LOUDSPEAKERS

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Bass is quite extended for its small
footprint, thanks to the powered
woofer module. That midrange
driver is run full-range, which
confers greater purity at the expense
of the ability to play loudly—this is a
speaker for moderate playback levels.
Signature version (heard only at
shows) offers considerably upgraded
performance. RH, 199
TAD Compact Reference 1
$42,000 (w/o stands)
tad-labs.com
The CR1s are expensive, but think
of them as full-range speakers that
just happen to sit on stands, because
that is most certainly the way they
sound. Their bass is superb (and
flat down into the mid-30s), their
midrange and treble likewise (thanks
to TAD’s concentrically-mounted
beryllium midrange and tweeter
drivers), their disappearing act
second to none, their level of lifelike
fidelity exceptional. NG, 205
Vandersteen Model 7
$48,000
vandersteen.com
Based on new drivers made from
carbon-fiber-clad balsa wood, the
Model 7 strips away a layer of
coloration and artifacts, revealing an
absolutely glorious purity of timbre.
You simply don’t hear the cones
when listening to music through
the Model 7, which is electrostaticlike
in its clarity, transparency,
and openness. The extensive bass
adjustments, made possible by the
powered woofer, allow the Model 7’s
response below 120Hz to be tailored
to your room. RH, 206
Nola Baby Grand Reference II
$59,000
nolaspeakers.com
This large, ribbon/cone, quasi-linesource
floorstander, designed by
the redoubtable Carl Marchisotto,
may not cohere quite as well as
New School designs in the bass;
nonetheless, it is one of the more
lifelike speakers JV has reviewed—
and certainly one of the most
successful ribbon/cone hybrid in
his experience. With downright
breathtaking treble, resolution,
transient response, dynamic range,
power-handling, and soundstaging,
the Baby Grands invariably sound
like the real deal. JV, 205
Estelon X Diamond
$65,000
estelon.com
This beautiful, sculpturesque, threeway,
ported-box floorstander with
Eton drivers boasts what has to be
the best blend of a diamond tweeter
and ceramic midrange and woofer
JV has yet heard. Where diamond
tweets usually stick out like diamond
sore thumbs, here all is beautifully
of a piece, thanks to the engineering
smarts of speaker-maker Alfred
Vassilkov. Like many ceramic-driver
speakers, the Estelon is a model
of low-level resolution and finesse,
but unlike many ceramic speakers
it doesn’t compress dynamics (as
much) at higher volume levels.
This may, in part, be because it has
absolutely killer bass. JV, 228
Magico Q5
$65,000
magico.net
You may find it hard to believe,
but Magico’s massive, sealedaluminum-box,
three-and-a-halfway
floorstander outperforms the
company’s previous flagship, the
M5, for $30k less dough. This is
a speaker that truly does comes
closer to achieving the impossible
dream of mating the transparency,
clarity, coherence, and resolution
of an electrostat with the frequency
extension, dimensionality, and
dynamic range of multiway cones.
Those looking for a more bespoke
sound, such as a built-in boost in
the mid-to-upper bass, should look
elsewhere. Those looking for the
sound of music as it was actually
recorded will be amazed. JV, 214
Wilson MAXX 3
$69,500
wilsonaudio.com
The venerable Maxx 3 supplies
deep bass—though not the very
deepest—and a wide soundstage,
coupled with the legendary Wilson
dynamics, which have the ability to
113 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com
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