Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Canon S-35 loudspeaker

John Atkinson May 28, 2006 First Published: Jun 28, 1995

Yes, it's the same Canon—the Japanese photography, photocopier, and laser-printer giant whose logo for so many years adorned the rear wings of Williams Formula 1 racing cars. Canon's venture into the unknown waters of audio was instigated by the head of the UK-based research center, Hiro Negishi. I have been seeing Negishi-san, one of the world's leading minds in optical technology, at Audio Engineering Society conventions since the early '80s, so I was only half-surprised to see Canon launch first one loudspeaker, then a full range (footnote 1).

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature loudspeaker

Art Dudley May 21, 2006 First Published: May 21, 2006

Given Audio Note's early dominance of the low-power scene, you'd expect any loudspeaker from them to be a high-efficiency design, and you'd be right. What you wouldn't expect is how they go about doing it, since none of the 20-odd models in their speaker line appears to be much more than a plain-Jane two-way box, with nary a horn or whizzer in sight.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Dynaudio Focus 140 loudspeaker

Wes Phillips May 14, 2006 First Published: May 14, 2006

Perhaps there is no subject more vigorously debated among audiophiles than the primacy of the loudspeaker. Many 'philes believe there is no more important element in a hi-fi system—after all, they reason, it doesn't matter how good the components ahead of the speakers are; if the transducers can't reproduce the signal, you can't hear it. On the other hand, the source adherents maintain, speakers can't reproduce information that hasn't been retrieved from the recording. Loudspeakers can limit the amount of information you hear, but they can't increase it. This is one of those irresolvable paradoxes similar to the question of which came first, the roast chicken or the omelet.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Monitor Audio Studio 2 loudspeaker

Wes Phillips May 07, 2006 First Published: Feb 07, 1995

What is truth? What is reality? What is music?

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Monitor Audio Studio 10 loudspeaker

John Atkinson Apr 09, 2006 First Published: Nov 09, 1990

As much as I'm tempted by the impressive sweep and scale with which some of the large, full-range loudspeakers endow music, for some reason I find myself more at home with more compact examples of the breed. This is not through lack of familiarity with large speakers, a pair of B&W">http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/506">B&W 801s occupying pride of place in our living room (which also serves as my wife's listening room). Yet I find myself hankering after that ultimate soundstage precision that only minimonitors seem capable of producing: the loudspeakers totally disappearing, vocal and instrumental images hanging in space, truly solid—the prefix "stereo-" is derived from the Greek word stereos, which means solid—so that a rectangular, totally transparent window into the concert hall opens at the rear of your room. In addition, the necessarily limited low-frequency extension offered by small speakers makes it much easier to get the optimum integration with the room acoustics below 100Hz.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

PSB Alpha loudspeaker

Jack English Apr 02, 2006 First Published: Jul 02, 1992

As I said during the 1991 Stereophile writers' conference (Vol.14">http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/109">Vol.14 No.12): "There's immense satisfaction in finding that next Audible Illusions or Vandersteen or Rotel." My oh my, am I satisfied! But before you start writing checks, hold onto those pens for a few moments. The PSB Alphas are not ProAc, Hales, Quad, or even Vandersteen killers. Goodness, what do you expect for $200?

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Infinity Modulus loudspeaker & Modulus subwoofer

John Atkinson Feb 25, 2006 First Published: Nov 25, 1990

As much as I'm tempted by the impressive sweep and scale with which some of the large, full-range loudspeakers endow music, for some reason I find myself more at home with more compact examples of the breed. This is not through lack of familiarity with large speakers, a pair of B&W">http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/506">B&W Matrix 801s occupying pride of place in our living room (which also serves as my wife's listening room). Yet I find myself hankering after that ultimate soundstage precision that only minimonitors seem capable of producing: the loudspeakers totally disappearing, vocal and instrumental images hanging in space, truly solid—the prefix "stereo-" is derived from the Greek word stereos, which means solid—so that a rectangular, totally transparent window into the concert hall opens at the rear of your room. In addition, the necessarily limited low-frequency extension offered by small speakers makes it much easier to get the optimum integration with the room acoustics below 100Hz.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Lipinski Sound L-707 loudspeaker

Larry Greenhill Dec 18, 2005 First Published: Dec 18, 2005

Street buzz is a force to reckon with. When an audiophile whispers to me that a piece of new equipment sounds unusually good, I'm interested. When two manufacturers of other equipment independently tell me "You've got to listen to this speaker," I get excited.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews Budget Component Reviews

Usher Audio Technology S-520 loudspeaker

Robert J. Reina Dec 18, 2005 First Published: Dec 18, 2005

The last few years at our annual Home Entertainment Show, many readers have come up to me and asked: "How do you select which speakers to review?" In my case, most candidates are either new products that have impressed me when demonstrated at our HE Shows, or new products from manufacturers whose designs have impressed me in the past. Occasionally, editor John Atkinson gets wind of a speaker and asks if I'd like to review it. But once in a while, a manufacturer reads a rave review of a competing product that makes his or her blood boil.

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

NHT Xd active loudspeaker system

Kalman Rubinson Nov 19, 2005 First Published: Nov 19, 2005

NHT's Xd system is what audiophiles have been saying they want: a matched loudspeaker system that optimizes the performance of its components for a real-world domestic listening environment. But with their dollars they've voted against just such systems for years. If we put our money where our mouths are, active speaker systems such as Meridian's DSP or those used in recording studios would dominate the High End.