Audiophilepure

This article is about an affordable full-range speaker that performs. It is also about a companion a dipole subwoofer for enhancing the full-range speaker’s performance. The subwoofer also is fitting for use with particular smaller to medium priced and sized Magnepan dipole speakers. The full-range VPE Electrodynamics Crystal Dipole cost $3K/pr and a pair of the Model 1 Powered Dipole Subwoofers cost $1K each. The speaker systems total is $5K, which is reachable for many. As someone who spent about a decade trying to get SOTA sound for a pittance, I find the Crystal Dipole and Model 1 Subwoofer to be products very worth of the budget audiophile’s time. Is it worth the time for audiophiles higher up the equipment food chain? Let’s find out!

https://www.hifinews.com/content/sonetto-v-g2

Schifrin was asked to re-record this theme for the movie’s soundtrack release [Warner Bros. 9362480852], and he obliged with a poppier, less moody take. A back-to-back listen through the new Sonetto V showed the difference, not just in instrument choice and melody, but in terms of dynamics (more forthright) and stereo mix (disjointed).

This, then, is another strength of Sonus faber’s Sonetto V G2: a revealing nature not just in terms of top-end detail, but of other musical building blocks. Playing Jason Isbell’s ‘Cover Me Up’ [Southeastern; Southeastern Records], it threw a spotlight on the careworn vocal and unearthed a wide dynamic, making apparent the emphasis Isbell puts on certain chords and lyrics. Behind him, a slide guitar sounded syrupy and reverberant with just the right amount of distortion. This was fine stuff, and worthy of the price tag.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-705-s3-signature

The 705 S3 Signature has the sort of all-round performance charm you expect from a B&W speaker, its sound being rich, energetic and suited to any genre. At the same time, the skill with which it crafts detailed, authentic images, and its ability to pick out the tiniest of musical details, makes its premium price seem entirely worthwhile. Design and build are superb too – you just need to pick a colour. Me? Midnight Blue.

https://www.monoandstereo.com/silent-pound-challenger-ii-speakers-review-p1/

Many high-end audio speakers can stray from the essence of the music. Despite technical sophistication, exotic components, and marketing claims, they often sound like a collection of drivers that shuffle notes in a kaleidoscopic way, producing unpleasant listening fatigue.

In contrast, the Silent Pound Challenger II speakers offer a harmonious and sympathetic union of well-researched technologies, drivers, crossovers, and enclosure design

https://www.hifinews.com/content/quad-revela-2

The Revela 2’s performance was similarly superb with The Mitchell Trio’s set Violets Of Dawn [Mercury STX 61067], recorded in 1965 (post-Chad) and featuring a young John Denver, whose instantly recognisable voice made aural dissection even simpler. Again, the unplugged instruments had body and the right resonances, my only regret being that I didn’t have present one of my guitar-playing friends to see if they could tell which make was being played.

If Quad’s goal with the Revela 2 wasn’t just to revive the brand’s ribbon of 70-plus years ago but to create a box-type speaker that sounds like a dipole or panel, two later studio creations deemed it a success. Both Dr. John’s In The Right Place [Analogue Productions CAPA 006 SA SACD] and Bonnie Raitt’s The Glow [Warner Bros 8122-78383-2 CD] – two albums recorded during the 1970s and therefore probably all-solid-state – are great for evaluating attack, bass power and, again, distinctive vocals.

The KEF R3 Meta is a three-way bookshelf speaker, which incorporates KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology and Uni-Q driver array. The speaker features a 25 mm vented aluminum dome tweeter, a 125 mm aluminum cone for midrange frequencies, and a 165 mm hybrid aluminum bass driver. This combination allows the R3 Meta to cover a wide frequency range from 38 Hz to 50 kHz.

With a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and a rated sensitivity of 87dB, it is a moderately easy to drive speaker. KEF suggests amplifiers with up to 180 Watts power. The R3 Meta measures 422 x 200 x 336 mm (HWD) in total and comes with a weight of 12.4kg. That translates to 16.6 x 7.87 x 13.22 inches and 27.33 lbs. For bookshelf speakers, the R3 Meta is on the bigger side. They easily blended into my room though. Especially with the speaker stands KEF also offers.

The R3 Meta has a three-way crossover built-in, which splits the frequencies at 120 and 2,300 Hz. On the back of the unit, you’ll find two sets of speaker posts to connect your cables to. Between them are two knobs, which you can turn, should you want to bi-wire or bi-amp them. By turning the knob, you basically make a connection between the two posts. You could potentially disconnect them and run individual cables in them, or you could also use your own set of jumper cables.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/piega-coax-811-gen2-loudspeaker

The Piega Coax Gen2 811 loudspeakers are a solid deal, even at 30 big ones. A (let’s say) Focal Maestro–level presentation costs more than twice what these speakers do, and you’d achieve maybe a 10% improvement, if such things are even quantifiable.

The 811s are easy to drive, visually attractive, neutral yet sonically arresting, musical to a T, and built, simultaneously, like a fine watch and a brick outhouse. I felt happy, even spoiled, every day that they were in my system. They coddled my ears and ticked my boxes, and I’m pleased to roar my approval.