Scansonic HD M30.2 speakers
If you lust after an impossibly elegant pillar of Scandi sonic nirvana, no expense spared, Danish speaker maker Raidho Acoustics can help in two ways. First, in exchange for a suitably large amount of filthy moolah, it can make your dreams come true with svelte, driver-stacked towers that cast ever longer shadows as the asking price ascends. Secondly, if the realisation of those dreams is inevitably dashed on the rocks of financial reality, rather than see available funds spent elsewhere, sub-brand Scansonic (now Scansonic HD) – part of the same Dantax Radio A/S group, along with Gamut Audio electronics – has been providing a ‘soft landing’ service for more than 15 years, offering a materially pared back, recalibrated, cost managed version of high-end Raidho goodness for shallower pockets. The ‘taste of Raidho’ results have been generally fine and competitive for the money over the years, even if the tempting ‘Raidho on the cheap’ conceit has remained somewhat fanciful.
When Morten Kim Nielsen became CEO of Dantax A/S in late 2025, he arrived with a mission to reframe and further sharpen the value proposition synonymous with Scansonic, a brand he came to know well in his previous position as the company’s sales and marketing director. Casting an eye over the line-up, top of the job sheet was a revamp of the lower tier M series, a Scansonic family one up from the entry-level L range, Nielsen felt it needed to make a potent statement but had become something of an underachiever in recent times.
Strange construction
‘The previous M series from Scansonic was a bit of a strange construction to be brutally honest,’ Nielsen confessed to me. ‘It was from the old era of making speakers in-house, so there were a lot of constraints designed to fit into the product hierarchy, price and range’.
Nielsen has vowed to turn this around – indeed, to build the best possible product at the price, regardless how it would fit in with the rest of the company’s offerings. ‘The goal is to place Scansonic on the map again for everybody, so I came up with new ideas, components and trashed traditional wisdom on how to calculate products for this category.’
Which isn’t to say the old M series speakers had nothing going for them. Worth carrying over, Nielsen felt, were the ‘excellent’ ribbon tweeter and high-performing main drivers – a 102mm midrange unit and twin 165mm woofers – which boast a sophisticated honeycomb sandwich construction and rigid cones ‘that can keep up with the ribbon tweeter’. The tweeter’s Kapton-aluminium sandwich is only 20 um thick, so the membrane’s resulting mass is just 0.03 g, 50 times less than any conventional textile, ceramic, beryllium or diamond dome, according to Nielsen.
Extraordinary required
‘But for the crossover I decided to discard all cheap components like electrolyte capacitors, and use only good quality poly caps,’ Nielsen continued. ‘That made it quite expensive for the price class, but I wanted something extraordinary.’
The two elliptical, paper cone passive radiators on the back of the three-way M30.2 flagship floorstander reviewed here take the place of a bass reflex port with the parallel aim of increasing the ‘virtual’ size of the enclosure and thus the depth and quality of bass it can reproduce.’ I took this principle and translated it into the design,’ says Nielsen, ‘and I think it turned out really well’. If the claimed 33Hz to 30 kHz frequency range checks out, he isn’t kidding.
Next, Nielsen turned his attention to the speakers’ appearance, hoping to forge a new visual identity: ‘not another square box that will leave you indifferent, but something more daring and characterful while remaining elegant.’ No, not another square box, but a strapping 1085mm tower with mildly tapered side panels, a deeply bevelled front baffle and a rear sloping top panel. No parallel sides that could propagate internal standing waves, then. And really no clue the M30.2 is a £3.5k speaker as the immaculate build and silk white finish of our sample would do credit to something twice the price.
With the magnetically attached front grilles removed, the aesthetic is just as distinctive if slightly more divisive, a mild retro vibe expressed by the elliptical outer trims of the round main drivers and even the ribbon tweeter which would provide a harmonious visual match with the actual elliptical 127 x 229mm passive radiators round the back. By the way, these also have a grille. Lifting the M30.2 is a base with conical feet on outriggers that adds to the quality feel and provides complete stability.
Sound quality
The M30.2 is an all-encompassing style of 3-way with the bandwidth and dynamic wherewithal to handle any genre from the whisperingly mellow late-night jazz of Bill Evans to the visceral slam of fully lit stadium rock a la Guns n’ Roses. A member of the strictly on-point monitor class? Hardly, though you could be forgiven for thinking so in some respects given the almost forensic transparency of its midband and fast, pure, extended treble. The speaker’s voicing, however, is more about impact, fun and entertainment than neutrality and meticulous even-handedness and, to this end, the quite forward balance and skilfully massaged bass that hits hard and dives low are major contributors if, maybe, the lowest frequencies are occasionally a hair too fulsome for smaller listening spaces.
In nearly every other situation, though, the outcome is utterly engaging and rewarding, the M30.2, perhaps more than anything else, delivering the big musical picture with a mix of pristine clarity, juicy substance and the kind of effortless largesse often attributed to 3-way designs. Play a Qobuz stream of Affirmation III from Prince’s Official Art Age album with a liberal dose of a Leema Acoustics Tucana II Anniversary’s 150 Watts and the M30.2 conveys the cavernous, electronically generated soundscapes, massed strings, cascading keyboard runs, punchy percussion and close-miked female speech in vivid living colour and without a hint of strain.
Considering the Scansonic M30.2’s size and driver complement, scale, authority and boldly drawn dynamic contrasts are easy givens, but just as arresting is its firm grasp of rhythm and surprising low-end agility for such a big box. The immediacy and grip are very persuasive, likewise the kind of precise imaging in a spacious soundstage that creates an impression of immersion. The potent levels of detail and squeaky-clean separation are, perhaps, a little more ‘hi-fi’ than naturalistic and make the layers and strands of a mix very easy to hear and follow, if sometimes a tad too etched and stark.
Verdict
To think of the M30.2 merely as a lot of nicely designed, well-made and finished Scandi floorstander for the money is to tragically underestimate it. Here, maybe for the first time, is a Scansonic speaker that really does deliver a real slice of Raidho sonic magic for an entirely approachable sum of money. Consider me impressed and the M30.2 a slam dunk Best Buy.
Pros
High-end heritage: Successfully delivers the “Raidho sonic magic” at a much more accessible price point (£3.5k).
Superior build and finish: The immaculate silk white finish and outrigger feet provide a luxury feel that rivals speakers twice the price.
Elite driver tech: Features an ultra-lightweight ribbon tweeter (0.03g) and rigid honeycomb sandwich drivers for exceptional speed and clarity.
Upgraded internals: Uses high-quality poly capacitors in the crossover, discarding the cheaper components found in previous generations.
Powerful scale: The dual passive radiators create a “virtual” enclosure size that allows for deep, authoritative bass down to 33Hz.
Non-resonant design: The tapered side panels and sloping top avoid “square box” acoustics and minimize internal standing waves.
Engaging performance: Offers a mix of “visceral slam” and “forensic transparency” that makes music feel vivid and alive.
Cons
Room size sensitivity: The bass can be slightly too “fulsome” (heavy) for smaller rooms, potentially overwhelming the space.
Analytical leanings: The level of detail is described as “etched and stark,” which might feel more “hi-fi” than natural to some ears.
Forward balance: The voicing favors impact and entertainment over strict neutrality, which may not suit those seeking a mellow response.
Polarizing aesthetics: The elliptical driver trims and retro visual cues are noted as potentially “divisive” depending on personal style.