We shifted more than our fair share of hefty speakers, so
before we put our feet up for a well-earned culpa, it’s over to us for the
results.
Loudspeakers are surely one of the most personal things you
can buy, so all prospective purchasers should hear them first; this group test
should be taken purely as a guide. People have different tastes, and we can’t
legislate for all of them! Still, there were big differences across the group;
here’s what we heard.
The Focal’s inability to get into the musical groove marks
it down; on the surface it’s a powerful box with punch and presence, but it
just didn’t gel musically. Factor in the rather glassy sounding drive units and
poorly controlled cabinet, and it came a resounding last. Shame, as in other
ways it’s a lovely package.
From this point upwards, all the other speakers here proved
really good in their own respective ways. Although the Acoustic Energy came
fifth, it’s a really nice loudspeaker, and if you’ve got a bright source it
will really work well. Smooth, easy to listen to yet fun – what’s not to like?
The Quads are really accomplished, with a wonderfully
detailed and forensic sound that will suit classical music well. Tonally
they’re a bit dry. Factor in their superlative finish, and they’re great value
for money.
The Tannoys come third; flawed but enormous fun, everything
they play sounds dramatic, big, powerful and arresting. But they’re not the
most transparent here, as those drive units leave an obvious sonic footprint on
the music.
The Epos Elans are the runner up, but some may regard them
as the winner, as they manage to combine the Focal’s physicality, the Tannoy’s
fun and much of the Spendor’s sophistication and insight; if you are looking
for an affordable floor stander that gives lots of sound per pound, this is it!
Acoustic Energy AE
305
Epos Elan 30
Focal Chorus 726 V
Quad 23L Classic
Spendor A3
Tannoy Revolution
DC6T SE
Technical specs
|
Acoustic
Energy AE 305
·
Price: $1,595.50
·
Sound: 4/5
·
Value: 4.5/5
·
Build: 5/5
·
Ease of drive: 4.5/5
·
Overall: 4/5
·
Superb build and finish at the price, plus a lovely smooth and
musical sound
·
Two-way: No
·
2.5 way: No
·
Three-way: Yes
·
Biwire: No
·
Plinth: Yes
Epos
Elan 30
·
Price: $1,595.50
·
Sound: 5/5
·
Value: 5/5
·
Build: 4/5
·
Ease of drive: 5/5
·
Overall: 5/5
·
Very musically satisfying to listen to with a powerful,
wideband sound
·
Two-way: No
·
2.5 way: Yes
·
Three-way: No
·
Biwire: Yes
·
Plinth: Yes
Focal
Chorus 726 V
·
Price: $1,914.60
·
Sound: 3.5/5
·
Value: 4/5
·
Build: 4.5/5
·
Ease of drive: 4.5/5
·
Overall: 4/5
·
Impressive looking package, but sounds a little uncouth and
musically muddled
·
Two-way: No
·
2.5 way: No
·
Three-way: Yes
·
Biwire: No
·
Plinth: Yes
Quad 23
L Classic
·
Price: $2,074.15
·
Sound: 4.5/5
·
Value: 5/5
·
Build: 5/5
·
Ease of drive: 4/5
·
Overall: 4.5/5
·
Absolutely stunning build and finish with a super-clean and
revealing sound
·
Two-way: No
·
2.5 way: No
·
Three-way: Yes
·
Biwire: Yes
·
Plinth: Yes
Spendor
A3
·
Price: $2,066.17
·
Sound: 5/5
·
Value: 5/5
·
Build: 5/5
·
Ease of drive: 4/5
·
Overall: 5/5
·
Wonderfully musical, couth and inviting sound, yet highly
detailed, too
·
Two-way: Yes
·
2.5 way: No
·
Three-way: No
·
Biwire: No
·
Plinth: Yes
TannoyRevolution DC6T SE
·
Price: $1,595.50
·
Sound: 4.5/5
·
Value: 4.5/5
·
Build: 4/5
·
Ease of drive: 4.5/5
·
Overall: 4.5/5
·
Great fun to listen to with excellent rhythms and a big bold
sound
·
Two-way: Yes
·
2.5 way: No
·
Three-way: No
·
Biwire: Yes
·
Plinth: Yes
|
Winner
The Spendor A3s pull you right to the heart of the music. So
smooth yet super-detailed, these baby floor standers are wonderfully natural
and beguiling to listen to. They’re so effortless and natural sounding that
everything you play is a pleasure.
Try with these
CD player: Audio lab 8200CD $1,116.85
Still our favourite mid-price silver disc spinner, it gives
nothing away in performance terms to any rival and provides a powerful,
detailed source for them to work with. Its digital inputs give it added DAC
functionality, and very good it sounds too!
Audio lab 8200CD
Cable loom: vdH The Wave/CS-122 Hybrid $207.41/$ 31.91/m
Another recent Group Test winner, this interconnect and
speaker cable combination makes music snap into focus and lets it fly
rhythmically and dynamically. Unlike a number of similarly priced looms, the music
has a lovely lilting flow.
vdH The
Wave/CS-122 Hybrid
Integrated amplifier: Exposure 3010S2 $2.15
This crisply styled one-box integrated amplifier puts out a
serious amount of power and sports a stripped-down feature set. Its sound
quality is so good that it won July 2013’s integrated amp Group Test, and will
be an ideal match to any of the speakers here.
Exposure 3010S2
