Introduction to Floor Standing Speaker Reviews

As the name implies, these are speakers which are large enough to be placed on the floor yet still produce more or less ideal sound for a someone in a typical seated posture. They are almost exclusively full range designs often with multiple woofers and the best models will incorporate a mid-range driver. Designs might include ported, acoustic suspension, and other more esoteric variations. Some even include built in powered sub-woofers.

Floor Standing Speakers

Axiom LFR1100 Omnidirectional Speakers and ADA-1500 Power Amplifier

About a year ago, Ian Colquhoun, founder of Axiom Audio, contacted me to talk about an exciting new design he was working on. It was the LFR1100 omnidirectional tower speaker and it represented a radical departure from not only their other products, but from traditional speaker construction. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to review them, but tremendous customer demand prevented me from getting a pair right away. When a surprise phone call came recently asking where I'd like the speakers delivered, I couldn't help but get excited!

GoldenEar Triton Three Floor-Standing Speakers

After the successful launch of the Triton design, GoldenEar soon introduced the Triton Two, which packed a 1200 watt class-D amplifier powering two 5" x 9" "racetrack" subwoofers, along with a pair of 4.5" midrange drivers and the now popular HVFR folded ribbon tweeter. Triton Three followed on the heels of the larger Triton Two. The Triton Three is a smaller version with one less subwoofer and one less midrange driver.

PSB Imagine T2 Tower Speakers

I'd already begun the review for the Imagine Mini when I was offered the Imagine T2 introduced around CES in 2012. If I hadn't given enough admiration for the Mini in my review, let me reiterate as much, because they now sit at home on a shelf, I couldn't part with them.

Crystal Acoustics TX-T2 SE THX ULTRA2 Certified Floor-Standing Speakers

Crystal Acoustics is a niche-within-a-niche kind of company. It sells high-value speaker systems directly to customers through the Internet. Not just any speakers, though. Crystal specializes in THX certified home theater systems. I've reviewed several Crystal Acoustics speakers, ranging from smaller THX Select certified floor-standers, up to their THX Ultra2 certified TX-T3SE. Now comes the TX-T2 SE, a mid-sized floor standing speaker that carries the THX Ultra2 badge. Are the TX-T2 SE's the best of both worlds, combining a smaller size with Ultra2 performance?

Wilson Audio Sophia 3 Floor-standing Speakers

For For many audiophiles, there comes a time in our lives when we say, in so many words, enough is enough. We've worked hard enough, long enough, and with enough dedication and sacrifice to no longer have to suffer with a system that fails to satisfy. We deserve a setup that makes us happy: a system that allows us to sit back and listen for as long as we want to the music we love and want to explore and without ever feeling fatigued or short-changed. This review explores the possibility that the Wilson Audio Sophia speakers might be part of such a system.

Newform Research Ribbon Tower Speakers

Made in Canada, Newform Research manufactures unique ribbon loudspeakers and sells them factory direct worldwide. Their ribbon designs offer the transparency, detail and sound staging of the classic large panel electrostatic and ribbon loudspeakers, but because of their narrow compact footprint, are easier to drive and setup, even in smaller rooms. Here, we review a pair of their ribbon towers, which are a hybrid design, with a 15" ribbon as the tweeter, and six conventional cone drivers for the mid/bass.

Eficion F300 Floor-Standing Speakers

Critical to extracting ultimate performance from the F300 are optimal positioning, including toe-in angle, and pairing with a fast amplifier capable of delivering and controlling copious amounts of bass. When equipped with the latest super tweeter and internal crossover modifications, the Eficion F300 never fails to turn heads and win hearts.

Gallo Classico CL-4 Loudspeakers

Gallo loudspeakers have had a long history of exceptional sound quality. In both this publication and others, no one has much bad to say about Gallo's reference quality loudspeakers. I like them so much, I've owned several of their speakers, including my current Reference 3.5s. Opinions on styling are a different story.

Tannoy Revolution DC6T Floor-standing Speakers

Scotland, home of whisky, many successful racing drivers and Tannoy. Originally founded in 1926 England, Tannoy has been headquartered in Scotland since the 70s. Tannoy is best known for their dual concentric speakers where the tweeter is at the center of the midrange driver. Here, we have the Tannoy DC6T Floor-standing model, which is priced also in the midrange, at $1,680/pair.

Definitive Technology BP-8040ST SuperTower Speakers

Pssst….want to hear a really cool speaker, but you have to keep it a secret. The voice was familiar but I looked around for the white van, none to be seen. Sure, but they'd better not have fallen out of the back of a truck I replied. Nah he said just come up to my private room in this hotel. Up the exterior stairs we went to his suite, nice. Now I want to show you what's in this other room behind this curtain. Hmmmm. There they were, the Definitive Technology BP-8040ST SuperTower Speakers. And then they were here, for me to review. Review done. Read on.