Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature Bowers & Wilkins have established a working pattern over the last decade or so that sees certain models from their upper ranges upgraded to Signature status after they have been on the market for a while. We saw this most recently with the 801 Signature and this year the […]
Monitor Audio Studio 89 loudspeakers It was back I the ‘80s, I recall, when Monitor Audio launched its Studio Series of loudspeakers. Now, taking its name from that now fashionable time, the Studio 89 has launched and I was excited to put this compact two-way through its paces, especially as it borrows some technology from […]
Ophidian Ffion speakers As a reviewer who has form for turning the spotlight on less well-known brands, I find a particular pathology often on display in audio dealer showrooms really quite fascinating. Say a customer auditions three contending models of speakers; among them is one that isn’t the creature of a big brand A or […]
Art Emotion Carbon 6 loudspeakers The latest range of loudspeakers from Art may only have been in production for a matter of months, but they owe their existence to an ongoing quest by the company to refine its innovative cabinet designs and choice of drive units. This has resulted in the current comprehensive line-up of […]
Rega Aya speakers After decades of reviewing audio products, I cannot believe that this is the first Rega design to pass through my hands: the British company is long-standing and has a loyal following. It was therefore with more than the usual excitement of receiving a new item that I unboxed the floorstanding Aya loudspeakers, […]
Tannoy SGM 10 speakers Given that the very first loudspeaker I reviewed, back in 1988, was a Tannoy I was interested to hear how a modern iteration from the same marque sounds. Many millions of published words later and I received the first UK samples of the brand-new two-way standmount 10-inch dual concentric design, the […]
Vivid Audio Moya M1 loudspeakers The Moya is by far and away the largest loudspeaker that Vivid have ever made, in fact it’s one of the biggest speakers that anyone has ever made outside of the wild world of horns. Each one is made up of six parts; a plinth, four bass cabinets weighing 60kg […]
Diapason Ares Excel speakers Having revelled in what several bookshelf Diapason loudspeakers from Italy can achieve, I was intrigued to note an inexpensive floorstander in the catalogue, the only other one being a £55,000 design and (way) over my pay grade. The Ares Excel is probably the narrowest floorstanding loudspeaker I have ever used (5 […]
Fischer and Fischer SN70 loudspeakers I was very excited to hear that renowned German loudspeaker brand Fischer & Fischer has new UK distribution. The move was mooted when I met MD Thomas Fischer at the Dutch Audio Event last autumn and admired his small monitors with their external crossovers, which were managing to create a […]
Development Audio Cymatics 6 speakers A product launch usually generates interest but when it comes from a whole new audio brand then it’s time to really get excited, especially when its founder has such a solid pedigree in the business. The Cymatics 6 is a two-way stand-mount loudspeaker from Development Audio, the brand’s inaugural product […]
Dali Rubikore 2 speakers Dali, or Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, has something of a cult following judging by their crowded rooms at hi-fi shows. So popular is the brand that it’s often impossible to find space at these events. I was therefore very excited to be offered their latest two-way bookshelf to try in my […]
Fyne Audio F703SP loudspeakers Surface area equals pi times the square of the radius is one of the equations that imposes immutable constraints on passive loudspeakers. Forgive the maths refresher, but the size of the driver or drivers has an effect on the lowest bass notes a speaker can produce, together with other parameters the […]