We’d barely unpacked the kitchen when my wife and I decided the new house needed a proper christening — a housewarming with friends and family, boxes be damned. The problem was, most of my audio gear was still sitting in a storage unit across town, and a party without decent sound felt wrong. So I…
There are certain changes I make to my listening system only a few times a year, and replacing the main speakers is one of them. The MartinLogans have been in this system long enough that I know their character almost instinctively, so disconnecting them and moving a pair of JBL Studio 680s into the same…
The 130 was the middle bookshelf of JBL’s six-model Arena line — a 7-inch two-way at $299.95 a pair, sitting between the $199.95 Arena 120 and the $499.95 Arena 170 floorstander. The 120 got reviewed. The 170 got reviewed. The 180 got reviewed. The 125C got covered inside a 5.1 pack test. The 130 got…
The KEF Q1 Meta pairs 12th-gen Uni-Q and MAT tech with a $399 street price. Full verified specs, sound impressions, and buying advice.
In my early years of stereo, there were few speaker brands that were coveted as much as Klipsch. At that time in my life, I felt they were some of the best speakers on the planet for playing rock ‘n’ roll. Every time I heard a pair, I knew I would eventually have to find…
Most small speakers are honest about their size. They sound fine on a desk, fill a bedroom with background music, and quietly convince you that you do not need anything bigger. The Klipsch R-40PM plays a different game. These are small speakers on paper, featuring a single 4-inch woofer per side and no separate receiver…
The first thing that makes the KEF LS60 Wireless difficult to ignore isn’t its streaming capability, its built-in amplification, or even its famous Uni-Q driver. It is the physical size of the speaker itself. At just 130 millimeters wide, the LS60 Wireless features a narrow silhouette that makes you wonder where KEF managed to hide…
KEF has expanded its active wireless lineup with the LS Luxe, positioning the new standmount speaker directly between the popular LS50 Wireless II and the flagship LS60 floorstanders. Billed as the brand’s most ambitious bookshelf system to date, the LS Luxe combines organic industrial design with flagship acoustic engineering. Key Highlights at a Glance High-End…
Some loudspeakers announce themselves before you’ve even connected the cables. You see the cabinet, admire the finish, glance at the specification sheet, and immediately begin imagining how they’re going to sound. Usually, those expectations are confirmed within the first few minutes of listening. Sometimes they’re completely shattered. The ELAC Concentro S 507 belongs firmly in…
I thought I knew KEF speakers—then I heard the Reference 5. Discover how KEF’s flagship floorstander combines Uni-Q technology, deep controlled bass,