From the September 2004 issue, Art Dudley gets his mitts on the Spendor S5e loudspeaker, remarking, "I'm never more conservative than when the subject turns to home audio . . . . Give me thin-walled hardwood cabinets, obsolete tweeters, and handmade polypropylene woofers . . . ."

Robert J. Reina finds magic with the Audes Bravo loudspeaker. As Reina reports, "I believe that any good speaker needs to get the midrange right. The Bravo did so in spades." And at $999/pair!

Next, Michael Fremer sets up the Rockport Technologies Merak II loudspeaker & Sheritan II subwoofer in his listening lair, commenting, "No one has ever accused Rockport Technologies' Andy Payor of under-engineering a product, and this set of gleaming black beauties is no exception."

Finally, we have John Marks' "The Fifth Element #25," wherein he profiles the Wilson Benesch A.C.T. loudspeaker. Says JM, "The hallmarks of Wilson Benesch's 'house sound' are extremely low distortion, seamless coherence, unfussy easefulness, rounded liquidity of tone, articulate dynamics, and seductively natural imaging and soundstaging."