| BUYING GUIDE - LOUDSPEAKERS - £800-£1499 |
| PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW |
| Loudspeakers |
£ |
Year |
Verdict |
Acoustic Precision
Eikos RF1 |
£800 |
Nov 99 |
Bass-light, but excellent in every other area. A sub is on the way. Very revealing of ancillary components. |
| Audionote E |
£1450 |
Mar 95 |
Big, bulky and ultra-sensitive with quick pace and a well balanced sound, but not without flaws. |
| ALR Jordan Note 3 |
£1000 |
Jun 00 |
An intriguing speaker with plenty of bass power and weight. Rock a-plenty, but the balance isn't ideal for chamber music. |
| ATC Active 10 |
£1299 |
Jun 02 |
Well engineered with a powerful muscular sound. Good dispersion and imaging but could be tiring during prolonged listening. |
| Audiovector M1 Sig |
£1479 |
Aug 98 |
The M1 Sigs may be a little laid-back, but they have a pleasant and involving sound. |
| Audiovector M2 |
£1499 |
Jun 98 |
The M2s are marred by a boom 'n' tizz presentation that suits Heavy Metal but not much else. |
| B&W CDM7 |
£999 |
Feb 98 |
With warm ancillaries the CDM7s produce a weighty, open sound. Bass could be faster. |
Blueroom Minipods &
Bass Station |
£828 |
Jan 02 |
Fairly good value for a stylish system with a warm and generous sound. A bit too woolly at times though. |
Cabasse Systeme iO &
Jupiter Subwoofer |
£1230 |
Jan 02 |
Uniquely engaging looks and very space friendly. A good hi-fi sound with plenty of drive that's just let down by the edgy treble. |
| Castle Howard S2 |
£1099 |
Mar 96 |
Fantastically deep and tight bass but some treble sharpness requires careful matching. |
| Castle Howard S3 |
£1349 |
Apr 01 |
Tuneful deep bass, see-through clarity and spacious imaging mark out the Howard S3 as a first class loudspeaker. It produces music on an impressive scale and is hugely entertaining. |
| Castle Inversion 50 |
£875 |
Jan 00 |
A welcome addition to the Inversion range. Sweet and lucid performers with a solid deep bass. |
| Celestion A2 |
£1499 |
Jun 98 |
Focus is not a strength, but bass extension and even tonality are. Metal tweeter can be bright. |
| Chario Academy One |
£1199 |
Dec 95 |
Musical realism and a great real-wood finish make these 'speakers enjoyable, if not perfect. |
| Chario Constellation Cygnus |
£1000 |
Apr 01 |
Enjoyable, smooth sounding and finely put together. Good with classical but sound a tad loose with bass heavy music. |
| Chario Millennium 1 |
£1399 |
Apr 00 |
Beautifully constructed with a sophisticated and neutral sound. Highly recommended. |
| Cyrus CLS70 |
£800 |
Feb 01 |
Great build. Excellent with rock and dance, but could do with some warmth with acoustic music. Great pumping bass for a standmount! |
| Diapason Karis |
£1250 |
May 99 |
Small cabinet precludes the deepest bass, but a sweet little act for all that. Seriously imaging abilities. |
| Elac 310i Jet |
£800 |
Jul 99 |
Lovely fast, clear sound majors on musicality. 10 year guarantee too. |
| Elac 510 |
£1000 |
Apr 02 |
Tremendously capable standmounters with a fantastically musical, open and transparent sound, but high quality ancillaries are a must. |
| Elac 512 Jet |
£1299 |
Nov 01 |
Very fine 'speakers with a superb ribbon tweeter, treble and good deep bass. Excellent build too. |
| Epos ES22 |
£1185 |
Jun 98 |
Aside from a slightly cool balance, the ES22s shine. Dynamics, bass depth and control are tops. |
| Event 20/20BAS |
£829 |
Sep 98 |
Warm, detailed and well-endowed in the bass, the Events lack only a touch of overall control. |
| Genelec HT206 |
£1400 |
May 00 |
Excellent attack, clarity and detail make these small 'speakers hard to beat at the price. Professional monitors with a distinctly high end hi-fi sound. |
| Harbeth DPM1 Active |
£849 |
Sep 98 |
Now HHB's Circle Actives, these loudspeakers mix the best of pro and domestic to produce first-class results. |
| Harbeth HL Compact 7 |
£1329 |
Jun 96 |
Dry and analytical but truthful with it. A first class monitor ideally suited to acoustic or classical music. |
| Harbeth HL K6 |
£975 |
Dec 96 |
Clean, musical and classy - Harbeth have done themselves proud again! |
| Infinity Kappa 600 |
£1499 |
Apr 02 |
Very deep bass and plenty of power but also a bit loose and laid back. A fine high-end AV speaker. |
| JM Labs Electra 906 |
£900 |
Mar 02 |
Very musical and cohesive 'speakers but somewhat lacking in midrange body. |
| KAR Torino |
£895 |
Jan 97 |
The Torinos' stylish sound won't shame any system. That powerful bass does need space to breathe properly though. |
| Kef Reference 1 |
£995 |
May 95 |
Beautifully fluid and integrated mid band and treble but can be slow, with a little loss of bass control. |
| KEF Reference 2 |
£1499 |
Jan 95 |
Handles rock and classical with equal aplomb, with the ability to reproduce detail that flummoxes many other models. |
| Kef Reference One-Two |
£1350 |
Oct 00 |
Great engineering with a full and well-balanced sound, the Reference One-Two is a class act. |
| Kef Reference 201 |
£1999 |
Jul 02 |
The 201s are a class leader. Not cheap but superbly built, they have excellent bass, a fine extended treble and great detail. Styling may not be to all tastes though. |
| Klipsch Heresy II |
£1150 |
May 99 |
Horn and infinite-baffle hybrid with power to spare. Phasing and frequency accurate beyond belief. |
| KRK V8 |
£995 |
Sep 98 |
Ultra-detailed and revealing, the V8s are true pro more than domestic transducers. |
| Magneplaner MG 0.6 SE |
£1370 |
Mar 95 |
Very clear detail and separation, but just fails to produce a fully 3-dimensional sound. |
| Magneplanar MG12/QR |
£1200 |
May 99 |
Lightness of touch, dynamics and clarity in trumps. Needs powerful amplification for 77dB/W/m. Not a valve 'speaker |
| Mirage 890i |
£1075 |
Oct 95 |
An easy going, open and natural sound makes the mirages an attractive proposition. |
| Mission 754 F5 |
£1299 |
Sep 96 |
Articulate and informative sound with fine imaging and tight, deep bass. |
| Mission 783 |
£995 |
Dec 00 |
Partner with smooth sounding amps and the 783s are superb, with a supreme lack of colouration and excellent imaging. |
| Mordaunt Short 860 |
£1450 |
Dec 95 |
Fast, tight and informative, but a poor tweeter casts a grey shadow. |
| Musical-Tech. Falcon |
£955 |
May 96 |
Give a big sense of scale on rock and jazz but not subtle and even enough for the critical classical listener. |
| NEAR Soundmast |
£1199 |
Aug 95 |
An interesting, musical floorstander thatís good value even at this price. |
| Opera Super Pavarotti |
£995 |
Nov 00 |
Warm and rich musical sound that's great with lyrical music. A lack of rhythmic drive lets them down though and the competition's fierce at this price. |
| Opera SP2 |
£1100 |
Jun 02 |
An open, easy going sound make these a well balanced and user friendly loudspeaker. Not the fastest or lowest bass around but the midrange and treble is excellent. Headbangers stay clear! |
| Origin Live Sovereign |
£1225 |
Jun 98 |
The OLs have transparency and detail in considerable amounts. Bass can be loose though. |
| PMC FB1 |
£1410 |
Oct 01 |
Highly involving professionally designed 'speakers with excitement and speed that makes hi-fi a whole lot of fun. |
| PT Ventricle |
£896 |
Aug 95 |
Smooth and refined floorstanders that some listeners will find captivating. |
| QLN Signature |
£1499 |
Mar 96 |
Super sound staging, openness and detail. Well worth seeking out. |
| REL Stadium 2 |
£995 |
Aug 95 |
Excellent bass performance means that this subwoofer is no toy. |
| Roksan Ojan 3 |
£1000 |
Jan 98 |
Unusual 'speakers with great rhythmic capabilities and bass. Could be more transparent. |
| Ruark Paladin |
£1099 |
May 95 |
The Paladins possess a detailed and expansive soundstage but also a rather dry character |
| Shahinian Super Elf |
£1195 |
Jul 01 |
Tight, punchy sound can't hide the extrmely coloured nature of these speakers. |
| Spendor 2040 |
£899 |
Oct 96 |
The tweeter works well but a recessed midband and one-note bass are the Achilles heels. |
| Spendor FL8 |
£1275 |
Jun 98 |
The FL8s are warm, mellow performers which prefer Classical to Rock. |
| Tannoy D300 |
£1000 |
Apr 97 |
Impressive bass extension and control go hand in hand with precise imaging to make the D300s a snip at £1000. |
| Tannoy Eyris 2 |
£1000 |
Sep 02 |
Superbly built and sonically impressive with the right material, but a tad dull when matched with the wrong ancillaries and recording. Recommended with caution. |
Tannoy ST-100
Super Tweeter |
£1100 |
Aug 01 |
High-enders will love them - they really work. The only downside is the price - Tannoy, can't we have a cheaper version for us mere mortals??!! |
| Totem Model 1 Sig |
£1250 |
Sep 97 |
Good but the move from standard to Signature has taken speed and punch out of the Model 1s |
| UKD Callas Gold |
£995 |
Jun 96 |
A rich and open sound, extremely musical if not strictly accurate. Great bass extension for their size. |
| UKD Divina |
£1390 |
Jun 95 |
Not the most neutral 'speakers but they are extremely smooth with an overall coherence to the sound. |
| Vienna Acoustics Bach |
£1000 |
Aug 01 |
A rich and full sound thats fluid and musical. Not the tightest bass or the most natural sound though, and the competition is extremely tough. |
| Veritas 7 |
£1000 |
Jun 99 |
The Veritas 7s combine neutrality and detail with fluidity and sophistication. |
| Zingali Concerto .1 |
£1100 |
Dec 99 |
Beautiful cosmetics but poor frequency balance. May be a partner for a subwoofer; otherwise too bass-light. |
