Eclipse TD712zMk2
When I reviewed the Eclipse TD510Mk2 and partnering TD520SW sub last year I got a hugely entertaining and engaging result right from the off, the single driver speaker worked a treat and had me glued to the listening seat for hours. That inspired me to try its bigger brother, Eclipse’s ranger topping TD172zMk2, a speaker that looks […]
Dynaudio Special Forty
Getting the best out of loudspeakers is as much about finding an amplifier that works as anything else. It’s a nuisance that you can’t match amps and speakers by looking at the specs, all they really tell you is approximately how much power is needed, but the crux of a really good combination has little […]
Acoustic Energy AE100
It’s all well and good finding high end products that sound great but let’s face it, with the prices charged they should be good almost regardless of circumstances. The real challenge in audio reviewing and buying of course is finding products that work well and don’t cost as much as a car. And if you […]
PMC twenty5.21
I had a lot of fun with the last .21 model from PMC, the twenty.21 is small and energetic with a lot of charm, a genuine pocket rocket of a speaker that makes up for its limited bass extension with superb timing and musicality. So when the twenty5.21 turned up I was expecting the same […]
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2
When you make as many loudspeakers as Bowers & Wilkins do it must occasionally get difficult thinking up new range names. Before the 700 series there was the CM or compact monitor series that sat between the 600 and 800 ranges, a range that grew out of one model in a distinctly organic fashion. So […]
ELAC Uni-Fi B5 U5 Slim
A couple of years ago German loudspeaker maker ELAC employed ex KEF and TAD engineer Andrew Jones, it proved a good move especially when the budget Debut B6 garnered itself so many awards. Since then Andrew has introduced his favourite loudspeaker technology to ELAC’s range in the form of concentric mid/treble drivers, where the high […]
Electricbeach Blackwoods
Every audiophile begs, buys or borrows equipment over the period of their love affair with home music reproduction. Depending on the influence of ‘external factors’ (room size, domestic acceptance, aspiration vs available budget) the one component which tends to cause the most grief is the last one in the chain – the loudspeaker. Why? Well, […]
Boenicke W8
The problem with Sven Boenicke is he always plays good (see: my kind of) music at the Munich High End show. When you have heard to same old tunes in a dozen rooms it’s a breath of fresh air to come across a space where they have contemporary music that’s relaxed and untainted by audiophilia. […]
PMC twenty5.26
In an age when a 50inch television is considered normal it is increasingly rare to find anyone who has loudspeakers that are much bigger than baked bean cans. And yet who ever reached nirvana watching the telly! I know that Fargo is pretty good but transcendant it is not. We know that this is all […]
Q-Acoustics Concept 500
Having established itself as a highly credible entry level to mid market brand Q-Acoustics has rather rashly gone and built a high end loudspeaker. This is fabulous news for the canny audio enthusiast but is tricky terrain from a commercial perspective. The nearest parallel I can think of is the Ford GT40, a seriously capable […]
Eclipse TD510Mk2/TD520SW
Way back in the day when Tom Evans was modifying Pioneer CD players with clock upgrades, let’s call it the nineties, he got enthusiastic about Jordan full range drive units. It happens to a lot of people but most stick them in wooden cabinets and make another me too product, Tom had a different idea. […]
Dynaudio Contour 20
Introduced in 2016 the Dynaudio Contour 20 is the smallest member of a range that keeps the longstanding Contour name alive for Dynaudio. Evolution has not only changed the size but also the drivers, the looks, the materials and the crossover into a modern product, looking extremely fresh for the Danish who have always been […]