Having visited the Diapason headquarters a couple of years ago I discovered first-hand the commitment involved in each and every pair of hand-made speakers from this renowned Italian brand. So, when the opportunity arose to look closely at the new Adamantes V two-way bookshelf model, I jumped at the chance. After a brief listen at this year’s […]
2019 is becoming a very Italian year in my audio life. Like many of us immersed in this hobby in the UK I was aware of a few Italian brands but this year I have had the privilege to hear several which were hitherto not on my radar, and the first of them is Gold […]
Launched last year, the 607 is the smallest and most affordable model in Bowers & Wilkins’ latest 600 Series. The line-up includes seven designs in total, including subwoofers and a centre channel for surround sound set-ups. Straight out of the box and even before they’re wired and fired, the 607s impress. Smartly turned out with […]
Walk into any British audio retail emporium and ask the people running it what they don’t need any more of, and I’ll wager that at least 8 out of 10 will say “Another loudspeaker brand”. You can see their point. I bet that almost everyone reading this could count into double figures the number of […]
The Q Acoustics Concept 300 is a revolutionary loudspeaker. Not because of the cabinet or the drivers or even the tripod stand, although that is radical from a design perspective. It’s a game changer because this is the first loudspeaker that incorporates a damped spring isolation system in the world ever. For a decade or […]
In the studio world all loudspeakers are actively driven, Yamaha’s once ubiquitous NS10 being the exception that proves the rule. In an active speaker the crossover is electronic and comes before the amplifiers which are directly connected to each drive unit. It’s an approach that has huge advantages in so many ways yet despite the […]
I have to say that I rather like the vintage B&O turntable that Sonus faber have chosen for the video that heads up their page for the Sonetto range, it’s a beauty. Probably doesn’t do justice to the loudspeakers but aesthetics count, especially if you’re Italian. The Sonetto range is a good example of this, […]
Eastern Europe has been generating a clutch of new audio brands, among them loudspeaker marque Audio Solutions which has launched a new range. Trevor Butler’s been taking a listen. I first heard Audio Solutions’ new range of loudspeakers at the busy Hamburg show at the start of the year and was immediately impressed. Any manufacturer who can create […]
In the interests of full disclosure I need to preface what you are about to read with a couple of facts about me. First, as you can see in my bio on this website, I am a Harbeth owner, and have been since 2014. My main loudspeakers are Harbeth Super HL5+ 40th Anniversary editions and I also […]
The 700 series sits in the middle of Bowers & Wilkins three ranges of ‘serious’ loudspeakers, flanked by the more affordable 600 series below and the more ambitious 800 series above. It has a lot of the tech from the 800s along with shiny finishes and, in the case of the 705 and 702, a […]
Entering a crowded market place, French brand Elipson goes head-on to compete with some stiff competition with its latest two-way stand-mount. Trevor Butler takes a listen to see if there’s any chance of entente cordiale. When the single carton containing a pair of these French speakers arrived I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive. […]
There are several ways to start a loudspeaker company, the classic approach is to toil away in the shed until you develop a loudspeaker that sounds great and hopefully appeals to other music lovers as well, build a few pairs and try to sell them into the trade and slowly build up a customer base. […]