https://www.hifinews.com/content/canton-vento-100-loudspeaker

In terms of fit and finish the speaker ticks all the boxes, including high-quality bi-wire enabled terminals around the back. The Vento 100 is raised over a broader plinth that lets the speaker ‘float’ above the floor and allows its down-facing bass port to vent uniformly out from the base of the cabinet. Spikes can be added and, of course, the Vento 100 doesn’t mind standing a bit closer to the wall compared to rear-firing bass reflex boxes.

The ‘100 is the biggest of eight passive Vento models, alongside the Vento 90 and Vento 80 floorstanders, Vento 30 and Vento 20 standmount/bookshelf speakers, and centre channel, surround and on-wall options for multichannel systems. The range extends further, though: Canton has been a proponent of active designs for decades, offering so-called ‘Smart’ versions of many of its loudspeakers, and that’s the case here. Not of the Vento 100, but there is the wireless, active Vento 9 S2, related to the Vento 90, with claimed built-in amplification of 600W and support for 96kHz/24-bit playback.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/pmc-twenty523i

This is a speaker that looks and feels very similar to its predecessor and loses absolutely nothing of the positive qualities it possessed. Instead, it works in new talents that broaden its appeal still further. It isn’t cheap and you can point to rivals that will challenge it in relatively straightforward rooms. Where the 23i starts to make its worth felt is as these locations become more challenging. Thanks to the care extended on the decoupling, the ability to create a consistent and believable stereo image and the clout it can wield from a comparatively small cabinet, the PMC can continue to deliver its many virtues as rivals start to struggle. The twenty5.23i looks like business as usual, but in fact marks an impressive step forward for the company. It isn’t very big, but it is rather clever. 

Fhttps://www.hifichoice.com/content/fyne-audio-f1-8

Sensitivity of 91dB and a nominal 8ohm impedance suggest an easy drive, but the F1-8 naturally cries out for a quality system. Assembling the best supporting cast at my disposal, digital feeds are handled by Chord Electronics’ Hugo TT2 DAC (HFC 468) while amplification duties are shared between Hegel’s Class A/B H120 (HFC 460) and Primare’s Class D I25 Prisma (HFC 461) integrated amps. Not high-end enough to require oxygen, but a great fit as it transpires.

What’s clear from the start, music has that ‘natural fibre that breathes’ quality – nothing seems contrived or dialled-up to impress. The speaker conjures scale and dynamic freedom that would be remarkable in a strapping tower, but also incorporates an ability to unearth detail right down to the noise floor and project solid, full-blooded images into the room with almost tangible dimensionality and exacting precision. On Chick Corea’s compilation of jazz/classical live performances, Play, the grand piano simply sounds real with thrilling attack, harmonic colour and texture and lower octave power – a quite stunning achievement for a standmount, even one as rotund as the F1-8.