Fyne Audio Vintage Five speakers I first saw the Mini-Me Vintage Five from Scottish company Fyne Audio at their launch during the Bristol hi-fi show at the start of the year. The looks and build quality appealed at once, even though the units were not playing when I visited their room. It was at 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 […]
Bowers & Wilkins 801 Signature The engineers at Bowers & Wilkins research and development department have been taking their jobs home with them again. It only seems like yesterday that the 800 series was launched in D4 form (apparently it was 2021) yet this summer they unveiled two Signature versions of the smallest and biggest […]
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 […]
PMC prodigy1 loudspeaker It’s incredible to think that the last design from PMC that I tried was the company’s first domestic product, which was back in 1991 when co-founder Adrian Loader brought his LB1 transmission line to Hi-Fi News. So much has changed and now PMC has grown to become something of a legend in […]
Focal Vestia No2 loudspeakers It is the magical moments that make the life of an audio reviewer so special, such as my encounter with the Vestia No2 floor-standing loudspeaker from French manufacturer Focal. My heart initially sank when I spied a pre-production version of the Vestia No2 three-way at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. In the […]
Buchardt S400 MkII loudspeakers I faced an awkward dichotomy in deciding when to pen this review because, while eager to share news of a very exciting product I am aware that, once published, the review samples will have to be shipped back to the manufacturer and I would like to enjoy them for as long […]
Sonus faber Amati G5 loudspeakers The Amati G5 is very much a modern Sonus faber that while it’s part of the Italian company’s Homage range does not seem have a lot in common with the models that it was created to honour. The Sonus faber Guarneri was first made in 1993 and while it had […]
Børresen X3 loudspeakers The Børresen X3 followed the mighty Stratton Acoustics Elypsis 1512s into the listening room, it would be hard to imagine two such different designs. The Stratton is a metre wide, has ten and 12 inch drive units and costs over £80,000, the X3 is 34.5cm wide, has drivers that do not exceed […]
Goldenear BRX loudspeakers It’s a bit of a novelty to have the Goldenear BRXs in my system, I can’t recall having had any of their loudspeakers through my hands before, although I’ve heard plenty and talked about Sandy Gross’ designs at various audio shows. Before establishing this label in 2010, he’s founded Polk back in […]
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 […]