Speakers

Sonus Faber Olympica Speaker System Review

Long known for making products that are as appealing to the eye as they are to the ear, Sonus faber has released their new Olympica line of speakers. I have a full surround system on hand for review, starting with the flagship Olympica III towers for the front mains, the matching Olympica Center for center channel duty, and a pair of the Olympica I bookshelf speakers for use as surrounds.

Bryston Mini A Bookshelf Speakers Review

As its name suggests, the Mini A is the baby of Bryston's Model A lineup. It has a 1" metal dome tweeter, 3" midrange, and 6.5" woofer, in a slender rear-ported trapezoidal enclosure. All of the drive units are custom made to Bryston's specifications, in a Canadian factory.

Setting up a Home Theater Speaker System that doesn’t Dominate the Room Decor – An Experiment with Axiom Audio Speakers

Over the past decade, we have seen the number of speakers in a home theater system go from 5.1, to 7.1 and beyond. This presents a problem in having the space to put all these speakers. Although it is nice to have large speakers that will play loud for the current deluge of high impact movies full of mechanical monstors and massive guns, putting nine or more speakers in the den where your home theater is, will certainly set off an argument with your significant other, even if the speakers are beautiful. So, I decided to put together a 5.1 system of small, but high quality, bookshelf speakers and a good subwoofer. You will be shocked at the visual change this produces, and yet, this system still has good surround sound (just not quite as loud), and it looks attractive in the room without seeming like it is the centerpiece of the den.

Revel F208 Floor-standing Speakers Review

From Revel's Performa3 line of speakers, the F208 full-range 3-way loudspeaker is brilliantly executed. From the rock solid cabinet to its beautiful, automotive quality finish, the F208 is one of the best buys in the oversaturated speaker market. These speakers have wonderful neutral tonal balance, a 3 dimensional soundstage and a top-notch low end. Hands down one of the finest speakers we have come across in its price range.

B&W 805 Diamond Bookshelf and HTM4 Center Channel Speakers

Bowers and Wilkin's (B&W) is a name that anyone even casually interested in audio and speaker manufacturers will undoubtedly know. With their distinctive look and stellar reputation, B&W speakers have found their way not just into many home audio set-ups, but also of the world's most iconic professional recording studios (raise your hand if you've seen the picture of an array of B&W speakers and Classé electronics at Abbey Road studios). Despite having known of B&W for as long as I've been involved in this field, I have personally had little experience with the speakers directly. I was therefore excited to have the opportunity to evaluate the B&W's 805 Diamond bookshelf and HTM4 center channel speaker and I am eager to pass along my thoughts.

 

GoldenEar Triton Seven Home Theater Speaker System

GoldenEar Technology has been making some fairly dramatic waves in the loudspeaker market over the past few years. The Triton Seven home theater system, reviewed here, is anchored by the Triton Seven stereo loudspeakers for front left and right channels. The rest of the system consists of the SuperCenter XL center channel speaker, the ForceField 5 subwoofer and two pairs of SuperSat 3 bookshelf speakers for side and rear surround duty. This makes a full 7.1 channel home theater speaker setup with an MSRP of about $4200. That's definitely not home-theater-in-a-box money, but it's actually a reasonable sum to spend for someone who cares about getting good sound. So….let's see how these babies stack up!