Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/stenheim-alumine-twofive-loudspeaker

I could just hear the 32Hz tone, which was boosted by my room’s lowest-frequency mode, but I couldn’t hear the 25Hz and 20Hz tones. The half-step–spaced tonebursts on Editor’s Choice spoke cleanly and evenly down to 63Hz, though there was some emphasis between 2kHz and 4kHz. I heard no audible wind noise from the port with the lowest-frequency tones, and the tonebursts and warble tones sounded clean, with no “doubling” (second-harmonic distortion). With the Stenheim speakers toed in to the listening position and the tweeters just below the height of my ears at 36″ from the floor, the dual-mono pink noise track on Editor’s Choice was reproduced as a stable central image. The high frequencies sounded smooth and the midrange uncolored. The noise sounded hollow if I stood up. Moving my head from side to side, I heard very little comb filtering.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/dynaudio-contour-20-be-standmount-speaker

With spring in the air, it was strange to hear the Christmas vibes of ‘Goose Snow Cone’, but Mann’s voice was portrayed so beautifully by the Contour 20 BEs it was worth a bit of cognitive dissonance. As a whole this song came together very organically, without a trace of stress. Moreover, the intimate nature of the album, which despite the title doesn’t feel depressing at all, was successfully conveyed.

English-born but residing in Gambia, Sona Jobarteh is not (yet) as well-known as her cousin, the late Toumani Diabaté. But as the first female kora player from a griot or djali family (the clans of West African musicians and storytellers which play an important social role), she’s been turning heads during a recent European tour. Her 2022 release Badinyaa Kumoo [AGBK22-2] sounded atmospheric and lively through the Contour 20 Black Editions, which not only evoked the richness of the five-stringed kora, but also Jobarteh’s breathtakingly dexterous playing on tracks like ‘Musolou’ or ‘Ballaké’.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1274-audiovector-trapeze-reimagined-loudspeaker

Should you buy this speaker? At nearly $20K, the Trapeze Ri is positioned in a crowded segment of the loudspeaker market and faces fierce competition, but it holds its own with confidence. This is a speaker for those who appreciate bold aesthetics, deep bass, and a rich, non-fatiguing presentation. It may not provide the same level of detail in a complex mix that some other speakers do, nor the same sharpness of imaging, but it offers an engaging musical experience nonetheless.

Whether you love the Trapeze Ri or hate it depends on your musical taste, the quality of your system’s components, and the nature of your listening room. My advice is to take a good hard listen. Try it first at your dealer. If you like what you hear, try it in your own listening room if you can. You may just fall under its spell.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0625/Avantgarde_Acoustic_Colibri_C2_Hornspeaker_C18_Subwoofer_Review.htm

The Colibri system gave me a front-row seat to the recording session. All of the playing had more urgency than I had noticed before. I could tell every member of the L’Orchestre De La Suisse Romande was sitting on the edge of their seats, focused on Ernest Ansermet at the podium. These pieces, like many of Stravinsky’s, can fall apart if the musicians aren’t in lockstep.

With the Colibri system, I gained new appreciation for Ansermet’s direction as the L’Orchestre De La Suisse Romande meshed like a fine Swiss watch. I also had a pleasant surprise during my listening session with this wonderful disc. When I was absorbing the opening movement of the “Symphony in Three Movements”, I was treated to several bass drum smacks that shook my living room. I had no idea that my 65-year-old piece of vinyl had that hidden in the grooves.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/canton-reference-3-loudspeaker

Complementing other Canton Reference models, the Reference 3s also deliver a very engaging listening experience marrying controlled, substantial bass with warmth and convincing levels of detail. Soundstaging is not as immersive as it might be, but the musical ride is still potent, tactile and emotionally convincing. All this while letting you savour the softer look and superb finish of Canton’s new Reference lineup.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0522/Von_Schweikert_Audio_Endeavor_SE_Floorstanding_Loudspeaker_Review.htm

However, this was not at all my experience with the ESE. Of course, amplitude naturally weakened outside of the listening room, however, I found the presentation remained otherwise intact and true to life. Within the listening room, the sweet spot was everywhere you were. Every sonic attribute – transient speed, timbre, frequency balance, imaging, etc. — remained present, enveloping, and otherwise perfectly balanced to the recorded venue. In many ways, the effect is similar to omni-directional designs. The biggest difference, in my opinion (having listened to omni-directional speakers in my room before), is that omni-directional seemed to lack a solid center image, whereas, the ESE retained vivid imagery, placement, and staging.

It should be noted that, with a frequency response extending down to 28Hz, and an efficiency of 89dB/W/m behind them, I found the two ESE 7″ woofers to be exceptionally fast and articulate with plenty of balanced reaches into the lowest frequencies during most listening sessions. Throughout the review, I did tease the presentation with my Velodyne DD10+, experimenting with various crossover and amplitude points. Ultimately, however, I found a preference for the Velodyne contributions was minimal, leaving the sub out of the picture for almost all listening

https://www.hifinews.com/content/rockport-technologies-orion-loudspeaker

This track builds towards a crescendo, the mix becoming more complex, the musical picture bigger. Through the Orions, not one element of this huge wall of sound sounded out of place. These are speakers that don’t exaggerate anything unduly, although the potency of their bass will be sure to remind some listeners what they’ve been missing out on.

And you can, without worry, give the Orions the kind of intimate, sparse music favoured by the hi-fi cognoscenti. The recent Bob Ludwig remaster of Regina Spektor’s ‘Samson’ [Songs; Sire 093624842484], which features the vocalist accompanying herself on piano, was a masterclass in tonal nuance and clear, smooth mid-tones, plus the detail needed to evoke her finger playing and pedal technique. John Mayer’s ‘Slow Dancing In A Burning Room’ [Continuum; Columbia 96kHz/24-bit] is similar, combining acoustic guitars and solo vocal, and again the Orion loudspeakers delivered a sound of immediacy and insight, with small details populating a big stage.

I really can go on and on about the Technics SC-CX700 speaker system, but you get the gist of my enjoyment overall. At first, I thought this to be more of a lifestyle piece of gear, it is designed to integrate into your main audio listening environment, whether from a television or from streaming. Hell, there are soundbars that can do some of that, too. I was wrong in my assumption; this is a serious piece of audio gear that should maintain its technical integrity and ability into the future. I would have no problem living with this system as my main audio source, period.

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https://www.hifichoice.com/content/triangle-capella

With setup completed and sat on the low stands supplied with the Mission 700 standing in for the dedicated stand as it has a top plate large enough to accommodate the Triangle, the Capella impresses from the outset. The relationship between the amplification and drivers is extremely well judged. With the tweeter in particular, the Capella delivers on the dispersion and impressive immediacy it promises, but even leaning on it hard with the Qobuz stream of EBM by Editors, the top end is impressively refined and controlled.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/monitor-audio-studio-89-loudspeaker-review

Finally, while some might consider these little Monitors to be “bookshelf” speakers, their rear‑panel ports will require at least a few inches of breathing room (to say nothing of the fact that small monitors like these almost always sound substantially better well out into a room). And, with 14″‑plus of depth, you’d need a pretty broad shelf, though a sufficiently low credenza or similar furniture could work nicely. There are no grilles, so prospective owners with aggressive cats, ferrets, or ill‑disciplined small children should take note.

The wrap? These are very fine‑sounding, intelligently engineered small speakers. That said, their price range is a crowded one, populated by several strong competitors, including some active, DSP‑corrected designs that include amplification, room‑correction, and music‑source facilities. So the competitive environment is a tough one. But if you need a quite small, very high‑performing passive loudspeaker that, while not cheap, is not crazily spendy, Monitor Audio’s got you covered right here