The Ear’s reviewers pick the best hi-fi of 2024 If you want to know the best hi-fi of 2024, the audio products that really wowed our reviewers this year look no further. These components that made a lasting impression, they are the ones reviewers would have held onto if they could and sometimes did. There […]
Living Voice OBX-R80 loudspeakers Living Voice was born out of desire to make loudspeakers that were suitable for the valve/tube electronics. Founder Kevin Scott got his start with Definitive Audio selling tube amplifiers and a small range of speakers that were suited to their relatively low power, but when such models as he considered of […]
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 […]
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 […]
Neat Elite Classic loudspeaker In 2022, Neat launched the first model in its Classic range with a new version of the legendary shoebox-sized Petite. I enjoyed what this mighty mini could do and was not surprised that the giant-killing little speaker became an immediate success. This led to demand for a floorstanding companion for the […]
Neat Acoustics Mystique Classic speakers A new loudspeaker from British stalwart Neat Acoustics is always an exhilarating moment and I was excited when the new Mystique Classic arrived to try in my own system. I had seen a prototype of the compact floorstander at the Munich High End show in May and knew that it […]
PMC prodigy5 speakers PMC started out in pro audio and their official name is Professional Monitor Company so it’s hardly surprising that they are as heavily involved in the music production side of the business as the listening side where we sit in our comfy chairs. PMC’s ethos is that you can use the same […]
Alta Audio Alec loudspeakers Alta Audio is a classic boutique brand. Based in Long Island, New York, Alta is run by Michael Levy who makes a small range of distinctive looking loudspeakers of which the Alec is the smallest floorstander. It stands 39 inches (99cm) high before you add an inch and a half of […]
Q Acoustics 5040 loudspeakers The new Q Acoustics 5040 has me wondering whether somewhere in their sound labs, Q Acoustics’ engineers have secret ingredients in bottles labelled ‘Thrills’, ‘Spills’ and ‘Miscellaneous audio wizardry’. I’ve now had the pleasure of listening to several different speakers from this Hertfordshire-headquartered company, and every time my opening and closing […]
Kudos Titan 606 loudspeakers I have enjoyed a number of the Kudos loudspeakers during my tenure with the Ear so the opportunity to hear the Titan 606, the largest model yet to grace my listening room, was one I jumped at with enthusiasm. Regular readers may recall the positive impression that the C20 and the 10A […]
Blumenhofer Fun 13 Mk2 floorstanding loudspeaker I was introduced to Blumenhofer Acoustics exactly a year ago when I reviewed their Tempesta 20, a rousing hybrid-horn that lingered so vividly in my memory it was impossible to ignore eleven months later when it was time to nominate The Ear’s Best of 2022. Keen to hear more, […]
Goldenear Triton Seven The Goldenear Triton Sevens are the smallest of the floor standing loudspeakers in the flagship Triton range. When I first heard about Audioquest’s acquisition of the Goldenear loudspeaker company in early January 2020 my reaction was a simple one. Why? Why would Bill Low, owner and CEO of one of the world’s […]