Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/estelon-forza-loudspeaker

The 8″ aluminum sandwich midwoofer (also from Accuton’s “CELL” line) employs neodymium magnets, as does the 7″ CELL ceramic-membrane midrange driver. The tweeter is Accuton’s 1″, chemical-vapor–deposited inverted-diamond membrane tweeter. These three drivers are placed in a tight, vertical array with the lowest frequency driver near the baffle top and the tweeter in the lowest position, at ear height. The three upper drivers are positioned on the slightly concave baffle surface to produce distances from the listening position that are nearly identical. (One characteristic of the CELL series of drivers is that they all have the same acoustical center.)

Audiophiles critical of companies that don’t manufacture their own drivers might as well disparage automobile companies that don’t produce their own tires, which is all of them. It’s a silly distinction. You can argue for or against a company producing its own drivers or having a specialist like Accuton (parent company: Thiel & Partner) or Scan-Speak, for instance, manufacture them to its specifications, but overall, I think it’s a fatuous distinction (footnote 3).

Estelon does not provide the four-way design’s crossover frequencies, nor does it divulge the components used; what they do say is that the woofer networks are third-order while second-order networks are used for the midwoofer, midrange, and tweeter.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mbl-radialstrahler-120-loudspeaker

The MBL 120s sound big and full—voluptuous at times, especially when you turn up the volume, which I did often, though not to excess. Because the Radialstrahler drivers radiate sound in all directions, they avoid the hazards of beamy tweeters and shout-at-you midrange drivers. I love how the sound seems to float in the air rather than be fired at you. Many instruments and voices sound natural. The 120s elevate musical material—they maximize but don’t exaggerate what’s there, like dressing to highlight your best features.

Unlike some speakers, the MBL 120s don’t favor one genre of music over another—which is essential for my eclectic tastes. Wallflowers they ain’t: Immersive and involving, these speakers are built for fun. Their sound, though always substantial, tends to stay detailed without getting thick or muddy.

The MBL 120s can be addictive. I’m not here to be a bad influence, but if you’re not careful, you might need to call your nearest dealer

https://www.hifinews.com/content/made-maidstone

Working initially with a modest amplifier and no special system alignment, first impressions were a little disconcerting. The Maidstone sounded rather low-key and distant, noticeably rich in tonal balance. I persevered and experimented with equipment combinations and placements, ultimately finding that I couldn’t short-change this speaker and get away with it. Thus a Krell FPB650/Conrad-Johnson ART/Krell KPS25s lineup predominated – some £60,000+ worth of drive electronics! Meanwhile, a Linn LP12 Lingo/Naim Aro/Koetsu Rosewood Signature II deck provided analogue material via XTC and Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 phono equalisers.

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/9/12/m9484k93bdqrg5ihagdunk1qdm0yk2

Just before I left for Toronto, a pair of extraordinary, very expensive loudspeakers arrived on the island (Nov 19 review publication), and while in Toronto, I had a great listening session at Corby Audio in nearby Hamilton, featuring Don Corby’s spectacular home made speakers with JBL drivers, a horn, and crossovers by Allnic Audio’s Kang Su Park. I also got to listen to a pair of Avantgarde DUO Mezzo loudspeakers with a superb T+A DAC and spectacular AirTight 10W mono blocks. You’ll have to wait for the Nov 19 review to read about the newly arrived speakers, but comparison with the other speakers to the Atria IIs was instructive. The massive, brilliant homebuilts would probably sell for 200K plus if Don Corby ever made another set and the stunning Avantgardes were $90,000. Both speakers considerably more than the Atria II’s price of ($27,500/pair). So, a pretty silly comparison. But a comparison in almost real time, nonetheless. The Atrias held their own with these mighty masterpieces, remarkable for what is considered a somewhat reasonable price these days for a virtuoso loudspeaker of this quality. And a virtuoso is certainly what the Atria II is.