Selene + Poseidon

Surprisingly small. Seriously capable.

Complete 3-way monitoring system in a compact footprint. Coaxial midrange/tweeter precision meets dedicated low-frequency extension via zero-phase LR4 crossover at 150Hz. Linear to 50Hz, F6 at 35Hz, 106dB @ 1kHz (98dB continuous @ 50Hz) – professional performance that fits where traditional monitors can’t.

Full-range confidence

Complete low-frequency extension for accurate bass decisions. Selene’s F6 at 80Hz becomes F6 at 35Hz with Poseidon integration via zero-phase LR4 crossover at 150Hz, linear response extends to 50Hz – professional extension in a compact system.

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Compact 3-way architecture

True three-way system performance without the footprint. Dedicated drivers for LF, midrange, and HF eliminate compromise – Selene’s 2-way coaxial becomes a complete 3-way with Poseidon’s dedicated low-frequency extension.

Seamless integration

Poseidon powered directly by Selene’s EXCore. No external amplifiers, no additional DSP, no phase misalignment – the system operates as a cohesive unit with unified calibration.

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Maximum SPL capability

Complete system delivers 106dB @ 1kHz, 98dB continuous @ 50Hz. Compact form factor with professional output capability – enough headroom for critical passages without the space requirements of traditional full-range monitors.

TECHNICAL FOUNDATION

Selene + Poseidon isn’t two separate products sharing a room – it’s a unified 3-way system designed from the ground up to work as one. The EXCore module powers both the Selene coaxial monitors and Poseidon subwoofers, applying coordinated DSP calibration across all four drivers (two coaxials, two subwoofers). What looks like a modular system operates with the precision and coherence of an integrated design.

This generation introduces living calibration – individual driver level corrections that improve over time as our measurement capabilities and algorithms advance. Your system gets better as we get better.

Selene Cabinet Engineering

Selene uses the same aluminum extrusion approach as Terra, just scaled for its compact form factor. Each cabinet is a 7mm flat-wall extrusion with 19mm corner ribbing and integral cross-bracing. Both the front and rear baffles are 12mm solid aluminum, compressed onto the main shell with series gaskets, creating a sandwich assembly that’s clamped together for maximum rigidity.

The entire assembly extrudes front to back, allowing us to compress everything together with substantial force. The result is a cabinet that’s acoustically inert despite its compact size – no resonances, no flexing, nothing that colors what you’re hearing.

Like Terra, it’s not about being small or exotic. It’s about ensuring the cabinet disappears acoustically, regardless of physical dimensions.

Selene Driver Technology & Passive Crossover

Selene uses a 16cm variant of our third-generation coaxial midrange/tweeter architecture. It shares the same motor structure as Terra’s 18cm coax, but the 16cm version is purpose-designed for Selene’s application – slightly longer throw, slightly smaller diaphragm, optimized to work as a standalone surround monitor. Custom TPCD diaphragms, FEA-optimized motor structure, automated fiber placement pushing tweeter breakup above 40kHz, with DSP limiting high-frequency extension to 30kHz for optimal performance.

The challenge with the Selene + Poseidon system was architectural: we needed to power two coaxial monitors and two subwoofers from a single EXCore module with four amplifier channels. That meant using a passive crossover inside each Selene coaxial to split the midrange and tweeter at 3kHz, rather than giving each element its own amplifier channel – something we typically avoid.

So we over-engineered it. Custom 14AWG square-wire inductors with exact impedance matching at the 3kHz crossover point to eliminate the need for zobel networks. End-to-end DCR under 0.3 ohms. Identical filter bank values on both sides, counter-wound to achieve roughly 100dB of magnetic field cancellation. Four 3% tolerance Panasonic polypropylene caps per filter bank in parallel for exceptionally low ESL/ESR. Custom 3D-printed gyroid isolator mounts that prevent ringing and absorb shock.

This passive LR2 crossover is analog – analog necessarily introduces phase shift, so it cannot be zero-phase. But the 16cm driver is small enough that beaming doesn’t start until 4kHz on the midrange, and at LR2 we can phase invert the tweeter to achieve perfect phase tracking. The result is a passive crossover so consistent that the DSP can treat the coaxial effectively as a full-range driver. Unlike typical passive crossovers that tank your damping factor, the extremely low DCR maintains control and precision.

Both Selene coaxials are still measured individually and linearized at the driver level before crossover application, just like Terra. The EXCore DSP then integrates Poseidon via zero-phase LR4 crossover at 150Hz.

Poseidon Driver Technology

Poseidon uses a custom Epique MMAG architecture 16cm subwoofer with 14.7mm of linear excursion in each direction. That’s serious throw from a compact driver – more excursion than the 9″ drivers in our previous generation Pulsars had.

The custom driver delivers 98dB continuous @ 50Hz from a 6.5″ cube enclosure. When integrated with Selene via zero-phase LR4 crossover at 150Hz, the system extends to 50Hz linear with F6 at 35Hz. Think of Poseidon as providing the foundation Selene’s compact form factor can’t physically achieve on its own – the two working together deliver full-range response from a surprisingly small footprint.

Each Poseidon is measured and calibrated individually, then the complete Selene + Poseidon system receives coordinated calibration to ensure seamless integration across all crossover points.

EXCore & System Integration

The EXCore module is essentially Terra’s amplifier and DSP architecture in a compact 2RU half-rack enclosure. It houses the same Hypex NcoreX amplification (NCx252MP and NCx-102EXT modules), Peregrine DSP architecture with ADSP-21569 SHARC+ processor and ESP32 co-processor, and AKM conversion (AK4493SEQ DAC, AK5572EN ADC) that powers Terra.

Four amplifier channels drive the system: one channel per Selene coaxial (post passive crossover), one channel per Poseidon subwoofer. The DSP applies the internal 3kHz passive LR2 crossover within each Selene coaxial, plus zero-phase LR4 digital crossover at 150Hz for low-frequency integration between Selene and Poseidon.

The top panel is a custom PC-GF/PC hybrid material – rigid enough for structural integrity and heat management, but transparent to RF so the internal WiFi antenna can operate without requiring an external antenna protruding from the back.

Living Calibration: Third generation of our proprietary IRC and DSP architecture now allows us to control individual driver level behavior, with discrete, perfectly phase summed corrections for each transducer independently. This means even more perfect phase tracking at crossovers, with zero interpolation necessary from sine sweep measurements – because crossovers are zero-phase (digitally) and each driver is measured individually, phase tracking is perfect, not just measurement perfect.

Each Selene + Poseidon system is individually measured and calibrated. The entire four-driver system is linearized to achieve ±1.5dB frequency response and ±15° phase coherence (30Hz-30kHz). Because every system is calibrated to the same target, any Selene + Poseidon system acts as a matched pair.

The ESP32 co-processor provides periodic remote updates to DSP corrections as our measurement capabilities, data set, and algorithms improve. Your speakers continue to improve as we improve.

WiFi Control Features:

  • Over-the-air firmware and calibration updates
  • Multi-system sync (for ATMOS configurations)
  • Channel mute, sub mute, channel solo
  • Scene/configuration presets
  • Delay compensation
  • Equalization
  • Input sensitivity control
  • Boundary control
  • Low latency mode

SPECIFICATION OVERVIEW:

SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Frequency Response: ±1.5dB 50Hz – 30kHz (linear to 50Hz)

Phase Response: ±15° 30Hz – 30kHz (linear passband)

Low Frequency Extension: F6 at 35Hz

Maximum SPL @ 1m: 106dB @ 1kHz

Maximum LF SPL @ 1m: 98dB continuous @ 50Hz

THD+N (90dB @ 1m): <0.5% Power Average 100Hz – 30kHz

Coverage Pattern: 90° x 90° conical (from Selene coaxials)

DRIVER COMPLEMENT

Selene (pair): 16cm (6.3″) coaxial midrange/tweeter (16cm variant of 3rd generation Ex Machina architecture, custom TPCD diaphragms)

Poseidon (pair): 16cm (6.3″) Epique MMAG subwoofer (14.7mm Xmax each direction)

CROSSOVERS

3kHz Mid/HF – Passive LR2 (inside Selene coaxial, phase inverted tweeter for perfect phase tracking)

150Hz Selene to Poseidon – Zero-phase LR4 digital (EXCore DSP)

AMPLIFICATION (EXCORE)

Selene coaxials: Hypex NCx-102EXT (2 channels)

Poseidon subwoofers: Hypex NCx252MP (2 channels)

DSP & CONVERSION (EXCORE)
DSP: Analog Devices ADSP-21569 SHARC+
Co-processor: ESP32 (WiFi control, OTA updates, multi-system sync)
DAC: AKM AK4493SEQ
ADC: AKM AK5572EN
CONNECTIVITY (EXCORE)
Analog: XLR balanced input
Digital: AES/EBU
Network: Dante Pro S1 (optional)
Control: WiFi (internal antenna)
INPUT (EXCORE)
Sensitivity: 2Vrms to full scale
Power: Auto-switching 120/240V
PHYSICAL
Selene: 165mm H x 160mm D x 165mm W (6.5″ cube), 6.4kg (14 lbs) each
Poseidon: 165mm H x 160mm D x 165mm W (6.5″ cube), 6.4kg (14 lbs) each
EXCore: 82mm H x 305mm D x 200mm W (2RU half-rack), 5.4kg (12 lbs)
Front and rear baffles (both Selene and Poseidon): 12mm solid aluminum
WARRANTY
6 years

TESTIMONIALS

It’s the confidence I get from finally being able to trust my own taste that makes these speakers great. Music is a way composers, engineers, and most importantly listeners communicate and it’s done in such a personal way, the most valuable thing you can do for yourself and your audience is to communicate with conviction. Quasars give me that power.
Richie Beretta in his studio with Ex Machina Soundworks reference monitors

Richie Beretta

Artist, Producer, Engineer
Didn’t realize what I have been missing! After multiple mixes, Pulsars boosted my confidence, I was cranking them out so much faster. It was making mixing so much fun. I submitted some mixes I re-did with Pulsars, and clients were blown away by the differences. I will forever be a proud owner of these.

Joshua Young

Studio Owner, Engineer
If you’re struggling with translation, this will end that battle. The sound staging is insanely hyper accurate. What you hear on these monitors, you will hear on literally any system.

Ryan Harvey

Engineer, Producer
I can hear exactly what I need to do to improve my sound… Quasars are a major tool that help me accomplish this. They are the best thing I’ve bought for my studio in a decade.

Justin Melland

Film Composer
Quasars have become my most valued and crucial piece of equipment. They give me total confidence in knowing how tracking and mixing sessions will translate outside of the room… They provide clarity, transparency, and inspiration.

James Meslin

Recording Engineer, Mixer, Producer
The mid tweet coaxial on these monitors presents a midrange detail like I’ve never heard before. These speakers are far from fatiguing while presenting a pristine midrange and transient response. I’m truly over the moon.

ALEX E

Music Producer, Mixing Engineer
Over the years, I have worked with a number of very good speakers in many studios but the Ex Machina Pulsar takes monitoring to another level. These are truthful tools that you can definitely rely on.

Patrick Derivaz

Bass Player, Composer, Engineer, Producer
Everything translated well and felt balanced, the low end was amazing, I don’t need a sub anymore ! I find that I can work at low volume and hear every detail and also listen loud without fatiguing… The stereo image and center are really defined, I honestly can’t find anything that I don’t like.

Manon Grandjean

Recording, Mixing, Mastering Engineer
The Pulsars have been truly game changing for me. They are super accurate, revealing, and the transient detail is incredible which has made the mixing process much more efficient and allowed for more confident decision making. I couldn’t be more happy with them.

Ryan Leitru

Producer, Songwriter, Mixer