LOUDSPEAKERS
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go to: Contents | Features | Bookshelf, Stand-Mount and Desktop | Floorstanding | Editors' Choice Awards<br />
Harbeth M40.1<br />
$12,990–$14,990<br />
fidelisav.com<br />
The new version of the M40<br />
(REG’s reference) has a slightly<br />
more forward midrange, more<br />
“domesticated” (less “pro”) tonal<br />
balance, and higher sensitivity. A<br />
BBC-style three-way monitor, with<br />
Harbeth bass and mid drivers and<br />
SEAS Excel tweeter. Neutral sound,<br />
exceptional midrange clarity, refined<br />
and extended treble, almost full bass<br />
extension in room, and surprisingly<br />
“outside the box” imaging. REG, 190<br />
DALI Epicon 6<br />
$13,495–$13,995<br />
dali-speakers.com<br />
This second from the largest of<br />
DALI’s new Epicon Series is a<br />
modern-looking speaker, which<br />
features DALI’s latest developments<br />
in driver technology, including mid/<br />
bass drivers that are said to offer<br />
lower distortion via special magnet<br />
structures. The speaker sounds<br />
extraordinarily even, unprecedentedly<br />
pure, and grain-free. With full bass<br />
(though not the whole bottom<br />
octave) to cover both orchestral and<br />
rock music convincingly, its balance<br />
is somewhat on the warm side with<br />
response contoured to recess the<br />
upper mids. REG, 230<br />
GamuT M’inenT M5<br />
$13,500<br />
gamutaudio.com<br />
These elegant, narrow-front<br />
floorstanders of moderate size<br />
are optimized for presentation of<br />
soundstage, and they do the job with<br />
a convincing vanishing act and a<br />
large and deep stereo presentation.<br />
Though not quite neutrally balanced<br />
due to some midrange forwardness,<br />
they are clean and pure sounding and<br />
have excellent resolution of fine detail<br />
and an impressive dynamic capability<br />
for speakers of moderate size. REG,<br />
Issue 220<br />
Magnepan 20.7<br />
$13,850<br />
magnepan.com<br />
These Maggies’ magical ability to<br />
transport listeners to a different<br />
space and time and to there<br />
realistically recreate (with lifelike<br />
scope and size) the sound of<br />
acoustic instruments and the<br />
venue they were recorded in is<br />
extraordinary. It almost goes without<br />
saying (since these are Magnepans),<br />
but the 20.7s are also incredibly good<br />
values, although you’re going to have<br />
to bring a lot of high-quality power<br />
to this party, and you’re going to<br />
need a good deal of room to house<br />
two speakers the size and width of<br />
a couple of NFL linebackers. JV,<br />
forthcoming<br />
Thiel CS3.7<br />
$13,900<br />
thielaudio.com<br />
The best speaker yet from one of<br />
the world’s top designers, with major<br />
breakthroughs in driver design,<br />
overall technology, and build-quality<br />
for the money. More importantly,<br />
it boasts reference-quality sound<br />
with flat timbre, superb resolution<br />
and transient response, bass depth<br />
and power just short of the most<br />
expensive super-speakers, and excellent<br />
soundstaging and imaging. One of the<br />
most coherent and realistic speakers<br />
around without a touch of romance or<br />
exaggerated highs. AHC, 186<br />
MartinLogan Summit X<br />
$14,995<br />
martinlogan.com<br />
A hybrid electrostatic and a technological<br />
triumph. A Curvilinear Line<br />
Source is coupled to an active bass<br />
system, which includes a pair of 10"<br />
aluminum cone woofers and two<br />
200W Class D amplifiers. Expect<br />
bass extension to 20Hz with plenty<br />
of slam and no discontinuity at the<br />
crossover. Exceptional soundstage<br />
transparency is also on tap with<br />
traditional ESL transient speed and<br />
detail resolution. Tonal balance is<br />
slightly on the lean side. Its capacitive<br />
impedance mandates a solid-state<br />
amplifier with a high damping factor<br />
for accurate treble reproduction.<br />
DO, 209<br />
B&W 802 Diamond<br />
$15,000<br />
bwspeakers.com<br />
The 802 Diamond redefines the<br />
performance you can expect from a<br />
$15,000 loudspeaker. It delivers many<br />
of the qualities we associate with<br />
the esoteric designs of small tweaky<br />
manufacturers, but in a relatively<br />
mainstream product. This significant<br />
recasting of its predecessor features<br />
new drivers including a diamond<br />
tweeter that is outstandingly high in<br />
resolution. Couple that to a warm,<br />
rich, and full bass, along with a nicely<br />
resolved midrange, and you have one<br />
of the great values in loudspeakers<br />
today. RH, 208<br />
Marten Django<br />
$15,000<br />
marten.se<br />
The Django wowed TAS editors<br />
at last year’s CES, and the review<br />
sample lives up to the promise. While<br />
the Django breaks no design ground,<br />
its canny choice of materials results<br />
in a speaker that, on many tracks,<br />
proved virtually indistinguishable<br />
from AT’s reference. Warm in<br />
character (lower piano notes are<br />
ravishing), the Django offers<br />
needle-sharp transients; details<br />
emerge distinctly and naturally. Most<br />
importantly, this is an unfailingly<br />
engaging speaker. Alan Taffel, 228<br />
Von Schweikert UniField 3 Mk2<br />
$15,000<br />
vonschweikert.com<br />
Venerable speaker-designer Albert Von<br />
Schweikert set out to produce a tiny,<br />
full-range, single-voiced speaker for<br />
small rooms that would not rob you of<br />
the deep bass, image size, and dynamic<br />
scale of big speakers. The design he<br />
settled on is very nearly unique—an<br />
“augmented” one-way. That you can<br />
occasionally hear the augmentation<br />
doesn’t change the fact that throughout<br />
most of its range the UniField Three<br />
really does speak with one beautiful<br />
and persuasively lifelike voice. JV, 199<br />
Burmester B30<br />
$15,995<br />
burmester.de<br />
The B30 speakers offer tremendous<br />
stage width and depth, with wholly<br />
convincing imaging. However,<br />
because they are less adept at<br />
reproducing image height, the B30s<br />
cannot conjure the grand scale that<br />
larger speakers achieve. But their slim<br />
profile does nothing to hamper deep,<br />
detailed bass. AT, 212<br />
Acoustic Zen Crescendo<br />
$16,000<br />
acousticzen.com<br />
A superbly engineered transmissionline<br />
speaker, the Crescendo is a<br />
three-way, 5-driver design featuring<br />
paper cone woofers with underhung<br />
voice coils. Tonal balance is quite<br />
neutral. And while the Crescendo<br />
lacks the ultimate in bass extension,<br />
it makes up for it with superlative<br />
time-domain performance, easily<br />
exceeding that of the ubiquitous<br />
bass-reflex enclosure. The quasiribbon<br />
tweeter is also a winner,<br />
singing sweetly and with convincing<br />
textural purity. DO’s favorite box<br />
speaker under $30k. DO, 229<br />
Nola Micro Grand<br />
$16,500<br />
nolaspeakers.com<br />
Compact in size [24" x 9.5" x<br />
9.5"] the Micro Grand has only<br />
four small drivers, a single trueribbon,<br />
one cone-type midrange,<br />
and two four-inch woofers. It is<br />
only marginally larger than many<br />
a so-called “monitor” speaker, but<br />
the first sonic impression it makes<br />
is of anything but small sound.<br />
It has a capacious soundstage, a<br />
kind of sonic purity, and the ability<br />
to unravel dense and complex<br />
orchestral textures. It can easily cull<br />
the sheep from the herd, losing<br />
neither sight nor context of either.<br />
HP, 210<br />
Rockport Technologies Mira II<br />
$16,500<br />
rockporttechnologies.com<br />
The Mira is seductively warm and<br />
rich, yet gives up little in terms of<br />
detail and openness. Perhaps its most<br />
notable strength, because it usually<br />
110 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com<br />
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