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One of the visual highlights of the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show and HE 2003 in San Francisco was the Penaudio speakers, sporting a unique sliced-wood veneer wrapped around diminutive two-way designs. While the speakers were easy on the eyes, it wasn't so easy to find a pair to audition in the US.

That problem was solved last week as Penaudio, based in Finland, announced that it had appointed Portal Audio as the company's official US importer/distributor. Portal's Joe Abrams says he is currently designating authorized Penaudio retailers around the country. Penaudio was founded in 1999 by engineer Sami Panttila, who had licensed his designs to other European speaker manufacturers prior to starting his own company. Pantilla, who is also a musician, says he voices all of his speakers using live music.

Penaudio manufactures two models of compact monitors, the Charisma and the Rebel2, along with a subwoofer/stand called the Chara that works with either design. The $1495/pair Rebel2 is described as a two-way reflex-loaded monitor intended "to please audiophiles-on-a-budget and advanced home-theater enthusiasts." The Rebel2 uses a 20mm fabric-dome tweeter and a specially treated 90mm mid/bass driver with 26mm voice-coil. It also features a handmade third-order crossover with air-core inductors, polypropylene capacitors, and WBT terminals.

The Charisma is the one that caught our eye in Las Vegas, and is also a modestly-sized two-way reflex-loaded monitor. Penaudio says it improves on the Rebel2 by using a custom-made mid/bass driver with solid copper phase plug and "distortion-reducing copper rings above and below the pole-piece." A handmade third-order crossover with copper-foil inductors, copper-foil internal wiring, polypropylene capacitors, and WBT terminals is part of the package. You also get the cool cabinet and a retail price of $2995/pair.

Small boxes can only go so deep, so the company offers the non-powered Chara subwoofer to provide bottom end claimed to reach down to 25Hz. The woofers mate with either monitor, serving as their stands, effectively creating a Rebel2 or Charisma full-range three-way floorstander. The Chara features a side-mounted, custom 176mm bass driver with a 39mm voice-coil and retails for $2500/pair.