"The less of routine, the more of life," or so thought the American philosopher and reformer, Amos Bronson Alcott.

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we too recognise the importance of change. While the established ways of old undoubtedly have their place, we are always on the lookout for new, top-quality products that shake up the audio market.

And nowhere is that more obvious than in the standmount speakers category at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026, which contains both passive and active models amongst its nine winners. We have a second budget Dali enter the passive ranks, while the new active speakers from Fyne Audio and KEF this year have impressed us so much, we had to expand the category to acknowledge their talents.

Dali's budget duo

At the most budget end, we have the Dali Kupid (£299 / $599 / AU$599), which remains our favourite standmount speaker under £300. There's a lot to love about the Kupid. Not only are they a compact, well-built and nicely styled pair of speakers, but they also have a lively and entertaining sound, which doesn't skimp on rhythmic agility and dynamic sensitivity.

For their affordable price, we are impressed by how many boxes these Dali speakers manage to tick.

The next step up in price sees another pair of Dalis taking the win, this time in the 'Best standmount speaker £300-£500' bracket. The new Sonik 1 (£449 / $900 / AU$849) are altogether more serious looking speakers than the Kupids, but they, nonetheless, have a certain aesthetic charm. These modestly sized standmounters should also have no trouble fitting wherever you need them to go. Though, of course, we suggest a dedicated pair of stands.

The Sonik 1 are unfussy in terms of amplifier pairing, and will make the most of budget set-ups while simultaneously having the talent to bring the perks of more upmarket equipment to light.

Sonically, these speakers do a lot of things right, with authoritative and well-managed bass, a lush midrange and responsibly handled high frequencies. For their reasonable price, it is easy to recommend these talented performers.

A dark horse

Another returning Award winner is Acoustic Energy's brilliant AE300 Mk2 speakers (£649 / $1099 / AU$1580), which feature a sleek, neat design that is pleasingly unobtrusive.

Combining a large 29mm fabric dome tweeter with a fairly small 12cm paper/coconut fibre mid/bass, the AE300 Mk2 deliver a slow-burning sound that, once we've become accustomed to it, has us hooked.

These speakers' well-integrated drivers offer an unfussy, nicely balanced performance. Controlled bass and a good degree of detail across the frequency range only add to the deeply enjoyable listening experience that the AE300 Mk2 standmounters provide.

Four years of fanfare

We have a feeling that PMC knew what they were doing when they named their Prodigy speaker series. As the longest standing Award winners on this list, with four consecutive years of victory under their belt, the Prodigy 1 (£1250 / $1899 / AU$2449) have garnered quite the reputation.

The two-way standmounter's tweeter and mid/bass driver have been nabbed from more upmarket, studio-friendly models. They also feature PMC's signature ATL bass-loading method, which guides the backwards energy of the driver through damped material and out of a front port in order to bolster bass reproduction.

The resultant sound is impressively clear and organised, with a healthy side-portion of punchy, deep and well textured bass. When you are spending between £1000-£1500 on a pair of speakers, being able to make the most of textures across the frequency range is important, and these speakers should leave you smiling ear to ear.

An epic run for Epos

The second longest-running Award winner on this list is the Epos ES-7N ( £1890 / $2195 / AU$4995), which this year celebrates its third anniversary as our favourite standmount speaker between £1500-£2500.

For anyone looking for a pair of speakers that is truly flexible about placement, the ES-7N are a solid choice. This is due to a switch on the rear of the cabinet which allows you to choose between sound settings for either a semi free-standing arrangement or placing the speakers on (or in) a bookshelf or cabinet.

This arrangement is made possible, in part, by the speakers' front-ported design.

Jack of all trades, master of... not quite! The ES-7N have a clear, forthright and expressive sound, and they even cope quite well when we put them in a tightly packed bookshelf. Dynamically, these are a sensitive pair of speakers, too, and they also have plenty of rhythmic drive.

The fact that they can perform well in sub-optimal conditions just makes these Epos standmounters even easier to love.

Another win for PMC

It would be a shame to disappoint with a name like the Prophecy 1 (£2875 / $4299 / AU$5499). Thankfully, these speakers live up to their rather grandiose nomenclature, with a sound that more than justifies their position as our favourite speaker costing more than £2500.

This speaker's slim and stylish cabinets use PMC's tried and tested transmission line configuration, with a rear firing output acting as the mouth of a carefully damped path inside the cabinet. The low-frequency sound that emerges from this port fills in below the point where the mid/bass driver's output tails off, providing an extra portion of bass.

The Prophecy 1 have an expansive, layered and precise soundstage that is resilient against changes in volume and recording quality. These speakers are pleasingly tonally balanced and put in a class leading performance in terms of clarity and precision.

Small but mighty Ruarks

The Ruark MR1 MK3 (£399 / $579 / AU$899) continue to fly the flag for the 'best desktop speakers' thanks to their terrific performance from such a compact form. These speakers feature 50W of Class D amplification built in, thus setting themselves apart from the passive speakers in the first half of this category.

With an excellent built-in moving magnet phono stage, audio inputs including USB-C, optical and aux, plus Bluetooth with aptX HD, these speakers' connectivity options make them flexible to use with laptops, smartphones, TVs and record players. Their build quality, too, exudes subtle luxury in a way that will look good in any home.

In terms of sound, the MR1 MK3 have a powerful, punchy and dynamic sonic signature with a strong sense of rhythmic drive and solid stereo imaging. Even while using the internal phono stage, these speakers keep up a strong performance that belies their humble stature. For anyone short of space, these desktop powered speakers are a strong option.

Two new active speakers enter the fold

We now have our two new active speaker winners.

These speakers have built-in amplification, while also including multiple input options and Bluetooth for convenience. For those who don't want to deal with multiple separate boxes (or don't have the budget to), these active speakers are an ideal flexible option.

For under £700, it can be hard to find a pair of active speakers that meet the brief in terms of flexibility whilst maintaining superb sound quality. Fortunately, Fyne Audio's first-ever active speakers, the Cubitt 5 (£549 / $749 / AU$1495), do just that.

With inputs including HDMI ARC, optical, stereo RCA line level, a moving magnet phono stage and Bluetooth 5.0, these speakers can be used with any setup, whether that's a separates hi-fi system with a turntable, a TV or simply a smartphone with Bluetooth.

What's more, they sound great across their inputs. The Fyne boast a whopping great 120W of power per channel, and sound impressively balanced and insightful, with nicely controlled bass.

For active speakers above £700, the new KEF Coda W are another success for the brand, offering a seriously upmarket sonic performance at £799 / $1000 / AU$1450.

Again, versatility is a strong consideration here, with HDMI ARC, USB-C, optical, stereo RCA line level and moving magnet phono inputs availble. When it comes to wireless streaming, too, these speakers are well equipped with support for aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth.

However you choose to listen to music, you can expect a clear, detailed presentation, with deep, controlled bass and expertly handled dynamics.

The Coda W feature KEF's iconic Uni-Q driver array, with 100W of amplification powering each channel. They're well made too, and show off KEF's proven success in the wireless speaker systems category on a more modest and simplified pair.

All of these speakers are Award winners in their own right, but one of them will take home the overall Product of the Year trophy in the standmount speakers category. We'll be announcing those winners – a few additional special awards – at our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 ceremony on the night of 12th November, so stay tuned!

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See all the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026: Dali and Wharfedale shake things up in this year's floorstanders face-off

Best bookshelf speakers 2026: top standmounts for every budget tested

Some years bring more change than others at the What Hi-Fi? Awards. While this year hasn't seen a total overhaul of our floorstander speakers category, with many familiar faces holding on to their titles, there have been some notable shifts.

Among the exciting updates, Dali's new floorstanders have ousted a previous Product of the Year, while Wharfedale has seen yet another win for its budget speakers from the long-running Diamond Series.

Wharfedale has a long winning streak associated with the Diamond name, so we aren't entirely surprised to see this esteemed series producing yet another winner.

For anyone searching for a new pair of floorstanders that won't cost an arm and a leg, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i (£499 / $1198 / AU$1699) are hard to beat.

Given that these "i" speakers were launched as an updated replacement for the previous, also Award-winning, Diamond 12.3 model, we were intrigued to find out how they would compare. In this sense, the new Diamond 12.3i had little to worry about, with a more exciting and dramatic sound than their predecessors, which snagged them the 'Best floorstanding speaker under £500' win.

Dali aren't dallying

Next up the price ladder are the Dali Sonik 5 (£899 / $1800 / AU$1749), which overthrow the Fyne Audio F501E in the 'Best floorstanding speaker £500-£1000' category. The Dali speakers' compact proportions belie their mature, detailed and powerful sound.

But while they might stand out for their sonic performance, the tastefully subtle design of these floorstanders is unlikely to draw any unwelcome attention, and makes them ideal for those with smaller rooms.

Compared to price rivals, these speakers are a touch more tolerant of imperfect placement, so you won't be constricted when it comes to positioning. You might want to tilt them back, however, as they aren't the tallest floorstanders around.

Once placed, you can expect an expressive, dynamic performance, with well-managed bass and a pleasing dose of textural detail across frequencies. At this price, they're a strong recommendation.

A prodigy from PMC

If it ain't broke, as the saying goes, don't fix it!

PMC's Prodigy 5 (£1995 / $2999 / AU$3899) stay true to that idea, holding on to their title as the 'Best floorstanding speaker £1000-£2000' for a fourth consecutive year.

Although these speakers are on their way out of 'affordable' territory, we think that their rich and refined sonic performance makes them excellent value for money, nonetheless.

What's more, in classic PMC fashion, they are unfussy and transparent when it comes to pairing equipment. They will highlight the charms of a better amplifier, while revealing, rather than exaggerating, flaws in recordings or accompanying kit.

In terms of their visual design, the Prodigy lack any extraneous aesthetic add-ons, but their simple design is far from unsightly and will integrate nicely into most spaces.

A fine pair of Fynes

Also retaining their What Hi-Fi? Award (for the second year in a row) are the mighty Fyne Audio F502S (£2300 / $2800 / AU$3000), offering the best performance for price in the £2000-£3000 bracket.

These aren't a small pair of speakers, but for those with a capacious listening space, they will do much to justify the room they take up. Additionally, these towers aren't too fussy about placement, thanks in part to their 'Isoflare' coaxial driver design.

That arrangement, which places the tweeter at the centre of the mid/bass driver, works exceptionally well, delivering a cohesive and entertaining presentation that stays consistent, no matter where you are in the room.

Professional ProACs

Our most premium floorstanders Award category, which covers pairs costing more than £3000, also sees a two-consecutive-year Award winner, the ProAC D20R (£4100 / $5800 / AU$10,800).

These are far from a fresh face, having been released over a decade ago, which makes this year's win all the more impressive.

These speakers use a ribbon tweeter, alongside a woven glass fibre mid/bass cone to deliver an expressive, articulate and energetic sound. Dynamics are muscular and punchy, and these floorstanders are capable of a greater impact than we would conventionally expect from models of their reasonable proportions.

The ProACs' build quality is also excellent, with a meticulous, veneer-matched finish and high-quality speaker terminals. If you are spending this much on a pair of speakers, those small touches of finesse really matter.

All of these speakers are 2026 winners in their own right, but one of them will be taking home the overall Product of the Year trophy in the floorstanders category. We'll be announcing the final winners at our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 ceremony on the night of 12th November, so stay tuned!

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At What Hi-Fi? we feel very few mainstream speaker manufacturers can hold a candle to Sonus Faber when it comes to visual flair. Luxury detail, unusual natural materials and innate appreciation of fine aesthetics have been baked into the Italian brand’s DNA from the very beginning in 1983.

These Olympica G3 III floorstanders are a great example of the company’s wares. They are part of the Italian brand’s new high-end Olympica range that sits around halfway up the company’s speaker hierarchy.

This third-generation range consists of five models, with the Olympica III on test here being the smaller of two floorstanding choices. They are complemented by a standmount, a dedicated centre speaker and an on-wall model that’s ideal for surround duties. It can be used as an unobtrusive option where space is tight too.

While their sophisticated aesthetics grab our attention first, these Olympica towers also feature an impressive amount of technology and clever engineering.

Build

In basic terms, they are relatively compact three-way floorstanders for the money. Their 110.4cm height is pretty modest by class standards, and their slim proportions mean that they are unlikely to dominate in all but the smallest of rooms. Not all high-end customers are blessed with huge listening spaces, after all.

Sonus Faber are past masters at integrating a range of materials to produce a cohesive and stylish whole, and that is the case here. We love the Olympica G3’s mix of wood, aluminium and leather. The III’s appearance is classy and elegant, yet refreshingly understated.

Their curved cabinet feels immensely rigid and is covered in a nicely matched high-quality walnut veneer. Its shape not only looks elegant, but it reduces the build-up of internal standing waves. There is also a darker wenge finish option for those who prefer a less traditional look.

Neat details abound, from the inlaid metal branding on the top panel to the neat, leather-covered baffle around the tweeter and midrange. Lovely.

Design

The Olympica G3 III’s drive units, particularly the midrange and tweeter, deserve a careful look. The ‘Camelia’ midrange design was originally developed for the brand’s flagship speaker system, the Suprema, which retailed for £695,000 / $750,000 on launch back in 2024.

If you are a keen gardener, you will know that Camelia (often spelt with a double l) is a rather pretty flower. The Olympica G3 III’s unpainted, white paper pulp midrange cone is shaped like its namesake. Its distinctive geometry is claimed to avoid the resonances of a conventional circular cone and so produces cleaner, less distorted results. This 16.5cm driver has a solid aluminium phase plug at the centre to help improve dispersion at the top end of its operating range.

If you were to remove the drive unit from the cabinet, you would find it and the tweeter have a dedicated closed enclosure, which is damped by a specially developed cork structure. The cork’s curved shape and innate properties reduce standing waves and minimise structural resonances.

The midrange crosses over to a 28mm silk dome tweeter at around 2.5kHz. This tweeter uses Sonus Faber’s unusual Damped Apex Dome (DAD) technology, where the movement of the dome centre – the part that is least well controlled – is restricted by a small damping cone that’s supported by the metal band that sits vertically over the driver. The advantages of DAD are claimed to be reduced distortion and greater clarity.

Those twin 16.5cm paper cone bass drivers take over below 365Hz. These are tuned by a rear-firing port that is mounted asymmetrically on the back of the speaker. This arrangement opens up interesting possibilities as far as positioning is concerned.

The Olympica G3 III isn’t an unusually difficult speaker load for an amplifier to drive. Its sensitivity is a healthy 90dB/W/m, and while the nominal impedance is a lowish 4ohms, most price-compatible amplifiers will be fine with it.

In our 3 x 7 x 5m test room, these floorstanders sound best with a bit of space to breathe. We have them around 70cm out from the wall and well away from the room corners. At first we tried them with the rear ports pointing inwards, but this results in a congested and ponderous low-end that doesn’t integrate well with the midrange.

Switching the speakers around so that the ports fire outwards fixes those issues, giving more balanced and agile results. Regardless, these floorstanders still need a notable amount of toe-in towards the listening position to render a solid and focused soundstage.

Given the price point, it doesn’t make any sense to short-change these speakers. They deserve top-class partnering equipment, even if their relatively unfussy nature means that they will produce decent results with more modest partners.

Our system is Naim’s ND 555/ 555 PS DR music streamer and a Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player feeding a Burmester 088/911MKIII amplifier. We also try an Audio Research LS-2/S-200 pre/power and a PMC Cor integrated to hear how the Sonus Faber handles more modest electronics.

Sound

The first word that comes to mind is balance. The sound of these speakers is defined by a broad range of strengths rather than a specific superpower. Despite their relatively modest dimensions (by class standards), these towers produce a large-scale sound with plenty of authority. They go loud when the music demands and do it with suitable grace, holding off hardness and unwanted aggression well, even at higher volumes.

The quartet of drivers are seamlessly integrated, gelling to an extent where it becomes genuinely hard to pinpoint where one hands over to the other. That sense of balance extends to the frequency range. While we wouldn’t describe these speakers as wholly neutral, their character is likeable, blending solidity with plenty of refinement and bite. Indeed, be warned that the tweeter can be provoked into sounding a little spiky with poor recordings or aggressive partnering equipment.

The Olympica III’s low-end is taut and tuneful, tracking the undulating bassline of Michael Jackson’s Who Is It well. It is true that alternatives like Audiovector’s larger R6 Arreté dig deeper and truer, but the Sonus Faber still satisfies on its own terms.

In absolute terms, these speakers don’t quite convey rhythms with as much drive as some rivals, but they remain an entertaining listen regardless.

We have no issue with the way the bass is integrated into the rest of the frequency range, but it is also fair to say that the innovative Camelia midrange unit is unusually crisp, clear and agile. There is an obvious improvement in these respects as the frequency of the sound rises through the lows and into the midrange. The result is that vocal-based material shines.

We can’t help but admire the way these floorstanders handle the beautifully recorded Mount The Air from The Unthanks or the more stark debut set from Tracy Chapman. Voices come through with impressive clarity and nuance, capturing the emotional message of the music well.

The top-end is almost as good. That unusual DAD tweeter is responsive and detailed, and on the whole goes about its job without drawing too much attention. That’s just the way it should be.

As we move to larger-scale works, such Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Mahler’s 10th, the Olympica III continues to do well. Without challenging bigger alternatives, it sounds powerful and authoritative. There is a good sense of scale, and we appreciate the ability to swing large-scale dynamic shifts without too much stress. Composure levels are pleasing, as is the speaker’s ability to remain organised when things become busy.

Stereo imaging is suitably out-of-the-box, once the positioning is optimised. The soundstaging is stable and nicely layered, with instrument locations rendered with precision. There is a good sense of depth too on suitable recordings.

Verdict

Sonus Faber’s Olympica G3 III are easy floorstanding speakers to like. They are beautifully made and styled with uncommon flair. Factor in the well-balanced sound and generally unfussy nature, and we think that they will appeal to a wide range of people.

At the very least, they deserve to be seriously considered if you are lucky enough to shop at this level.

Review published: 2nd November 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

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JBL's Classic Series has long paid homage to the brand's speakers from the 1970s, and now it has a new flagship.

The L150 Classic is a three-way floorstanding design that combines classic styling with modern acoustics to deliver "the scale, dynamics, and realism sought by serious music listeners," according to JBL.

With its walnut veneer, the design might be as 70s as a kipper tie and flared trousers, but inside we're promised modern drivers, crossover design and acoustic tuning.

Key to the design is a large 15-inch Pure Pulp Differential Drive woofer, which JBL claims allows for plenty of dynamic headroom and bass authority.

The woofer is joined by a 6.5-inch polymer-coated Pure Pulp midrange driver and a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter that's mated to an advanced waveguide and acoustic lens to produce "an enhanced soundstage". Crossover points of 310Hz and 1.8kHz have been chosen to bring the three drivers together to create a coherent sound.

But it's not just the drivers that have been designed for optimum sound quality.

The angled profile and sloped front baffle of each cabinet direct sound towards the listener, while the vented, bass-reflex enclosure with dual front ports extends low-frequency response to 33Hz.

You can also customise the sound to your room setup using the front panel high- and low-frequency attenuators.

Aesthetically, they're very much in keeping with the Classic Series, with the foam grilles sporting the same Quadrex design as other models in the range like the L100 and L82.

The JBL L150 Classic will go on sale in 2027 for $9999 (around £7500 / AU$14,000) per pair.

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A big sound demands a big speaker, right? Not according to Steinway Lyngdorf. Its new Steinway & Sons Model O promises room-filling sound from a slim design.

Steinway says this is achieved through a combination of sound technologies, the firm's Integrated Systems Approach and RoomPerfect calibration.

This is the new version of the original Model O, which was introduced in 2018. Both are named after Steinway's Model O piano, which was dubbed "The Living Room Grand Piano" when it launched 120 years ago. Its aim was to bring the musical experience of a Steinway concert piano into the living room.

Despite a relatively small footprint, the new Model O speaker claims to deliver "full-bodied, detailed and clear sound". A passive bass unit concealed on the back works with the wall against which it's placed, giving you more floorspace – the speaker was tuned specifically for such placement.

For the high frequencies, Steinway's Air Motion Transformer tweeter provides "exceptional clarity and detail, reproducing the music's finest nuances."

This model has two front-mounted midrange bass drivers (the original Model O only had one), a cabinet with 80 per cent more internal volume and a 50 per cent larger passive radiator. This should mean better bass performance, more dynamic range and a more room-filling sound.

It has Steinway's trademark look too, with a gold-coated tweeter eye with a matte or polished surface and high-quality lacquer. The 26 black strings on the front are a nod to the brand's heritage in musical instruments, and there are plenty of customisation options, including gold-coated rings around the two front-mounted midrange drivers, individual lacquers and wood veneers.

Each Model O is assembled and finished by hand in Skive, Denmark, and boasts RoomPerfect calibration technology to optimise the sound to the room in which it's placed.

The Model O is out at the end of November, with the price on application.

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A floorstanding speaker is no small investment even in the mid-range market, so you'll want to make sure you get a good pair.

We can help you there. The Q Acoustics 5050 are a pair of mature-sounding speakers with impressive clarity and scale that will delight most music fans.

And as a bonus, they're currently discounted. The 5050 are available at their lowest price of £999 at Peter Tyson, a nice £300 discount from their launch price – and there's a free Fell Audio speaker cable included for good measure.

The Q Acoustics 5050 face some stiff competition, particularly from the Dali Sonik 5, but they're still an excellent option, as evidenced by their ongoing place in our best floorstanding speakers guide.

The 5050 shares a lot in common with its junior siblings, the five-star 5040, but with a bigger cabinet to accommodate larger twin mid/bass drivers (15cm vs. 12.5cm).

In scaling up, we were concerned that maybe Q Acoustics would overreach – but one listen and our fears were assuaged.

"Get the positioning right and you will be greeted by some of the most controlled and articulate bass that we have heard from a tower at this level," our Q Acoustics 5050 review reads.

"As we listen to Time from Hans Zimmer’s Inception OST it is hard not to be impressed by the depth and definition of the music’s complex and oh-so-powerful lows. The 5050 sound composed and unstressed even as volume levels rise."

The sound they produce is superbly insightful, engaging and entertaining, with excellent clarity. So much so that we gave the pair a What Hi-Fi? Award when we first reviewed them in 2024.

The 5050 do need some care with partnering, though, especially as their presentation can be a touch forward.

They do produce a decent sound with budget amplifiers, but we think they deserve more talented options such as Arcam’s A5 and A5+ or the Cambridge Audio XA81.

So long as you have a decent source hooked up too (perhaps the Arcam CD5 CD player or Rega Planar 3 record player), you'll get one heck of a performance.

Smartly finished and a delightful listen when partnered properly, the Q Acoustics 5050 offer grace and power at what was a competitive price even before the discount. The mid-range just got a bit more affordable with £300 off at Peter Tyson.

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And the best bookshelf speakers for every budget

VAF Research has been designing and hand-building loudspeakers in Adelaide since 1978, giving the company a long and continuous history in Australian hi-fi. Its range spans everything from accessible standmounts to serious high-end floorstanders, and the Signature i91 has held a particularly enduring place within it.

First introduced around 1999, this large standmount has been tinkered with over the years, benefitting from iterative upgrades all in the pursuit of the best-possible sound.

I certainly went into this review with high expectations as my previous experience with VAF’s more affordable DC-2S standmounts (AHF #543) revealed the company is capable of delivering impressive imaging and musical engagement. Given the Signature i91 MkIII on review here is a far more substantial proposition in both price and size, I was already filled with excitement before I’d even unboxed them.

EQUIPMENT

This MkIII version was introduced around 2021. VAF doesn’t necessarily market it as an entirely new speaker, but rather a refined continuation of a well-established formula.

It’s certainly retained its physical presence. This is a substantial standmount speaker in every sense. Standing 440mm tall, 220mm wide and 360mm deep, and weighing 15kg apiece, the Signature i91 MkIII is considerably larger and more solidly built than the average bookshelf design. As a result, each speaker arrives in its own carton, and getting the 15kg cabinets safely onto suitably heavy-duty stands is best treated as a two-person task.

The weight is not solely the result of MDF panels measuring up to 36mm thick, but also VAF’s substantial internal bracing. VAF adds the Signature i91 MkIII uses precisely mitred joints, substantial internal cross-bracing and its own Hypersoft damping material, all intended to suppress internal reflections and standing waves. The combination, says the company, “ensures maximum attenuation of any internal standing waves”.

The pair supplied for review wear VAF’s handsome Feature Eucaplypt timber veneer, priced at $5,158. I cannot say for certain whether it was the finish itself, but unboxing them produced an unexpected first: I noticed the smell of a pair of speakers! It was a pleasant, warm timber aroma — an oddly specific detail, perhaps, but one that immediately reinforced the sense that these were carefully finished objects rather than boxes from a production line.

The surfaces are equally enjoyable to touch, smooth as anything, with an attractive sheen that brings the grain to life. Alternative finishes include Black Oak, American Cherry, Tasmanian Blackwood and Australian Jarrah; having experienced the Feature Eucaplypt, I am now rather curious how those smell, too!

Once they were out of their individual boxes and on some stands, it was pleasing to see the i91 MkIII marry a good aroma with stunning looks. They adopt a similar visual aesthetic as the more cost-friendly DC-2S, which in turn proves they are unmistakably a VAF design. And if you weren’t too sure on first look, just take a glance at the bottom-right corner and you’ll see the company’s logo taking pride of place.

At the centre of the i91 MkIII is a 170mm coaxial driver, manufactured especially for VAF by SEAS in Norway. SEAS — short for Scandinavian Electro Acoustic Systems — has been producing loudspeaker drive units since 1950, and its engineers developed one of the earliest soft-dome tweeters in 1968. The company was also heavily involved in the production of the Dynaco A-25, released in 1969 and which went on to become one of the best-selling loudspeakers in history.

The driver in the Signature i91 MkIII combines a polypropylene woofer with a Sonomex soft-dome tweeter mounted at the cone’s centre — the same coaxial driver features in the smaller, more affordable Signature i90 too — while the crossover uses hand-wound copper inductors.

Such a configuration allows VAF to achieve its goal of time alignment, since the tweeter and woofer share the same acoustic centre, meaning their output arrives together more consistently than in a conventional multi-driver array. VAF says this has further benefits, including broadening the general listening area, as opposed to delivering sound to a ‘sweet spot’. Indeed, VAF’s Head of Sales, Mike Ziersch says “With coaxial drivers, pretty much everywhere is the sweet spot!”

The i91 MkIII uses dual front-firing bass-reflex ports, positioned above and below the coaxial driver, meaning they’re a little more forgiving when it comes to placement than rear-ported designs. It doesn’t mean you can or should immediately place them up against a wall of course, as the cabinet’s proximity to room boundaries will still have an effect on bass and tonal balance, but you at least get a little more wriggle room.

Around the back, a substantial full-height terminal plate projects from the cabinet rather than sitting flush with it. It accommodates two pairs of gold-plated binding posts for bi-wiring or bi-amping; the review pair arrived bi-wired. Conventional single-wire connection remains possible — the terminals accept bare wire, spade, and banana plugs — but the arrangement gives owners scope to experiment with cable routing or separate amplification for the tweeter and woofer sections.

VAF quotes a 45Hz–18kHz frequency range for the i91 MkIII, that low-end figure no doubt being a byproduct of the generous cabinet volume and twin ports. It suggests the i91 MkIII can cover most music with convincing bass weight without immediately requiring a subwoofer, although listeners wanting the lowest rumbles or home-cinema ambitions may still want a dedicated sub.

It is worth distinguishing the standard i91 MkIII from the externally similar i91 MkIII SE. Both share the same cabinet and coaxial layout, but the SE is effectively a more comprehensively upgraded variant. It employs VAF’s newer high-excursion magnesium-alloy woofer and magnesium-alloy tweeter. Its crossover is necessarily redesigned around those different driver materials and also uses higher-specification Solen and SCR capacitors in critical signal paths. Internally, the SE receives van den Hul 12AWG silver-coated copper cable — the same wiring used in VAF’s flagship Signature Series floorstanders — whereas the standard i91 uses high-quality 12AWG OFC copper.

On paper, the SE promises greater bass impact and more midrange and treble detail, while the company describes the regular model as the more delicate and relaxed of the two, with excellent imaging and soundstaging. In fact, VAF goes as far to say the regular Signature i91 provides a “level of accuracy and performance not seen in any other loudspeaker at their size or price”.

The i91 MkIII is rated at a relatively accommodating 90dB sensitivity and a nominal 6-ohm impedance, making the process of selecting partnering equipment relatively simple. For this review, it was partnered with Marantz’s Model 50 integrated amplifier, with 70W-per-channel output into 8 ohms, rising to 100W into 4 ohms.

LISTENING SESSIONS

For my listening, I placed the VAF Signature i91 MkIII approximately 25cm from the wall behind them (measured to the rear terminal plate). And, since the company’s coaxial-driver arrangement is intended to maintain time alignment across a broad listening area rather than concentrate performance into a narrower sweet spot, I left them firing straight into the room, rather than being toed in towards a listening position.

I had an absolute blast spending time with the VAF Signature i91 MKIII. Alongside familiar favourites, the speakers had me flicking through old playlists and uncovering forgotten classics — always a good sign. Rather than feeling like they demanded “audiophile” recordings to impress, the i91 MkIII made me want to keep listening to anything and everything, from high-energy dance tracks to slow and sultry ballads. Fortunately they lapped everything up that I could throw at them.

One such rediscovery was Alt-J’s debut album An Awesome Wave. I admit I was never completely sold on the group when they hit the scene way back in 2012, which was a little annoying at first because my friends could not get enough of them. Whenever one of them was the designated driver for a day out, Alt-J was almost inevitably playing. The band eventually did grow on me however, and ‘Taro’ is now one of my favourite tracks.

When played through the VAF i91 MKIIIs, ‘Taro’ was delivered with exceptional cleanliness and organisation. The track’s shifting, irregular rhythmic patterns remained easy to follow, with each instrumental element afforded enough space to make sense of the arrangement as a whole.

The speakers had no trouble separating the higher frequencies from the low bass line, preventing a tangled mess, which gave the song a controlled and open presentation.

Music was streamed from Tidal Connect to Marantz’s CD 50n network CD player, before being passed to the Model 50 integrated amplifier. However, most of my song choices came from my expansive Apple Music playlists (I’m still holding out hope for an Apple Music Connect feature one day). The main one I used for this review comprised thousands of songs that were once on my Spotify account but that were eventually migrated over to Apple’s service some 10 years ago. After I left Alt-J, I came to the Cs and Chris Rea — on went ‘The Road to Hell Pt. 2’.

Rea’s crooning vocals and instantly recognisable melody allowed the i91 MKIII to show off its more restrained strengths. The opening melody carried a lovely warmth, while the overall presentation was detailed, clean and natural. What impressed me most however was the fact the speakers never once seemed to overdo it. They didn’t once feel as though they were trying a “hey, look at me” performance, rather they simply revealed the track with relaxed confidence.

While it may be that, on paper at least, the standard i91 MKIII is less bass-capable than its SE counterpart, I nevertheless wanted to really test the low-end capabilities because, with my initial playthroughs, it seemed plausible that the speakers might benefit from a subwoofer to add more low-end authority.

Billie Eilish’s ‘bad guy’ quickly challenged that assumption. The i91 MKIII immediately used the large enclosure and ability to get down towards 45 Hz extension to its advantage, delivering the track’s pulsating bass line with depth and energy. There was ample drive and punch for a properly zealous listen, yet Billie Eilish’s vocal remained crystal clear and precisely placed above the heavy bass foundation.

Fat Freddy’s Drop’s ‘Shiverman’ took the VAF Signature i91 MKIII further still, revealing another level of low-end capability. The speakers were able to dig deep into the track’s dub-influenced bass without losing their sense of control or cohesion. Rather than merely producing more bass, they retained the separation and rhythmic poise that made earlier tracks so convincing, allowing the groove to feel weighty, immersive and genuinely physical.

The i91 MkIII’s strengths were not confined to close, focused listening at enthusiastic volume either. I moved my seating position back to around five metres, and even when reducing the Marantz Model 50’s output, London Grammar remained strikingly clear and communicative. On ‘Stay Awake’, in particular, the speakers preserved the delicate texture of Hannah Reid’s voice, while the track’s dynamic shifts retained their impact without requiring high playback levels. Of course, increasing the volume only had a positive effect, but I was pleased to find the Signature i91 MkIII had little trouble firing into a large space.

CONCLUSION

For all their talents, what I ultimately took away from this review was the knowledge that the i91 MkIII has an uncanny ability to make music feel inviting. The speakers keep every element of a track easy to follow without stripping away its warmth, character or sense of fun. They can deliver proper low-end impact, too, without allowing bass to obscure everything above it. They are truly wonderful speakers to listen to, to look at — and, apparently, to smell. I can also readily imagine them being a pleasure to live with.

LABORATORY TEST REPORT

Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the VAF Signature I-91 Mk III Loudspeakers should continue on and read the LABORATORY TEST REPORT published on this page. Readers should note that the results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or displayed using graphs and/or photographs should be construed as applying only to the specific sample tested.

Newport Test Labs measured the in-room frequency response of VAF Signature I-91 Mk III Loudspeakers using wideband pink noise as the test stimulus, with the measuring microphone at a distance of one metre from the tweeter, on the tweeter axis.

The result of this test is shown in Graph 1 (above), and you can see that the response extends from 44Hz to 20kHz ±3.5dB. This is an excellent result under any circumstances, but made even more impressive because the speaker was tested on a stand, remote from all wall boundaries. If the speakers are positioned on a bookshelf or on stands close to a wall, the already impressively extended (for the driver diameter and cabinet size) bass response would be extended downwards even further.

The low-frequency performance of the single co-axial driver in the VAF Signature I-91 MkIII is shown in Graph 2 (below), where Newport Test Labs has used a well-known nearfield measurement technique that replicates the response that would be obtained if the driver were to be measured in an anechoic chamber.

You can see that the response of the bass/midrange cone starts rolling off at 70Hz, but is extraordinarily flat above this frequency, right out to the graphing limit of 500Hz, essentially being within ±1.5dB between these two frequencies.

Although the output of the cone starts rolling off at 70Hz, you can see the outputs from the two front-firing bass reflex ports (the red and blue traces on the graph) both peak at 58Hz and provide appreciable energy from 35Hz to 90Hz, essentially extending response downwards and reinforcing the bass response.

It’s notable that despite being located at opposite ends of the front baffle, the outputs from the ports are almost completely identical, so VAF has obviously taken considerable care with the internal design of the enclosure to deliver this result. There is evidence of a slight port resonance at around 260Hz, but it’s very slight and has minimal effect on the overall frequency response of the system.

The overall impedance of the VAF Signature I-91 MkIII is comfortably in ‘nominally 8-ohm’ territory, with Graph 3 (below) showing that the impedance (red trace) drops below 8-ohms only between 120Hz and 500Hz, and then only to a minima of 6.9-ohms at 200Hz.

The slight glitch on the impedance trace at around 260Hz is additional evidence of the slight resonance mentioned previously. The phase angle (orange trace) is very well controlled to within ±30-degrees right across the audio band, which is excellent. Newport Test Labs’ individual measurements of the low- and high-frequency sections of the crossover (the blue and green traces) show that the electrical crossover point is at 2.4kHz.

The efficiency of the VAF Signature I-91 MkIII, as measured by Newport Test Labs, was rather lower than average for all hi-fi loudspeakers (which is 87dBSPL), but about spot-on for the average of two-way designs in small-to-medium sized cabinets, with the lab reporting sensitivity of 85.5dBSPL at one metre, for an input of 2.83Veq.

French audio firm Triangle has expanded its Borea Series with a new large-format standmount speaker, the BR05.

The company says that the BR05 combines “retro-chic styling with contemporary acoustic design”.

At the heart of the new speaker is a 21cm mid/bass driver made from natural cellulose pulp.

Triangle says that the driver’s material “gives voices and instruments a sense of texture and presence, while the cone profile and dust cap are tuned to balance scale with finesse”.

The mid/bass motor system features a 120mm ferrite magnet and a 40mm voice coil, while a “rigid, open basket promotes airflow and heat dissipation to help the BR05 stay composed during dynamic passages”.

To handle high frequencies, the BR05 uses the Borea Series’ signature 25mm silk dome tweeter with a phase plug. Triangle claims this lets the speakers deliver a more precise soundstage.

The bi-wirable speaker’s internally braced cabinet is made from high-density MDF. Triangle claims that its proprietary driver vibration absorption system “[dissipates] mechanical energy before it reaches the cabinet”, using a high-density foam gasket to connect the rear of the motor to an internal brace.

Two forward-facing bass-reflex ports have also been included to make the speaker “less sensitive to distance from the rear wall and easier to position in a real room”.

A supplied base tilts the speaker back by eight degrees to “improve soundstage coherence, while maintaining a discreet visual footprint”.

For those looking to raise the speakers to listening height, optional S03 stands are available for £225 / $299 per pair. According to Triangle, the eight-degree tilt is maintained in both positions

The Borea BR05 are available to order now for £729 / $999 in five finishes: Light Oak, Black Ash, Chestnut, Green and Frosted White.

This makes them the most expensive standmounter speakers in the Borea range but still cheaper than the firm's premium Borea BR10 floorstanders (priced at £1379 / $1149).

The speakers' main rivals at this price are the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Acoustic Energy AE3000 Mk2. Here's hoping they're up to the challenge when we get them in for testing.

MORE:

Read our full Triangle Borea BR04 review

And our Triangle Borea BR03 review

Stay up to date with our pick of the best standmounter speakers tested by our expert reviewers

Scottish hi-fi manufacturer Linn has announced the 343, its latest high-end four-way active floorstanders.

Available in two distinct flavours, the new compact floorstanders harness Linn’s proprietary technologies to project an “unshakeable illusion of reality”.

Each new speaker packs a woven carbon 19mm tweeter and a 6.4cm midrange driver, as well as a 22cm bass unit alongside a 19cm upper bass driver. Both lower-end drivers harness the brand’s Pistonik motor system inherited from Linn’s flagship 360 speakers introduced in 2026.

That Pistonik motor system promises “flawless linear force” over its entire wide range of in-and-out travel thanks to its long-stroke motor topology and extended magnet gap.

The result, says Linn, is “bass performance with the depth and authority to give 343 its remarkable sense of scale, and the precision to preserve its composure”.

Each speaker’s continuous cabinet is free from hard edges, designed to let sound leave the loudspeaker more consistently and reduce diffraction effects that reveal the position of each box within the room.

Central to realising this effect is the cabinet material, made using a glass-fibre-reinforced moulding compound which allows for the enclosures to boast thinner walls while preserving structural integrity and performance.

The 343 is available in two variants. The Exakt Integrated version comes fitted with a power supply, digital crossover, DAC architecture, and amplification housed within its integrated module. As its name suggests, it also harnesses Linn’s Exakt technology, which adjusts your speaker’s output to a given space in pursuit of better harmonics and time alignment.

The Passive with Active Bass (PWAB) variant shares the same drive units, this time boasting a Utopik and Power DAC for the bass system, with the 343 array comprising upper bass, midrange and tweeter units driven instead by external amplification.

Both versions are available now in a choice of Triton Black, Single Malt, Clyde Built, Linn Heritage, Piano Black, or Alpine White finishes. The Exakt edition is on sale for £65,000 / $97,500 / AU$139,995 while the PWAB version will set you back £45,000 / $67,500 / AU$99,995.

MORE:

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

Rewind: High-end speakers, an affordable five-star treat for home cinema fans, new Rega turntable rated and more

These are the best floorstanding speakers you can buy

Scottish loudspeaker manufacturer, Fyne Audio, has launched a limited-edition version of its first ever loudspeaker, the F1-10, in celebration of the company’s 10-year anniversary.

The F1-10 Anniversary speakers are limited to 30 individually numbered pairs worldwide and feature an updated ‘IsoFlare’ driver design, a newly developed ultra-high-frequency tweeter system and Fyne’s “most ambitious crossover to date”.

The new ‘IsoFlare’ driver features a 7.5cm aluminosilicate glass compression tweeter mounted at the acoustic centre of a 25cm multi-fibre mid/bass driver.

The company claims that the new tweeter material offers “extremely low mass, exceptional strength” and improved internal damping. The glass diaphragm also uses a powerful neodymium magnet and a vented rear chamber to deliver “outstanding transient response, low distortion and high power handling without thermal compression”.

A computer-optimised waveguide is used to control the tweeter’s dispersion, which the company says allows the ‘IsoFlare’ driver to deliver “consistent directivity, exceptional stereo imaging and a stable, immersive soundstage”.

The new ultra-high-frequency ‘SuperTrax’ system sees a 2.5cm thin-ply carbon tweeter mounted horizontally in the enclosure’s top panel. This additional tweeter fires onto a diffuser, which, Fyne claims, distributes its output “evenly throughout the listening environment rather than projecting it narrowly towards the listener”.

In a rather sci-fi touch, each unit’s crossover undergoes a “super-deep freezing and controlled thawing process”, which Fyne says “[optimises] electrical conductivity and signal transparency”.

The new speaker has bi-wire terminals, alongside a fifth grounding terminal, which allows the driver chassis to be grounded to source and amplifier equipment, to minimise radio-frequency interference.

Following in the footsteps of the original F1-10, the Anniversary edition includes ±3 dB controls for high frequencies above 750Hz and “presence” between 2.5kHz and 5kHz.

That’s a lot of talk about high frequencies, but Fyne has also taken bass into account, using a ‘BassTrax’ diffuser to distribute the output of a downward firing bass-port “uniformly into the room”. The company claims that the diffusion system makes the speakers less fussy about placement than rear or forward ported alternatives.

Low frequencies are also looked after by an internal twin-cavity tuning system for “tight, articulate and naturally integrated bass”.

Fyne says that the F1-10 Anniversary’s cabinet design “celebrates the unique original F1-10”, with a curved cabinet and a luxury gloss veneer finish.

Each “extensively braced” cabinet is made from high density birch and plywood, and finished in an American walnut veneer with contrasting high-gloss burr walnut, a solid walnut trim, and champagne gold accents.

For 30 lucky owners, every pair of F1-10 Anniversary speakers will also include floor-protection cups, a precision adjustment tool, Neotech single-wire jumper leads, an individually signed anniversary booklet and certificates of approval. Limited-edition etched Glencairn whisky glasses and an optional black driver trim kit “complete the ownership package”.

According to Andrzej Sosna, managing director of Fyne Audio, “The F1-10 Anniversary is a truly landmark product for the brand. Each pair is not only a celebration of Fyne Audio’s first decade, but a lasting demonstration of the knowledge, skill and passion of the people who have shaped that journey. While the Anniversary is a limited-edition loudspeaker, the design philosophy, technologies, and engineering behind it form the foundation of the next decade of Fyne Audio loudspeaker ranges.”

The Fyne Audio F1-10 Anniversary speakers are available now for £37,000 / $50,000.

MORE

Read our full Fyne Audio F1-8 review

Then, check out our Fyne Audio Cubitt 5 review

Plus, stay up to date with our pick of the best floorstanding speakers tested by our expert reviewers

Note: Magico has pointed out that due to inflation, the original A3's price rose to just shy of £22,000 this year – almost £10,000 more than its launch price. The original story follows.

When it launched in 2017, the original A3 was Magico's most affordable speaker ever (though at £12,000 per pair, it wasn't exactly pocket money). Now the A3 has been reborn as the A3 2027, with a new cabinet, new drivers and new crossover.

Oh, and a new price that's over twice as much as the original A3 at launch.

The new model is again a three-way, four-driver floorstander, but it was developed with the same advanced measurement instruments that produced the ultra-high-end M9 (which cost a staggering £840,000 per pair at launch, but are probably closer to £1 million now).

Californian firm Magico claims that no part of the original A3 speaker was kept just because it worked before – rather every element was reconsidered and reevaluated.

The midrange and woofer cones are built around aluminium-honeycomb cores, which have "ideal thickness, light weight, and the ability to be formed into custom shapes", Magico says. Once sandwiched between carbon fibre skins, they produce "groundbreaking performance" with ultra-low distortion.

Each drive unit was designed especially for the A3 2027. The tweeter's pure-beryllium 28mm diameter diaphragm has a new neodymium-based motor to deliver low distortion with greater power handling, while the 5-inch midrange uses a new long-life foam surround to achieve "excellent cone-to-surround integration, fast settling time, and ultra-low distortion figures," according to Magico.

The midrange also has a super-stabilised magnetic field, pure titanium voice coil and pure copper shorting rings courtesy of a new motor system to minimise eddy currents.

The two 7-inch bass units use the same new cone geometry as the midrange, with the same motor system and all its benefits. These units were optimised for minimal distortion using FEA simulation.

So that's the actual sound-producing parts covered. But the rest of the speaker received just as much attention to detail.

The new crossover is implemented as an acoustical-target 24dB Linkwitz-Riley slope, "delivering maximum frequency and phase linearity while keeping intermodulation distortion minimal." Magico's Elliptical Symmetry Crossover techniques control driver resonances, while Mundorf EB GmbH components promise greater power handling, transparency and liquidity.

Bracing and damping were targeted precisely where needed, thanks to the use of a Laser Vibrometer measuring the vibrations in the cabinet panels. A Near-Field Scanner (NFS) robot measured the 3D sphere surrounding the speaker to optimise the A3 2027's acoustic output, while constrained layer damping means less noise radiating from the parts of the cabinet featuring bracing and bolts.

The visual design has been overhauled, too, with radiused vertical edges and no hard corners visible when viewed in profile. There's no visible fastener either, so it looks like one uninterrupted surface only broken by the drivers. The base is precision-machined and mirrors the speakers' radiused geometry, with custom footers that help reduce diffraction.

The cabinet has had a glow up as well, with the panels now bead blasted and anodised, resulting in a satin texture. And it now comes in four finishes – black, silver, red, and blue – to the original A3's two.

All of these improvements come at a price, and that price is £28,998 per pair (around $38,000 / AU$55,000). That's more than twice the launch price of the original A3.

Look out for it in the first part of 2027 from UK distributor Absolute Sounds.

MORE:

Read about the original Magico A3

And the insane M9 flagship

Best floorstanding speakers: budget to premium models tested by our experts

Studio monitoring speakers sit at the very core of PMC’s DNA. The letters PMC are an initialism for Professional Monitoring Company, after all. The brand’s earliest products were aimed at the pro world, with the original MB1 monitor being introduced in 1993, just a couple of years after the company was founded.

More than three decades on, the current PMC MB2 SE mirrors that early monitor’s formula right down to its brutal appearance, formidable cabinet size and drive unit array. Of course, PMC hasn’t been idle over those decades, with the current design featuring improved ingredients across the board that take in everything the brand has learnt over the years.

Design & build

Technically, the PMC MB2 SE is a standmount design, but at 87cm tall it is not that much shorter than many of the floorstanders that pass through our test room. Make no mistake, this is a huge speaker, measuring 38cm wide and over half a metre deep.

A single MB2 SE is as visually obtrusive as a washing machine, and you need two of them for stereo, of course. Those with modestly-sized listening rooms need not apply.

The MB2 SE is a three-way design. It combines a 27mm Sonolex soft-dome tweeter, a 75mm doped-linen dome midrange, and a rather distinctive 31cm Radial doped-paper bass driver, with crossover points set at 3.8kHz and 380Hz. Connection is made via three sets of chunky binding posts.

Those spokes in front of the bass cone aren’t just there to look impressive. They serve to dissipate heat generated in the motor system when working at high volume levels with bass-heavy source material.

We suspect such considerations are unnecessary for normal domestic use. But it is nice to know the speakers can cope if you go nuts with the volume level during a spirited listening session.

The use of transmission-line bass loading has been baked into PMC’s products from the beginning, so it is no surprise to see the technique used here. The company has long promoted this configuration to be the most effective way to achieve clean, low-distortion bass output from a box speaker.

The rear-firing output from the MB2 SE’s bass unit travels down a folded, carefully damped path inside the cabinet. As this signal passes through, most of the sound gets absorbed, leaving only the lowest frequencies to emerge from the substantial vent at the top of the front baffle.

Importantly, this low-frequency sound is in phase with the bass unit’s forward output, and if properly tuned, fills in below the point where the woofer starts to tail off. The transmission line inside the MB2 SE has an effective length of 3m.

A further advantage of such a design is that it adds internal bracing inside the enclosure, making the structure impressively rigid. The MB2 SE is beautifully made and finished to a high standard, just as its hefty price tag demands.

It is available in four lovely real wood finishes: the Grand Walnut of our review samples, Amarone, Natural Oak and Jet Black. But rather like a gorilla dressed in a tuxedo, none of these come close to hiding the design’s studio heritage. We can’t imagine anyone calling it a stylish design, but we still warm to the MB2 SE’s brutal yet entirely functional appearance.

Any speaker at this level positively demands top-class partnering equipment. Our sources are Naim’s ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer and Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player feeding a Burmester 088/911 Mk III pre/power amplifier.

We also try PMC’s Cor integrated amplifier to see how the speakers cope with more modest but still capable amplification. Our speaker benchmarks are ATC’s SCM50 speakers and a pair of Marten Audio Parker Duo Diamond standmounts.

It will come as no surprise to find that such a big speaker shines brightest when given plenty of space to breathe. Our main test room is 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) in size, which is reasonable by general standards but probably at the lower end of acceptability for these monitors.

We end up with them around a metre into the room, and slightly angled in so that the tweeter axis crosses a little behind us when we are seated in the main listening position.

Sound

Set up in this way, these PMC speakers deliver an expansive soundstage with instruments and environmental acoustic clues nicely focused. There is a pleasing resolution of depth information and an impressive degree of image stability when the music gains in complexity, or the volume level rises.

It is fair to say that the soundstage doesn’t quite float free of those substantial cabinets in the manner that smaller alternatives such as the Marten speakers manage, but it is still good enough to avoid complaint.

Given their size, it is fair to expect that these PMC speakers can go loud and deliver deep bass, and they do. We play an old favourite, Setting Sun by the Chemical Brothers, and the MB2 SE have a ball. They play loud, way louder than we would ever need, yet remain wonderfully refined and composed when doing so. They don’t harden up or become edgy when pushed.

It all adds up to a lovely sense of ease, where the listener can relax knowing that the speakers can cope with whatever is thrown at them.

Then there is the bass. The MB2 SE are a great advert for transmission lines. If engineered poorly, such designs can sound uneven and ponderous, but PMC’s experience has delivered a performance that ticks all the boxes as far as low-end performance is concerned.

As we run through our array of bass-torture tracks from Hans Zimmer’s soundtracks for Interstellar, The Dark Knight and Inception to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol.1, we can’t help but sit back in awe at what these speakers can do.

They dig impressively deep, yet combine that with a blend of power, finesse and tunefulness that is rare. There is a degree of authority on offer that is a match for anything we have had in our test rooms.

The speakers’ excellent bass gives a firm foundation for the rest of the frequency range. Voices come through with impressive clarity and definition. These PMC speakers are as insightful as they come through the midrange, but unlike many such high-resolution designs, they don’t filter out the natural warmth and body of voices. As we listen to Sade’s Diamond Life, we can’t help but admire the speakers’ skill in resolving vocal textures and the dynamic nuances that communicate emotion.

Orchestral crescendos and other larger-scale dynamic shifts are handled with equal finesse. Once again, we note the speakers’ composure and the apparent ease with which they go from loud to quiet and back again.

As a bonus, we are happy to note that the MB2 SE sound good at quiet volumes too, with the bass staying present and balanced with the rest of the frequency range to a surprising degree. If you are looking for ideal late-night speakers, consider these.

Verdict

The PMC MB2 SE are surprisingly capable all-rounders. Their size and driver array correctly foreshadow their sonic muscularity, whether we are talking about loudness capability or bass extension.

However, we weren’t expecting them to be so refined and insightful. Sure, they are hugely transparent and will uncover shortcomings in both the partnering electronics and source material with ease. However, they never forget to put the music first.

If you have the space and system to do them justice, these are speakers you really have to hear. We are utterly charmed by them.

Review published: 1st October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the ATC SCM 100A

Also consider the Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero

Read our YG Acoustics Carmel 3

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

The most famous BBC-designed speaker is undoubtedly the little LS3/5A. Arguably the first proper high-quality mini-monitor, this little box design from 1975 has long achieved legend status among a section of the hi-fi community.

It is a two-way design, barely bigger than a typical shoebox. Given the tiny 5-litre internal volume and modest 11cm mid/bass unit, don’t expect much in the way of bass extension or ultimate loudness capability.

Yet, listen to the LS3/5A with vocal-based recordings or small-scale classical, and they can still sound magical. They render voices and acoustic instruments with the kind of palpability, warmth and body most modern alternatives barely hint at.

True, the best of the current breed, KEF’s own LS50 Meta or PMC’s Prodigy 1, are notably more revealing and dynamic. However, there is no denying that the LS3/5A’s music-making abilities remain captivating.

The BBC is a broadcaster rather than a manufacturer, so its speakers were made under licence by outside suppliers. A range of companies, including Rogers, Spendor, Harbeth and KEF, signed the dotted line.

Our limited edition mid-90s KEF LS3/5A samples come straight from the company’s museum. They are specified as having a miserly 82.5 dB/W/m sensitivity and power handling of just 30 watts.

That gives a maximum output level in the mid-90dB range, which is fair – but hardly party levels. This is a low-sensitivity speaker that can’t be driven hard to compensate.

But that didn’t matter to the BBC, as the LS3/5A was intended to work in nearfield conditions, in cramped studios and outside broadcast vans. It was designated a ‘Grade II’ design, used to monitor general speech and overall balance, rather than for critical evaluation.

To do that job, the BBC ended up designing something bigger and more ambitious. Enter the LS5/9.

The 28-litre LS5/9 was introduced in 1983, eight years after its more famous sibling. Its job was to let sound engineers optimise every aspect of the broadcast/recording, from microphone placement to overall sonic balance.

The LS5/9’s home was any studio where the company’s huge full-range monitor speakers wouldn’t fit. Graham Audio is responsible for our beautifully built samples.

Both the LS3/5A and LS5/9 designs were based on decades of research done by the BBC’s engineering department. That research covered every aspect of speaker design, from cabinet construction to drive-unit materials, and was far better resourced than anything a commercial speaker manufacturer would or could ever do.

The research led to some unusual conclusions. Thin, heavily damped cabinet panels were considered a better option than the thick-walled, ultra-rigid approach so favoured today.

The slight ‘give’ thin panels provide pushes any resonances away from the midrange, where our ears are so sensitive, into the bass region, where they are not. The LS3/5A’s enclosure panels use 12mm birch ply, while the LS5/9’s are thinner at 9mm.

Most speakers of the day used paper diaphragms in their drive units, which were prone to unwanted colourations and distortions. The BBC's solution was to use new-fangled plastics instead.

The LS3/5A's KEF-sourced B110 mid/bass featured a Bextrene cone to avoid any such issues. This was partnered with a 19mm Mylar-dome tweeter, linked, as in the LS5/9, with a complex crossover that prioritised tonal evenness, seamless integration and consistent dispersion characteristics.

The LS5/9 is a front-ported design rather than a sealed box. Its more modern 20cm mid/bass switches to polypropylene on performance grounds, and is mated to an unusually large Audax 34mm soft-dome tweeter.

The large dome size helps with power handling and integration but restricts treble extension to just 16kHz (+/- 3dB), whereas the LS3/5A is claimed to reach closer to 20kHz (+/-3dB).

Both speakers have protective metal grilles fixed in front of their tweeters to avoid accidental damage.

The LS5/9 is a more electrically sensitive design than its older sibling. It has a quoted sensitivity of 87dB/W/m, so it is notably louder for any given input signal. Maximum loudness capability is up too, at more than 100dB, a big gain over its relative.

Given the shared engineering foundations of these two speakers, I thought it would be interesting to compare their sound. Before we start, you should know that our samples differ greatly in age.

The KEF LS3/5A is around 30 years old. While it is in great working order, those years are likely to have taken some toll on its drivers, crossover components and enclosure. On the other hand, the Graham Audio LS5/9 is the company’s current demo pair.

It is easy to understand why so many people still love what the LS3/5A does. It offers a smooth, easy-going listen. The midrange sounds surprisingly full-bodied, giving voices and acoustic instruments a natural warmth and fluidity that is hugely appealing.

Position the speakers on solid stands, close to a rear wall, and they deliver a decent impression of bass weight for their size. This is down to a low-frequency hump deliberately introduced to highlight any hum or buzz in the original signal.

Remember, the BBC designed this for monitoring broadcasts and recordings, and such unwanted noises would be common issues.

The relatively smooth higher frequencies aren’t particularly insightful by current standards, though the integration with the midrange is seamless. There is no doubt that the better current £1000-£1500 standmounters deliver greater dynamic reach, stronger rhythmic drive and better overall transparency.

That’s 50 years of engineering progress. Still, there remains something quite wonderful about the way these BBC monitors make small-scale and intimate music sound.

In contrast, the LS5/9 are much more like a modern speaker. Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring holds no fear, even at high volume levels. These are detailed and articulate performers that can challenge the best at their price (£3839 / $5999 / AU$9749).

They are notably more transparent than the LS3/5A, revealing flaws in recordings and partnering equipment far more readily. That Audax tweeter isn’t shy about sounding harsh or edgy, if provoked.

Tonally, the LS5/9 sound more neutral, trading the smooth, slightly rich balance of their older siblings for a more upfront and direct approach. Their midrange still has a lovely sense of naturalness, delivered with a fluidity that most equivalent designs would struggle to better.

Both BBC monitors image superbly. The LS3/5A disappears more successfully into the soundstage, but even the bigger speakers render impressively stable and focused results.

The LS5/9 age starts to show only when it comes to delivering large-scale dynamic shifts and rhythmic drive. Current class leaders communicate the energy and authority of a recording better.

Even so, I’m astonished by just how appealing both these speakers sound. The LS3/5A is the more forgiving choice. It has a smoother balance, a truly lovely midrange and superb stereo imaging. However, it excels at being soothing rather than exciting.

The LS5/9 is the better all-rounder, though fussier about the partnering system and recording quality. It was designed as a critical monitor, and that shows. Ultimately, it is the one I would like to live with, even though the LS3/5A manages to sound more magical with certain recordings.

Whichever one you lean towards, both designs are solid testaments to the excellence of the BBC’s engineering department all those years ago.

MORE:

Read our Graham Audio LS5/9 review

The BBC’s 50-year-old LS3/5A mini monitor shows the uneven progress of modern speaker design

A tale of three speakers: mini monitor legends from Acoustic Energy, BBC and KEF

At the Sydney Hi-fi Show back in May 2026, Richter was rocking its demo room with two pairs of ‘Series 7 Special Edition’ speakers.

The smaller pair were substantial standmounters, the new Aurora S7SE, while the larger pair were beautifully-proportioned floorstanders, bringing back a classic Richter name from the past: the Dragon.

Over the decades some Richter model names, which favour legendary creatures and such like mysticism, have become legends in their own right, perhaps most famously the Wizard, which has a nebulous claim to have sold more units Down Under than any other speaker designed here.

But also the Dragon, which qualifies as perhaps Australia’s cult‑classic floorstander par excellence, the step-up model engineered with unusually serious cabinet design and driver tech for its price class.

Build & design

It’s a timely arrival, this being an anniversary for Richter: 2026 marks 40 years since the original founder Ralph Waters launched the company with three pairs of home-made speakers while battling to overcome the Aussie ‘cultural cringe’ that kept many stores stocking only English, Japanese and American brands. Fortunately the press were impressed, and Waters’ designs found favour with the Australian public, Richter going from strength to strength ever since.

This new Series includes S7SE versions of the Wizard, Dragon and Excalibur floorstanders, along with the Aurora bookshelves, and they share revised design elements which CEO Brian Rodgers says were conceived “to bridge aesthetic sophistication and acoustic performance... Our brief was clear – to design a speaker you’re as proud to look at as you are to listen to, speakers that feel at home in today’s modern living spaces, yet deliver the power, precision, and emotional engagement Richter is known for.”

The development saw Richter’s long-time acoustic engineer Dr Martin Gosnell working closely with industrial designer Adam Hobbs to create a softer, more contemporary form, reducing the visual dominance of traditional large black boxes, while maintaining the integrity of Richter’s sound. Their solutions include newly-curved cabinet designs, with real natural walnut veneers and matching anthracite-grey baffles, optional mottled-grey cloth grilles, and “just enough shiny bling to draw your attention”, says Rodgers.

There are several notable updates with the S7SE range over the previous Series 6 – but there never was a Dragon S6, so the changes are even more significant if you compare the new Dragon to the previous Dragon V, which was in production from around 2010 to 2015.

In driver terms the mid-bass drivers are new and improved, with ultra-rigid, lightweight cones in precision-engineered cast-alloy baskets. The bass drivers gain larger voice coils, but the biggest change is the arrival of a new high/mid module, the ‘SE Teardrop’, housing not one but two domes — a 25mm high-output neodymium-backed HF dome and a new 70mm soft-dome midrange. The module is vertical in the floorstanders but pivots sideways to fit the baffle height of the Aurora standmount design.

In the larger Dragon and Excalibur models, Richter uses the teardrop module D’Appolito-style, flanked by the two 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers, also new and improved, arriving with ultra-rigid lightweight cones in precision-engineered cast alloy baskets. This all creates a symmetrical “wall of sound” that should disperse widely into the room while retaining the precision of the double domes.

The teardrop shape also minimises sharp baffle edges around the tweeter, which helps to cut down on diffraction that can cause high-frequency ripples and uneven response.

The final driver for the new Dragon is a 165mm high-excursion composite paper cone bass unit that also gains a larger voice coil.

Further improvements include a newly developed 4-way, bi-wire-ready crossover network, with dedicated circuits feeding specific driver groups. One for the SE tweeter and mid-dome, one for the twin 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers and a bass-shelf extension circuit (a dual-chamber tuning system) for the bass driver.

Critical to both the new aesthetic and performance upgrade is the move to newly-curved dual-chamber vented bass reflex enclosures, with real Natural Walnut veneers and matching anthracite-grey baffles. The 285mm quoted figure for width refers to the total width including the stabilising feet; the cabinets themselves measure 230mm at their widest point, tapering elegantly down to 140mm at the rear. This curved design reduces resonances, in addition to allowing improved forms of internal bracing.

On the rear of the 109cm-high cabinets are two bass reflex ports of differing depths. The top one is 15cm long, while the one at the bottom is 24cm. Both are just under 7.5cm wide, with shiny, black plastic extrusions that flare at the exits. If you prefer the sound of fully sealed enclosures, Richter supplies two foam bungs for each, which can be used to block the ports and convert the naturally vented enclosure to a sealed one. All four foam bungs measure 7cm × 7cm, so you needn’t worry about wondering if a specific bung should be used for the deeper reflex port.

If you’re perusing the dimensions of the Dragon S7SE, wondering if you can fit them in your home (perhaps subject to other half approval) you’ll want to know the 109cm quoted height of the Dragon S7SE cabinet is correct, as is the 419mm quoted depth — including speaker terminals and with magnetic grilles attached; each pair of Dragon S7SE comes supplied with mottled-grey cloth grilles.

A newly designed set of terminal plates complete the look, including high-quality nickel-plated binding posts which accept bare wire, pin/spade connectors and banana plugs.

As far as numbers go, Richter claims an in-room frequency response of 25Hz-30kHz at -6dB, a sensitivity rating of 90dB (2.83V/1m), and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms (minimum 3.5 ohms).

They will perform to their best with stable high-current amplification to unlock their full potential; Richter says that Dragon S7SEs will benefit from 100-300W RMS amps rated for 4-ohm loads, though our testing included the more modestly specced Marantz Model 50n (~100W/4 ohm), which still yielded impressive results.

Overall build quality is top tier, and with each speaker coming in at 29.1kg on the scales, they feel utterly solid. Each pair of Dragons comes supplied with spikes and discs for hard floors.

Listening sessions

First up was Lady Gaga’s smash hit Abracadabra, an upbeat techno anthem which immediately showcased the Dragon S7SE’s low-end credentials – tight, controlled, and impactful from the opening beat. Dynamic shifts landed spot-on, and their lively rhythmic presentation filled the room.

The SE Teardrop module excelled in projecting Gaga’s vocals wide across the soundstage while slicing cleanly through the bassline. We experimented with the bottom-port foam bungs, having settled on having the Dragons some 30cm from the rear wall. To our ears, the port-filling made vocals shine brighter, drum hits feel more solid through being a tad tighter – a subtle but meaningful refinement. To be honest, the speakers impressed with either configuration, but the easy tunability is a bonus to get things just right in different circumstances or tastes.

Jessie Ware’s Ride proved a fine Dragon demo tune: each frequency band clear and present within a composed and coherent overall performance. Her soft, sultry vocal emerged from the SE Teardrop module floating high up in the mix with ethereal presence and pinpoint imaging. With the foam inserts out of the rear ports, we could enjoy the extra low-end output afforded by this configuration to lend the track some real toe-tapping drive and rhythmic propulsion.

For a proper workout, we loaded Björk’s Bachelorette from her 1997 album ‘Homogenic’, a serious test for any set of speakers as it surges from delicate rising classical strings to a genuine onslaught, comprising dense orchestration, eccentric rhythms, and vocal acrobatics.

The Richter Dragon S7SE never once baulked at this organised chaos. These floorstanders portrayed all the layers with absolute authority, keeping harp twinkles crystal-clear from the SE Teardrop tweeter, while Björk’s shape-shifting vocals – from throaty sweeps to sibilant whispers – remained textured and planted dead centre. The pounding percussion was delivered with control and impact, all while maintaining a vast, three-dimensional soundstage. Even with ports open and walls close, bass stayed articulate without masking mids. It was clear we were in the presence of a remarkably talented pair of speakers.

Verdict

The Richter Dragon S7SE are, in every conceivable way, a stellar set of speakers,
and they arrive at an impressive price, given their ability to dig deep while unearthing the detail, to deliver scale and presence, while also being room-friendly through
their cabinet curves and the level of finish.

Add in the suite of driver upgrades, and especially the fact that mid-domes are more expensive to engineer than an equivalent mid-range cone, and Richter’s AU$7999 pricing looks and sounds exceptional value, winning themselves a recent Sound+Image Award, and maintaining Richter’s reputation for delivering the combination of outstanding performance at a high-value price.

• See all our Australian reviews from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines!

"Abbey Road Studios is the home of music,” says Andy Kerr from Bowers & Wilkins. “It's the heartland. It's the place where it all begins.”

There’s a very good reason that this humble studio in a leafy enclave of north west London is mentioned in the same breath as such legendary music venues as the Royal Albert Hall and New York's Apollo Theatre: its history.

Everyone knows of the studio’s legendary recording sessions by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder and many more. But fewer people know that this is where the concept of stereo sound was born (it was patented here by engineer Alan Blumlein in 1931, though back then it was known as ‘Binaural Sound’). As Kerr says, this was the “beginning of the whole concept of what we call high fidelity stereo sound reproduction.”

Without Abbey Road, the music industry as we know it wouldn’t exist.

So it’s difficult to overstate Abbey Road’s importance in shaping the modern music world. But perhaps more important than that are the experiences the studio has created, and the emotions these have given rise to.

Listening to music recorded here, “it's soulful, it's emotional,” Kerr says. They’re “recordings that change the way you feel that day when you listen to them – and we're very proud to be involved in it.”

Connecting to the music

Bowers & Wilkins speakers have been at the heart of Abbey Road for over 45 years. Founder John Bowers demoed the first model – the original 801 – himself in 1980. So enraptured were the engineers that the speaker stayed, only being replaced as newer 800 Series models improved on the original.

Pleasing Abbey Road's notoriously particular engineers is no mean feat – these people are at the very top of their game – so to do so consistently for nearly half a decade takes some doing.

Models earning pride of place in Abbey Road over the years include the original 801, the 801 Matrix in 1987, followed by the Nautilus 801, 801 D3, and currently the 801 D4 – last year, Bowers & Wilkins released a limited edition Abbey Road Edition 801 D4, celebrating a longstanding partnership spanning over 45 years.

These are speakers that don’t just play the music, they reveal it as closely to the artist’s vision as it’s possible to be. “Listening to the speaker, it’s everything that the recording is,” says Kerr. “It’s rewarding, or engaging, or uplifting, or maybe even depressing, if that's the recording. It makes you feel emotive. It just absolutely connects.”

Or as one recent visitor to the studio puts it more simply: "You can hear so much... It's just unbelievable."

So it’s hardly surprising that Bowers & Wilkins' speakers have been a fixture of Abbey Road for so long. Here’s to the next half century of great music!

From the studio to home

Seeing behind the scenes at Abbey Road is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us – Abbey Road is still a working studio and so isn’t open to the general public. But with a Bowers & Wilkins speaker, discerning listeners can bring home that spine-tingling studio-quality sound.

The flagship 801 D5 loudspeaker costs £43,000 per pair, and brings a range of enhancements over the previous model: the design has been refined, it has a stiffer enclosure to reduce the unwanted impact of vibrations and resonances, and a new plinth design. It also comes in a range of new finishes with more durable paint, including Dark Walnut (inspired by the limited production 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition), Stealth Black, Warm White and Light Walnut.

Don’t forget to pair them with an amp that’s up to the job (like the Marantz Model 10).

Those on a more modest budget (or with less space to spare) will be well served by the 702 S3 loudspeakers. While these are a lighter-touch alternative to the 800 Series Diamond, they benefit from Bowers & Wilkins’ ‘cascading technology’ – the principle of taking technology from flagship models and applying learning and design advancement to other form factors. Hence the 702 S3 are able to offer many of the same core technologies as the 800 Series Diamond, but at £5750 they’re a fraction of the price.

Available in Gloss Black, Mocha and White, or signature options Datuk Gloss and Midnight Blue Metallic, the 702 S3 make Bowers & Wilkins’ world-class sound technology and renowned craftsmanship more accessible but without compromise.

Tom Petty once sang that “the waiting is the hardest part”, and we happen to agree, having waited a long time for Yamaha to release a new active wireless speaker system. As such, when we heard about the release of the NX-70A, we were keen to get them into our test rooms for a listen.

But we’ve had plenty of talented wireless systems to keep us occupied in the meantime. Among those producing wireless all-in-one systems, KEF has become something of a trailblazer, earning five-star reviews from the What Hi-Fi? review team for its premium LS Luxe (£3500 / $4000 / AU$6375) and LS50 Wireless II systems (£2199 / $3000 / AU$4000), the latter of which is a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner.

Falling between these two five-star options, at a price of £2590 / $3000 / AU$4799, the Yamaha NX-70A system is entering a highly competitive price bracket. The speakers’ dedicated SPS-70A stands cost an extra £517 / $500 / AU$799. While this isn’t an inconsiderable sum, it falls in line with the price of stands for their closest rivals.

The question on all of our minds: will this speaker system prove itself worth the wait?

Build & design

We are immediately struck by how smart and well-built the Yamaha NX-70A speakers are. The sleek, rounded rear of the cabinets kills two birds with one stone by looking suave while suppressing internal standing waves. A 5mm-thick, copper-accented aluminium top plate provides a robust feel with the added bonus of extra cabinet rigidity.

Our test pair arrives in a black finish, but a white option is also available.

The NX-70A measure a fairly conventional 33.3 x 18.9 x 23.4cm (hwd). The primary speaker (which houses all the physical inputs) weighs 5.7kg, while the secondary speaker weighs 5.4kg. So, these Yamaha speakers are not particularly heavy, even for their reasonable size.

We are pleased to find that the NX-70A screw into their SPS-70A stands, which are 66cm tall, for an even more integrated appearance. The speakers fit precisely, with no overflow from the stands, which we think is a satisfying touch. It is worth noting that you will have to assemble the stands yourself, but with the help of included instructions, the construction is straightforward.

A small display screen runs along the bottom of the speakers, showing the currently selected source, volume or connection status. The crisp, clean display is a welcome addition that most rivals don’t feature, but we would have liked it to be bigger, as the small text is hard to read from a comfortable listening distance.

As for the drivers, both use Yamaha’s ‘Harmonious Diaphragm’ material, which is a blend of Zylon (a strong, lightweight synthetic polymer) and the same spruce wood as used in the soundboards of the company’s grand pianos.

The 30mm dome tweeter and 13cm ported mid/bass unit are both driven by dedicated amplifiers providing 60W and 100W of Class D amplification, respectively. Despite their output rating, the active speakers run surprisingly cool and don’t heat up significantly during testing.

Features

The NX-70A's internal DAC supports music files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256, which should please anyone with a huge and varied digital music library.

However, the link between the speakers does limit the final resolution you hear. The two speakers can be connected to each other wirelessly, or with an included 3m cable. While the wireless connection offers more flexibility in terms of placement, its resolution limit is reportedly 24-bit/48kHz, while using the physical connection ups the limit to 24-bit/96kHz.

A host of wireless streaming options are accessible from Yamaha’s dedicated MusicCast platform, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect, alongside access to internet radio and UPnP servers.

In terms of physical connections, Yamaha has included a 3.5mm stereo mini jack, optical, HDMI (eARC), USB-A (for firmware updates as well as music playback) and a microphone input for the brand’s built-in YPAO room equalisation system.

Outputs on the primary speaker include a subwoofer out, alongside the connection to the secondary speaker.

When setting up the speakers, we find the MusicCast control app works well, allowing source selection, playback controls, playlist creation and access to speaker settings, such as tonal and balance controls. The YPAO set-up is also done via the app (more on this later).

Searching through songs stored on our Naim Core server is simple and intuitive, and sound modification features, such as tonal controls, are sensitive enough to be useful, allowing for fine adjustments.

Notably, MusicCast doesn’t include the native search options that are available in native control apps, but offers to open the Tidal, Spotify or Qobuz apps when they are selected. Nonetheless, we encounter no difficulties streaming when we switch to Tidal Connect. If you are using other streaming services, worry not, because music can be sent via AirPlay 2 or Google Cast. The NX-70A system is also Roon Ready.

The NX-70A also has Bluetooth 5.3, but only supports the standard SBC and AAC codecs. Given the price of this system, it’s a shame that Yamaha hasn’t included higher-quality aptX support, but we note that the KEF rival doesn’t include it either. At this level, some manufacturers view Bluetooth as a fallback, and, indeed, with the breadth of listening options available, we don’t find ourselves using the feature often.

YPAO is Yamaha’s Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer, which uses an included microphone to measure the room’s sonic characteristics and counteract any unwanted effects. The process is simple, guided by step-by-step instructions in the app, and involves plugging in an included microphone and running test tones. The entire process only takes a few minutes.

In our acoustically treated test room, engaging the YPAO setting makes for a more controlled and precise bass, effectively countering low-frequency dominance when placing the speakers close to a rear wall. These gains come at the cost of midrange detail and an overall sense of high-frequency refinement, however, so we ultimately opt to leave the setting off.

Sound

While these speakers are small enough to be used on a desk, they don’t shine brightest when used there, losing a degree of balance and dynamic expression. For the best results, we recommend sticking to their dedicated SPS-70A stands.

Experimenting with positioning, we find that the speaker system can sound perfectly comfortable close to a rear wall, with plenty of tonal adjustment available via the app to balance things out should bass dominate. We also angle the speakers in a little towards the listening position, where we find they provide the best stereo image.

We listen to the NX-70A system wired and wirelessly, and find it has a greater sense of air and clarity with a wired connection. As such, we used the physical connection throughout testing, kicking off with some hi-res wireless streaming via Tidal Connect.

Our immediate impression of this Yamaha speaker system is one of composure and poise. Music feels pleasantly balanced, with a healthy portion of low-end that provides punch when it is needed, without becoming overwhelming.

Listening to The First Disciple by Tamino, guitar parts are delivered with warmth and clarity. The leading edge of plucked strings is pleasingly rendered and gives way to the full-bodied, hearty resonance of each note. Later in the song, when bass and percussion come in, the NX-70A has no trouble providing the low-frequency depth and textural clarity necessary to bring the woozy, swirling arrangement to life.

This speaker system reaches somewhat deeper and is more authoritative in the bass than rivals such as the KEF LS50 Wireless II. Low frequencies are substantial and punchy, while remaining nicely defined and seamlessly blended into the overall sonic balance.

Switching up the tempo, we stream YHWH Nailgun’s Ballerina from our Naim server. Again, the NX-70A provides all the clarity and power we were hoping for. Compared with the steady rhythmic grip of the LS50 Wireless II, however, we find the Yamaha leaves us feeling a little lost in the song’s chaotic momentum, with a weaker sense of drive.

To hear how the Yamaha fares with classical music, we listen to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH. 29: II. Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima. Here, the NX-70A offers striking impact and weight to the strings, alongside pillowy, yet well-contoured brass. Dynamically, the system keeps pace with the undulating banks of strings, conveying the piece’s most ferocious and delicate moments with equal maturity and grace.

We are particularly pleased with the way the NX-70A communicates spatial qualities, and truly get a sense of the acoustic environment the piece was recorded in. Closing our eyes, the listening experience feels quite transportative. We also notice just how fluidly the Yamaha system transitions between quiet and loud sections.

Across genres, the NX-70A puts in a commanding, full-bodied performance. While it isn’t quite up to the standards of the Award-winning LS50 Wireless II in terms of subtlety and fine-grained nuance, the Yamaha speaker system is, nonetheless, a highly engaging and enjoyable listen.

We work through the range of physical inputs on the NX-70A, using our reference Cyrus CDi player as a source. Using the optical input, we were pleased with the way the system retains its positive sonic characteristics, but we find there is a slight loss in clarity and dynamic distinction while using the 3.5mm stereo aux connection.

Generally speaking, Bluetooth wouldn’t be our chosen connection when sound quality is paramount. This rings true here, as we found that using the Bluetooth connection results in decreased rhythmic drive and textual detail, but we do appreciate the added convenience that the feature offers.

Verdict

The Yamaha NX-70A is a sonically talented and highly adaptable wireless all-in-one speaker system. While it might not be an outright class leader, this system is nonetheless worthy of serious attention for its expansive feature set, heaps of aesthetic panache and mature, expressive sound.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Also consider the KEF LS50 Wireless II

Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

Some people will never be able to get past the cost of these Marten speakers, and we can understand why. Standing just 42cm tall, the two-way Parker Duo Diamond Edition look under-equipped to survive in a high-end sector dominated by sonically talented and intimidatingly muscular floorstanders.

Given the significantly larger internal volumes and formidable driver arrays featured on those towering rivals, the Parker Duo Diamond Edition’s chances don’t look good. In the event, it turns out that these modestly-proportioned Swedish boxes can look after themselves.

Any company that names its product ranges after Jazz greats shows, at the very least, a good amount of musical appreciation. Marten invokes the likes of Coltrane, Mingus and Oscar, among others, and uses the Parker name for its step-up series.

It may be shocking for some to discover that the Parker Duo on test here is merely one of the early steps on the Marten ladder. Unusually, it is available in two forms: the standard version of the Duo (£11,995 / $19,000 / AU$18,500) and the Diamond Edition on test here.

Design & build

The standard Parker Duo uses ceramic diaphragms in both its 25mm tweeter and 19cm mid/bass unit. Its crossover point is set at a fairly typical 2200Hz, and the network design is a mixture of first and second-order filters. A rear-firing 23cm aluminium passive radiator is used to tune the bass.

Sensitivity is claimed to be 88dB/W/m and nominal impedance is rated at 6 ohms. Note, the minimum impedance is just 3.1 ohms, which suggests these speakers will perform best with a muscular amplifier.

The Diamond Edition adds more spice to the formula by swapping the standard model’s ceramic tweeter for a diamond dome, and upgrading the crossover’s polypropylene capacitors for more exotic copper-foil types. The internal wiring is upgraded too. Everything else, including the electrical specifications, remains the same.

See the Diamond Edition in real life, and it gets off to a good start. Build quality is as immaculate as the price demands. The gloss black finish of our review samples is wonderfully deep and mirror-like.

Not all our team like the unusual styling of this product, or the fixed metal grilles over the drive units, but we have no complaints about fit and finish.

The Parker Duo’s front panel is 6cm narrower than the rear, which looks a bit odd at first. This unusual shape reduces the build up of internal standing waves, while the use of 35mm-thick M-Board (a proprietary laminated material) for the enclosure’s panels is claimed to produce a more rigid and inert structure than more conventional alternatives.

The performance of any standmounter is massively dependent on the quality of its support. Marten makes dedicated stands for the Duo, and they are impressively weighty and rigid. Their construction is based around three rigid pillars and a thick steel base, fitted with four isolator feet co-developed with IsoAcoustic. These stands cost a chunky £3295 / $5000 / AU$5750 per pair, but are good enough for us to consider them an essential part of the deal.

Any product at this level positively demands a top-class system. Our reference set-up consists of Naim’s ND555 / 555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player feeding a Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power amplifier combination.

The cables are a mix of premium offerings from Chord Company and Vertere Acoustics. For benchmarking purposes, we have the ATC SCM50 and the PMC MB2 SE speakers.

These Marten speakers perform best when given plenty of space to breathe. In our 3 x 7 x 5m test room, they sound most at home with the front panel around 90cm from the back wall and angled in slightly towards the listening position so that the tweeter axis crosses a little behind our heads.

Given such a placement, these speakers produce a lovely, consistent tonal balance combined with the kind of three-dimensional stereo imaging that almost feels physical.

Sound

That huge price tag may lead many to expect sonic fireworks every time these speakers play music. That’s not how it works.

The Parker Duo Diamond Edition does exactly what every truly great speaker should, and that’s reproduce the source material with the minimum of alteration. So, if you have a poor compressed recording, or less than capable electronics in your system, these standmounts will merely reflect that, imperfections and all.

Unusually for such revealing and analytical performers, these Marten speakers won’t go out of their way to highlight those flaws. You can hear the shortcomings easily, of course, but they remain in proportion, and the good parts of the recording will still shine.

However, feed these speakers a diet of great recordings – classics such as Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue or Take Five by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, for example – and they will turn in a performance full of subtlety, dynamics and cohesion that’s almost eerily convincing.

That the Marten Parker Duo Diamond Edition are capable of a high level of resolution should not be a surprise. Such qualities should be a given at this level. However, what sets them apart from most rivals is the degree to which they step beyond the mechanics of hi-fi – you know, a cone moving backs and forward, crossover components and enclosure resonances – to put the music front and centre.

These speakers sound impressively natural regardless of whether we are talking about rendering instrumental textures in classic jazz recordings or the nuances of Billie Eilish and Khalid’s vocals on the wonderful song, Lovely.

When we play Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31, these Marten standmounts stay controlled even when pushed hard to high levels. Just as pleasingly, they refuse to harden up and compress to any significant degree under such circumstances.

There are certain boxes that need to be ticked for a speaker to succeed at this level. Tonality has to be spot on, and it is. These standmounts sound neutral while still displaying natural warmth and richness; this is a rare combination that few rivals manage.

Next, dynamic expression should be top class. That’s another tick here, whether we are talking about the wide-ranging sweeps of Tchaikovsky’s symphony or the finesse needed to get the most from the Billie Eilish/Khalid track, the Duo Diamond Edition manages it.

Then we come to rhythmic drive, a quality many hi-fi products struggle with. A quick spin of Michael Jackson’s Who Is It? reveals that these Marten speakers excel in this area too, communicating the song’s momentum and energy beautifully.

We haven’t even got to the icing on the cake yet. These relatively small speakers do bass, proper deep bass, way beyond that we would expect for this size of standmounter. As we listen to the Jackson track we are floored by the power and authority of the lows. The Parker Duo Diamond Edition hit hard and true, delivering the lows with enviable articulation and precision.

Compared to the cheaper but appreciably larger ATC SCM50 speakers, the Martens deliver richer, punchier bass with broadly comparable extension. The company claims low-frequency extension down to an impressive 36Hz ±2 dB. That sounds believable.

Verdict

The real shame of a product like this is that very few people will actually be able to hear and enjoy it, given its price and restricted exposure.

However, if you are one of the lucky few with the budget and system to do a speaker like this justice, we recommend a serious audition; the Marten Parker Duo Diamond Edition is a true endgame speaker.

Review published: 2nd September 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the YG Acoustics Carmel 3

Also consider the TAD ME1TX

Read our ATC SCM50 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

British loudspeaker manufacturer, Castle, has announced two new series of speakers, Tintagel and Walmer, each featuring one standmounter and one floorstanding model.

According to Castle, the Tintagel Series is “the accessible bedrock of Castle’s new line-up”, while the Walmer Series is positioned further upmarket, “utilising sophisticated material and technologies” for “a new level of performance”.

The four new models are the first loudspeakers from Castle since the Windsor Series released in 2023. Like the Windsor Series, all of the new speakers will be designed and manufactured in the UK.

The new Tintagel series aims to bring Castle's "typical warmth, craft and musicality" in hand-crafted cabinets that use real-wood veneers.

The Tintagel 1 is a two-way standmounter, with 13cm mid/bass advanced fibre driver and a 28mm silk dome tweeter. The speaker uses a large, rear-firing bass port for low frequency extension.

The Tintagel 2 floorstanders use a twin 15cm advanced fibre drivers alongside the same 28mm silk dome tweeter as the Tintagel 1. A downward-firing port runs through the speaker’s plinth, which Castle says makes the Tintagel 2 “easier to position” in your listening room.

The speakers’ 'advanced fibre' cones are made from a fibre blend designed to provide light weight and diaphragm damping. Castle says that the cones’ material qualities “avoid the hard, exposed character that can come from less controlled diaphragm materials”.

The silk dome tweeters use a large dome and shallow waveguide to control high-frequency dispersion for “a stable tonal balance, both on and off axis”.

The more expensive Walmer Series features two speakers, the Walmer 1 and Walmer 2, which are designed for listeners who want more "technical refinement" and greater speed, openness and scale above the Tintagel models.

The Walmer 1 is a two-way standmount speaker, featuring a 13cm woven carbon fibre mid/bass driver and a 12x45mm ribbon tweeter. The three-way Walmer 2 floorstanders, on the other hand, use the same ribbon tweeter and twin 15cm bass drivers and a 11.5cm midrange unit, both made from woven carbon fibre.

Ribbon tweeters were chosen for the Walmer Series speakers due to their lightweight diaphragms, which can “respond quickly to resolve fine detail with delicacy and natural extension", while it also offers a wider horizontal dispersion of sound.

The drivers' carbon fibre material has a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, which Castle says delivers “bass notes [with] cleaner leading edges, reduces low-level colouration and allows the midrange to retain fine detail without becoming brittle”.

The Walmer 2’s midrange unit is also housed in its own enclosure, which isolates the driver from low frequency pressure changes inside the cabinet, “elevating clarity through the most critical part of the audio band”.

Additionally, the Walmer 2 featues a mass loaded transmission line system for controlled bass extension. Castle says the objective was to retain the brand's "natural warmth and musical ease" while also adding precision and transparency without sounding overly analytical.

The Castle Tintagel and Walmer Series are available from September, in finishes of Walnut and Black Oak. Prices are as follows:

Tintagel 1: £1999 / $2749 / AU$3749 per pair

Tintagel 2: £2999 / $3999 / AU$5499 per pair

Walmer 1: £2499 / $3499 / AU$4748 per pair

Walmer 2: £4999 / $7499 / AU$10,499 per pair

MORE:

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Check out our pick of the best speakers for all budgets, tested by our expert reviewers

Quiz! Can you name the first film in these home cinema formats?

The quality of passive standmounter speakers has increased significantly over the past few years. With Award-winning offerings from Dali, Bowers & Wilkins and Acoustic Energy, the category has seen fine-tuned tech steadily and continuously upping the sonic standards.

Back in 2023, the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3, was a hit with our test team, resulting in back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Award wins. In this side by side comparison, we will be putting our hero of old up against a more recent five-star offering from Dali: the smallest standmounter in its Sonik series, the Sonik 1.

These speakers have different sonic characteristics, but they compete in the same 'entry-level' market from both brands. Both are highly capable standmount speakers at this price, and we've tested them against each other to help you make your choice.

Dali Sonik 1 vs Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3: price

The Dali Sonik 1 cost £449 / $900 / AU$849, while the B&W 607 S3 will set you back £599 / $1000 / AU$1149. The 607 S3 have been on the market for significantly longer than the Sonik 1, though, and we have seen their price fall as low as £449 / $900 / AU$1039 during sales events, bringing them closer to the Dali's ballpark.

The difference in price might not seem too dramatic across regions, but at this level, even a £50 / $100 / AU$200 disparity is enough to put the Dali Sonik 1 in the lead.

**Winner: Dali Sonik 1 **

Dali Sonik 1 vs Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3: build & design

The Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 and the Dali Sonik 1 are of a similar stature. As such, neither of these speakers is going to dominate your listening space. While their relatively compact size might tempt you to use them on a shelf or desk, we suggest placing these speakers on dedicated stands, where you will be able to make the most of their sonic talents.

Both of these speakers have their own styles and are broadly on a par in terms of build quality. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though, so we suggest taking a good look at the photos or see them in person, to choose your own aesthetic winner.

The B&W 607 S3 come in three vinyl finishes: black, white or oak, the last of which has a contrasting white front panel. Our test pair have a sturdy feel, and we are pleased by their overall design.

But they aren’t just a pretty face. Inside, the 607 S3 feature a host of trickled down technology and concepts from B&W’s more premium ranges, as well as features unique to the 600 Series.

The 607 S3 use a 25mm titanium dome in their tweeter. The tweeter assembly is decoupled from the front baffle to prevent vibrations from the mid/bass driver distorting the tweeter’s output.

Previous 600 Series models used aluminium domes, but B&W claims that titanium allows for better detail in high frequencies, alongside improved refinement.

The tweeter also features a rear tube-loading system to prevent unwanted standing waves from affecting its frontal output, as well as a grille design taken from Bowers & Wilkins’ high-end 800 Series.

The 13cm mid/bass driver is made from Bowers & Wilkins’ woven ‘Continuum’ material and loaded with a dimpled rear-firing port. Its motor-assembly design is inspired by the step-up 700 S3 range.

The drivers are positioned closer together than on previous 600 Series models, which the company claims improves driver integration.

Visually, the Sonik 1 are somewhat less flashy than the 607 S3, but those understated looks mean they shouldn’t draw too much attention to themselves, if subtlety is what you’re after in a pair of speakers.

Their MDF cabinets are clad in a smooth laminate, which, paired with the tweeter’s aluminium trim and the clean front panel, gives these speakers an attractive, sleek appearance.

So, what about the tech?

For drivers, the Sonik 1 use a 13cm mid/bass driver, alongside a 29mm soft-dome tweeter. The mid/bass driver is made from Dali’s proprietary mix of paper pulp and wood fibre, which the company claims provides rigidity, improved damping and light weight. The speaker’s tweeter is made from woven fabric.

The Sonik 1 also employ Dali’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) technology in the mid/bass driver’s motor system to reduce distortion, while optimising detail and dynamic performance. Unlike the 607 S3, the Sonik 1’s drivers are connected through a single-wired crossover.

Both of these standmounters include proprietary technology in their designs, have pleasingly solid designs and come in similarly compact packages, so for this section, it’s going to have to be a draw.

**Winner: draw**

Dali Sonik 1 vs Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3: compatibility

In terms of their positioning, neither of these speakers is particularly fussy. The Dalis are more comfortable when positioned up against a wall, but both give their most balanced performance at a distance between 20cm and 40cm from our listening room’s rear wall.

One key difference is that the Sonik 1 have been designed to face straight out into the room, rather than the more conventional angling towards the listening position, which B&W suggest for the 607 S3. Indeed, we find that both speakers provide their strongest stereo image when we adhere to the manufacturer’s suggestions.

In terms of partnering equipment, the Dali Sonik 1 are highly adaptable and respond well to a variety of price-compatible amps, such as the Rotel A8 (30 watts per channel) and the Arcam A5+ (50 watts per channel), but they are also talented enough to make the most of more expensive amplifiers, such as the Arcam A15+ (80 watts per channel).

Sources such as the Rega Planar 2 turntable, Marantz CD70 CD player and the Cambridge Audio MXN10 music streamer will all work well with both sets of speakers.

The aforementioned amplifiers will work well with the 607 S3, too, but overall, they require a bit more care when pairing. This is because the 607 S3 have a more enthusiastic treble delivery that lacks the refinement of the Sonik 1, meaning they will sound better with smoother-sounding electronics.

Dali Sonik 1 vs Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3: sound

Right off the bat, the Sonik 1 impress us with an intricate, expressive sound. For speakers of their size, these standmounters are capable of conveying a serious sense of scale, both sonic and emotional.

Across their well-balanced frequency range, textures arrive with clarity and precision. Thanks to their “lush” midrange, vocal parts are delivered with a pleasing degree of presence and warmth.

Treble is expertly handled, and resists veering into harsh territory even when we blast The Smiths’ jangling classic, This Charming Man. But these speakers also handle bass well, and pack more than enough low-end kick when we play hip-hop tracks such as A Tribe Called Quest’s Show Business.

Rhythmically, the Sonik 1 are responsive and punchy across genres. Their nuanced dynamics really shine when listening to classical music, where the decays of instruments are conveyed with sensitivity and grace.

In our review, we say that the Sonik 1’s stereo image “retains focus and clarity throughout testing” and has “a satisfying sense of depth”.

Being a previous What Hi-Fi? Award winner, it goes without saying that the B&W 607 S3 have plenty of talent.

What we find particularly striking about these speakers, however, is how “entertaining, zippy and musical” they are, melding dynamic expression with a sophisticated, open sound.

Basslines land with tautness and impact, drum beats are “terrifically crisp and tightly marshalled”, and vocals, such as Bruce Springsteen's lead on Terry’s Song, “exude warmth and grit and crackle with emotion”. In other words, these speakers put in an impressive performance across the frequency range.

However, these standmounters aren’t as refined as the Sonik 1 in the treble, and poorer recordings or bright electronics will leave them sounding a little brash. Their drivers aren’t quite as well integrated as with the Sonik 1, either.

That said, the 607 S3 certainly extend a little deeper in the bass and have a snappier rhythmic performance than their rival.

**Winner: Dali Sonik 1 **

Dali Sonik 1 vs Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3: verdict

As reviewers, our job is seldom so exciting as when a new pair of speakers comes up against a previous What Hi-Fi? Award winner. Within their price range, both of these speakers shoot for the moon – and to great effect.

The Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 are still a wonderful pair of speakers. They have a clear, lively and impactful sound and remain worthy of serious consideration. However, as time goes on, standards keep improving, and the Dali Sonik 1 are a great example of that.

As such, for a more mature, well-balanced and texturally detailed sound, we recommend the Dali Sonik 1.

**Overall winner: Dali Sonik 1**

MORE:

Read our Dali Sonik 1 review

And our Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 review

Then, why not check out our best bookshelf speakers 2026: top standmounts for every budget tested

After a long hiatus, Rotel has announced its return to making passive loudspeakers with the Amora 5 standmounts.

Employing a two-way design, the new speakers have been conceived to integrate naturally with Rotel's established roster of hi-fi separates, deploying what their maker describes as "carefully crafted drive units" held within a compact standmount design.

Alongside their wide frequency response, the Amora 5 have been built to deliver "exceptional resolution and accuracy", low distortion, and an "open, three-dimensional stereo image". To do so, each speaker pairs a 25mm silk-dome tweeter with a 16.5cm woven fibre composite mid/bass driver.

The tweeter is fixed using an aluminium surround ring for a rigid, secure mounting, while a geometrically shaped faceplate aims to minimise unwanted sonic diffraction.

The mid/bass unit, meanwhile, uses a rigid aluminium frame to maintain greater mechanical stability and driver alignment, helping to maintain more consistent driver performance.

Integrating the two drivers is a precision-tuned crossover, designed to deliver a balanced frequency response, clear stereo imaging, and a wide, open soundstage.

The Amora 5 are built using a rigid MDF cabinet, employed to help minimise unwanted sonic resonances. Each speaker also employs a rear-mounted reflex port, tuned to extend low-frequency performance while maintaining a more controlled bass signature.

According to Peter Kao, Rotel's Managing Director: “Rotel’s success has always been built on trusted engineering, long-term relationships, and a shared passion for music. With the Amora 5, we extend the Rotel experience through the final stage of the system, giving our global partners and customers a more complete path from source to speaker."

The Rotel Amora 5 are available now, in a choice of black or white finishes, priced at £999 / $999 per pair.

MORE:

Read our recent Dali Sonik 1 review

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These are the best bookshelf speakers around

Reviewing tech is a funny business: not quite as subjective as critiquing music or art and certainly not as confined to cold, hard facts as investigative reporting. Technology reviews walk a constant tightrope between stats, specs and subjectivity.

Just three months into my new role as a staff writer here at What Hi-Fi?, that tightrope has been where I’ve spent most of my time, cutting my teeth, veering this way and that, and learning an awful lot with each pair of speakers I test in our dedicated listening rooms. Luckily, the experienced staff at What Hi-Fi? are always on-hand to make sure that the final verdict is the right one.

Having previously worked in recording studios, and beyond that spending hours immemorial listening to all sorts of music on all (and I mean all) sorts of systems – I’ll always have a guilty affection for the sound of heavily aliased YouTube downloads on my early teens Blackberry mobile – these ears have been around the block… and back again.

But every day is a school day, and in the process of reviewing floorstanding speakers, standmounters and active speakers with Bluetooth from brands such as Dali, Monitor Audio and Fyne Audio, some of the things I’ve learned have come as a genuine surprise.

Lesson one: tighten your spikes

The first of these revelations arrived while testing a pair of floorstanders. After screwing in the spikes, getting them upright, positioned and plugged in, the speakers sounded muddy in the low end, somewhat unfocused in terms of their soundstage and dynamically, more than a little bit flat. In other words, they sounded pretty disappointing.

When I reported my dismay to our technical editor, Ketan Bharadia, his eyes lit up – not quite the reaction I had expected.

“How tightly did you screw the spikes in?” He asked.

And, lo and behold, once we turned the speakers on their heads and used a spanner to screw in the spikes, ensuring they were all level, all the issues I had been having with their sound cleared up.

This dramatic effect on sound quality arises because loose spikes add mechanical instability to the precisely engineered cabinets, allowing them to vibrate excessively against the floor, hindering the transmission of energy between the drivers and the air. Lesson learned.

Lesson two: Be fussy about positioning

A slightly more obvious surprise has been how significantly small adjustments in positioning can affect the sound of a pair of speakers.

While testing, we spend a lot of time finding the optimal placement for the speakers under review. Some manufacturers, as I discovered while reviewing Dali’s excellent Sonik 5 floorstanders, design their speakers to face straight out into the room, while others suggest angling them in towards the listening position. It is always worth consulting the manufacturer's advice on this front.

But angling is far from the only consideration. Generally, moving speakers closer to a rear wall will make them sound bassier, while bringing them forward will improve the stereo image at the cost of low end.

Angling speakers will have an effect on stereo imaging, as will widening the gap between them – the wider apart the speakers are, the broader the soundstage becomes, but beware taking things too far and causing a central ‘hole’.

Ultimately every speaker and room are different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all method for placement. However, because they are part of one system, it’s worth making sure your speakers and room are working together as effectively as possible.

My main lesson here: experiment with positioning for longer than you think you should.

So, with spikes screwed in and speakers in position, we can finally get down to some serious listening. And it is here, dear reader, that things get really interesting.

Lesson three: Get rhythm(ic drive)

While evaluating the sound of a speaker, there are certain obvious criteria: is the sound clear and free of distortion? Are the frequencies well balanced? Are dynamics impactful and expressive?

All fair, vital assessments of a speaker’s performance. But another critical feature, which I hadn’t thought much about before I arrived at the What Hi-Fi? offices, is the quality of a speaker’s rhythmic drive.

“Cut the jargon, boffin!” I hear you cry. “What do you mean by rhythmic drive?”

Rhythmic drive, put simply, describes a speaker’s ability to convey pace and energy. It’s a measure of how well a speaker provides a sense of propulsion and forward momentum.

If a speaker has weak rhythmic drive, fast, complex rhythms will feel sluggish and underwhelming. Conversely, a speaker with strong rhythmic drive will sound snappy and alert, pulling you along irresistibly with the music.

Stomping feet and tapping toes are a handy litmus test for this particular quality.

In general, the body’s response to music can be revealing. Wincing might indicate too much volume or harsh high-frequencies; feeling relaxed could arise from a well-balanced frequency response; unexpected tears might mean the speakers are squeezing every last drop of emotion out of that one Sufjan Stevens track that still reminds you of your ex – or perhaps the speakers are just that terrible.

All of which is to say, technicalities aside, that a great pair of speakers should make you feel. Music is expression and listening is an emotionally involved process. At the end of the day, a great pair of speakers shouldn’t distract from the communication between the artist and the listener. In the very best of cases, top-notch speakers will make that process even easier – just make sure you take the time to set them up properly.

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How we test and review products on What Hi-Fi?

We recently tested Dali’s Sonik 5 floorstanding speakers, which so impressed us that we awarded them a five-star review. So, when the opportunity arose to test the entry-level standmounter speakers from the same range, the Dali Sonik 1, we jumped at the chance.

Sonik is Dali’s newest entry-level speaker range. The series also includes a larger standmounter, the Sonik 3 (£599 / $1200 / AU$1199) as well as wall-mounted, home-cinema and floorstander options, which top out at the Sonik 9 floorstanders, costing £2199 / $4500 / AU$4099.

Dali says the Sonik series has been designed to replace the discontinued Oberon range. In practice, this makes the Sonik 1 the successor to the five-star Oberon 1. Not insignificant shoes to fill. Notably, although they are currently in the process of being replaced, the Oberon 1 are still available for a price of around £400 / $550 from certain retailers.

But, returning to the present, the crucial question is, will the baby of the bunch uphold the Sonik family name, or see to their fall from grace?

Price

The Dali Sonik 1 are currently priced at £449 / $900 / AU$849, which places them among the cheaper speakers that Dali makes.

At this price, their main rival is the former Award-winning B&W 607 S3, which cost £599 / $1000 / AU$1149, although we have seen these available for as low as £449 in the UK during sales events. We also have the older Oberon 1 and the smaller, even more affordable Dali Kupid (£299 / $599/ AU$599) in our test rooms, so we used all three speakers for sound comparisons during testing.

Build

The Dali Sonik 1 are the smallest standmounters in the Sonik range, measuring just 27.4 x 16.2 x 23.1cm (hwd), meaning they will have no trouble looking at home, even in smaller rooms.

While the Sonik 1 are small and will fit on a bookshelf, we suggest placing them on dedicated speaker stands to make the most of their sonic capabilities. Dali has tried to make these speakers as flexible as possible by also including rear brackets for wall mounting, which will be a welcome addition for anyone running low on floor space.

The MDF cabinets are clad in a smooth laminate and are available in four finishes: natural oak, white, walnut and black ash. Our test pair’s walnut finish looks classy for laminate, lending an air of aesthetic finesse when paired with the tweeter’s aluminium surround and clean front panel.

The speakers feature a 13cm mid/bass driver, tuned with a rear port, and the same 29mm lightweight woven fabric soft dome tweeter as featured on the Sonik 5 floorstanders. The mid/bass diaphragms use Dali’s proprietary mix of fine-grain paper pulp reinforced with wood fibres, which the company says provides rigidity, improved damping and light weight.

The mid/bass drivers across the Sonik range use Dali’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) technology in the motor system to reduce distortion, optimising detail and dynamic performance. Both drivers are connected through a single-wired crossover.

The Sonik 1 have a sensitivity of 86dB/w/m and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. These figures are fairly conventional for a pair of standmounters at this level, so these speakers are unlikely to present any system-matching problems when paired with price-compatible amplifiers.

Compatibility

Ideally, speakers of this price should be fairly unfussy, and could see themselves partnered with a budget streaming amplifier such as the WiiM Amp Ultra (£499/ $529/ AU$899). They can also be used in an affordable separates system, featuring the Rotel A8 amplifier (£399 / $449 / AU$649) paired with a Cambridge Audio MXN10 network player (£399 / $499 / AU$799), Marantz CD 70 CD player (£499 / $750 / AU$1000), or a Rega Planar 2 turntable (£525 / $895 / AU$1149).

During our testing, we tried the speakers with both the Rotel A8 and the step-up Arcam A5+ amplifiers (£749 / $1200 / AU$1595), and we are pleased to confirm that they work well in both cases, providing more than enough punch and expression. Notably, however, the Soniks are talented enough to really come to life when paired with even more expensive amplifiers, such as the Arcam A15+ (£1199 / $1099 / AU$2295), which provides an extra portion of textural detail and dynamic nuance.

For our music sources, we stream hi-res music from our reference Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer and play CDs from our Cyrus CDi player. Both of these are more capable than the sources that would typically be used with these entry-level speakers, but we have chosen them in order to really put a spotlight on the Dali speakers’ performance.

Falling in line with Dali’s suggestion, we find that the Sonik 1 sound most well-balanced when facing straight ahead with a gap of around 20cm between the back of the speakers and our testing room’s rear wall. When angling the speakers in towards the listening position, as might conventionally be expected, we found that the stereo image narrowed and high frequencies became too prominent.

Bring the Sonik 1 further into the room, and we find they begin to lose out in terms of bass authority, which is what we would expect for such a small speaker. Up against our test room’s wall, bass increases and the speakers stay nicely controlled, but we prefer the more articulate balance that leaving a little space provides.

Sound

We had every hope that these standmounters would echo the performance of the five-star Sonik 5 floorstanders, and that certainly appears to be the case. Much like the Sonik 5, these standmounters impress us immediately with their intricate and expressive sound.

Their capacity for scale, both sonic and emotional, comes as a welcome surprise given their dainty stature.

Beginning with Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why, acoustic guitar and piano are delivered with a shimmer that complements the speakers' full-bodied presentation.

The same is true of Jones’ vocals, and we can’t help but appreciate how well-integrated the speakers’ drivers sound, boasting eloquent expression across the frequency range.

Thanks to their lush midrange, Jones’ voice has real body, evoking a palpable sense of presence in our test room.

In treble-heavy recordings such as This Charming Man by The Smiths, the Sonik 1 keep a firm handle on the high-frequencies, delivering guitars with an appropriately jangling sheen without becoming fatiguing.

For a more rhythmically driven track, we play A Tribe Called Quest’s Show Business, and the Dalis have no trouble providing the kind of low-end kick that hip-hop thrives on – for their size, at least. Kick drums and basslines hit hard, but never obscure the vocals or percussion, even when we crank the music up to almost uncomfortably loud volumes.

At low volume, too, these speakers hang on to a sense of musical momentum and clarity, so it doesn’t all have to be windowsill-rattling beats. Most alternatives sound a little lifeless when listened to at such levels, but the Sonik 1 retain an impressive amount of character.

In terms of textural detail, there’s no doubt that the Sonik 1 outperform their predecessor, the Oberon 1. Whether it’s the subtle passing of fingers across guitar strings, or an inward breath before a vocal line, we notice details through these speakers that we miss on the outgoing Oberons.

The Sonik 1 have a strong sense of rhythmic drive and are highly responsive to transients. While rivals like the B&W 607 S3 sound snappier overall, they are somewhat more tonally uneven and, in relative terms, coarser in the treble region.

Dynamically, the Sonik 1 handle intricate shifts, such as the decay of vocal reverb in You Sun Nah’s Kangwondo Arirang, with sensitivity and grace, bringing the track’s most delicate minutiae to the surface with an immersive, intricate sound.

On classical recordings, such as Minnesota Orchestra’s rendition of Infernal Dance Of King Kashchey from Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, orchestral stabs and sweeping ebbs in the dense arrangement are conveyed with equal amounts of refinement and gusto.

Classical music provides a great test of the speakers’ stereo image, too, which retains focus and clarity throughout testing. Notably, the Sonik 1 have a satisfying sense of depth, and during Infernal Dance Of King Kashchey, the relative positioning of the orchestra’s sections is blatantly apparent, with the woodwind section sitting comfortably behind the grand, dramatic strings.

Verdict

We are pleased to say that the smallest speakers from Dali’s new Sonik range walk firmly in the footsteps of their floorstanding sibling, the Sonik 5.

With an expressive, well-balanced sound, these standmount speakers are an excellent pick for anyone seeking serious sonic performance in a compact package at this price.

The Sonik 1 will also forgive less than ideal placement, making them a strong choice for music lovers without a dedicated listening space. All things considered, we highly recommend these talented and adaptable speakers.

Review published: 17th August 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Compatibility 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the B&W 607 S3

Also consider the Dali Kupid

Read our Dali Oberon 1 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

Monitor Audio has announced the release of the latest generation of its long-running Silver Series of loudspeakers. The Silver Series 8G comprises seven new models designed for both stereo and surround sound systems, with the company stating that the new range is “as potent as it is flexible”.

Promising to be Monitor Audio’s most capable Silver series yet, the range has been updated to deliver more “clarity, control and emotional impact than ever before”.

Topping the range are the Silver 500 8G floorstanding speakers, followed by the Silver 300 8G floorstanders, and the Silver 100 8G and Silver 50 8G standmounters. For home cinema systems, there are a Silver Centre 8G and Silver AMS 8G Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. Unlike the previous Silver Series 7G range which originally launched in 2021, the 8G series also features a wall-mountable model, the Silver On-Wall 8G.

All speakers in the 8G range use Monitor Audio’s proprietary Ceramic-Coated Aluminium / Magnesium (C-CAM) driver material, which promises to be both lightweight and rigid. Notably, the mid/bass drivers of the Silver Series 8G feature an updated rigid surface technology (RST III), which sees the speaker cone’s geometry altered to increase structural rigidity while minimising unwanted resonances.

Monitor Audio has also updated its C-CAM gold dome tweeter for the 8G series, tweaking a design that has been used by the company since 1982. The latest-generation tweeter features a vented rear chamber, a new shorting ring (for reduced distortion and an extended high-frequency response), and the same Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II as seen on the Silver Series 7G.

The crossover network has also been updated throughout the 8G range. According to Monitor Audio, the Silver 8G speakers feature “higher quality components throughout” with the new crossover network ensuring “a cleaner, more transparent signal path for tighter driver integration and a more coherent soundstage”.

All speakers use through-bolt driver bracing, which allows the drive units to be securely braced to the rear of the cabinets and tightened to a user-specific torque, to reduce unwanted driver resonances and improve structural rigidity. The cabinets also feature updated bass-reflex ports with an enlarged diameter and flared geometry to prevent port chuffing.

The new Monitor Audio Silver Series 8G are available from this month in three finishes: High Gloss Black, Satin White or European Walnut. The European Walnut veneer is made from real, sustainably sourced timber, to help achieve the “rich grain and colour of exotic woods” without harvesting rare or endangered trees.

Prices are as follows:

- Silver 500 8G: £2650 / €3100 / $3300 (per pair)

- Silver 300 8G: £2000.00 / €2400.00 / $2600.00 (per pair)

- Silver 100 8G: £1500.00 / €1800.00 / $2000.00 (per pair)

- Silver 50 8G: £800.00 / €1000.00 / $1050.00 (per pair)

- Silver On-Wall 8G: £450.00 / €550.00 / $575.00 (each)

- Silver Centre 8G: £800.00 / €1000.00 / $1050.00 (each)

- Silver AMS 8G: £900.00 / €1100.00 / $1200.00 (per pair)

The new Silver Series 8G has seen a jump in price between the two generations, with an increase of as much as £925 on its flagship model. With such hikes across the range, there’s one question on our minds: will the extra expense prove worthwhile?

MORE

Monitor Audio Bronze 50 7G review

Best floorstanding speakers 2026: budget to premium models tested by our experts

Monitor Audio’s versatile hi-fi and home cinema system boasts “genuinely high-fidelity sound”

As part of our 50th anniversary, we’ve been spending quite a lot of time in the What Hi-Fi? archives, poring over back issues of the magazine. We have been reliving good times and the bad and revisiting some of the most memorable audio innovations from the past half-century.

But let’s return, for a moment, to the present. Recently, we’ve had a bulky, impressive-looking pair of PMC M2B SE speakers in our test rooms for review. You can read all about them on our hi-fi and audio editor, Kashfia Kabir’s, most recent Substack post.

Those speakers got us thinking: of all the eye-catching models that have come through the What Hi-Fi? test rooms over the years, which are the weirdest-looking pairs of speakers we have ever laid eyes upon? As it happens, there have been a few strong contenders, many of which arrived around the dawn of the new millennium.

As the year 2000 rolled around, a unique hysteria swept the globe. Fearing the effects of the so-called ‘millennium bug’, many people refrained from booking flights while others stockpiled supplies in case of an apocalypse. Speaker manufacturers, it seems, also went slightly off-piste.

We highlight here five pairs of speakers which we think fit the bill. What do you think? What are the strangest-looking speakers you've ever laid eyes on? Let us know in the comments!

NOTE: To read the full-size text of the magazine images below, click on the arrow sign on the bottom-left corner.

Beauhorn Virtuoso Reference (2000)

Is it a wardrobe? Is it a door? Nope. Somewhat unbelievably, it's a speaker.

Designed by British manufacturer Beauhorn, the Virtuoso Reference showcased the company’s affection for the art of cabinet making – perhaps a little too blatantly for some tastes.

With a 20cm Lowther DX4 driver taking care of the speaker’s entire frequency range, and a sensitivity of 106dB/W/m, this speaker packed some unusual but hefty punches. The doorknob at its centre, we should clarify, is actually an outsize phase plug, designed to improve high-frequency dispersion for a more even and natural sound.

The driver alone cost £540 at the time of writing, and the speakers would have set you back £4946. Not an inconsiderable price even now.

In our review, we said the Beauhorn Virtuoso Reference were capable of producing “wall-shaking levels of volume”, even while connected to an amplifier with a power rating of just seven Watts per channel.

Sonically, we thought these speakers were “fantastically fast and direct”, their lack of a crossover paying dividends, “with sky-high levels of detail and wide-ranging dynamics”, when listening to classical music.

Their gifts don’t come in a small package, however, with the speakers measuring more than a metre tall and 70cm deep.

While playing pop music, as you might have guessed from their gaudy aesthetics, their performance wasn’t “quite as flawless” and they lacked a “certain degree of weight and drive”.

Still, it’s hard not to admire that, as humanity faced a new horizon, Beauhorn stuck to its guns and built these retro wooden giants.

Artifice Audio A1 (1997)*

There is always a bit of preamble before you can get your speakers sounding their best. Conventionally, we would anticipate needing to spend time nailing the positioning and a few days of running them in. Less often does spending five minutes exhaling into a blue PVC bag come to mind.

But that’s exactly what you had to do to get the inflatable Artifice Audio A1 up and running. Of course, you also needed to spend about the same amount of time balancing the pressure between the speakers.

Their materials, or lack thereof, meant that these speakers could be released at a bargain price of just £85. For those savings, however, you would have to negotiate a particularly idiosyncratic quality of the speakers.

Namely, we said that, given a loud signal, the Artifice A1 started “jerking in time with the music like a demented weeble”. But that was part of the plan. By dissipating resonances in the air, the speaker operated under something closer to an ‘infinite baffle’ principle.

Their heavy bases also meant that, despite their grooving tendencies, they stayed put on speaker stands – but if they did fall, they could bounce away unharmed.

In our review we said, “The bouncing speaker performs especially well with high-impact dance music, which benefits from the ever-changing direction of the 15cm doped-paper drive units.”

It wasn’t all good news. We thought the Artifice A1 were “about as attractive as swimming pool armbands”, and found the movement of the drive units caused serious trouble in terms of sound-staging.

B&W Emphasis (1997)

Pushing the concept of a horn speaker close to its visual limit, the B&W Emphasis was the brainchild of Morten Villiers Warren, a furniture designer who approached the company to see if his design fantasy could be made into a functioning reality.

The Emphasis used the same metal dome tweeter as B&W’s Silver Signature Series, mounted on a metal tube growing out of the body next to the main driver, which was a 16.5cm gold Kevlar unit. The more astute hi-fi heads among you will recognise that it was the main driver from B&W’s 600 Series of the time.

Behind the main driver, the horn technology came into play, using the folded fibreglass body as a quarter-wave loading device. In practice, this meant that the body used the rear-firing energy from the mid/bass driver and tuned it for low frequency extension.

But, as Christopher Nolan’s version of J. Robert Oppenheimer once said (repeatedly), “Theory will take you only so far.”

At a price of £6500 in 1997 – an eye-watering £13,200 in today’s money – it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect these speakers to deliver truly top-tier sound. Despite a “good degree of treble clarity”, however, we thought that the Emphasis’s “bass extension [was] hardly reasonable” for the price.

We also found that the speakers “lacked some of the dynamic appeal” that other speakers could deliver, struggling to keep pace with hacking rock and roll test tracks.

Nonetheless, the speakers received a solid overall rating of four stars.

CarfraeHorn (1999)

A seriously premium offering, the CarfraeHorn loudspeakers cost £12,000 in 1999, which would equate to £23,600 today.

Standing at 2.2m tall, these door-sized horn speakers based their design around a tractrix contour – a mathematically derived shape that gives sound waves a clear path through the horn.

The horn itself was made from curved sections of birch ply, while everything else was built from solid maple, a material chosen for its sonic character and good looks.

As the price tag foretells, no expense was spared in the design of the CarfraeHorn. The speakers’ Lowther DX3 drive units, which cost £600 each, were mounted directly into 4cm thick tubes of solid hardwood.

Thankfully, all those premium materials resulted in a listening experience that we described as a “real treat”.

In our March 1999 review, we said that “the detail these speakers produce is breathtaking”. With “a wonderfully evocative soundstage” and “tremendous presence”, the only real issue we could see with the CarfraeHorn loudspeakers was their unwieldy proportions.

KEF KHT 2005 (2001)

Picking up What Hi-Fi? in the early 2000s, you would have been hard pressed to find a magazine that didn’t include several surround speaker systems. As DVD continued to take the world by storm, many of our readers were on the hunt for their first home cinema sound system.

But, as we noted in this June 2001 review of the KEF KHT2005, not everybody wanted to pack their living room with audio hardware. Indeed, many who did may have had partners, or flatmates, who didn’t… some things never change.

As such, we thought this KEF system was one of “the most attractive” subwoofer/satellite combinations we had ever come across, replacing as it did dull rectangular boxes with something curvier and different. Then, as now, a balance between looks and sound was crucial to earn the five-star review that these speakers gained.

So how much tech did £800 get you at the start of the century?

In this case, five egg-like, cast aluminium satellites each used a 10cm KEF Uni-Q driver and featured rotatable, wall-mountable stands, while the 150W subwoofer employed a single, downward-firing 20cm bass driver, and included a healthy variety of connections. The subwoofer even featured a phase-invert control, for easier positioning within a room.

Sonically, we found that the KEF KHT2005 delivered a “quite sensational performance for a package of its type”. At the time, many such speaker systems lacked in midrange performance, whereas the KEFs shone in this regard, making vocal nuances and inflections all the more audible.

They performed equally well with movies and music, and we found these speakers capable of a “meaty sense of cinematic scale”. Closing emphatically, our review said: “It's superb, we can’t really put it more clearly than that.”

*The Artifice Audio A1 was featured in the April 1997 issue of What Hi-Fi? as an April Fools Day prank.

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12 of the world's most expensive loudspeakers

TAD was originally founded in 1975 as a premium sub-brand to help Pioneer sell high-end speakers to the professional market. The brand’s name is an acronym for Technical Audio Devices – not a particularly poetic name, but that hasn’t stopped the company from developing into a standalone high-end manufacturer of considerable repute. Currently, its product range includes pretty much every part of the audio chain from digital electronics to stereo speakers.

The original Micro Evolution One speaker first hit the market in late 2016. The new TX version on test here was introduced last year, and features many detail improvements without changing the basic formula. The TAD ME1TX remains a beautifully made, immaculately engineered standmount that puts detail resolution, sonic precision and transparency at the top of its priorities.

It may come as a surprise to many that a speaker costing this much is only the entry model in TAD’s speaker range, though that fact does provide a good indication of the brand’s positioning in the hi-fi hierarchy.

Build & design

Standing just over 41cm high, the ME1TX speakers are relatively compact, but unusually for such small speakers, they are a proper three-way design.

The midrange and higher frequencies are handled by TAD’s CST (Coherent Source Transducer) driver array that positions a 25mm beryllium dome tweeter in the throat of the 9cm magnesium cone midrange. It is a similar arrangement to KEF’s Uni-Q technology and offers plenty of advantages on paper.

Aligning the acoustic centres of the two drivers improves overall dispersion characteristics and benefits integration.

In practical terms, this means the ME1TX should deliver a wide listening sweetspot and maintain its sonic characteristics more consistently as the listener moves around the room.

A 9cm driver is too small to deliver much in the way of bass, so TAD’s engineers have chosen to partner its CST array with a 16cm woofer.

This woofer uses a multi-layer aramid composite cone with a corrugated surround made of foamed polycarbonate, and vents through the enclosure’s sides behind the 5mm-thick steel plates mounted on either side. Having the vents on either side is said to cancel out any vibrations generated by them.

The ME1TX’s cabinet is a substantial affair and weighs in at a hefty 21kg each. Be careful when you lift them out of their packaging, as that weight can catch you by surprise. The impressively rigid construction consists of MDF panels braced internally by birch plywood.

The addition of those steel plates on the sides adds mass and rigidity, while also giving the engineers a fixed boundary for the air coming out of the vents to interact with.

This TAD speaker’s build quality is exquisite, just as the price demands. The monitor’s fit and finish is flawless, as is the attention to detail, right down to the quality of the biwire speaker terminals and shorting wires used between them to allow single-wiring.

There are two finish options for the ME1TX: the deep gloss black of our review sample and a silver-white combination that looks just as smart.

Compatibility

At this level, careful system matching is a must. The ME1TX has a lowish claimed sensitivity at 85dB/W/m coupled to a demanding 4-ohm nominal impedance, so in electrical terms, it makes sense to go for an amplifier with plenty of drive.

The bulk of our testing is done with Burmester’s 088/911 MkIII pre/power (180 watts per channel), though even PMC’s 95 watts per channel Cor integrated also drives these speakers well. Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and a Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player.

The performance of any standmount speaker is highly dependent on the quality of the partnering support. TAD makes dedicated metal column stands for the ME1TX, and they work well in visual and sonic terms.

Given the price of the speakers, it will come as no surprise that these chunky stands are pretty premium too, selling for £2995 (around $2900 / AU$3599) for the pair.

While it is tempting to position relatively small speakers right up against a wall, we would avoid doing that in this case. In our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room, these speakers sound best around 50cm into the room and angled in towards the listening position. Such a placement retains a convincing tonal balance but also gives us a focused soundstage.

Sound

If you are expecting sonic fireworks, then these TAD speakers will leave you disappointed. These monitors are as understated as they come, preferring to allow the music and recording to take the limelight.

Their presentation sounds pure and unvarnished to our ears, almost a blank canvas that leaves any energy and drama to come from the music itself.

If the source material doesn’t bring the fun, the ME1TX won’t help out. Equally, that applies to the partnering system. If there are any shortcomings anywhere in the system chain, then these speakers won’t hide that fact. That just isn’t their purpose. We would avoid bright or lean electronics in general, as such a balance just doesn’t work with these speakers.

However, given that these are impressively transparent and highly revealing monitors, they will also allow the listener to dig deep into the production of a piece of music and analyse every aspect for good or bad.

It wasn’t long before we started to think of these TAD speakers as an audio microscope, something that allows us to hear low-level details with a class-leading clarity most alternatives just don’t have.

Time after time, we hear a small piece of detail, a subtle reverb or an extra sense of space between notes that other speakers simply ignore. It is the TAD’s superpower, and goes some way to justifying this speaker's high price.

We also appreciate the ME1TX’s tonal neutrality. They sound wonderfully even-handed throughout their operating range, giving them the ability to render voices and instruments in a convincingly balanced way.

As we work our way through Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the live recording of Keith Jarrett’s Köln concert, and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft set, we marvel at the effortless way these speakers bring instruments and voices to life.

Their exceptional composure leaves the listener confident that the speaker won’t fudge any aspect of the sound, even when the music becomes demanding. When it comes to control and sonic stability, we have heard little that betters these standmounts.

We are big fans of coincident driver arrays, and our time with these TAD monitors just reinforces that view. Once optimised, these speakers deliver excellent stereo imaging and a wide listening sweetspot.

Their soundstage even stays stable when we move around the room, and the tonal character doesn’t shift notably. Image focus is terrific, as is the way the ME1TX layer their expansive presentation to create a proper three-dimensional soundfield.

These are relatively small speakers, but unlike many rivals, they don’t exceed the expectations set by their size by producing a generous dose of bass. The laws of physics aren’t bent, and you certainly won’t be looking around for an additional bass driver or subwoofer hidden in the room’s corner.

However, the bass they do produce is proportionate, articulate and beautifully integrated. If you have a larger room, we would suggest adding a subwoofer or, preferably, going for one of TAD’s bigger models.

The modest amount of bass also limits the sonic authority on offer, and to a certain extent, contributes to the speaker’s slight restraint with large-scale dynamics.

The JBL Summit Ama and the Fyne Audio F1-8 are similarly sized to the ME1TX, but both convey the dynamic contrasts of the Beethoven symphony with greater conviction and muscle. Billie Eilish’s thumping basslines come through with greater heft, too, through these alternatives.

Rhythmic drive is surefooted rather than enthusiastic, though these TAD speakers still do a good job of conveying the musical momentum and bristling energy of a song like Michael Jackson’s Jam. We can’t recall an alternative that does better when it comes to outright clarity and the ability to unravel this song’s dense production. Every crash and bang on this track hits the mark, without a hint of exaggeration.

Even so, it is hard to escape the feeling that these speakers prefer to deliver the music in a slightly aloof, dispassionate way rather than to get on the dance floor, metaphorically speaking. The ME1TX are about control, precision and organisation more than they are about verve or drama.

Verdict

There is no denying that these TAD ME1TX standmount speakers are beautifully engineered and offer more insight into the production of a recording than pretty much any standmount we have heard. Given a carefully chosen partnering system and recording, they can certainly deliver moments of musical magic.

However, their measured approach won’t appeal to all, so take a good, long listen before you consider buying.

Review published: 6th August

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the JBL Summit Ama

Also consider the Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero

Read our Fyne Audio F1-8 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

April might be the cruellest month, but August has got to be the slowest. The biggest sporting events are behind us, the novelty of a heatwave has long since worn off, and big sales like Amazon Prime Day are now a distant memory.

But what's this? A pair of excellent floorstanding speakers that are now even cheaper than during Amazon's recent sale? The Focal Aria Evo X No3 are now just £2679 at Peter Tyson – £10 cheaper than they were at Prime Day, and a whopping £820 off their RRP. Come here August – all is forgiven.

Focal Aria X No3 deal: better than Prime Day

Measuring in at 115cm tall, the Focal Aria Evo X No3 floorstanders aren't exactly dinky, so you'll need plenty of room to get them sounding their best.

Their considerable height also means that their tweeter axis is quite high, so to ensure their presentation retains the optimal focus and balance, it’s best that your listening height doesn’t fall too far below the tweeter.

The speakers' three-way design consists of Focal's favoured inverted metal tweeter, along with a 16.5cm Flax midrange and a trio of 16.5cm Flax bass drivers. Focal promises that the Flax diaphragms offer a great balance of low weight, rigidity and self-damping.

How does that all translate to the test room?

During our time with the Aria Evo X No3, we found them to be ideal for listeners who value “refinement, composure and unfussiness above all else”. While tracking rhythms and teasing out genuine excitement could be a little better, the Aria Evo X No3 provide plenty of detail, and their midrange is “among the more charming and articulate floorstanders” at this premium price.

As we concluded: "The Focal Aria Evo X No3 are a pleasant and undemanding listen; one that is detailed but never ruthless in exposing a recording. If you are after unfussy but still capable floorstanders you could do a lot worse than to give these a listen. They might be exactly what you are looking for".

Now that you can pick them up at their lowest-ever price at Peter Tyson, they could well be the speakers for you.

MORE:

The best floorstanding speakers around

Advice on how to choose the best floorstanding speakers

Also consider the Fyne Audio F502S review

Picking a pair of floorstanding speakers is quite the challenge. We have rated the latest efforts from PMC, Fyne Audio, and ProAc all rather highly as of late, and there are some impressive options from Q Acoustics and Acoustic Energy to be mindful of, too.

With an overwhelming influence of British audio brands present on our list of the best floorstanding speakers, I have been searching further afield to scope out some alternative options. And one of my most recent voyages took me all the way to Mississauga, Canada.

This city, 28km southwest of Toronto, is home to speaker manufacturer Paradigm, as well as its sister brands Martin Logan and Anthem. Paradigm's latest speaker release is its Premier v2 range, and as the name may suggest, it’s a successor to the brand's original Premier speaker range.

Along with a fascinating factory tour and some interesting discussions with key members of the Paradigm team, I had a chance to listen to the top-of-the-range floorstanding speakers from this newly updated series.

The Premier 820F v2, as you’re about to find out, made a strong first impression, but with this much competition in the market, can it displace some of the British stalwarts on our list?

Price

Paradigm has shared pricing for its Premier V2 range in the US, but UK pricing is currently unconfirmed. What I can say, though, is that the Premier 820F floorstanders I heard cost $1300 per speaker, so that's around £980 based on current currency conversion, or $2600 (around £1960) for a pair.

That puts these speakers in the mid-range of the hi-fi speaker market and in direct competition with the Award-winning Fyne Audio F502S (£2300 / $2800 / AU$3000) floorstanding speakers.

The PMC Prodigy 5 also loom large as 2024 Award-winners, priced at £1995 / $2510 / AU$3399.

Paradigm also sells another, slightly smaller, set of floorstanders in this range – the Premier 720F v2 – as well as two pairs of standmount speakers (the 120B v2 and 220B v2), alongside two centre channel options: the 520LCR (which can be used as either a centre, left or right channel) and the dedicated 620C v2 centre channel speaker.

With Premier in the name, it should come as no surprise that this series is destined for use in home theatre rooms in a 5.1 surround sound (or larger) arrangement.

Build quality

The Premier 820F v2 are a sensibly styled pair of speakers and, in many ways, they look and feel a touch more premium than their price tag may suggest.

At the core of the design is the vortex-like spiral waveguide, which has become a staple on the company’s other, more premium speaker ranges. It looks good, and it serves a purpose, which we’ll divulge shortly.

These speakers sport clean, sharp lines with prominent, protruding metal-spiked feet on the bottom edge of each speaker, which look pleasingly industrial and help to reduce unwanted vibrations.

I saw these speakers in both walnut and black-walnut finishes, and found them eye-catching yet not too distracting for those who want speakers to blend into their listening space. Paradigm will also offer these speakers in a piano-black option for fans of high-gloss finishes (and dusting).

Features

Paradigm has loaded the Premier 820F v2 speakers with a helping of trickle-down speaker technology from its more premium ranges.

These include combined aluminium, magnesium and ceramic (‘AL-MAC’) tweeters, alongside an aluminium and magnesium (‘AL-MAC’) midrange driver, which are designed to produce lifelike and natural-sounding vocals and instruments.

The phase-aligning waveguide (the vortex-style one that I mentioned above) plays a key role in focusing sound towards the listener without having to worry about awkward room layouts.

Paradigm has also outfitted these three-way floorstanders with its 7-inch Carbon X bass drivers, which, alongside the high-volume enclosure, move a considerable amount of air to produce “visceral, controlled bass and expansive soundstaging”.

The inclusion of a rear-facing port also aids bass. These speakers weren't placed too far into the room, and as you can see from the photographs I took in Paradigm's home theatre room, they're not all that far from the corner of the room.

Despite this, the bass doesn't feel boomy or overblown, as we'll continue to find out in the sound section below.

Finally, the industrial-styled feet I touched on earlier also have a special role. They are officially called "Outrigger Shock-Mount Isolation Feet", and they work by physically decoupling the speaker from the floor to control vibrations and resonance.

Inside each foot is a system of springs and an isolation layer, which Paradigm says will achieve “cleaner, more detailed soundstage and tighter bass across any surface”.

Sound

Paradigm’s goal here was to produce speakers that prioritise the original artist’s intent, and that became quickly evident during my demo session.

I must reiterate that this hands-on review doesn’t reflect our final judgement. We’ll need to test these speakers in our dedicated listening room with our reference amplifier and the appropriate comparisons as we do with all What Hi-Fi? reviews, to attach a final star rating.

Paradigm paired these speakers with an amplifier from its sister company, Anthem, for this testing, with music being streamed on Tidal via the Control4 wireless home automation system.

With that in mind, these speakers ticked a plethora of boxes during my listening session, which took place in Paradigm’s sound-treated home theatre space. Aside from a few specially selected tracks, I was also given free rein to stream tracks to the speakers for quite some time.

Paradigm suggested a live rendition of Trouble's What You're In by Fink, which exposed the 820F v2’s strengths immediately. The sense of space revealed here was superb; this recording takes place in the Union Chapel, London, before a live audience, and the Paradigm speakers did a stellar job of recreating the ambience of the venue with this track.

I also felt that the speakers balanced warmth and crispness nicely, with a full-bodied and textured approach to vocalist Fin Greenall's lyrics.

Despite sounding crisp and detailed, the speakers didn’t verge into sounding too revealing or analytical, which also meant that they really drew me in – especially during this track.

I then switched to Taylor Swift’s The 1 (I know; I couldn’t help myself). This is still a fairly slow and stripped-back track, all things considered, but it certainly has more elements compared with the previous track.

The track is underpinned by a melodic piano and simplistic looping percussion, both of which had plenty of texture and depth when being played through the Premier 820F v2.

Swift’s vocals were equally textured, especially during the harmonised sections of the track, and without sounding reductive, these speakers just sounded very listenable and enjoyable. The comforting, warm sound and oodles of detail certainly helped, as I'm sure did the comfy leather recliner I was sitting in.

Finally, I tried Alaska by Maggie Rogers on these speakers, which once again adds more elements compared with the previous track. Here, I got a sense of how the speakers handle the low end – and Paradigm’s mission statement seems to ring true.

The size of these cabinets and the larger bass drivers did their job in delivering a controlled and punchy dose of low end, which juxtaposed Rogers’ sweet and crisp vocals that lean towards the higher frequencies on this track.

Early verdict

We’ll need to properly test these speakers on our side of the pond to draw up any sort of final verdict, but my initial run-in with the Premier 820F v2 left me feeling quite positive.

While I am most interested in trying them in a surround-sound arrangement alongside some cinematic content, this musical demonstration of the stereo pair proved to me that these floorstanders are worth keeping an eye on.

MORE:

Read our full Fyne Audio F502S review

As well as our PMC Prodigy 5 review

And check out our picks for the best floorstanding speakers

Q Acoustics’ new 3040c floorstanding speaker completes the brand’s most affordable 3000c speaker range, two years after the first model launched.

A step down from its 3050c sibling, it promises to bring the “performance, design, and technological advances” of the 3000c series to a floorstanding form factor.

Like other models in the 3000c series, it features Q Acoustics’ C3 driver platform. C3 (‘C-cubed’) stands for Continuous Curved Cone, and combines the powerful bass response of a traditional straight cone with the superior midrange clarity and high-frequency control of a flared cone. This makes for a “controlled bass performance, expressive midrange and smoother integration with the high-frequency driver,” according to Q Acoustics.

But it also takes technology from the brand’s flagship Concept series. Its tweeter has a floating design that is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the baffle, reducing internal pressure and midrange vibrations. Combined with the vented inner chamber, it should create ultra-low distortion and less colouring, as well as a lower crossover point and seamless transition between drivers.

Point to Point (P2P) bracing on internal areas of the cabinet creates a more focused stereo image and wider soundstage, while Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser (HPE) tubes nullify internal pressure to improve the frequency response.

Like the 3050c, it has a solid aluminium stabiliser design, with top-adjustable spikes for making it level. And it benefits from the 5000 series’ low-profile terminal panel with recessed binding posts that let you place it closer to a wall in order to maximise floorspace in smaller rooms.

The speaker cabinet features Q Acoustics’ signature curved profile, with no visible joints or bolts for a streamlined, minimalist look. And it comes in four finishes: Satin Black, Satin White, Pink Oak or Claro Walnut.

The 3040c is out now in the UK; it comes to the US in October. At £599 / $1099 (AU$TBC), it's priced just below the 3050c (which costs £749 / $1199).

MORE:

Read our Q Acoustics 3000c series hands-on review

And our Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 with Q SUB100 review

The best floorstanding speakers around

KEF is to active speaker systems what Spain is to international football at the moment.

From the Award-winning LSX II active wireless stereo system to the Bluetooth-ready Coda W active standmounts, the brand’s blending of features and performance is where KEF has really shone over the past few years.

Acting as a step-up from the fiercely talented (and multiple Award-winning) LS50 Wireless II, the new KEF LS Luxe once again integrates amplification and streaming into a compact stereo system, incorporating all of KEF’s know-how into what is a decidedly more premium standmount package than the company has made before.

At £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375, we’re moving into more high-end territory compared with the £2199 / $2999 / AU$4295 LS50 Wireless II, with KEF claiming that the LS Luxe is the result of six years of research and development. Given how well the product performs, that time has been extremely well spent.

Build & design

“A presence designed to hold the room before a single note is played.”

That’s how KEF has described the LS Luxe’s looks, and while subjective tastes are likely to dictate exactly how you feel about the cabinets’ distinctive styling, there’s no question that the speakers themselves are capable of drawing the eye before they even have a chance to grab you by the ears.

The cabinet exteriors have been designed in collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, the Welsh designer with whom KEF previously joined forces when crafting the mighty Muon floorstanders, the portable Muo Bluetooth speaker, and the distinctive Mu headphones/earbuds range.

The LS Luxe very much continues the distinctive design language of Lovegrove’s previous collaborations, typified by their rounded, edgeless cabinets which, when sporting their ‘Dusk Titanium’ finish, positively gleam thanks to their luxuriously polished exteriors. That pebble-like speaker design will not be for everyone, and it may depend on which of the three finishes – Eclipse Black, Dusk Titanium or Mineral White – you choose.

What’s less up for debate is the tangible high quality of the speakers’ construction.

Pick up each speaker and you’ll feel how weighty and substantial they are, with everything about the LS Luxe – from the finish of their curved shells to the seamless integration of the driver array and front baffle – speaking of a product constructed with genuine care.

That design isn’t just for show, either. That curved form aims to improve performance by reducing the build-up of internal standing waves within the cabinet, whereas the use of durable ‘Bulk Moulding Compound’ (BMC) composite material reduces the need for excessive internal bracing, allowing for greater internal volume within the speakers to aid their low-frequency performance.

Turn the speakers around and you’ll see an equally distinctively designed aluminium heatsink, which is crafted to provide a greater surface area to more efficiently dissipate heat generated by the active electronics within. A flared reflex port also sits at the rear of each unit, designed using KEF’s ‘Flexible Port Technology’ where the port’s walls use a flexible material to reduce internal resonances.

At the heart of each speaker is KEF’s 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array, where the tweeter sits in the middle of the mid/bass unit in pursuit of more even sonic dispersion, better integration and improved time alignment. KEF’s now-familiar Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which absorbs rearward sound from the back of the tweeter dome, is also incorporated in pursuit of a cleaner, purer sound.

In terms of power, 280 watts of Class D amplification are directed to powering the mid/bass unit, while 100 watts of Class A/B amplification drives the tweeter.

That Uni-Q driver assembly is mechanically decoupled from the cabinet to reduce panel vibrations. Incorporated within the driver assembly is a decoupling chassis that damps the vibrations of the motor system, preventing them from feeding into the cabinet panels. The aim is to improve clarity and reduce distortion.

KEF has included a suitably premium-feeling remote control with the LS Luxe, as well as a speaker interconnect cable to optimise performance and an HDMI cable for use with your TV or home cinema set-up. Two power cables are also included, with both speakers requiring mains power – something to bear in mind when setting up your system.

What you don’t get included in the LS Luxe’s standard sale price are dedicated stands. If you want to get hold of a pair, KEF sells a set of S-Luxe stands for £800 / $800 / AU$1230 which you’ll have to put together yourself and screw into the base of each speaker.

That’s a considerable outlay on top of an already premium purchase, but our testing found that these stands help to optimise performance, secure the speakers in place and, thanks to their complementary aesthetic, and help them look their best. In other words, we feel that these stands would be money well spent.

Features

The KEF LS Luxe offers a suitably well-stocked connectivity suite to go with the system’s premium outlay.

KEF has been generous with the array of physical connectivity options on offer. Around the back of the primary speaker unit, you’ll find HDMI eARC, 3.5mm analogue, optical and coaxial inputs, while each of the two speakers has a dedicated output for adding a single subwoofer or a pair if necessary.

On the streaming side, the system uses KEF’s W2 Wireless Platform, which we’ve already experienced in the brand’s established LS wireless range. This grants access to popular streaming services such as Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect and Deezer, along with internet radio.

There’s also the further convenience of AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 5.3, while UPnP compatibility means you can stream hi-res music from a connected external NAS drive. Roon Ready support is slated to arrive in 2027.

Hi-res file support depends on how you choose to set up and listen, with KEF’s new system capable of handling PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. If you’re using a wireless connection between your speakers, those higher resolution files are internally downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz, whereas connecting the master and slave speakers using the included interconnect cable pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

Further technologies seek to enhance the LS Luxe’s performance beyond mere hardware. This is the first speaker product to feature KEF’s ‘Velocity Control Technology’, as seen in the brand’s five-star XIO soundbar, where the speed of cone movement is measured, and any differences between that and the expected value are compensated for in real time. The result is lower distortion levels.

Additionally, a proprietary ‘Music Integrity Engine’ tech uses digital signal processing algorithms to maintain accuracy and tonality no matter the volume at which the LS Luxe is played.

For getting the most out of your shiny new set-up, you’ll want to download the comprehensive and easy-to-use KEF Connect app, from which you’ll be able to control and set up your speakers. You can tweak the sound yourself using a customisable equaliser, while KEF’s ‘Room EQ’ digital signal processing helps you fine-tune your sound to your listening space.

It’s worth spending a bit of time with the app’s calibration settings, as, while the LS Luxe isn’t a prima donna in terms of positioning, you’ll certainly notice a difference when you tinker with the app’s various parameters, such as room size, the distance you’ve placed your speakers from your wall, and how damped your listening space is.

Sound

We decide to give our review sample the best chance possible to showcase its talents by screwing each speaker tightly to their dedicated S-Luxe stands, using the provided inter-speaker cable for the highest transmission rate possible (24-bit/192kHz), and kicking off with some hi-res wireless streaming via Tidal.

Naturally, we experiment with positioning, and find that they perform best with the speakers firing straight ahead and sitting roughly 30cm from the back wall of our 3m x 4m x 7m listening room.

Thanks in part to that updated Uni-Q driver array, the LS Luxe is gratifyingly unfussy about placement, producing a supremely well-integrated sound that remains consistent no matter our listening position.

What we discover is a wireless system with poise, control and, dare we say it, genuine grace. Like a fine wine or one of those acclaimed French arthouse movies, the KEF LS Luxe needs a little time for its true spectrum of talents to be appreciated.

The LS Luxe does not reach out and grab us by our lapels; instead, it reproduces our music with an even-handed, mature yet authoritative nature that slowly but inevitably places us under its bewitching spell.

This is a sonic signature we’ve heard before, from the more affordable LSX II and LSX II LT stereo systems and the established LS50 Wireless II. But the Luxe piles on extra helpings of detail and precision to that confident, articulate presentation we’ve experienced from KEF in recent years.

Listen to Massive Attack’s Atlas Air, and you’ll get a clear indication that for clarity, textural detail and overall scale, the LS Luxe is considerably ahead of the LS50 Wireless II, anchored by a taut, authoritative bass reproduction that sinks low without sagging like a bulldog’s floppy jowls.

While what we’re dealing with is a standmount speaker system, the scale and authority showcased belie the Luxe’s compact form. We load up Hans Zimmer’s Why Do We Fall? from the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, and our reward is a rendition that soars with so much power, scope and grandeur that it’s hard to resist the urge to don our cape and cowl and go out looking for bad guys to bring to justice.

Punch and panache live side by side, with the LS Luxe knitting music together so expertly that even truly demanding tracks can’t catch it napping. Whether it's the gale-force hurricane of Slipknot’s Before I Forget, the magisterial grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or the carefully curated strangeness of Yosi Horiko’s Bubbles, the Luxe barely breaks a sweat.

Interlocking rhythms are expressive and nimble, while dynamic ebbs and flows are communicated confidently without sounding artificial or overdone.

We use our Cyrus CDi player connected to the optical input to test the internal DAC, and again, that core character is firmly intact as we spin Jeff Buckley’s Grace, and the LS Luxe excels at revealing the intimacy, delicacy and emotion of the seminal record. We also connect the Luxe to the Cyrus using a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable, and we continue to receive a high standard of performance.

While most of our listening is done using the S-Luxe stands, we also place the speakers on our tried-and-tested FS104 Signature plinths, and while the performance remains impressive, it isn’t as crisp and dynamic. The speakers themselves are just about compact enough to be placed on a desk, but at this premium price, they’re best suited to being listened to on stands.

Switching to Bluetooth will also result in an inevitable drop-off in clarity and precision, but the LS Luxe still retains its even, mature nature when playing through this less-than-ideal streaming medium. They do their best to shine, but it’s clear that we’re placing a limit on the system’s considerable abilities.

Verdict

The LS Luxe feels like another milestone in KEF’s recent history of providing outstanding wireless stereo speaker systems.

Yes, it’s a good deal more expensive than the LS50 Wireless II, and no, that distinctive curved design won’t be for everyone – but in terms of performance, this is a mightily impressive addition to KEF’s catalogue.

If you’re willing to pay that premium price – and fork out a bit extra for some dedicated stands to get the best out of them – then slick performance and outstanding sound will be your reward.

Review published: 30th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF LS50 Wireless II

KEF LS Luxe versus KEF LS50 Wireless II: which five-star wireless speaker system is better?

Also consider the KEF LSX II

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Quad has announced the release of two new speakers as part of its Elegan Series: the standmountable Elegan 1 and the floorstanding Elegan 2.

According to the company, the Elegan Series are “spiritual successors” to its L Series speakers, which gained popularity in the early 2000s.

The Elegan 1 are priced at £749 / $995 / AU$1699 per pair, while the Elegan 2 cost £1499 / $1995 / AU$3499. Both speakers are built around the company's woven Kevlar driver technology, which sees the speakers’ cones formed from lattice-woven Kevlar.

Quad claims that using Kevlar, which has a high tensile strength and light weight, allows the speaker cone to deliver “precise pistonic behaviour over a wider bandwidth, reducing unwanted resonance and improving midrange clarity”.

The Elegan 1 is a two-way design, pairing a 16.5cm Kevlar mid/bass driver with a 25mm fabric-dome tweeter. Quad says the Elegan 1 speakers are best suited for smaller rooms and near to mid-field listening.

The Elegan 2, on the other hand, is a three-way design, which uses dual 16.5cm bass drivers alongside a 12.5cm midrange driver and the same 25mm fabric-dome tweeter. All drivers other than the tweeter use woven Kevlar cones, and the midrange driver is housed within its own internal chamber, which Quad says ensures “clarity and expression” across the midrange.

Both models feature high-frequency waveguides, which the company claims “optimises dispersion and supports a smooth transition into the midrange”.

The speakers also employ high density cabinet walls, internal bracing and damping materials to control panel resonance. Quad says that the speakers’ structural integrity is reflected by their “significant weight”, with each Elegan 1 speaker weighing 8.9kg, while the Elegan 2 weigh 27.8kg per speaker.

The Quad Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 speakers are now available in deep matte black or walnut wood veneers, priced at £749 and £1499 per pair, respectively.

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If you've been eyeing a pair of Monitor Audio's statement Hyphn floorstanding speakers, your choice of potential finishes just got a lot more extensive.

That's because Monitor has announced that the Hyphn are now available in over 200 custom colourways. Customers can select from a variety of Matte, Gloss and Metallic finishes across a range of over 200 colours, with each custom-finished Hyphn cabinet painted and assembled by hand in the UK.

For those unfamiliar with the Hyphn, the heavyweight floorstanders were built to commemorate Monitor's 50th birthday. Each speaker boasts a total of 11 drive units in total, including a micro pleated diaphragm tweeter surrounded by six midrange units and four bass drivers.

The cabinets, which you can daub in practically any colour you like, are formed using mineral and acrylic stone and then precision milled, resulting in what Monitor Audio describes as a totally rigid structure "that provides the perfect platform from which the drive units can operate".

The three original Hyphn finishes – Matte Heritage Green, Matte Black, and Pure Satin White – remain available. The Hyphn will set you back £70,000 / €82,500 / $92,500 per pair for the standard paint editions, while adding a custom finish will bump that up to £80,250 / €92,500 / €102,500 per pair.

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Last year, we gave Monitor Audio’s Bronze 50 7G standmounter speakers a five-star review, singing their praises for clear sound and punchy presentation. Consequently, when the floorstanding speakers from the same range, the Bronze 300 7G, arrived at our testing facility, we found ourselves waiting with bated breath to see if they could carry the Bronze 50’s flame.

Priced at £1000 / $1400 / AUS$2199, these floorstanders situate themselves at the top end of an increasingly competitive price bracket. Rivals include the Award-winning Fyne Audio F501E, which deliver punchy bass and cohesive presentation, and the recently five-star-rated Dali Sonik 5 that impressed us with expressive dynamics from a compact size.

Through experience, we know that a competitive market can sometimes lead to exciting progress in audio. “Iron sharpens iron,” as the famous proverb goes. But the real question is, will these Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G speakers manage to rise to the challenge?

Build & design

The Bronze 300 7G are large speakers, standing at 100.5 x 26.9 x 39.2cm. But thanks to their tasteful design, they look sleek and sit comfortably in our listening room, avoiding the dominant appearance of similarly sized rivals, such as the Fyne F501E.

The MDF cabinets are wrapped in a satin vinyl finish that is available in three colours: black, white and walnut. Our black test pair have a pleasingly well-constructed feel, and their real wood front ply panels contribute to an overall sense of solidity and understated style.

Care is taken with the internal bracing, which is strategically placed between the drivers and the back of the enclosures to improve structural rigidity.

The speakers also feature Monitor Audio’s proprietary rear-firing HiVe II ports, positioned at the top and bottom of each cabinet, which are lined with grooves to reduce port turbulence, preventing chuffing sounds.

Spikes can be screwed into the speakers’ robust metal feet, and height can be adjusted by spinning the circular rubber pads that the spikes screw into. Assembling these parts is simple, and we find that they hold firm throughout testing.

The Bronze 300 7G floorstanders are a two-and-a-half-way design, and see the lower driver solely dedicated to handling bass in order to augment the low frequency output of the midrange driver above it.

The bass and midrange drivers are both 15cm in diameter, while the higher frequencies are looked after by one of the company’s trademark 25mm gold dome tweeters. All of the driver diaphragms are made from the company’s C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) material, which it claims is lightweight and rigid.

The drivers are linked through a bi-wired crossover, and the resultant sensitivity is 88dB/w/m, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms – fairly typical figures for a pair of floorstanders of this type.

The minimum impedance of 4.4 ohms suggests these speakers will work best with a beefier amplifier, which is typical for floorstanders of this type.

Compatibility

When it comes to positioning, these floorstanding speakers are more or less par for the course.

Monitor Audio recommends placing the Bronze 300 7G in an isosceles triangle arrangement, with a gap of 20-36cm from the back of the speaker to the rear wall.

In our 3 x 4 x 7m (hwd) test room, we settle at the top end of that range, as that achieves our preferred tonal balance, gives an expansive stereo image and avoids a dominant, ponderous low end.

When it comes to partnering electronics, we find the Bronze 300 7G work better with the smoother, more relaxed Arcam A15+ stereo amplifier than they do with the somewhat more front-footed Naim Nait XS 3 integrated. In the case of the latter, the speakers edge towards a slightly relentless presentation.

Sound

Monitor Audio suggests giving the Bronze 300 7G a minimum of 50 hours to settle, and, indeed, we find that their sound improves drastically after a few days of playing, shifting from a somewhat clinical and lean sound to a more pleasantly balanced, texturally detailed presentation.

Listening to The Bill Evans Trio’s rendition of My Foolish Heart, cymbals sit atop the mix for a sparkling, well-proportioned shine, while the brushed snare swells from beat to beat with satisfying texture.

Separation is the Bronze 300 7G's forte, and across our music library, the speakers reveal individual instrumental parts with striking clarity. Listening to the Minnesota Orchestra’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s I. Non allegro, instrumental tones arrive defined and crystal clear. Even in dense orchestral arrangements, we have little trouble picking out individual parts.

These are a responsive pair of speakers, too, and they don’t miss a beat when it comes to transients. Throughout Leonard Cohen’s Steer Your Way, the plucked acoustic guitar is presented with a crispness that leaves us feeling as though we are sitting right in front of the guitarist’s fingers.

Although their low frequency performance is leaner than certain rivals, we enjoy the speakers’ agile bass handling, which allows their natural midrange to shine. Vocal lines take centre stage, and Cohen’s lyrics arrive with all the depth and melancholic passion we expect from the godfather of gloom, without blurring or exaggeration.

In the treble frequencies, these speakers bring recordings to life with a vivaciousness that keeps us on our toes, without becoming shrill or domineering. If poorly partnered, they can veer towards a fatiguing sound, but careful system matching will avoid this, highlighting their many strengths.

One of those strengths is the Bronze 300 7G’s stereo imaging, which we find to be layered and stable. While listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s Song For Kathy, we are confronted by a striking sense of focus, as if Paul Simon were sitting between the two speakers in our test room.

As we move around the room, we are pleased to find that the image remains distinct, within the expected constraints of a conventional driver array, which suggests that these speakers have well-controlled dispersion characteristics and good integration between the drivers.

Tonally, these Bronze 300 7G are balanced, with nothing unpleasantly standing out, but we feel they are somewhat lacking in natural warmth. During Song For Kathy, we would have preferred some more richness in the lower notes of the delicate acoustic guitar.

Across the genres we play during testing – from Rachmaninoff to D’Angelo’s Spanish Joint – we are in no doubt as to the Bronze 300 7G's many strengths. They routinely turn in a capable performance that brims with insight.

However, we don’t think these speakers are necessarily the most entertaining listen available at this price, with rivals such as the Dali Sonik 5 delivering music with greater enthusiasm and rhythmic drive.

Verdict

The Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G pair an aesthetically classy, well-constructed design with a sound that is balanced and impressively detailed, to provide an enjoyable listening experience that shines during dense arrangements. But the standards of the class are so high that even an accomplished pair of floorstanders such as this doesn’t quite make the top grade.

Review published: 16th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Fyne Audio F501E

Also consider the Dali Sonik 5

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Active speakers – speakers with built-in amplification directly powering the drive units – have become more and more popular these days. Their space-saving form negates the need for separate boxes for amplifiers and trailing cables, reducing clutter and making for neater systems.

Most active speakers these days also come with built-in DAC and digital inputs, sometimes a phono stage, and more often than not hi-res network streaming or at least Bluetooth included for ultimate all-in-one convenience. Acoustic Energy bucks this trend by keeping its new AE Active speakers purely analogue.

This new model builds on the five-star, Award-winning AE1 Active speakers we tested back in 2018 and have highly recommended since, and features updated acoustic technology and refined design for a new generation.

Build & design

The Acoustic Energy AE Active are a fully active two-way design, with 50W of Class A/B amplification powering each drive unit. That’s a total power output of 200W, with the amplifiers being refined in this new generation to improve dynamic capability. Each speaker has its own mains plug for power, with the revised amps fed by high-quality linear power supplies to ensure a consistent, low-noise performance throughout the frequency range.

The 40-year-old Acoustic Energy brand continues its tradition of using metal drivers in its new active speakers. The 27mm aluminium dome tweeter has a new rear chamber for reducing distortion at certain frequencies in the crossover region, and is combined with a dedicated waveguide to deliver a wide soundstage.

These speakers use the same 12.5cm mid/bass driver that was developed for the recent AE1 40th Anniversary passive speakers. This is a “pure-piston” ceramic/aluminium cone that is low in mass but very stiff, and has been engineered to minimise cone flex and distortion.

The analogue filters have been improved to minimise any phase disturbances. There is a rear-facing bass slot port that has also been updated, while internally the cabinet has had extensive bracing and internal damping panels to further improve performance.

The cabinets themselves have been subtly refined, with a neater trim around the drivers that overall looks rather smart and subtly elegant. The speakers are available in three finishes: high gloss black or white, and a new natural walnut wood veneer. Our sample’s wood veneer finish feels lovely to the touch, with a smooth texture and high quality finish throughout.

The standmounts have a fairly compact footprint and look most at home on dedicated speaker stands, although they could be placed on a large, sturdy desk if you are using them as nearfield monitors. You’ll just need to make sure both speakers are within reach of a mains power socket.

Features

The AE Active speakers eschew any digital or streaming elements entirely. Acoustic Energy says it experimented with modern features such as wireless streaming, switch mode power supplies, Class D amplification and DSP, but ultimately didn’t want to compromise the pure audio performance. The AE Active have a fully analogue signal path that avoids any digital processing entirely in the quest to preserve the original audio file’s integrity.

As such, you get two analogue inputs: a pair of balanced XLR inputs and a pair of stereo RCA inputs.

On one hand, this purist approach is commendable, but it’s a little old-fashioned and won’t appeal to everyone, particularly those looking for an easy solution. There’s a reason most active speakers these days – such as the KEF Coda W, Fyne Cubitt 5 and Cambridge Audio L/R S – come with Bluetooth and a variety of digital inputs to work with modern sources including TVs and laptops.

On the other hand, this pared-down approach does keep the Acoustic Energy rather flexible and future-proof. The speakers have integrated volume control, which means you can directly plug in a source such as a CD player or hi-res music streamer. You can also plug in a preamp or an external DAC to widen the connectivity, and it allows for a potential upgrade path down the line.

On the back panel on both units, you’ll find bass and treble controls to fine-tune the sound to the room they’re in, especially if dealing with less-than-ideal placements. One new feature is the auto on/off switch that lets you choose between leaving the speakers on permanently or activating standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.

That the active speakers come with built-in volume control is great news – this means they don’t require a separate preamp with volume control to function, such as the more premium ATC SCM20ASL active speakers do.

The only real complaint we have is with the placement and design of the volume controls. The dials are placed on the speakers’ back panel – this might be fine if the speakers are within reach on a desk, but it’s not practical if they’re on stands and you’re on your sofa. No, there is no remote control included here.

The bigger issue is that there are independent volume controls for each unit, with no clear markings on the dials. This means there is more chance of the volume not being perfectly level and balanced between the units, as you have to set them individually. We would much prefer it if there was one volume control that controlled both speakers’ levels.

A preamp or source with volume control comes in handy here, such as the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer we used throughout testing, so you can take the guesswork out of it.

Sound

Placed on stands and with the Naim Uniti Atom HE streamer playing a variety of radio, WAV and hi-res FLAC songs, the AE Active don’t take long to show their talents.

The control they have over every note is astounding at this level. The piano notes in Alicia Keys’ Fallin’ sound tremendously composed and land with solidity and confidence. Each note starts and stops with unerring punctuality, with the rhythm of every song we play being marshalled with a kind of military precision that is hugely impressive.

The amount and quality of bass coming from these not-particularly-large cabinets is also impressive, and we had a blast playing tracks with intense basslines just to hear what these AE Actives can do. There is real muscle and impact to the basslines of Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor, but there’s agility and texture here too. It’s all pulled taut and has the immediacy that is inherent in active speaker designs.

The busy arrangement and high-octane energy of the track are handled with ease by the speakers, too, with every note sounding crisp and positioned accurately in the soundstage – but without ever losing the party vibe.

Dynamically, the AE Actives are fantastic. The snappy transient response of these active speakers means sudden shifts in quiet-to-loud moments are brilliantly and speedily communicated, while slow-burning moments – such as Clint Mansell’s instrumental Moon soundtrack – sound fluid and retain their sense of tension.

Play Kate Bush’s Watching You Without Me and the AE Active reveal high notes with the right mix of clarity, headroom and bite, but without any undue brightness or sharpness. The overall sound from these active speakers is rather clean and with low-distortion throughout the frequencies, which also means we can enjoy listening at high volumes without hardness or woolliness creeping in.

The stereo imaging is similarly focused and composed, with voices showing off just how well integrated the AE Actives' drivers are. The speakers have no problem revealing the different voices, intonations and personalities in Eminem’s Stan. From The Unthanks’ delicate, nuanced vocals on Mount The Air to Eminem’s rapid-fire, ferocious rapping on Godzilla, the AE Actives reveal the character and intensity of every song with a good amount of detail and nuance.

The Acoustic Energy speakers are just about transparent enough that you are aware of the distinct recording qualities of albums from different eras, but they don’t make too much of a fuss over the quality of each track. The overall sound could perhaps be a little more fluid and airy-sounding, and they may struggle to fill very large rooms. When listening in our larger 3m x 7m x 5m (hwd) test room, the AE Actives sound a touch dynamically restrained, but they come to life in our smaller 3m x 4m x 7m room, with a bit of breathing room from the back wall to balance the bass performance.

We swap to a price-equivalent separates amplifier and speaker pairing of the Arcam A5+ and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 (both current Award-winners in their respective categories), and find this offers a more relaxed and wider soundstage. They sound rather soft in the bass, though, and don’t go as deep either. Overall, they can’t match the speed, precision and agility of the AE Active speaker.

Verdict

The Acoustic Energy AE Active are a niche product in today’s audio landscape, but they are a tremendously talented and capable pair of active speakers. They are a viable alternative to a traditional separates pairing at this price, and could well be the last chain in your hi-fi system you’ll have to update. Highly recommended.

Review published: 14th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 3

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF Coda W

Also consider the ATC SCM20ASL

Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

Danish hi-fi firm Dynaudio is exiting the US market just a few months short of its 50th anniversary.

According to a press release, Dynaudio has chosen "to focus its future market development efforts on Europe and Asia as part of its long-term business strategy."

As a result, it will "cease operations of its commercial activities in North America and permanently shut down its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026."

Dynaudio cites "ongoing economic challenges and market uncertainty" for its withdrawal, despite sales having grown in the region. US president Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that Greenland should be controlled by the US and not Denmark – it's not known if tensions between the two countries played a part in Dynaudio's decision.

Dynaudio says it is committed to ensuring a "smooth transition" for customers and business partners in the region, and will soon share a plan for continuity of product support and customer service.

We've contacted Dynaudio for more information and will update this story if we hear back.

Founded in 1977 in Skanderborg, Denmark, Dynaudio makes a range of speakers for the consumer, studio, car audio and custom install markets. In 2022 it revamped its Focus active range, and about 18 months ago announced a premium concept soundbar – the Symphony Opus One – which it demonstrated at the recent High End Vienna show. It has previously made speakers for Volvo, Volkswagen and Bugatti cars.

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The size of the average UK living room is now just a third of what it was in the 1970s, according to a survey by LABC (a UK representative body for local council building inspectors). Of course, as living space constricts, so does the amount of room being allocated to hi-fi set-ups.

That’s where speakers like the Dali Sonik 5 come into play. With a compact design and a price of £899 / $1800 / AUS$1749 – just shy of the current Award-winning Fyne Audio F501E at £999 / $1299 / AU$1999 – these Dali floorstanders strike a pleasing balance between convenience, cost and quality.

The new series of Sonik speakers replace the discontinued and much-loved Oberon range, making the Sonik 5 the successor to the five-star Oberon 5. A tough act to follow, given the multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards under its predecessor’s belt.

On inspection, the apple doesn’t seem to have fallen far from the tree between these models, with similar dimensions and driver configuration. But the question is, will these new floorstanders throw down the gauntlet or leave us reminiscing about the good ol’ days?

Build

The Dali Sonik 5 are compact two-way towers, with fairly diminutive dimensions of 82.6 × 16.2 × 27cm (hwd). Their petite size means these speakers never dominate visually and will fit seamlessly into most spaces.

The internally braced MDF cabinets are clad in high-grade laminate and come in four finishes: natural oak, white, walnut and black ash. On our test pair, the walnut finish looks convincingly wood-like and complements the clean front panel cosmetics well, making it look notably more modern than the Oberon 5.

In terms of drive units, there are two 13cm mid/bass drivers loaded with a rear port, and a 29mm soft dome tweeter. The mid/bass diaphragms use Dali’s trademark mix of fine-grain paper pulp reinforced with wood fibres, which the company claims provides rigidity, good damping and light weight.

The drive units employ Dali’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) technology in the motor system to reduce distortion, which should help with optimising detail, transparency and dynamics.

All three drivers are linked through a single-wired two-way crossover, resulting in a sensitivity of 88dB/w/m and nominal impedance of 6 ohms – identical to the Oberon 5. These are typical figures, and shouldn’t cause any problems when paired with decent, price-compatible amplifiers. That said, Dali recommends pairing it with an amplifier with a power rating of 30-150 watts.

Compatibility

In terms of positioning, we find the Sonik 5 sound best facing straight ahead, with a gap of at least 0.8m from our testing room’s rear wall. When angled in, the sound is a little narrower and brighter than we would like. Positioned too close to the wall, the bass starts to dominate.

If you are listening at close range – say, closer than two metres – then it’s likely that the tweeter will be well below your ear height. In which case, we recommend tilting the speakers slightly upwards, so that the tweeter axis lines up with your ears. If your listening position is further away from the speakers, this becomes less of an issue.

In terms of partnering electronics, we found the Dali speakers coped well with similarly priced separates. We got good results from both five-star Arcam A15+ and Naim Nait XS 3 stereo amplifiers.

For the bulk of this test, we were streaming hi-res tracks using the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer, or playing compact discs from the Cyrus CDi CD player.

Sound

After giving the Sonik 5 a few days to settle in, we find ourselves thoroughly impressed by their performance. With an intricate and highly musical sound, these speakers are versatile, proving themselves a serious contender across genres.

Listening to Nude by Radiohead, we enjoy powerful but pleasingly tight bass for the speakers’ small size, vivid textural details across the frequency range, and a musical presentation that conveys each of the instruments with good separation, allowing their individual tonal qualities to shine through. At a similar price, the larger Fyne F501E produce deeper bass, but sacrifice a degree of precision in the process.

While listening to Johnny Cash’s I Won’t Back Down, backing harmonies have a pleasant, airy quality, while Cash’s voice holds its own in its chesty, elderly bass. Most impressively, his vocal remains crystalline, occupying centre stage with an eerily lifelike presence.

Dynamically, the Sonik 5 are responsive. We find that the decay of certain notes, dynamic swells and subtle ebbs in volume are all conveyed with a faithfulness that outperforms both the Oberon 5 and the Fyne F501E. No mean feat.

Dali’s speakers are not traditionally shy when it comes to treble, but with such refined textures and an ability to sparkle without veering into shrill territory, the manufacturer’s boldness has, once again, earned our respect.

Their midrange is another highlight, evoking palpable humanity and emotion from voices as varied as Tom Jones and Martha Wainwright. We enjoy the texture and natural warmth that the Sonik 5 reveal in vocal performances across our music collection.

Rhythmically, these speakers are highly adaptive, with the capacity to maintain a musical sense of momentum, even when faced with the raucous rhythms of Elvis Costello’s 20% Amnesia. But they cope just as well with the subtle undercurrents of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Pt. III – Pursuance.

These Dalis work well with classical recordings, too. Listening to Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, the cello’s delicate texture is preserved even when it plays incredibly quietly, as it does for extended periods in the piece. When the symphony swells to its dramatic climax, the scale and depth of field conveyed by the Sonik 5 leave us feeling the music to our very core.

The Sonik 5 maintain a stable stereo image, which by price standards is precise and well focused. Symphony No. 3 allows the speakers’ stereo image to shine, highlighting their layered soundstage, which retains focus and precision, even in dense arrangements.

Verdict

With a pleasingly compact size and excellent sound, we think the Dali Sonik 5 will make a superb addition to any home set-up, especially if you’re working with small spaces.

Provided you are willing to take some time to set them up carefully, these floorstanding speakers have plenty to offer, with a sound that transcends their dimensions.

Review published: 8th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

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Also consider the Dali Oberon 5

Best floorstanding speakers 2026: budget to premium models tested by our experts

Sonus Faber has unveiled the third generation of its premium Olympica loudspeaker range, which features new acoustic technology taken from the Italian audio brand's flagship Suprema speaker system, alongside cosmetic refinements. The five-strong range consists of two floorstanders, a standmount speaker, a centre channel and slim on-wall unit.

All speakers in the new range feature the Camelia midrange that was first developed for the Suprema system. Inspired by the shape of the camelia flower, this non-circular driver is made from fibre materials and features a fabric surround, and its distinct, irregular shape is designed to reduce the unwanted resonances found in more conventional drivers.

It is left unpainted too, and promises "exceptional clarity, transparency, and vocal realism."

All speakers feature a silk dome tweeter, while the 16.5cm woofers in the floorstanders (three for the Olympica V, two for the Olympica III) are new for the third-generation and feature an 'organic basket' with a honeycomb structure.

This helps to maximise airflow around the woofers while providing exceptional mechanical stability, for tighter, cleaner bass reproduction. Coupled with an advanced aluminium phase plug and new damping ring technology, this should result in greater dynamics and clarity too.

Additionally, the two floorstanders – Olympica V and Olympica III – feature a cork lining in the closed tweeter and midrange housing, which absorbs unwanted energy and reflections within the chamber to further aid the natural quality and transparency of the midrange performance.

Both floorstanders are three-way designs, with the larger Olympica V promising "expansive scale, powerful dynamics and full-range performance" that is ideally suited to larger rooms. The step-down Olympica III floorstander aims to bring that sound to "room-friendly proportions" for a wider range of spaces, while the Olympica I is a compact two-way standmount speaker that brings the range's sound signature to a smaller rooms while still offering "exceptional imaging, clarity, and emotional engagement."

All three speakers feature a silk dome tweeter and have a ported design.

“What has always defined Sonus Faber is our belief that beauty and performance should never be separated,” says Jim Mollica, president of Luxury Audio at Bose, who are the new owners of Sonus Faber. “While others prioritise one or the other, Olympica G3 unites refined Italian design and handcrafted attention to detail with advanced acoustic innovation to bring listeners closer to the music.”

The three-way Centre channel is designed to deliver articulate dialogue for use within in a home cinema surround system, while the slimline two-way Wall speaker is designed to be more discreetly integrated in on-wall systems.

The Olympica G3 features hallmarks of the brand's luxury craftsmanship, such as the lute-shaped cabinet design, which now features a herringbone real wood veneer – taken from the celebrated Stradivari floorstanders – and aluminium accents for an elevated look.

The range comes in Walnut or Wengè finishes, and is available to buy now. Sonus Faber's hand-crafted speakers are firmly on the high-end side, and the new Olympica G3 is no different, although it's a far cry from the £470,000 / $850,000 price tag of the reference Suprema floorstanders.

Prices are as follows:

Olympica G3 V floorstanders: £25,000 / $30,000
Olympica G3 III floorstanders: £20,000 / $24,000
Olympica G3 I standmounts: £10,000 / $13,000
Olympica G3 Centre: £9300 / $10,500
Olympica G3 Wall: £6500 / $8000

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Read our Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2 review

Focal's latest high-end floorstanders are "an ode to the art of listening at home”

I spent a day fixing vintage hi-fi – here’s what I learned

Focal has revealed the Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanding speakers.

An evolution of the brand's established Scala Utopia Evo, these new 'M' edition floorstanders are defined by two core innovations: the inclusion of Focal's new 'PRISM' tweeter and a new 'M-profile' W midrange driver.

That PRISM tweeter was first introduced recently in Focal's high-end Diva Alta Utopia wireless speaker system and now makes its way to the three-way Scala Evo M towers. This unit uses a combination of composite materials to strike the ideal balance between lightness and damping – Focals says it achieves an even higher level of rigidity than the beryllium tweeter used in previous generations.

The new M-profile W midrange unit is derived from the Utopia Main professional monitor range, with a structure that teases "exceptional rigidity" and ultra-low distortion. Focal claims this should result in a mid-frequency response that is "more transparent, precise and natural" than before.

The W woofer has also been completely redesigned, and uses a dual-ferrite motor that promises "powerful, deep, controlled bass."

Further technologies that have appeared in other high-end Focal speakers aim to add "balance and coherence" to the new floorstanders.

Focal's 'TMD' driver suspension limits cone deformation and reduces resultant distortion, while the proprietary 'Optimum Phase Crossover' technology diminishes phase issues and enhances the speakers' ability to adapt their tonal balance according to the size and type of the room in which they're placed.

The three-way towers employ Focal's 'Focus Time' configuration, which is an articulated spine structure that arcs the speakers' design towards the listener, aiding with time alignment with the various drivers in play.

The overall aim of the Scala Utopia Evo M is to deliver "even more faithful and dynamic reproduction, capable of revealing the full richness of the most demanding recordings."

Available in five high-gloss lacquer or natural wood finishes, the new Focal Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanders are available now, priced at €40,000 / $46,000 per pair (UK price to be confirmed).

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Here at What Hi-Fi?, we are lucky to test the latest and greatest in speakers, systems and all things hi-fi.

Sometimes, though, it’s the older products that are the best. Take the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41; these powered speakers, currently reduced from £529 to £279 at Peter Tyson, were first reviewed in 2022. Since then they have racked up a rather impressive What Hi-Fi? Award tally with four gongs to their name.

Four years on, they are now excellent value thanks to some hefty price drops – and they still sit in our best budget hi-fi speakers as our powered option of choice.

It’s perfectly possible to spend more than a grand on powered speakers, of course, but for those on a budget, the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 offer a compact, great-sounding system for nearly a quarter of the cost, thanks to recent discounts.

Essentially, the Elacs are flexible, fuss-free standmount speakers with top-notch sound quality and Bluetooth connectivity for easy music playback.

Set-up is simple, with all the amplification built into one speaker and a supplied cable to connect it to its passive sibling.

There’s no wi-fi support for internet streaming, though we found the aptX Bluetooth connection works seamlessly, and there are also optical and USB wired inputs for an external music source.

There’s even a built-in switchable moving-magnet phono stage should you wish to hook up a turntable, and an HDMI ARC socket means the Elacs can double as TV speakers also!

We find the digital inputs offer the best sound, but whatever way you listen, the Elacs deliver. Each speaker comes with a 10cm mid/bass unit and a 19mm soft-dome tweeter, which together result in a clear, balanced and insightful performance.

“There’s a good level of detail here and the ability to organise that information into a cohesive and musical whole,” our Elac Debut Connex DCB41 review reads. “As we listen to a range of music from Sorrows Away by folk group The Unthanks to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, it becomes clear that this is a surprisingly capable performer.”

Our only qualms are with the phono stage which lacks dynamic expression, though it’s fine for occasional use.

After four years and four What Hi-Fi? Awards, the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 show no signs of losing their appeal. If you’re after an entry point to speaker systems or just a good bargain, then the DCB41 for £279 at Peter Tyson have proved to be long-term favourites.

If you have a bit more of a budget or are keen on extra features, then we recommend these alternatives too:

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Here’s our full Elac Debut Connex DCB41 review

Want streaming smarts included? Check out our KEF LSX II LT review

These are the best all-in-one systems you can buy

Most hi-fi enthusiasts have heard of the BBC-designed LS3/5A speakers. This tiny monitor was introduced in 1975 and has built a cult following thanks to its natural way with vocals and terrific stereo imaging. Given its small size and age, it will come as no surprise that it has limitations too, with restricted large-scale dynamics, an inability to play loud and limited bass reach, the most obvious.

The BBC also designed a bigger, more ambitious option, the LS5/9. It was released eight years after the LS3/5A and was intended to serve as a critical-listening monitor in modestly sized studios where the company’s bigger models just wouldn’t work. Its job was to allow the sound engineers to optimise all aspects of the broadcast/recording from microphone placement to overall sonic balance.

The BBC is a broadcaster rather than a speaker manufacturer, so as with its other designs, the LS5/9 is made under license by third-party companies such as Graham Audio. The Devon-based speaker manufacturer proudly proclaims its official licence on the packaging of these speakers.

Given that there are unofficial versions of this LS5/9 on the market, that seal of approval, at the very least, is a statement that the company has stayed faithful to the original design.

Design & build

The LS5/9 is a medium-sized, two-way monitor. It stands 46cm tall and has an internal volume of 28 litres, compared to the mere 5 litres of its smaller sibling. The front-ported cabinet follows the BBC’s favoured thin-wall construction method.

In this monitor, the enclosure’s panels are made of 9mm birch plywood and then heavily damped to move any resonances away from the all-important midrange region. Most current designs take the opposite approach, using thick panels that are more rigid but have resonances higher up the frequency range into areas where our hearing is more sensitive.

The LS5/9 is available in two standard hand-matched real wood veneers – cherry and oak – and three more premium options: ebony, rosewood and walnut. In a nod to modernity, Graham Audio has included magnetically mounted grilles for neatness.

Overall build quality is excellent. The oak veneer on our review sample looks lovely, while fit and finish are as good as the price point demands.

It isn’t possible to buy the original LS5/9 mid/bass unit, so Graham Audio, in partnership with Volt Loudspeakers, developed a new driver that complies with the BBC’s specifications. This 20cm polypropylene unit uses a rigid die-cast aluminium frame and has what is claimed to be a ‘massive’ motor assembly. Each driver is hand-assembled and tested by Volt.

OEM driver supplier, Audax, still manufactures the LS5/9’s official tweeter, and that’s what Graham Audio uses. This is an unusually large 34mm soft dome that is protected by a fearsome-looking metal grille.

Its output level is factory-set, but it can be tweaked to match your listening environment using exposed connections on the front panel. This involves moving a soldered wire between the three options (-1dB, 0dB (level) and +1dB), so it isn’t a particularly convenient thing to do. In most cases, we suspect that people will leave well alone.

The LS5/9’s crossover is relatively complex in design. It uses high-grade polypropylene capacitors and, unusually, a tapped autotransformer to equalise the tweeter level. The result is a sensitivity of 87dB/W/m and a nominal impedance of 8 ohms – pretty standard numbers for a speaker of this type.

Compatibility

Indeed, these speakers don’t prove particularly hard to drive. We try a range of amplifiers from Arcam’s A15+ and the Cyrus 40 AMP to our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power without issue.

Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC feeding a Cyrus Phono Signature/ PSX-R2 phono stage.

It pays to take care over speaker positioning. In our 3 x 7 x 5m listening room, the LS5/9 sound best around 70cm out into the room, angled in towards the listening position, though their controlled lows make a closer-to-wall position acceptable.

Once optimised, they provide a relatively broad listening sweetspot and their presentation remains impressively consistent as we move around the room. This trait points to great integration between the drive units and a well-calibrated crossover design.

These monitors are voiced to perform best with the grilles on, and they will sound a little bright and forward if you don’t use them this way. Aim to have the tweeter around ear height for the most balanced results.

Sound

Note, despite the age of the basic design, the LS5/9 speakers are highly revealing. If there are any shortcomings in your amplifier, source or the recording you play, they won’t be shy about telling you.

If you are at all familiar with the much more forgiving LS3/5A, that might come as a bit of a shock. Remember, the LS5/9 were designed as proper critical-monitoring speakers, and the LS3/5A were not; the ability to dissect recordings and highlight flaws further up the chain is the bigger speaker’s raison d'être.

Given their intended purpose in life, it comes as no surprise that the LS5/9 are even-handed and essentially neutral. They’re not massive boxes, so we wouldn’t expect seismic bass from them, and we don’t get it. But the lows they do produce are taut, articulate and dovetail seamlessly with the midrange.

As we play Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, it is hard not to admire the LS5/9’s insight into low-end subtleties and their ability to play loud without stress. Bear in mind the design’s age, it is even more impressive. The BBC’s original specifications stipulate 100dB monitoring levels, so the ability to play at high levels was baked in from the beginning.

Their midrange is another highlight. It is beautifully natural, conveying the likes of Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight with the passion and body they deserve. We love the unforced character of these speakers and the way they deliver so much detail without sounding artificially etched or aggressive.

Sure, that tweeter isn’t shy about revealing hard edges or brightness in recordings, but given a good enough signal, it remains decently refined and insightful.

Stereo imaging is another strength. As we listen to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, it is hard not to be impressed by the sense of dimensionality and scale. Instruments are placed with precision and refuse to blur as things get busier. We don’t find the soundstage especially spacious, though we do like the convincing way image depth is layered.

Good as these monitors are, there are areas where the age of the design shows. While they excel at conveying low-level dynamics, the kind that communicate the feelings in lyrics or the subtle change of intensity of instruments, they don’t deal with larger dynamic contrasts with as much conviction. The very best alternatives at this price have a broader dynamic reach and convey sonic authority better.

We would also like the LS5/9 to deliver rhythmic drive with a bit more verve and precision. Their analytical approach to music replay has plenty of appeal, but it would be nice if a song like Michael Jackson’s Black Or White was rendered with a greater sense of propulsion.

Verdict

The LS5/9 are a piece of hi-fi history, and should be judged as such. We wouldn’t expect a classic car from the ’80s to be better than current designs in every aspect, and nor would we expect that from any piece of hi-fi.

The shock is just how excellent these speakers sound by current standards. Feed them a good enough signal and their superb midrange, insight and finesse shine through. They sound authentic in a way that still eludes most price rivals, and while there are aspects of their performance that fall slightly behind the very best at this price, these aren’t enough to dull our enthusiasm.

The LS5/9 design is a testament to the quality of the BBC’s engineers of the time, as well as an indication that speaker design hasn’t progressed over the decades as much as we would like to think. Graham Audio has done a great job bringing it to life.

Review published: 29th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

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Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

Prime Day 2026 is almost coming to an end, so if you're seeking a pair of standmounts this summer, the clock is very much ticking.

We've got a sun-soaked deal for you, and it comes in the shape of the very personable Q Acoustics 5010, which have fallen to £349 at various retailers including Amazon, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson. While that's a drop of £50 from their original £399 test price, various retailers have listed the 5010 at a more hefty £499, making this a more substantial saving of around £150.

Q Acoustics 5010 Prime Day standmount speaker deal

Q Acoustics' 5000 series has been a roaring success, producing the likes of the Award-winning 5050 floorstanders and the also-outstanding 5040 towers. We've been mightily impressed, and while the 5010 standmounts aren't quite in the same league are their larger cousins, they still evidence much of the same characteristics that made the 5050 and 5040 so special.

The build quality is certainly there. The 5010 are well-made speakers, from their signature rounded-off edges to the quality of the single set of terminals housed at each speaker’s rear.

The 25mm tweeter is based on the same design as found in Q Acoustics’ Concept series, wherein the driver is decoupled from the baffle to stop vibrations from the mid/bass unit affecting the sound.

The driver’s inner chamber, meanwhile, has been vented to reduce distortion and promote a cleaner, clearer signature.

Get them up and firing and you'll hear what Q Acoustics was aiming for. As we said in our review, the 5010 are "a deeply impressive pair of standmounts. They produce an immensely cohesive sound, making our music so organised and well integrated that even the Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 come across as slightly ill-disciplined by comparison".

Detail levels are immensely strong, with a clean-natural personality that makes mid-range elements such as pianos, guitars and vocals really shine.

The 5010 match those instrumental elements with robustness and power, complemented by ample bass weight that gives tracks enough lower-end oomph.

They're not as snappy or emotionally engaging as, say, the Dali Oberon 1, but we know that the 5010's given sonic signature will have its fans, especially at this significantly discounted price.

Check them out at Amazon, Richer Sounds, Peter Tyson or Sevenoaks.

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Wasn’t it Joni Mitchell who said, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”?

We can be fairly certain she wasn’t talking about Prime Day deals back in 1970, but with a reduction like this on a decent pair of floorstanding speakers, we are feeling inclined to heed her advice, anyway.

The B&W 603 S3 are currently at a Prime Day discount of £500, available for £1499 from Sevenoaks, Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds.

Whats more, you can pick up a 3m run of QED XT25 Speaker Cable (worth £70) for free by signing up to Rewards by Sevenoaks. Blessedly, sign-up is completely free.

In previous sales, these speakers have sold out fast, so we recommend acting quickly if this sounds like the bargain for you.

The 603 S3 are the largest and most costly speakers in Bowers & Wilkins’ 600 series. They use a titanium-dome tweeter, B&W’s custom 15cm Continuum midrange cone, and a pair of 16.5cm paper bass drivers to deliver a “robust” and “full” sound.

With a more powerful motor assembly for their midrange driver, which uses a vibration-suppressing foam in pursuit of purer, clearer sound, the 603 S3 have seen tech trickle down from B&W’s more expensive 700 series.

It is worth noting that these are some formidably proportioned speakers. Measuring 102cm tall, they are ideal for anyone looking to fill a room with an attractive, if bulky speaker set-up.

Thankfully, we feel the B&Ws warrant the space they take up. In our review of the 603 S3, we say that the drive and power of these speakers would “please anyone looking for their music to enjoy a whole load of weight and muscle”.

Throughout testing, they provided detail and nuance, while also contributing clarity, focus and robust bass. These speakers showed no shortage of authority and control.

However, we awarded the 603 S3 four stars at review, due to the superior dynamism of the similarly priced PMC Prodigy 5.

But the Prodigy 5 are still selling for £1995 – and that, to our mind, puts the Bowers & Wilkins ahead as a significantly more affordable option.

If you’re looking for a large set of speakers with a similarly substantial sound, the 603 S3 just might be the pair for you. They are available for £1499 from Sevenoaks, Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds.

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Stay up to date with Prime Day 2026 LIVE: our hi-fi experts choose the best speaker, headphone and turntable deals

Having resisted for almost two decades, I finally took the plunge recently and tried living with a turntable as part of our special Vinyl Week.

I expected to enjoy the experiment. What I didn't expect was to fall completely in love with it.

Within days, I found myself eagerly browsing record shops, keeping an eye out for bargains on eBay and looking for excuses to put an album on.

More surprisingly, my family got into it, too. The simple ritual of choosing a record, putting it on the platter and dropping the needle proved far more engaging than scrolling endlessly through Spotify.

There was just one problem: because my main living room system is the Sony HT-A9, I needed a Bluetooth turntable that could sit at the back of the room without cables trailing across the floor.

The Pro-Ject T1 EVO BT fit the bill perfectly, but while the setup worked, I quickly discovered that the HT-A9 only supports compressed Bluetooth audio.

The result was a noticeable compromise in sound quality. I loved the vinyl experience, but I knew I wasn't hearing what the turntable was capable of.

Rather than abandon the whole project, I decided to build a minimalist hi-fi system that could coexist with my existing home cinema setup.

The turntable's location was already approved by my wife, so moving it wasn't an option: whatever I chose had to work wirelessly, fit neatly into our living room and, ideally, sound fantastic.

After much research and consultation with my esteemed colleagues Kashfia Kabir and Ketan Bharadia, I settled on the KEF Coda W active speakers – and they've been brilliant.

They're not quite as eye-catching as the models in KEF's LS range, but they're very handsome in their own right and, crucially for me, compact enough to slot into the existing bookcase in our living room. More importantly, they sound superb.

For relatively compact speakers, they produce a surprisingly big, confident and weighty sound. That's partly down to the hefty 100W of amplification power per channel. They're also detailed without sounding analytical, tonally balanced without sounding dull, and wonderfully fluid with music.

Crucially, they also support the aptX HD-quality Bluetooth streams sent by the Pro-Ject turntable, and the improvement was immediately obvious.

The speakers impressed me so much, in fact, that they inspired the next stage of the project.

Wanting to get more use from them, I borrowed a WiiM Pro Plus streamer from our hi-fi team and connected it to the Coda W via optical. The result is what I now consider to be a near-perfect modern hi-fi system: a Bluetooth turntable for vinyl, a streamer for everything else and a pair of active speakers that require no separate amplifier.

It's compact, easy to use, living-room friendly and, most importantly, it sounds terrific.

Unfortunately, the KEF Coda W speakers aren't discounted for Amazon Prime Day, nor have I spotted any worthwhile deals elsewhere. That's not especially surprising given how new they are.

Even so, I'd argue they're excellent value at their £799 asking price. There's a reason we awarded them five stars in our KEF Coda W review.

Prime Day is often about chasing the biggest discount, but sometimes the best products to buy are the ones that aren't on sale. The KEF Coda W is just one very personal example.

If you do fancy recreating my minimalist hi-fi setup, though, the good news is that both the Pro-Ject T1 EVO BT turntable and WiiM Pro Plus streamer are currently available at reduced prices:

If you’re just getting into hi-fi, or short on cash, but still want a stellar pair of floorstanding speakers capable of punching above their sonic weight, then we have good news.

After years of belligerently selling at full price, you can currently pick up the Dali Oberon 5 for £499 at Peter Tyson. That’s a solid £299 saving on their regular price, and the lowest currently available; the next best deal we’ve seen is on Amazon, which is selling the Oberon 5 for £599.

Why the Oberon 5 when they’re so long in the tooth? It's a fair question, as the speakers last won a What Hi-Fi? Award all the way back in 2020, and are currently being replaced by Dali’s new Sonik 5.

The answer is simple: they still sound great and are incredibly competitive performers at their new, lower price. In fact, they were so good that eagle-eyed regular readers will know I had them shortlisted to replace the Q Acoustics 3030i in my home system for many years.

They only got dethroned after I heard the Acoustic Energy AE309 Mk2, which has since replaced them as the top entry on my letter to Santa. However, with them selling for £1199, that’s a big step-up in price. And for those looking for an entry-level, sub-£500 set of speakers, the Oberon 5 is a fantastic option.

As we say in our review:

“Overall, these speakers manage to sound notably larger than they are. The Q Acoustics 3050i dig even more deeply into the bass, but lack the sheer expressiveness of these Dalis, particularly through the mid and higher frequencies.”

As we said in our review, they offer buyers an unfussy, fun-sounding set of floorstanders that will match nicely with a variety of amps – including the Technics SA-C600 system I have in my lounge and the newer, Award-winning Arcam A5+ from last year.

That’s why, if you’re shopping at that level during Prime Day, I’d wholeheartedly recommend considering grabbing a pair at their current price while stocks last. With the Sonik 5 now out, they won’t be around much longer if you don’t.

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Searching for floorstanders this Prime Day week? You're in luck!

The Q Acoustics 5050 are some of the finest mid-price floorstanders you're likely to find, and while their makers took a risk in reinventing its new 5000 range at a shifted price point and a new sonic signature, it paid off handsomely. That What Hi-Fi? Award wasn't given for nothing, you know.

They've just got a lot more affordable for Prime Day, too, but not at Amazon. The Q Acoustics 5050 are down to £999 at Sevenoaks, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson, knocking £300 off what was already a very competitive price and representing the lowest we've yet seen for the five-star floorstanders.

We've been suitably enamoured of the Q Acoustics 5050 for a while now, so much so that they're still our mid-range pick on our list of the best floorstanding speakers.

As a member of the 5000 range, the 5050 shares a lot in common design-wise with the Award-winning Q Acoustics 5040. The main difference is larger twin mid/bass drivers (15cm vs. 12.5cm) and a larger cabinet making the 5050 a better choice for bigger listening spaces.

Despite the increase in size, there’s no sign of overreaching for the Q Acoustics towers. As we wrote in our review: “There is no questioning the clarity and insight on offer. Like their junior siblings, these speakers dig up plenty of detail.

“They can delve into complex productions such as Steve Reich’s Music For 18 Musicians and deliver clear insights. They never sound confused and manage to keep hold of a multitude of instrumental strands without losing track of the musical whole. That is not an easy thing to do.”

The 5050 are particularly impressive with bass, remaining composed and unstressed even at high volume. In short, they offer some of the most controlled and articulate bass we have heard from a tower at this level.

The 5050 do need some care with partnering, though, especially as their presentation can be a touch forward. While the 5050 will provide a decent sound with budget amplifiers, we recommend looking at more talented options – Arcam’s A5 and A5+ or the Cambridge Audio XA81 are good starting points.

Partner those with a decent source such as the Arcam CD5 CD player or Rega Planar 3 record player and you have a heck of a system on your hands.

Smartly finished and a delightful listen, the Q Acoustics 5050 offer grace and power at a really competitive price. With £300 off at Sevenoaks, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson, they're more tempting than ever before.

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French audio manufacturer Triangle has unveiled three passive speakers as part of its new Solstice range. Building on the legacy of the Esprit series, the Solstice lineup features the Solstice 8 floorstanders, the Solstice 3 standmounters, and the home-cinema-oriented Solstice C3 center channel.

The new Solstice speakers aim to offer a "natural and deeply lifelike sound reproduction" that will appeal to demanding audiophiles and first-time hi-fi buyers alike.

Priced at £1999 / €1999 / $2799 per pair, the Solstice 8 floorstanders feature a three-way design. This configuration combines Triangle’s new 25mm horn-loaded tweeter with a 16cm driver and a pair of 16cm woofers. To enhance low-end performance, the speakers also include a concealed bass port, which has been neatly integrated into their base.

The Solstice 3 standmounts, costing £999 / €999 / $1349 per pair, are a two-way design intended to create an “open and precise sound”. The speakers pair a 16mm mid/bass driver with the same 25mm tweeter and inconspicuous bass port design found in the Solstice 8.

In our five-star review of Triangle’s Esprit Comete Ez, we emphasised the speakers’ need for solid stands. Triangle appears to have taken note, because the Solstice 3 have been specifically designed for use with the company’s S05 stands, which are available separately for those willing to fork out £279 for a pair.

To complete the range, the Solstice C3 centre channel “ensures perfect sound consistency within home cinema set-ups” according to Triangle. Priced at £579 / €575 / $750, the C3’s sealed enclosure houses a two-way design, featuring dual 16cm midrange drivers and the signature 25mm tweeter.

You might have noticed that all of the Solstice speakers employ Triangle’s visually striking new horn-loaded tweeter. By including an injection moulded phase plug and barrel-shaped cut out at the base of the horn, Triangle claims the new design delivers a more consistent frequency response and better integration with the midrange drivers.

The cabinet for each speaker has new internal reinforcement to reduce unwanted resonances from affecting the signal, in pursuit of improving the "acoustic neutrality" of the speaker.

Starting from today, Triangle’s new Solstice speakers are available in teak, birch, white and ash black finishes.

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Focal has a new flagship active wireless speaker system, and you'd better start saving it you want to get your hands on one.

The new Focal Diva Alta Utopia sits at the summit of the brand's Diva Utopia range, which is made in collaboration with sister-brand Naim Audio. As with the rest of the range, the new system offers built-in amplification alongside wireless streaming powers in a pair of floorstanding speakers – and it's the largest, most powerful and most expensive model yet.

We reviewed the first of the range, the five-star Diva Utopia system in late 2024, and found it a very impressive offering.

Focal pledges that this new flagship Alta Utopia system is "aimed at the most demanding audiophiles looking for an exceptional system", taking the ingredients of the established lineup and elevating them to new heights.

The Diva Alta Utopia features a new generation of the brand's 'Prism' tweeter, a 27mm unit which combines multiple materials for "the perfect balance between lightness, damping and rigidity".

That tweeter is complemented by a reinforced 13cm 'M-profile' midrange driver, with carbon reinforcement and a sealed enclosure that aims to offer a detailed, natural sounding mid-frequency reproduction.

Four 20.5cm woofers in each tower tease a deep and articulate bass, while a 16.5cm 'W' mid/bass driver uses a cone with two sheets of glass on either side of a central foam body, which, says Focal, grants the ideal blend of lightness, rigidity and damping.

The active system packs a huge 600 watts of Class A/B power per speaker, which is distributed over four dedicated amplifiers to provide what Focal says is an "exceptionally wide" sound with "no dynamic compression".

Thanks to the implementation of Naim's Pulse streaming platform, the flagship system can accept high-resolution files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM. The Diva Alta Utopia uses Focal's 'Ultra Wideband' technology to ensure 24-bit/192kHz wireless support between the speakers, and a hi-res connecting cable is also provided.

'Focal Time Management' tech is integrated, wherein the speakers' drivers are arranged in a curved arc to obtain a more consistent and realistic sound image at all times. This design is in keeping with Focal's Utopia series of passive speakers.

Streaming support is extensive, with UPnP compatibility allowing you to stream digital files across a home network from a NAS unit, and the system is compatible with the most popular platforms, such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz. AirPlay 2 and Google Cast are also on board, while aptX Adaptive codec support allows for 24-bit Bluetooth playback from a compatible source.