Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
All
03 Cryo Edition
reviews
Manufacturer details
- Dimensions: H x W x D: 124,1 x 30,5 x 58,0 cm (48.9 x 12.0 x 22.8 inches)
- Weight: 38,0 kg (83.78 lbs)
- Frequency response: 35Hz – 50KHz
- Sensitivity: 88 dB / 1W
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Recommended Amplifier: > 50W
- Tweeter: 1 x Børresen planar ribbon tweeter
- Drivers: 4 x Børresen iron free bass/midrange driver: 4.5 inches
- Finish: Walnut veneer Black high gloss
Cryogenic treatment of all metal components of the loudspeaker results in a further significant improvement in conductivity – unleashing finest and most subtle musical details. When metal components undergo cryogenic processing, they are subjected to extreme cooling. In the wake of this process, the crystal structure of the metal contracts more and more. Alloying elements are pushed out of the grain structure of the metal, which now becomes very similar to a monocrystal. These structural changes in the metal have a profound effect on its audio properties, resulting in an increase of conductivity by 6-8%. All metal components of these speaker series undergo cryogenic treatment.
The cryogenic processing cycle requires a 3-day-time window. Within the first 24 hours, the metal undergoes a cooling process from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures. During the second 24 hours, the metal parts are held at temperatures around -196°C (-321°F) before the temperature, within the next 24 hours, returns gradually to room temperature. The gradual cooling and heating is critical to av...
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- The brand distinguishes itself through its implementation of iron-free magnet systems in its dynamic drivers, designed to significantly reduce inductance and improve driver control, linearity, and overall sonic purity.
- Borresen speakers utilize a proprietary ribbon tweeter, offering a lightweight membrane for exceptional speed, clarity, and extended high-frequency response.
- The company produces its own proprietary capacitors, voice coils, and baskets for use in the speaker crossovers.
Select products
Børresen X6
- Positioning: Entry-level line, designed for affordability and accessibility.
- Description: Offers a strong entry into high-end audio with its advanced spread-tow carbon membrane, ensuring maximum stiffness and minimal noise. Unlike the more premium M-series, uses a simplified magnetic motor system with double copper caps, making it more cost-effective while still delivering impressive sound quality. Ideal for those with budget constraints seeking high performance in smaller spaces.
Børresen C1
- Positioning: High-end stand-mounted speaker, focused on precision and design.
- Description: Features the RP94 ribbon tweeter, providing exceptional speed and clarity. Compared to the X6, the advanced magnetic motor system and laminated carbon fiber membrane offer superior sound detail and depth.
Børresen Z5
- Positioning: Top-end of the Z-series, offering high-end performance with conventional components.
- Description: Features a high-efficiency ribbon tweeter and a unique magnet system, delivering clarity and dynamics akin to the 0-series but at a more accessible price point.
Børresen 05
- Positioning: Flagship model of the 0-series, representing the pinnacle of Børresen's technology.
- Description: Equipped with an iron-free magnet system and a composite membrane, delivering exceptional sound purity and precision. Surpasses the Z5 in terms of technological sophistication.
Børresen M6
- Positioning: Premium model in the M-series, blending form and performance.
- Description: Features a zirconium basket and a multi-layered membrane, providing outstanding stiffness and resonance control. Compared to the 05, offers enhanced musicality and aesthetic design.
Our take on the brand
Look inside the brand
Our interview with the brand
What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?
What's your approach to customer support?
What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
What other products pair best with yours?
Used
Borresen
What if you spend more?
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Unique design where form follows function, resulting in a contemporary and sleek aesthetic
- Incredibly tight, impactful, articulate, and controlled bass response with impressive dynamic power and clarity
- Seamless integration of midrange and tweeter via the M-Array, creating a virtual point source for maximum imaging and soundstage
- Exceptional clarity, transparency, and detail retrieval across the entire frequency spectrum
- Soundstage is incredibly wide, deep, accurate, and immersive with instruments placed precisely in a three-dimensional field
Product Considerations
- Significant power from amplifiers is required to perform optimally, with recommendations ranging from 200 to 1600 watts RMS
- The Hyphn is a large and heavy speaker, needing a decent-sized room and strong flooring
- Sensitivity is rated at 86 dB, which is considered low and necessitates high-power amplification
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Sonus Faber: Hyphn has a far more forward-sounding presentation compared to the more relaxed and recessed soundstage of Sonus Faber
- Vs JBL Everest DD67000: Hyphn's bass is not as 'huge' as some monster high-end speakers like JBL's Everest, but it is tighter and more tuneful
Takeaway: Monitor Audio's Hyphn is a state-of-the-art loudspeaker with a unique design, delivering exceptional clarity, deep bass, and a wide soundstage. If unrestrained performance and a forward-looking aesthetic are desired, the Hyphn is worth considering for an immersive listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Product Strengths
- Impressive midbass solidity
- Remarkable fidelity at lower volumes due to the alacrity of its drivers
- Comprehensive and dynamic sound signature with plenty of detail and clarity
- The newly developed tweeter allows for faster response and a frequency range that easily extends to 28,000Hz
- Features a modular design, offering flexibility with passive, iTron active, and all-in-one wireless streaming versions
Product Considerations
- Integrating the Spacehorn subwoofers requires careful alignment
- High-quality source components are needed to match its performance level
- Some reviewers found that the iTron amplification did not produce the requisite bloom and musicality for classical and jazz music
Takeaway: The Avantgarde Trio G3 speaker is a top-tier audio system known for its exceptional sound reproduction and flexibility with different configurations. If you appreciate high-quality audio performance and aesthetics and want a sound system that sounds exciting and sophisticated, it is an excellent option.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Product Strengths
- An all-encompassing sound keeps listeners rooted to their seats
- A unique 360° sound wave design creates a natural balance of direct and reflected sounds
- A truly huge, yet meticulously crafted, soundscape is created
- Not physically evident in the aural landscape, offering a sound that seems to have no origin
- Integration of the woofer's and melon's outputs was far smoother than previous models
Product Considerations
- High-powered amplifiers capable of delivering ample amounts of current are required due to its insensitivity (around 80dB)
- Placement can be tricky, needing more space away from room boundaries than some rooms can provide
- The biggest problem has always been the audible lack of seamless integration between the bass box and the stack of omnis atop it
- A 'chesty, compressed, almost grainy midbass coloration' can be exhibited if placement and other factors are not optimized
Takeaway: The MBL Radialstrahler 101 E MkII loudspeaker offers a distinctive and immersive listening experience thanks to its unique omnidirectional design. It can fill the room with a natural and balanced sound, creating a captivating musical soundscape for the listener.
Video review
Our take on the brand
IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING. The Model Seven XTRM continues a tradition of pushing time-and-phase correct audio reproduction to the ultimate extreme. With new pistonic side-firing drivers matched to the patented mid-range and tweeter, the XTRM brings further clarity and harmonic accuracy in a way that surprised the designers and the expert listening board. Give yourself a treat and take a listen soon. Full XTRM updates are available to the original owner within the USA, and the cost is $30,051 to $45,633, depending on the vintage of your Model Seven.
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Upgradable from older Model 7 versions, representing long-term value for owners
- Features a 'CounterForce Bass' system with opposing woofers to minimize cabinet movement and improve clarity
- Offers extensive bass adjustments for room integration, including 11 trim pots for precise frequency adjustments
- Time-and-phase coherent design ensures that all drivers move in unison
- Provides a relaxed ease and warmth that fosters musical engagement
Product Considerations
- Sensitivity is relatively low at 85dB, requiring a powerful amplifier to achieve its full potential
- Requires careful rake angle adjustment for optimal performance
- Bi-wire capable, the mandatory HP-7 filter costs extra
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs KEF KC-62 subwoofer: Both use counter-opposing force woofers to stop cabinet movement
Takeaway: The Model Seven XTRM is a technologically innovative speaker designed for music lovers. It offers powerful bass, harmonic beauty, and exceptional tonal realism, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking a high-fidelity audio experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
What competes at this price?
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Extraordinary and special in absolutely everything, even the feet of the housings are developed exclusively for them
- Innovative developments result from exhaustively scrutinizing existing concepts and devising ingenious solutions
- Exhibit a ridiculously low 0.6 millihenry of induction
- Every metal piece of the Cryo version is subjected to days of cryogenic treatment to remove material stress and improve conductivity
- Disappears as a perceptible sound source and reproduces exactly what was captured during the recording, completely distortion-free and dynamic
Product Considerations
- An unobservant listener might initially think that the Z5 Cryo loudspeakers are boring because they don't add extra assertiveness or compression to the sound
Takeaway: The Børresen Z5 Cryo loudspeakers stand upon many new approaches and in-house developments, delivering exceptional sound quality, and are worth the investment. They reproduce audio with accuracy and dynamics.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Extraordinary and special in every aspect, even down to the feet, which are manufactured in-house
- Innovative developments are the result of scrutinizing existing concepts and devising detailed solutions
- Optimized resonance control and immense materials research prevent most errors from occurring
- The loudspeakers reduce the negative aspects of sound and expand the positive ones
- The iron-free drive for the loudspeakers exhibits a ridiculously low 0.6 millihenry of induction
Product Considerations
- An unobservant listener might initially think that the Z5 Cryo loudspeakers are boring
- The crossover includes semiconductors, which rules out a purely passive operation, and the exact effect of the micro controller is not revealed
Takeaway: The Børresen Z5 Cryo loudspeakers offer exclusive in-house developments resulting in exceptional sound quality. The Z5 Cryo could be the right choice, if you want loudspeakers that reveal the true sound of recordings and connected devices.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Each detail of the Signature has been carefully crafted and sees numerous updates over the standard 801, including crossover upgrades and a modified cabinet with a refined downward firing port
- The bass presentation on the 801 Signature was better across the board, it was tighter, a little more pronounced and forward, and definitely more defined
- Bass goes beyond just hitting the low notes, the woofers showcase some of the clearest, most audible detail and texture
- Vocalists and actors have better inflection, greater scale, and detail playing at low volumes
- When properly set up, the Signature is one of the most holographic windows to music experienced
- Speakers need power, the Arcam was impressive and even got the 801s to play loud, but the Macintosh MC312 made the Signature sound flow-like water
Product Considerations
- The Signature's impedance fluctuates wildly, ranging from a nominal 8 ohms and dipping lower than 3, so you need an amplifier that does more than just work
- Placement matters: if placed too close to the wall, the bass response became too pronounced and even boomy at times
- The Signature can come off as bright, and in extreme cases, it might be fatiguing to some
- Poor recordings won't get a free pass, there's bound to be a track or two that's going to leave your playlist rotation
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Compared to the Klipsch La Scala, both speakers excel at the recreation of space in true-to-life dynamics
- Compared to the Wharfedale Elysian 4, the Elysian doesn't play as deep, is richer in the mid-range, and nowhere near as extended up top, so it's not the Signature's equal
- Compared to the Wilson Audio Want Puppy, the two speakers are similar in size, driver complement, build and finish quality, price, and target market
- Compared to the SVS Titan, the Titans sound two-dimensional and fat, compared to the Signature's far more realistic and natural-sounding bass
- Compared to the KEF R11 Meta, the Signature's beefy presence makes for a far grander statement
Takeaway: The 801 Signature is a speaker that elevates the listening experience to another level because it is designed with incredible attention to detail. It will be an emotional and immersive experience to own these speakers.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Powerful and deep bass with fast transient attack and rich tonal shades
- Sweeter-sounding tweeter that integrates more fluidly with the midrange without sacrificing detail
- Balanced and coherent presentation across the frequency range
- Sounds are reproduced with clarity, detail, and dynamic contrasts
- Impressive soundstage imaging with accurately-sized images, providing a wide, tall, and deep soundstage
Product Considerations
- High-quality amplification with plenty of power is required, designed for use with amplifiers of up to 1000W
- Due to its size and the power it requires, it needs to be placed in a large room
- The weight of over 100 kg per speaker can make placement difficult—requiring assistance for lifting and maneuvering, especially on non-smooth surfaces
- The grilles can be a tricky fit
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs 800 D3: Faster and tighter bass register with a sweeter-sounding tweeter and improved decoupling
- Vs 802 D4: More bass, the 802 D4 had better blend
Takeaway:
The 801 D4 is a high-performance speaker known for its powerful and nuanced sound, exceptional imaging, and refined design, and it is capable of delivering a captivating listening experience. It is worth the investment for audiophiles who want detail and high-quality sound.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Alexia V brings many of the qualities of the Chronosonic XVX to a smaller and more affordable loudspeaker
- Spectacular bass performance delivers powerful weight and muscularity without sounding thick or overblown
- Midrange shares harmonic beauty and warmth with the XVX, offering smoothness and ease
- The Alexia V presents real life to the listener in a way that previous versions cannot match
- Every detail of the design and build exudes the highest level of quality and craftsmanship
Product Considerations
- Premium-priced, putting it out of reach for many music lovers
- Alexia V sounds a bit more forward, incisive, and "extraverted" compared to the XVX
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Alexia V shares many sonic characteristics with the Chronosonic XVX, but sounds a bit more forward, incisive, and 'extraverted', the XVX is more subtle, refined, darker in tonal balance, and 'bigger' sounding
- Alexia V is unequivocally superior to the Series 2 in every way
Takeaway: The Alexia V brings many of the best qualities from Wilson Audio's top-of-the-line speakers into a more manageable size and price point. The sound is both powerful and refined, making listening to music an engaging experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
How to buy
Speakers
Search all hifi products
Explore our database of 10,000+ new and 25,000+ used hifi products.




















































