Website author headshot
Cameron Oatley
ExtremeHiFi
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi

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.

Product Strengths

  • Especially revealing, setting a benchmark for revealing the details in recordings
  • Delivers dynamics, tonal balance, and harmonics of instruments, such as the piano, in a way that is very reminiscent of the real thing
  • Able to reproduce low bass to upper treble with a minimal sense that some frequency bands are peaky, emphasized, or depressed
  • Reduces loudspeaker error through comprehensive engineering efforts, including driver design, cabinet materials, and systems integration

Product Considerations

  • Does not radically change the task list of major audio problems like bass in real rooms, the flaws of stereo, or digital distortions
  • Will render some recordings harder to enjoy because those recordings are flawed
  • Some listeners may prefer more tone shaping than what is offered, such as a bass boost or frequency response adjustments

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • Compared to other speakers, draws clearer distinctions between the engineering of different recordings

Takeaway: The Magico S5 (2024) minimizes coloration to provide a revealing and accurate sound, allowing listeners to focus on the recording and the music itself. It is a great choice for audiophiles who want to hear what is truly on the recording, offering a potentially transformative listening experience.

What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.

All

S5 2024

reviews

[{"title":"Best Speakers: Magico S5 2024 First Listen and Factory Tour","link":"https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/best-speakers-magico-s5-2024-first-listen-and-factory-tour","source":"The Absolute Sound","datePublished":"2024"},{"title":"Best Speakers Series: Magico S5 2024 First Listen and Factory Tour","link":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GLO88IUAoc","source":"THE ABSOLUTE SOUND","datePublished":"2025"}]
An excellent review of a great product
/
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
An excellent review of a great product
Publisher
/
3/1/2022

Manufacturer details

  • Driver Complement: 1 x 1.1" (28mm) Diamond Coated Beryllium Dome Tweeter, 1 x 6" (15.24cm) Graphene Nano-Tec Gen 8 Cone Midrange, 2 x 10" (25.4cm) Graphene Nano-Tec Gen 8 Cone
  • Sensitivity: 88dB
  • Impedance: 4 ohms
  • Frequency response: 20Hz-50kHz (in-room)
  • Recommended Power: 50 watts - 1000 Watts
  • Dimensions: 48"H x 19.3"D x 19"W (122cm x 49cm x 48.5cm)
  • Weight: 262 lbs. (118 kg)
The year 2023 saw the launch of the new-generation S Series. The first-of-its-kind S3 has since been heralded worldwide as a groundbreaking design. Magico's 20th anniversary is being celebrated in 2024, and with it, the new S5 loudspeaker continues what began with the S3. Offering an even wider performance envelope, the S5 features numerous cutting-edge advancements in a substantially larger package, while maintaining the elegance the S Series is renowned for.
Manufacturer Site

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:

  • Magico enclosures are primarily constructed of aluminum, using complex internal bracing to minimize resonances and provide a rigid mounting platform for the drivers.
  • The brand utilizes graphene-enhanced Nano-Tec cones in their midranges and woofers for a superior stiffness-to-weight ratio, contributing to exceptional clarity and detail.
  • Trickle-down technology from Magico's flagship M-Series informs the design of other models, making significant engineering accomplishments available at lower price points.
  • The company is known for its seamless blending of drivers and exceptionally wide sweet spot relative to other dynamic loudspeakers.

A-Series A5

  • Positioning: A flagship model in the A-Series, designed for high performance with advanced technology.
  • Description: Notable for its use of a 5-inch pure midrange driver and advanced Graphene Nano-Tech cones, offering exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio. Compared to other models, it features a sealed aluminum enclosure similar to the Q-Series, providing enhanced resolution and dynamics. Ideal for those seeking high performance in medium to large rooms, it balances affordability with advanced technology.

S-Series S5

  • Positioning: A premium model in the S-Series, offering advanced acoustic performance and design.
  • Description: Stands out with its diamond-coated beryllium tweeter and Nano-Tec Gen 8 cone structure, providing superior midrange clarity and low distortion. It offers a larger cabinet and improved bass response compared to the A-Series, making it suitable for larger spaces and users willing to invest in higher build quality and acoustic sophistication.

M-Series M9

  • Positioning: The ultimate flagship model in the M-Series, representing the pinnacle of loudspeaker design.
  • Description: Features a unique carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb core enclosure, offering exceptional structural stiffness and reduced weight. It surpasses other models with its advanced Nano-Tec cones and Beryllium-diamond tweeter, delivering extraordinary accuracy and dynamic range.
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Avg. Product Price
$40,001-$75,000
Used For Sale
42
 Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
91
 of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
17
Founding Year
2004

Our take on the brand

Magico is one of the leading American hifi brands, celebrated for its speakers' precision, clarity, and transparency. This reputation is built on the founder’s meticulous focus on eliminating vibrations, a design principle that customers claim significantly enhances sound quality. Their speakers incorporate carbon fiber and aluminum, along with custom-made drivers, to deliver a highly transparent listening experience. Magico’s sound is incredibly revealing, though some listeners may find it unforgiving with poorly recorded material. These speakers are favored by reviewers and audiophiles who prioritize transparency and accuracy above all else.

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What if you spend more?

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Stenheim
Alumine Five LE
97500
97500
/
1
Reviews

For High End Munich 2024, Stenheim introduced its new Alumine Five platform for the Alumine Five models. This elegant aluminium plinth is machined from solid billet and achieves the same effect as the Reference Platform developed for the Reference series, increasing stability and making fine-tuning the set-up far simpler through increased adjustability of height and rake. These parameters are set via discrete allen bolts on top of the spikes, different sets of which can be selected to suit different floor types. Sound is also improved thanks to the superior vibration damping that the Alumine Five platform offers. The platform can be retrofitted to any Alumine Five 

The Alumine Five LE is a limited edition of the all-new Alumine Five SX, creating the ultimate Alumine Five. Just 10 pairs are due to be made. Over and above the Five SX's impressive specifications, the Five LE model boasts some luxury cosmetic appointments. Only available in Full Black, its tweeter horn, side bars, platform details and spike covers are gilded in gold leaf. The top baffle is covered in leather with a gold embroidered Stenheim logo. The rear baffle is adorned with a Stenheim emblem. An optional three-part flight case is available.

Like all Stenheim speakers, the Alumine Five SX and Alumine Five LE are designed and hand-built to order in Switzerland. They are a 3-way design featuring crossovers engineered with the finest quality components from boutique suppliers such as Mundorf and Jantzen and are equipped with highly efficient custom-built drivers (94 dB) enabling a wide variety of amplification to be used. The Five SX and Five LE models are a further step in Stenheim's mission of providing the ultimate in loudspeaker performance for discerning music lovers, and top the Alumine range.

Stenheim is a hifi speaker brand known for its aluminum enclosures and minimalist, Bauhaus-inspired design that appeals to both audiophiles and art lovers. Their speakers feature high sensitivity for compatibility with low-powered tube amplifiers and use paper and fabric cone drivers for a natural sound, setting them apart from brands that use ceramic or metal drivers.
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Product Strengths

  • High sensitivity and easy drivability
  • Clean performance, neither sterile nor colorless
  • Better at reproducing the spatial information on stereo recordings than the Altec
  • Considerably smaller and thus easier to place—and to live with, in an aesthetic sense

Product Considerations

  • Less colored than the Altec, with a less peaky lower treble
  • Very heavy (231 lbs each), which makes installation difficult
  • High price

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • The Altec loudspeakers were more colored than the Alumine, with a peaky lower treble

Takeaway: The Stenheim Alumine speakers offer a clean and detailed sound in a relatively compact size, while the Alumine Five offers even greater sensitivity in a floorstanding design. If high sensitivity, easy placement (Alumine), and a clean sound are valued, these speakers could be a good fit.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Stenheim is a hifi speaker brand known for its aluminum enclosures and minimalist, Bauhaus-inspired design that appeals to both audiophiles and art lovers. Their speakers feature high sensitivity for compatibility with low-powered tube amplifiers and use paper and fabric cone drivers for a natural sound, setting them apart from brands that use ceramic or metal drivers.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
Product image
Monitor
Hyphn
95000
95000
/
6
Reviews
Monitor Audio is an independently owned hifi brand that has earned multiple Editors Choice awards for their Silver Series speakers, which feature proprietary driver designs. Their speakers are distinguished by unique technologies like the MPD tweeter and C-CAM drivers, which provide exceptional clarity while resisting distortion and listener fatigue.
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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

Monitor Audio is an independently owned hifi brand that has earned multiple Editors Choice awards for their Silver Series speakers, which feature proprietary driver designs. Their speakers are distinguished by unique technologies like the MPD tweeter and C-CAM drivers, which provide exceptional clarity while resisting distortion and listener fatigue.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
Product image
Avantgarde
Trio G3
91000
91000
/
3
Reviews
Avantgarde Acoustic is known for its spherical horn speakers that deliver exceptional sound uniformity and can produce high volume levels with minimal power input, thanks to their unusually high sensitivity of over 104dB. Their flagship products feature advanced digital processing that corrects time and phase issues, while their Zero 1 Pro model stands out for integrating amplifiers and digital crossovers directly into a compact horn speaker design.
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Expand Details

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

Avantgarde Acoustic is known for its spherical horn speakers that deliver exceptional sound uniformity and can produce high volume levels with minimal power input, thanks to their unusually high sensitivity of over 104dB. Their flagship products feature advanced digital processing that corrects time and phase issues, while their Zero 1 Pro model stands out for integrating amplifiers and digital crossovers directly into a compact horn speaker design.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
Product image
MBL
101 E MKII
90000
90000
/
3
Reviews
MBL is a German hifi brand known for its unique Radialstrahler technology, which uses petal-like drivers that emit sound in an omnidirectional 360-degree pattern, eliminating the typical "sweet spot" found in conventional speakers. Their speakers are designed to fill rooms with concert hall-like sound through both direct and reflected waves, creating a more natural and immersive listening experience throughout the entire space.
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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

MBL is a German hifi brand known for its unique Radialstrahler technology, which uses petal-like drivers that emit sound in an omnidirectional 360-degree pattern, eliminating the typical "sweet spot" found in conventional speakers. Their speakers are designed to fill rooms with concert hall-like sound through both direct and reflected waves, creating a more natural and immersive listening experience throughout the entire space.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
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What competes at this price?

Magico
S3
45500
/
Released
2023
Magico's flagship loudspeaker, the incomparable M9, was as much a tour de forceengineering exercise as a finished product. The knowledge distilled and technological advances gained in the M9 development have been applied to the new S3 which reaps the rewards of those monumental efforts. With new state-of-the-art R&D capabilities, we set out to redesign the S3 Mk II loudspeaker to achieve audible improvements in every parameter. With new enclosure, drivers, and coupling system, the S3 accomplishes far more than the initial design brief.
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Magico is one of the leading American hifi brands, celebrated for its speakers' precision, clarity, and transparency. This reputation is built on the founder’s meticulous focus on eliminating vibrations, a design principle that customers claim significantly enhances sound quality. Their speakers incorporate carbon fiber and aluminum, along with custom-made drivers, to deliver a highly transparent listening experience. Magico’s sound is incredibly revealing, though some listeners may find it unforgiving with poorly recorded material. These speakers are favored by reviewers and audiophiles who prioritize transparency and accuracy above all else.
Expand Details

Our Summary

Product Strengths

  • Beautifully finished cabinet constructed from heavy metal, using four extruded aluminum panels
  • Delivers a presentation that's vivid, refined, and compelling
  • Low distortion and an absence of cabinet resonance allows the listener to hear deeper into the music
  • Images like a point source, but has three-way midrange clarity and gut-punching bass
  • Extremely transparent and uncolored, making it very responsive to changes in upstream components

Product Considerations

  • May require careful system matching to avoid revealing flaws in the upstream components due to its high resolution
  • Bass response below 30Hz may not be particularly satisfying
  • Some reviewers noted that the grilles are sonically intrusive
  • Heavyweight hifi typically requires assistance in its unboxing and installation, given the weight and the sheer size of the wooden packing crate in which it's delivered

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • Compared to the Magico S3 MKII—the new S3 has been completely revised and re-engineered, using techniques and technologies developed for the M9 flagship, with a 30% quieter enclosure

Takeaway:

The Magico S3 delivers a pure and detailed sound, making music feel vibrant and dynamic, without adding its own color. If you want to really hear what your music and audio equipment can do, the S3 is a great pick.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Magico is one of the leading American hifi brands, celebrated for its speakers' precision, clarity, and transparency. This reputation is built on the founder’s meticulous focus on eliminating vibrations, a design principle that customers claim significantly enhances sound quality. Their speakers incorporate carbon fiber and aluminum, along with custom-made drivers, to deliver a highly transparent listening experience. Magico’s sound is incredibly revealing, though some listeners may find it unforgiving with poorly recorded material. These speakers are favored by reviewers and audiophiles who prioritize transparency and accuracy above all else.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
YG Acoustics
Hailey 3
63400
/
Released
2022
Hailey 3 delivers the life-like, natural sound which is the hallmark of YG, combined with an effortless sense of scale which is surprising for its compact size. This ultra-high-end loudspeaker mirrors the technologies of the Sonja 3 in a more compact cabinet. The result is an astonishing sonic performance combined with the best of engineering and craftsmanship.
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YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
Expand Details

Our Summary

Product Strengths

  • Delivers an immersive experience and are incredibly musical
  • Integration of the drivers create the feeling of one big full range speaker
  • High resolution and low distortion without ever feeling harsh, and value tonal accuracy
  • Effortless presentation comes from the low distortion and careful attention to maximizing phase coherence
  • Seamless clarity offers a musical experience that is not only realistic, but non-fatiguing

Product Considerations

  • The best cables and components are needed to get the most these speakers can deliver
  • The highly revealing nature is further emphasized during the setup process, when it was time to attach the jumpers between the three sets of binding posts on the rear of the speakers
  • The speaker lacked a certain warmth

Takeaway: The Hailey 3s create a massive soundfield with incredible coherence, which makes them a top-tier speaker. The speakers deliver engagement and musicality with the help of science without relinquishing what made YG Acoustics of the past special.

Video review

Our take on the brand

YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
Stenheim
Alumine Five SX
66900
/
Released
2024
Building on success. Following the critical and commercial success of the Alumine Two was no easy task. Building a bigger, more ambitious speaker that still maintained the Two's sense of musical articulation, coherence and communication? That's a serious challenge. But it's a challenge that the Alumine Five took up and mastered in spectacular fashion.
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Stenheim is a hifi speaker brand known for its aluminum enclosures and minimalist, Bauhaus-inspired design that appeals to both audiophiles and art lovers. Their speakers feature high sensitivity for compatibility with low-powered tube amplifiers and use paper and fabric cone drivers for a natural sound, setting them apart from brands that use ceramic or metal drivers.
Expand Details

Our Summary

Product Strengths

  • High sensitivity and easy drivability
  • Clean performance without being sterile or colorless
  • Good at reproducing spatial information on stereo recordings
  • Elegant look and smaller size makes it easier to place and live with
  • Well-made PHL cone drivers

Product Considerations

  • The Alumine Five is very heavy
  • The Alumine Five is very expensive

Takeaway: The Alumine speakers are good quality speakers that have high sensitivity, are easy to drive, and can reproduce spatial information on stereo recordings well. They have an elegant look and will perform well in a home sound system.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Stenheim is a hifi speaker brand known for its aluminum enclosures and minimalist, Bauhaus-inspired design that appeals to both audiophiles and art lovers. Their speakers feature high sensitivity for compatibility with low-powered tube amplifiers and use paper and fabric cone drivers for a natural sound, setting them apart from brands that use ceramic or metal drivers.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
YG Acoustics
Vantage 3
42504
/
Released
2023
Vantage 3 delivers the life-like, natural sound which is the hallmark of YG, combined with an effortless sense of scale which is surprising for its compact size. It shares many of the same technologies as the reference XV and Sonja models and bridges the gap between Carmel and Hailey: a compact design which still retains the additional scale and bass depth of a three-way speaker.
Check Amazon
YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
Expand Details

Our Summary

Product Strengths

  • Exceptional build quality using aerospace-grade materials
  • Revolutionary Lattice tweeter technology delivers phenomenal high-frequency extension without harshness
  • Outstanding phase coherence (±5° relative phase)
  • Impressive bass extension from a compact design, reaching down to 26 Hz
  • Presents vocals with uncanny realism due to the 7.25' BilletCore mid-driver

Product Considerations

  • Premium price point
  • Requires high-quality amplification to shine their brightest
  • 2.8-ohm minimum impedance may challenge some amplifiers

Takeaway: The YG Acoustics Vantage 3 speakers offer a masterclass in sonic excellence due to their innovative engineering and excellent build. These speakers will satisfy even the most demanding audiophile with their engaging sound and remarkable construction.

Video review

Our take on the brand

YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
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Bowers & Wilkins
801 D4 Signature
55000
/
Released
2023
The 801 D4 Signature is an optimized version of our most advanced loudspeaker. It features meticulously evolved technology, carefully crafted design and unique finishes that culminate in the pinnacle of performance. This is Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Signature flagship loudspeaker.
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Bowers & Wilkins pioneered the use of Kevlar fibers in speaker cones and developed the Matrix cabinet design, which significantly reduces cabinet resonance and sound coloration. Their Nautilus speaker, introduced in 1993, features the distinctive Nautilus tube tweeter design that minimizes sound resonance, while their dedicated Steyning Research facility has produced breakthroughs like the Continuum cone for improved audio transparency.
Expand Details

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

Bowers & Wilkins pioneered the use of Kevlar fibers in speaker cones and developed the Matrix cabinet design, which significantly reduces cabinet resonance and sound coloration. Their Nautilus speaker, introduced in 1993, features the distinctive Nautilus tube tweeter design that minimizes sound resonance, while their dedicated Steyning Research facility has produced breakthroughs like the Continuum cone for improved audio transparency.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page

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