If you’re looking for a table-top music player, the choices are vast.

Atlantic Technology Gatecrasher with App

Nearly every audio manufacturer produces one. It’s no secret that Sonos created this market with their multi-room player systems that eventually included speakers. Since then, WiFi and Bluetooth enabled speakers have flooded the market.

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The question is, which are the real-deals, which offer exceptional, long-lasting quality sound, controlled simply, easy to setup and feature-rich. Atlantic Technology has been around a long time, now developed th eir own version in the Gatecrasher 1, referring to it as a “smart speaker”.

The Gatecrasher 1 is a 2.1 stereo system that includes a 60-watt class D amplifier. The speaker array includes a pair of ¾” aluminum tweeters with 2 woofer drivers. An internal 4” subwoofer is paired with a down firing 5” passive radiator.

Connectivity through WiFi and Bluetooth, Bluetooth AptX for high resolution audio, and multi-room functions, (allowing multiple units) are run from a proprietary app developed by Atlantic Technology. An auxiliary in will give you some analog connection options.

The units come finished in either gloss black lacquer or real wood veneer glossy Makassar ebony. Additionally like a good quality speaker, the Gatecrasher cabinet is made of MDF, giving it heft and solid stability, but also allows for the beautiful veneer.

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I was sent both to see the finish and to also play with the multi-room configuration.

Atlantic Technology Gatecrasher

Normally I shy away from reviewing table-top speakers, just far too many around, but I’m truly glad I took the Gatecrasher 1 in for review. Solid and earthy sounding, the ambience it creates in my room is rich and deep. The internal bass driver combined with the passive driver is the key to this sound. It’s not surprising that the Gatecrasher 1 has such a well-developed bass response. Atlantic Technology had developed a few years back what I thought was innovative with their H-PAS technology which featured a significant bass boost.

With two units, I was also able to play the units in stereo, with the flip of a switch on the rear, the units acted in stereo. In my listening room of which I can boast a pretty good system, the Gatecrasher pair held their own. With the app, you can hear flac or wav files along with AAC and WMA. The sound was musical and even lush.

I’d recommend the Atlantic Technology Gatecrasher 1, not simply as an alternative to but as a standout amongst table top speakers I’ve heard.