durability. It’s clear that the speaker is designed to withstand harsh weather conditions and is built to last. This is further confirmed by its 720 hours of salt spray testing, proving its reliability in tough environments.
Performance against specification
The Viro5 handles frequencies from 50Hz to 20kHz with ease, especially when paired with the right crossover. When combined with a subwoofer, it delivers exceptional audio performance, providing rich and detailed sound across all frequencies. The speaker’s sensitivity is rated at 89dB, ensuring efficient sound output with minimal distortion. A pink noise test was conducted at 90dB, confirming the speaker’s ability to perform under various audio conditions. Additionally, left-right balance testing was carried out during audio playback to ensure precise and accurate sound distribution, making the Viro5 ideal for both music and voice applications.
Performance
Considering the size of the speaker, its performance is impressive. The speaker’s sweet spot lies between 250Hz and 5kHz, where it sounds the best. However, it also performs well across other frequencies given its size. The speakers were tested with 80dBA of continuous audio, playing a variety of music genres including rock, jazz, retro, and classical. For its size, the bass response is surprisingly strong, and it also delivers well in the vocal and treble ranges.
Acoustics of the space
The Viro5 performed exceptionally well in a space without any acoustic treatment. It was tested in a 4m x 4m conference room with glazed windows and a glazed façade. Despite the lack of acoustics, the speaker produced a clear, crisp sound with no noticeable resonance or echo. During the test, the ambient noise in the room averaged around 60dB, which did not interfere with the speaker’s performance. The listening distance was approximately 2.8 meters, ensuring a clear and immersive audio experience, even in an untreated environment.
Conclusion
The test starts with all equalizers and boosts settings on the signal devices set to a flat response. A crossover is used to prevent low frequencies from being overdriven. Even though the Viro5 is compact, with a 5¼’’ woofer and 1’’ silk dome tweeter, it performs exceptionally well. The speakers sound so good that they work not only for outdoor background music but also as Front of House and Fill speakers for live performances. They deliver clear and powerful sound for both music and speech, making them very versatile. With good audio clarity, they often perform better than expected in spaces with basic acoustics, making them great for music and voice applications.
The Viro5 is easy to install with multiple mounting options, allowing placement in different positions and locations. It can be wall-mounted or pole-mounted, making it suitable for many spaces and setups. These speakers work well for indoor and outdoor background music, public address systems, and foreground sound applications. Their flexibility makes them a great choice for retail stores, corporate offices, houses of worship, hotels, parks, town halls, and auditoriums. With strong performance, durability, and adaptability, the Viro5 is a reliable choice for anyone looking for a high-quality, all-weather speaker with clear and powerful sound.
Important considerations
The acoustics of a space play a crucial role in the performance of any speaker system. To ensure optimal performance, the space should have minimal acoustic treatment. The testing was conducted in a space with minimal rear resonance, with fabric intentionally avoided for the glass façade behind the speakers. No other acoustic materials were used within the space, allowing the speakers to be tested in a more natural, untreated environment.
