I remember wondering about the claim of how much better the sound would be when KEF first introduced Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). For me, the press release sounded like so many other press releases from loudspeaker manufacturers. Full of praise about how much better the new version is. So, guided by experience, I waited to …
It’s bigger, more powerful and plays with more energy and richness than the tiny HomePod mini. For Apple users, it’s close to the perfect speaker, and since it can be used for both music and movies, HomePod can replace both your music system and your soundbar. With two of them, you can get both stereo …
Calling Bang & Olufsen’s latest creation Beosound Theater a soundbar may sound like an insult to some. But that’s what the manufacturer itself calls the ambitious speaker that the B&O team in Struer has spent years developing! Soundbars are usually a pretty simple affair – a handy speaker that you put under the TV to …
The QR series is Danish Audiovector’s most affordable speaker family, and we saw the first models back in 2016. At the time, the 2.5-way QR3 was the only floorstanding model, and I was blown away by its light and free-flowing playing style, combined with a firmness that surpassed most. Both in the bass and in …
The bass response of the small speakers has its limitations, but the midrange and everything it manages to reproduce down to about 70 Hz is enough to get the depth of the bass out into the room in a believable way. Arild Andersen’s double bass sounds convincingly clear and distinct, but it’s the sound of …
Nostalgia is vogue. Here at the editorial office, Geir Nordby leads the vintage-style competition by having a set of JBL 4411 monitor speakers from 1984 lying on his desk, while yours truly has to make do with a smaller set of JBL L86s from 1982. We’re also seeing an increasingly dense flow of speakers attempting …
Of course, a 50th anniversary is something to celebrate, and Monitor Audio does it with style. They could do like many others who celebrate themselves, and make something insanely expensive that no one would afford – or make a signature series, with a brass plaque affixed, to the applause of, well, no one. Instead, they’ve …
The HT-A5000 is the middle model in Sony’s portfolio of soundbars: it sits between its little brother the HT-A3000 and the flagship HT-A7000, which we tested a year ago. With a price tag of around €1000, this is an exciting challenger to recognised premium soundbars like the Sonos Arc, Harman Kardon Citation 1100 and Bose …
It’s getting cold, so for some it’s time to go to the sauna. And while sauna temperatures are not for the faint-hearted, it’s still possible to have a party with music and cold drinks while winter rages outside. At least that’s how the Finnish manufacturer of the Zone portable Bluetooth speaker has thought. Because of …
Denon’s most economical Atmos soundbar, the DHT-S517, is also the only one so far with dedicated top speakers. Moving the height channels to the top of the soundbar means that the drivers send sound up towards the ceiling and then reflect it down towards the listeners on the sofa. This gives the impression that the …
When we tested Argon Audio’s Forte speakers a few years ago, this reviewer had a hard time keeping his arms down. This was especially true of the Forte A4, the smallest model, which in most areas could give larger and several times more expensive hi-fi speakers a run for their money. The floorstanding model, the …
We see lots of new Danish speakers – and new speaker brands for that matter. Denmark is probably the country in the world with the most speaker manufacturers per capita. But most of the new products we are presented with are either reasonable compact speakers or wildly expensive high-end models. Vestlyd (meaning “west sound”) is …
We’ve been waiting for a Sonos subwoofer at a more reasonable price. Their only subwoofer so far, simply called Sub, at a price of €699 is too expensive for the average user of soundbars like Beam or Ray – and especially the small multi-room speaker One – to ever consider it. Sonos Sub, on the …
Harman Kardon’s Citation series is a family of speakers, both small and large, portable and desktop. They are all upholstered in fabric from Danish Kvadrat, which gives a softer look than several competitors. Including the Sonos Arc, which must be the closest competitor to the tested Citation MultiBeam 1100. Where Sonos and others use proprietary …
French Devialet has since the early 00s grown to be one of the Hi-Fi world’s most recognized brands. The French manufacturer impresses us time and time again with its luxurious and innovative amplifiers, which can be tailored to get the best out of any speaker. Nor should we forget the small but potent Phantom speakers, …