Cabasse Minorca MC40 review

If you want your music to possess finger-snapping ability then look no further then these Cabasse standmounters Tested at £720.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Great if you’re after finger-snapping agility, but these aren’t the complete package

Pros

  • +

    Fast, lively, energetic sound

  • +

    intriguing driver arrangement

Cons

  • -

    Low frequency tribulations

  • -

    out-and-out body could be better

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

First things first – the £720 price we're quoting here refers to the wood finishes offered by Cabasse. Our review sample, however, arrived in a lovely glossy black, which ups the price to £900.

Either way, your money buys you a substantial 3-way standmounting design with a version of the coaxial midrange/tweeter arrangement Cabasse has been perfecting these past 50 years.

The tweeter sits inside a midrange driver, which theoretically offers wider, more consistent sound dispersion, and that's mounted above a 17cm mid/bass cone. At the back is a bass port and speaker binding posts.

Go for a hefty pair of stands
Even if you were tempted, it's unlikely you'd have a shelf in your house deep enough to accommodate the Minorcas, and your choice of stand is even more critical here than usual – their impressive size means the stands will need large top plates, and will need to be robust, heavy and inert enough to support these sizeable boxes.

Spirited and engaging, the Minorcas sing with a lively, detailed voice that extracts gratifying levels of detail, particularly from the midrange, and lays everything out on a soundstage that's simple to visualise even from quite a long way off-axis.

On a mission to entertain
Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said is engaging – these speakers are on a mission to entertain, and in that respect they're pretty successful.

Shortcomings are few, but significant. There's a void between the bottom of the midrange and top of the low frequencies that the Minorcas can't disguise, and below there a definite lack of substance and positivity to low-frequency information.

It doesn't stop these speakers from being a fully energising listen, but it does stop them getting a fifth star.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test