Editors’ Speaker Picks for Distinct Rooms and Systems

This is primarily a finish-led recommendation.

Nubert retains the established cabinet design and acoustic details of both nuLine models, adding Cappuccino alongside the existing black and white choices.

Its combination of coffee, cream, light gray and subtly warm yellow tones is intended to coordinate with natural wood, stone and pale fabrics. Buyers looking for a technical revision will not find one, but the new finish provides a warmer alternative without changing the familiar nuLine design.

TENET is suited to buyers with substantial installation space and an interest in a made-to-order active system.

Its upper module combines a cast-bronze and laminated-wood horn with two 15-inch mid-bass drivers, while the lower module contains two opposed 21-inch woofers.

PASCAL amplification supplies 1,200 watts to the upper section, and the bass amplifiers deliver up to 2,200 watts. An electronic crossover and signal processor complete a system that is commissioned rather than bought as a conventional off-the-shelf speaker.

Avantgarde Acoustic describes these as entry-level models within its horn-speaker range, although their dimensions make that designation distinctly relative.

The Duo GT uses the XT3 super tweeter, two XM2 670 mm midrange horns and a pair of 12-inch XB12 bass drivers; it stands 173 cm tall and weighs 108.5 kg.

The 155 cm, 94 kg Duo SD retains the same treble and midrange horns but uses a single bass driver. Optional Itron active bass amplification is available for both, while the Duo SD can also be specified with a wireless streaming module.

The Commona SE is a two-way floorstander for listeners specifically interested in a closed-enclosure design.

Note Loudspeakers says the configuration accepts some loss in output in pursuit of greater musicality.

Its driver complement consists of a one-inch woven-dome tweeter and a 7.4-inch mid-bass unit with a heat-treated, varnish-impregnated paper cone. A Butterworth crossover operating at 1,900 Hz uses ceramic resistors, metallized polypropylene capacitors and custom coreless inductors, while wenge and brushed-metal detailing give the cabinet a distinctive material character.

The 703 S2 is the conventional passive floorstander in this selection for buyers furnishing a fairly large listening room.

Its three-way configuration uses larger bass drivers than the smaller model in the series, while the midrange benefits from a decoupling system derived in simplified form from the 800 Series approach.

Placement deserves attention because the Flowport bass-reflex outlet is on the rear panel. Bowers & Wilkins supplies a porous plug that can reduce port output when adequate distance from the wall is not possible.

Prodige is a compact Bluetooth speaker for buyers who want an integrated design rather than separate audio components.

It uses a Focal TAM coaxial driver with an inverted aluminum-magnesium tweeter and composite-cone bass unit, powered by a 90-watt Class D amplifier.

AcousticRoom automatic calibration is included to account for the room, while a 3.5 mm input and USB port provide physical connection options. The enclosure uses natural materials or materials suitable for recycling and measures 290 x 200 x 195 mm.

The Media 4 is the practical option for TV listeners who prefer a single soundbar cabinet.

Its elliptical enclosure avoids parallel internal surfaces, an approach intended to reduce internal reflections, while the deeper central section provides volume for the built-in subwoofer.

That subwoofer uses a 120 x 150 mm elliptical driver to preserve a slender cabinet profile. Two 65 x 65 mm Balanced Mode Radiator drivers handle the front channels, with their operating principle designed to extend both frequency coverage and dispersion.

Leak’s Sandwich series is aimed at buyers who want vintage visual cues without relying on an unchanged historical driver design.

Both the Sandwich 150 and the larger Sandwich 250 use a revised sandwich diaphragm that combines rigid aluminum outer skins with a flexible PMI structural-foam core.

The larger 250 is a three-way speaker with an 11-inch bass driver, a 4.25-inch midrange driver and a 1.2-inch high-frequency unit. It becomes a floorstanding design when mounted on its dedicated stand.

The Monitor Reference 5A is an active floorstanding pair for a TV-centered stereo system.

Its electronics are housed in the left speaker, including a two-channel Class D amplifier rated at 120 watts in total.

HDMI with Audio Return Channel and CEC allows compatible televisions and connected sources to route sound to the speakers through the HDMI connection. The design uses two 6.5-inch drivers and a one-inch dome tweeter, with a manufacturer-declared lower frequency limit of 28 Hz. The only stated finish is black, with a matt front and textured veneer.

Diva Utopia is Focal’s first active wireless model and is intended for buyers seeking a high-end system without separate power amplifiers.

Each floorstander contains 400 watts of Naim amplification, distributed across a three-way arrangement with a 27 mm inverted M-dome beryllium tweeter, a 16.5 cm W-cone midrange driver and four 16.5 cm W-cone woofers in a push-pull configuration.

Music can be supplied wirelessly or through wired inputs. Focal states that the system is suitable for rooms of up to approximately 80 square metres.