Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

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Dynaudio Confidence C4 loudspeaker

John Atkinson Mar 16, 2003 First Published: Mar 16, 2003 0 comments

Judging absolute sound quality under the unfamiliar circumstances of an audio show is always fraught with difficulty. If a system sounds bad, there are so many possible reasons for it to do so that pointing a finger of blame at the components is possibly unfair. Conversely, when a room sounds good at a show, it is probable that the components being used deserve some recognition. Such was the case at Home Entertainment 2002 in New York last May, when Dynaudio's Confidence C4 made its debut.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

KEF Reference 207 loudspeaker

John Atkinson Feb 16, 2003 First Published: Feb 16, 2003 0 comments

The very last review I wrote for Hi-Fi News & Record Review (these days just plain Hi-Fi News)—before crossing">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/352/">crossing the Atlantic to take up the reins at Stereophile in May 1986—was of KEF's then-new flagship speaker, the Reference 107. That rave review appeared in the English magazine's July 1986 issue, and was followed by equally">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/550/">equally positive reports from Stereophile's writers.

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Kharma Midi-Grand Ceramique 1.0 loudspeaker

Michael Fremer Jan 19, 2003 First Published: Jan 19, 2003 0 comments

Not for nothing did I name the Kharma-Lamm room at Home Entertainment 2002 the "Best Sound in Show." Show attendees slotted it 17th best [see September 2002, p.59—Ed.], behind other rooms to which I also gave high marks—mostly larger rooms featuring far bigger loudspeakers—but to me, the sound emanating from the Kharma Ceramique 3.2 ($19,000/pair), driven by Lamm electronics, possessed a sublime balance of sonic qualities heard in few other rooms.

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Canton Karat Reference 2 DC loudspeaker

John Atkinson Jan 19, 2003 First Published: Jan 19, 2003 0 comments

Despite my 26 years in audio journalism, the amount of stuff I need to know seems to increase faster than I can cope with it. Thus it didn't come as too much of a surprise for me to learn that speaker manufacturer Canton, the Teutonic equivalent of England's B&W, a) was 30 years old in 2002, and b) claims the dominant market share of the German market. Yes, I'd been peripherally aware of Canton through the years, but for various reasons had never auditioned any of their models. I was amenable, therefore, when Canton USA's Paul Madsen suggested to me last May, at Home Entertainment 2002 in New York City, that I review their flagship speaker.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews Audacious Audio

Mission Pilastro loudspeaker

John Atkinson Dec 22, 2002 First Published: Dec 22, 2002 0 comments

"Is that it?" I asked.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Quad ESL-989 electrostatic loudspeaker

Larry Greenhill Nov 30, 2002 First Published: Nov 30, 2002 0 comments

I first heard Eugene Gigout's pipe-organ masterpiece, the Grand Chorus in Dialogue, in the Smetana Concert Hall of Prague's Municipal House (Obecnim Dome) on a Saturday evening before the 2002 flood. I recall seeing the delicate, youthful Michele Hradecka sway from side to side to reach the pedals. In response, a massive wall of deep organ chords shook the hall, the magical acoustic blending the delicate, extended highs with the thunderous bass. But this memory mixed the music with the beauty of Prague's soaring church spires, brilliant red terracotta roofs, and lavish palaces.

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EgglestonWorks Andra II loudspeaker

Paul Bolin Nov 30, 2002 First Published: Nov 30, 2002 0 comments

It's always tough to follow an award-winning act. Wes Phillips raved about the original">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/237/">original EgglestonWorks Andra back in October 1997, and it was subsequently dubbed Stereophile's Speaker of the Year for 1997. The Andra won many other plaudits, and found its way into a number of top-shelf recording studios as the monitor of choice. Such a reputation for excellence is the stuff most speaker designers dream of. It also imposes the burden of expectation—the "new and improved" version of such a knockout product had better be good, or else.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews Audacious Audio

Lumen White Whiteflame loudspeaker

Michael Fremer Oct 13, 2002 First Published: Oct 13, 2002 0 comments

Rarely has the debut of a new loudspeaker company and its inaugural model created as big a buzz as did Lumen White and their Whitelight speaker at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show. Driven by Vaic tube amplifiers in one of the larger corner rooms at the Alexis Park Hotel, the big Whitelights had a look and a sound that attracted continuous crowds. Of the questions among audio cognoscenti that I overheard at the end of each day, two of the most common were "Hey, did you hear those Lumen Whites?" and "What? Can you speak louder?"

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

RBH 641-SE loudspeaker

John Atkinson Oct 13, 2002 First Published: Oct 13, 2002 0 comments

When it was suggested that I call in on speaker manufacturer RBH Sound during a planned trip">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/470/">trip to Utah in the fall of 2001, my response was "Who is RBH?" To my embarrassment, the speaker company had not popped up on my radar screen since it was formed in Los Angeles in 1976. However, I had certainly heard some of the speakers they had manufactured for other companies, most notably the McIntosh models of the early 1980s, with their line arrays of dome tweeters.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Meadowlark HotRod Shearwater loudspeaker

Chip Stern Sep 22, 2002 First Published: Sep 22, 2002 0 comments

Though each link in the audio chain is significant in its own way, we seem to spend more time agonizing over the choice and setup of loudspeakers than any other component. Floorstanding or stand-mounted? Full-range frequency extension or minimonitor coherence? Multiple-driver complexity or two-way simplicity? Pleasurable and forgiving or resolved and revealing? And even when money is no object, how much speaker do you really want...or need? It might sound splendid in the shop, but how will it couple with your room? How will it integrate with your other gear? Is it easy to set up and drive or will it involve specialized gear and a massive overhaul of your current rig?