米誌・ステレオファイル誌、恒例の、ランキングです。
今日は、スピーカー部門の、”クラスA” と”B”を、ご紹介。
二度見するような、超・低価格の物が、相当ランキングしております。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Recommended Components 2021 Edition Loudspeaker Systems
A (Full-Range)
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90: $95,000/pair ★
(Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
Dutch & Dutch 8c: $12,500/pair (stands necessary)
(Vol.42 No.8; Vol.43 No.4 WWW)
EgglestonWorks Viginti : $39,995/pair
(Vol.41 No.6 WWW)
GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference: $9998/pair $$$
(Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
Göbel Divin Marquis: $80,000/pair
Price is for standard finish. (Vol.43 No.10 WWW)
Magico M2: $63,600/pair
Price now includes non-optional MPOD Bases. (Vol.43 No.2, Vol.44 No.3 WWW)
Magico S5 Mk II M-Cast: $41,800/pair ★
Price is with M-Cast (textured powder-coat) finish. M-Coat high-gloss paint adds $5225. (Vol.40 No.2 WWW)
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A: $24,999.98/pair ★
(Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
mbl Radialstrahler 101 E Mk.II: $70,500/pair ★
(Vol.35 No.4 WWW)
Revel Ultima2 Salon2: $21,998/pair ★
(Vol.31 No.6, Vol.32 No.3, Vol.42 Nos.5 & 7 WWW)
Rockport Technologies Avior II: $40,500/pair ★
(Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
Sonus Faber Aida: $130,000/pair
(Vol.41 No.10 WWW)
Tidal Audio Akira: $255,000/pair
(Vol.41 No.11 WWW)
Vandersteen Audio Quatro Wood CT: $16,315/pair
Rating assumes it is used with its companion M5-HPA high-pass amplifier. (Vol.42 No.11 WWW)
Vimberg Mino: $31,000 – $38,500 (depending on finish)
Accuton diamond tweeter upgrade (not reviewed) costs $8500/pair. (Vol.43 No.4 WWW)
Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit: $93,000/pair including external crossovers
(Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
Von Schweikert Ultra 55: $100,000/pair
Price is for version reviewed, with powered woofers. Passive version costs $95,000/pair. (Vol.43 No.7 WWW)
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia Series 2: $57,900/pair
(Vol.41 Nos. 7 & 8 WWW)
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx: $109,000/pair ★
(Vol.40 No.5 WWW)
下のこのカテゴリーは、音としては、”クラスA”なのですが、超・低音(パイプオルガンなど)が出ていないですが、
全体として、”クラスA”で、
通常は、小型や、ブックシェルフ・スピーカーなどが、このカテゴリーです。
A (Restricted Extreme LF)
Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature: $3999.99/pair (stands necessary)
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96: $13,200/pair (stands included) ★
Falcon "Gold Badge" LS3/5a: $2999.95
Harbeth Monitor 30.2XD: $6795/pair (stands necessary)
Joseph Audio Perspective2: $14,999/pair
Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene: $9000/pair (stands necessary)
KEF LS50 Meta: $1500/pair (stands necessary) $$$
Kii Audio Three: $16,985/pair in standard colors, including Kii Control ★
Manger s1: $24,995/pair
Marten Oscar Duo: $6995/pair (stands necessary)
Paradigm Persona 5F: $17,000/pair
Q Acoustics Concept 300: $4499/pair with stands, $3599/pair without stands
Q Acoustics Concept 500: $5999/pair
Quad ESL-2912: $17,995/pair ★
Revel Performa F228Be: $10,000/pair
Sonus Faber Guarneri Tradition: $16,900/pair (stands included)
TAD Micro Evolution One: $14,995/pair (stands included in price) ★
TAD's first domestic loudspeaker not designed by Andrew Jones (now of Elac), the Micro Evolution One—ME1 for short—is a three-way loudspeaker that, at first glance, appears to have only two drivers: its 1" beryllium-dome tweeter and 3.5" magnesium-cone midrange driver are, in fact, concentric with one another, a technology that is TAD's spécialité du chez. Lower frequencies are handled by a 6.5" composite-cone woofer loaded with slots engineered into the sides of the ME1's plywood, MDF, and steel enclosures, and which TJN guessed might betray a variation on aperiodic loading. (Spoiler alert: JA's measurements uncovered behavior suggestive of traditional reflex loading.) Used well away from the walls of his 21' by 16' room, the ME1s impressed TJN with their resolving ability: "Subtle shadings of instrumental percussion textures were far more evident than I'm accustomed to hearing, and the distinct reproduction of the ambience of the recording venue added welcome helpings of air and depth." The TAD's midrange performance was commendably neutral—"instrumental timbres were convincingly reproduced, as were the voices of a wide range of singers"—but while bass was "consistently tight and well defined," the ME1's response didn't extend as low as some might wish, with "just-audible output" at 40Hz. JA's measurements confirmed the TAD's less-than-Stygian bass performance—apart from which, he observed that the ME1 offered "excellent measured performance." Not long after making those measurements, encouraged by TJN's positive report and spurred by an enthusiastic HR, JA installed the ME1s in his own listening room and proclaimed: "Herb and Tom were right: It may be expensive, but TAD's Micro Evolution One is indeed a special loudspeaker." Matching ST3 stands cost $2500/pair. (Vol.41 Nos.2 & 3 WWW)
Vivid Audio Kaya 45: $18,000/pair
Wilson Audio Sasha DAW: $37,900/pair
Wilson SabrinaX: $18,500/pair in standard finish
===============================================================
B (Full-Range)
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2: $6499.99/pair
DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X: $15,890/pair
Focal Kanta No.2: $9990/pair
GoldenEar Triton One.R: $6598/pair
KEF Reference 5: $19,999/pair ★
Manger P1 Loudspeaker: $14,995 in basic finishes
Monitor Audio Gold 300 G5: $7700/pair
Monitor Audio Silver 300: $2200/pair ★
PMC fact.8 signature: $12,000/pair
Spendor Audio Systems A7: $5495/pair
Volti Audio Razz: $4999/pair
Wilson Audio Yvette: $25,500/pair
B: (Restricted LF)
Acora SRB: $15,000/pair (stands necessary)
DALI Callisto 6 C: $5747/pair with SoundHub, BluOS module
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93: $8400/pair $$$ ★
Dragonfire Mini Dragon DFA 2.1: $10,000 for the system
Dynaudio Special Forty: $3499/pair (stands necessary)
Elac Carina BS243.4: $1379.98/pair (stands necessary) $$$
The standmount BS243.4 loudspeakers—not the snappiest name you're likely to see in this issue—combines a 5.25" aluminum-cone mid-bass driver with a version of the Heil air-motion transformer tweeter that Elac refers to as a Jet Emission Tweeter (JET), crossed over at 2.7kHz. Its 13"-tall enclosure, which is trapezoidal in cross-section, loads the larger of its two drivers with a downfiring reflex port aimed toward the rear. (Designer Andrew Jones says that keeping the speaker 12" from the front wall "is about right in general.") Used on his 24"-tall Sound Anchors Reference stands, HR described the Elacs as capable of "[resolving] supermicro information better than any speaker I know in its price range," describing its overall sound as "refined" and praising in particular its "supersmooth octave-to-octave balance." Upon measuring the Elac, JA suggested that it offers "excellent audio engineering." Tarrifs necessitated a higher price, but still an excellent value. (Vol.43 No.1 WWW)
Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a: $2995/pair (stands necessary) ★
GoldenEar BRX: $1598/pair (stands necessary)
The final loudspeaker to be introduced by GoldenEar while Sandy Gross was still with the company he cofounded, the immaculate-looking BRX (for Bookshelf Reference X) marries the flagship Triton Reference's HVFR (High-Velocity Folded Ribbon) tweeter and 6" polypropylene-cone upper-bass/midrange driver to a pair of 6.5" planar passive radiators. The optimal listening axis is just below the tweeter, so JA used 30" Sanus SF30 twin-pillar stands to get the best sound. The result is superb stereo imaging accuracy and uncolored, natural-sounding midrange and treble with the grilles, but a touch too much mid-treble energy without them. Excellent low-frequency extension, to 50Hz, for such a small speaker, JA found, with fleshed-out upper bass even with the BRXes used well away from the wall behind them. Measured sensitivity was 87.5dB(B)/2.83V/m compared with the specified 90dB. "While it benefits from being powered by high-quality amplification, its sound quality features an uncolored midrange, clean high frequencies, and enough mid- and upper-bass energy to satisfy, coupled with stable, accurate stereo imaging," he concluded. However, he warned that despite its impedance being specified as "compatible with 8 ohms," the BRX will perform best with substantial amplifier power. HR enthusiastically echoed JA's praise for the GoldenEar's sound, writing "My auditions suggest that the new GoldenEar BRXs might be the best thing to happen to affordable speakers since the debut of the KEF LS50. With the right amplifier, they achieved a level of overt lucidity that is extremely rare at this price." (Vol.43 Nos.9 & 12 WWW)
Graham Audio LS3/5: $2990/pair (stands necessary)
Graham Audio Chartwell LS3/5a: $2990/pair (stands necessary)
Harbeth HL-P3ESR XD: $3295/pair (stands necessary) ★
Legacy Studio HD: $1875/pair (stands necessary)
The Studio HD is a 13"-tall, reflex-loaded minimonitor with an 8" woven (silver threads among the graphite) woofer and a 1" folded-ribbon tweeter, built into a tapered, faceted cabinet of MDF. Each Studio HD has two pairs of binding posts, for biwiring/biamplifying, and two two-position toggle switches that let the user run either or both drivers flat or with 2dB of attenuation. Used on 24"-high Sound Anchor stands—which, in this context, HR preferred to his less massive TonTrägers—and driven with a Pass Laboratories solid-state amp, the review pair exhibited an elevated presence region, prompting Herb to note that male voices seemed "thin and lacking in growl and testosterone." The Legacies succeeded in reproducing "the momentum and intense artistry of [violinist] Hilary Hahn's playing, but diminished her violin's rich tones and unique textures." Tube amplification made for "a more physically attractive sonic presentation," while the class-D Bel Canto e.One REF600M monoblocks drew from the Legacies "fuller, tighter" bass and restored testosterone to voices. Ultimately, at their best, the Studio HDs rewarded Herb with "spirited liveliness" and good musical timing. In measuring the Studio HD, JA found it a somewhat demanding load, and expressed puzzlement over its unusual and ultimately underdamped bass alignment. Premium finishes add $185/pair; "exotic" finishes add $300/pair. (Vol.41 No.10 WWW)
Magnepan LRS: $650/pair $$$
Introduced as a replacement for the long-running MMG planar-magnetic speaker, Magnepan's new LRS—it stands for Little Ribbon Speaker—is a low-sensitivity (86dB) low-impedance (nominally 4 ohms) quasi-ribbon panel speaker that stands 46" tall and is, like its successful predecessor, only sold direct. HR found that the "slender and elegantly finished" LRS required a great deal of setup effort, especially when it came to dialing-in just the right amount of toe-in. But once he got there, he found that the new speaker's "levels of microscopic detail, accurate timbre, and pure-water transparency are unprecedented at anywhere near $650/pair"—although he also noted that the 20% larger Magnepan .7 "played a lot bigger than the LRS." In measuring the LRS, JA discovered "sensitivity [that] was almost 6dB lower than specified," yet he pronounced the LRS "capable of good sound , provided its owner takes care in optimizing such matters as placement and toe-in." (Vol.42 No.8 WWW)
Piega Premium Wireless 701: $7495/pair
Polk Audio Legend L100: $1199/pair (stands necessary)
After this pair of well-finished, two-way, rear-ported standmounts had been broken-in, KM found they "imaged beautifully, were dynamic as the dickens, recreated a satisfactory soundstage, and provided very respectable bass weight and extension—indeed, exceptional for their size . . . The L100s often fooled me into believing they were replicating bass notes lower than those small mid/bass drivers should allow." KM was also impressed by the Polk's midrange, describing it as "reliably distinct and rich-sounding," though he also found the upper midrange-treble balance somewhat forward. Although the L100 has a specified sensitivity of 85.5dB/W/m, JA measured a slightly higher figure of 87dB(B)/2.83V/m. KM found the Polk to sound better with some amplifiers than others, which JA ascribed to the demanding impedance. The L100 "will work best with amplifiers that are comfortable driving loads below 4 ohms," he concluded. He also warned that the L100s should be used with stands that are sufficiently high so that the listener can't see the tops of the cabinets. (Vol.43 No.10 WWW)
ProAc Response D2R: $4500/pair with ribbon tweeter option. $5200/pair in premium finishes (stands necessary)
Quad S-2: $1195/pair $$$ (stands necessary)
Like Quad's very first loudspeaker, which bowed in 1949, their newest is not an electrostatic panel; rather, the Quad S-2 is a stand-mounted minimonitor in which a reflex-loaded 5" Kevlar mid/bass driver hands off to a 1.75"-long ribbon tweeter, the moving element of which is given extra strength by a very thin deposition of polycarbonate. The 13" by 7.1" by 10.25" (HWD) cabinet, which incorporates a rear-firing reflex port, is made of MDF sheets with rounded corners and rolled edges and comes in a natural Sapele Mahogany veneer (black oak, Piano White, and Piano Black are also available). Used on 24"-tall steel stands, a pair of S-2s impressed KM by allowing large-ensemble jazz to sound "very big, very dynamic, and very extended." KM heard levels of purity and clarity he'd never heard from traditional dome tweeters—the S-2s "sometimes sounded literally incandescent"—as well as an ability to reproduce "richly tonal electric-bass notes, delivered with fine texture and copious weight." But to do all that, the Quads required a bit more than the 20Wpc offered by his Shindo Haut-Brion amp: "To hit their stride, I would guess the Quad S-2s require power in the 45-65Wpc range." Writing from his test bench, JA confirmed the Quad's 87dB sensitivity but noted some panel resonances—ultimately inaudible, it seems—as well as a "somewhat underdamped" woofer alignment. The Quad's cumulative spectral-decay plot on its tweeter axis was "superbly clean," correlating with the speaker's high perceived purity and clarity. (Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
Rogers LS3/5a (2020): $3350/pair (stands necessary)
Sonus Faber Olympica Nova I: $6500/pair (stands necessary)
Tekton Design Impact Monitor: $2000/pair (stands necessary)
Totem Signature One: $3000/pair (stands necessary)
Totem Skylight: $1000/pair $$$ (stands necessary)
This small two-way design uses a 1" soft-dome tweeter and a long-throw 5.75" woofer in a rear-ported cabinet. The minimal crossover leads to significant overlap between the drivers, which makes listening axis critical; RS found that the stand used needs to place the tweeter just above the listener's ears, which was confirmed by JA's measurements. RS also found that the Skylight needs to be placed close to the wall behind it to flesh out its low frequencies. Once optimally set up, the Totem produced "an illumined clarity in the midband that seemed to accentuate the colors and shapes of the sounds within it" but without sounding etched or fatiguing. In summing up his experience of the Skylights, RS wrote that it was "their combination of midband clarity and sense of rhythm and drive" that impressed him. The Skylight fared less well on the test bench, where the sensitivity was 2.6dB lower than the specified 88dB. The measurements also revealed a high-amplitude port resonance in the upper midrange as well as some significant panel resonances. Measurements call for Class C; JCA awards Class B due to RS's enthusiastic assessment. (Vol.43 No.6 WWW)
Vanatoo Transparent One Encore: $599/pair in black or cherry veneer
The Transparent One Encore is an active speaker system in which all electronics are housed in one of its two MDF speaker enclosures. Each speaker has a 1"aluminum-dome tweeter, a 5.25" aluminum-dome woofer, and a rear-firing 5.25" passive radiator, while a four-channel class-D amp provides 100W each for the woofers an 20W each for the tweeters. A 24-bit, 48kHz processor performs all DSP/crossover chores and accepts incoming signals up to 24/96, while analog inputs are digitized by a separate DAC. Wireless inputs are via Bluetooth SBC and aptX. After using the Vanatoo system with his MacBook Pro and an upgraded (putting it mildly) Nordost Valhalla 2 USB cable, JVS suggested that the Transparent One Encore "will likely shatter your expectations of what a $599 powered loudspeaker can deliver"—a level of enthusiasm supported by the conclusion JA dispatched from his test bench: "excellent measured performance."
参考ですが、アメリカのアマゾンでは、売り切れです。
Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Powered Speakers (Black, Set of 2)
Currently unavailable.
売り切れです。
| Brand | Vanatoo |
| Color | Black |
| Speaker Type | Subwoofer, Bookshelf |
| Model Name | T1E-Black |
| Speaker Size | 5.25 Inches |
About this item
- Active bookshelf speaker sized audio system with 5 inputs (Bluetooth, analog, optical, USB and Coax
- 5.25 inch aluminium woofer, 1 inch aluminium dome tweeter, and 5.25 inch passive radiator
- 4 channel bi-amped Class D amplifiers
- Perfect solution for an average sized room, computer speakers or TV speakers
- Includes remote control, magnetically attached grills,a USB cable and 2 analog cables.
Wharfedale Linton Heritage: $1498/pair with stands $$$
Wharfedale's Linton Heritage, released as part of an extended observance of the company's 85th anniversary, is a three-way reflex-loaded standmount in a veneered chipboard/MDF enclosure; its $1498/pair price includes 17" tall steel-and-wood stands. Drivers include an 8" woven Kevlar woofer, a 5" woven-Kevlar midrange driver, and a 1" soft-some tweeter whose position on the Linton Heritage's unapologetically wide baffle is slightly offset. (The speakers are handed.) HR heard from the Wharfedales "a slight bass overhang," but also "voice intelligibility [that] was exceptional." Yet at the end of the day it was the Linton Heritage's consistent musicality that won him over: Comparing to the popular and similarly priced KEF LS50s, he wrote, "The KEFs play the sounds well, while the Wharfedales play the songs well." JA's measurements uncovered sensitivity (88.1dB) that was slightly higher than average (if slightly less than specified), and praised the Wharfedales' "excellent measured performance."
Zu Audio Soul Supreme: $4499/pair and up, depending on finish ★