Tom Whitesel has posted a review of a 5.1 Mordaunt-Short system comprised of the Mezzo 6 floorstanding speakers ($1495/pair), the Mezzo 5 center channel speaker ($595), the Mezzo 2 stand-mount speakers ($795/pair), and the Mezzo 9 subwoofer ($1,295) at Audio Video Revolution. His conclusions: The overall (and individual) performance of the Mezzos make a...
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Neil Gader has posted a review of the Marten Heritage Getz loudspeakers ($20,000/pair) at AVGuide. His conclusions: The overall character of the Getz is a cooler and drier one, somewhat consistent with my experience with ceramic drivers. Consistent, too, is the speaker’s speed, detail, and coherence. It doesn’t reveal any spurious box resonances. Tonally...
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Grant Clauser has posted a review of the GoldenEar Triton Two Tower loudspeakers ($2500/pair) at Electronic House. His conclusions: One of my favorite CDs for listening to new speakers is “Getz/Gilberto” with Astrud Gilberto. With a good system, this recording has a wide open feel to it with lots of air and depth to...
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Roger Kanno has posted a review of the MartinLogn Spire loudspeakers ($8495/pair) on Soundstage! Hi-Fi. His conclusions: My usual reference speaker, Paradigm's Reference Signature S6 v.3, costs $5798/pair. It's an exceptional speaker for the price, but in some areas it couldn't match the MartinLogan Spire. Most notably, the Paradigms couldn't re-create the sense of...
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Gene DeScala has posted a review of the Aperion Audio Verus Grand loudspeaker system (5.1 system, $4095) at Audioholics. His conclusions: At just over $3k for a 5.0 system and an extra grand for a the Bravus II 12D sub, the Aperion Audio Verus Grand speakers are not an impulse buy. But they're not...
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Steven Stone has posted a review of the Silverline Minuet Supreme loudspeakers ($600/pair) at AVGuide. His conclusions: While the Minuets do provide a remarkable amount of lower-midrange and upper-bass energy for their size, don’t expect them to generate the sort of punch that you’ll feel in your upper diaphragm from a full-range room-sized speaker....
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Kari Nevalainen has posted a review of the Audio Physic Tempo loudspeakers (€3750/pair) at Innerworld Audio. His conclusions: Track by track analysis tells about a "very spatious sound", "rich and transparent performance with all sound sources separated from each other", "beautiful, fast acoustic guitar", "great clarity and luminosity", "loads of air around the cello",...
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Kari Nevalainen has posted a review of the B&W 802 Diamond loudspeakers ($15,000/pair) at Innerworld Audio. His conclusions: A very holistic sound. The sound extends from left to right, and from the bottom to the top. The balance is healthy, but her voice does not quite get the role it should; the bass does...
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Chris Connaker has posted a review of the Peachtree iNova integrated amplifier ($1799) and Design 5 loudspeaker ($999/pair) at The Computer Audiophile. His conclusions: This complete Peachtree system has is strengths and weaknesses like every audio system at any price. The Design 5 loudspeakers are every bit as good as I previously thought even...
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Ken Kessler and Keith Howard have posted a review of the Wilson Audio Sophia 3 loudspeakers (£16,990) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. Their conclusions: A Wilson user for over two decades, I’m used to the leaps between incarnations. Just as Sasha shocked listeners in 2009, so does the third Sophia represent a disproportionate...
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John Bamford has posted a review of the JBL Project K2 S9900 loudspeakers (£28,000) at Hi-Fi New and Record Review. His conclusions: While you won’t require an enormous listening room to enjoy them thanks to their shallow cabinets, you’ll certainly need deep pockets to afford them. The sound the K2 S9900s produce is quite...
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Keith Howard has posted a review of the Lumen White Silver Flame loudspeakers (£25,000) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. His conclusions: This large, heavy, costly speaker is intriguing to look at and a delight to listen to. The unusual cabinet form clearly does a fine job of suppressing structural and enclosed air resonances,...
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John Marks has posted a review of the Vivid B-1 loudspeakers ($15,000/pair) in his The Fifth Element column at Stereophile. Here are some of his observations: My initial impression was that the B-1s produced a sound that was bigger in every way: spatially, bass extension, dynamically. This was particularly evident in a higher soundstage…The...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the Ascendo SYSTEM ZF3 S.E. loudspeakers (€27,500) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: ZF3 SE are outstanding speakers and if properly set in the room and combined with proper electronics they will play as one, big transducer. They will allow comfortable listening to every music piece, every genre...
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Gary Lea has posted a review of the Grant Audio Compact WZ-5 Collector’s Edition loudspeakers ($4500/pair) at Positive Feedback Online, His conclusions: I think what caught me out a bit, and yes it does happen to reviewers if they are honest about it, is that the weight of the bass was much bigger than...
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Roger S. Gordon has posted a review of the PSI Audio A-17-M active loudspeakers ($3500/pair) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: So is the A-17-M a good speaker or a bad speaker. For your US$3500 you are essentially getting two stereo amplifiers, and two pairs of speaker cables plus the speakers themselves. Assuming the...
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Alfred R. Fredel has posted a review of the Aperion Audio Verus Grand Tower loudspeakers ($1795/pair) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: The Aperion Verus Grand Tower Loudspeakers are certainly a true overachiever. To think that you can have it all; a beautiful statement of solid craftsmanship, intelligent design that results in a product...
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Dick Olsher has posted a review of the Venture Audio’s Ultimate Charm loudspeaker ($16,500/pair) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: You should not be surprised therefore to find out that the tweeter isn't perfect. First of all, it lacks the finesse of a high-quality ribbon or air motion transformer. And second, it beams severely...
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Steven Rochlin has posted a review of the Gryphon Atilla integrated amplifier ($6950), Scorpio CD player ($6950) and Mojo loudspeakers ($16,250/pair) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: Buying into the system concept means you are 'all in' to what their chief engineer / designer feels a music reproduction system should sound like. Just as...
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Geoff Husband has posted a review of the Arcadian Audio Pnoe hornloudspeakers (€24,000/pair) at TNT-Audio. His conclusions: The Pnoe are a brave and largely successful attempt to build a domestically acceptable, full-range horn with no compromises. Why don't other companies do this? Because it's difficult, expensive, and involves a shed load of prototypes, each...
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Robert J. Reina has posted a review of the Epos M5i loudspeaker ($899/pair at Stereophile. Here is a sample: The M5i's detailed, uncolored, voluptuous midrange made it a perfect match for well-recorded voices on vinyl, from the silky sheen of Doris Day on "Makin' Whoopie," from her Cuttin' Capers (LP, Columbia CL-1232), to Elvis...
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Alan Sircom as posted a review of the Magico Mini II stand-mount loudspeaker (£35,000/pair) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: What criticism exists is largely philosophical in nature. The Mini II is potentially a loudspeaker in search of a perfect amplifier. You and it will never be satisfied with 'just so', even if that should read...
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Ken Kessler has posted a review of the Sonus Faber Liuto Tower loudspeaker ($5998/pair) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review: His conclusions: Not, however, that the Liuto is without peer in this area. Because Sonus faber like Wilson, is hypercritical of positioning, especially toe-in, the listener can dial in precisely the right amount of...
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Art Dudley has posted a review of the Wilson Audio Sophia Series 3 loudspeaker ($16,700) at Stereophile. His conclusions: In the very early days of the domestic audio industry, loudspeaker design was more an empirically guided artform than anything else: Most if not all of the materials at our disposal could be counted on...
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John Zurek has posted a review of the Magnepan 1.7 loudspeakers ($1999/pair) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: Is the Magneplanar 1.7 a worthy successor to the hallowed 1.6? Properly amplified it will provide you with a balanced, focused sound that has that incredible "you are there" feeling. The big change in these planars...
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