AXPONA 2023

Longtime readers of Stereophile may recall my 2019 rave review of the diminutive low-cost Transparent One Encore active loudspeaker ($599). The reason I ended up reviewing a bargain component that retailed for well under four figures—one that measured quite well, I might add—was not because Stereophile's former editor, John Atkinson, assigned the product to me. Rather, after being blown away by Vanatoo's sound at an audio show, I asked to do the review.

Now, Seattle-based Gary Gesellchen (above) is preparing to release that speaker's successor, the Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Plus ($649.99). Manufactured for Vanatoo in China by a company based in Taiwan, the Transparent One Encore Plus boasts a different waveguide on the tweeter that results in more focused dispersion. According to Gesellchen, its midrange has also been "mildly toned down to make it less aggressive." The speaker's internal DAC may be limited to 24/48, but it can accept signals up to 24/96.

Listening to Dire Strait's "Your latest Trick," sourced from a laptop via optical, I thought the midrange sounded great. It was the end of the day, and there was no time for more. I look forward to encountering Vanatoo again at a show later this year.