JTR Kallos 465 Review: Compact Speaker With Massive Theater Output

JTR Speakers are well-known in the home theater and audio enthusiast market, although not as lifestyle products that are conveniently-sized for easy placement. JTR speakers are renowned for wide dynamics, and wide dynamic range speakers typically need a large size since it is easier for larger diameter drivers to move a lot of air. I have had occasions to hear their mighty Noesis 215RT speakers which use two front-mounted 15” bass drivers and a massive waveguide for a coaxial compression driver. They stand 70” tall and are larger than many pieces of furniture. They have to be considered one of the ultimate home theater loudspeakers for those who can accommodate their tremendous size.

JTR’s reputation for large, wide dynamic range speakers is why it came as a surprise when they announced a line of on-wall speakers called the ‘Kallos’ series, which are designed not to intrude upon the user’s space. This style of speaker would seemingly be at odds with JTR’s design philosophy. However, taking a closer look at these new speakers, they seem to be making on-wall speakers conform more to their design philosophy than vice versa. So it was with great interest that I was offered the opportunity to review some of the new Kallos series in the form of the Kallos 465 on-wall speakers. While they had an on-wall form factor, they also looked to have the firepower one would expect from JTR. So then let’s dig in to see how a famously high-powered loudspeaker manufacturer like JTR handles a lifestyle loudspeaker that usually trades a lot of performance in favor of a lot of convenience…

JTR Kallos 465 Appearance

Once unpacked, we are greeted by some tall and thin speakers that pack an array of drivers over a gorgeous lacquered wood finish. The cabinet is made from thin layers of birch which can be seen from the side paneling. The edges running back are heavily radiused for a softer appearance. There are five drivers mounted on the front which all have a black appearance that stands out against the natural wood grain. The Kallos 465 can also be had in a matte black which will blend in better with the drivers. A grille is provided that can hide the drivers. It stretches black fabric over a frame and makes for an opaque covering for the front baffle. My guess is that most owners will use the grilles since they make the speakers look cleaner and less busy.

   

They are fairly large as on-wall loudspeakers go, but I don’t think they will be a problem when considering the kind of televisions they will be paired with. At 35” tall, they have about the same height as a 70” television. And with a 4.25” depth, they shouldn’t protrude out from the wall any more than a television with a typical mounting system. They should fit in well with a larger television display, and I don’t think anyone is going to buy such high-powered speakers and pair them up with a small display.

JTR Kallos 465 Design Analysis

At a glance, the JTR Kallos 465 speakers are a sealed MTM (midrange-tweeter-midrange) design that uses passive radiators in the outside edges of the driver array. There are many such on-wall speakers with a similar design, so what separates the Kallos speakers? In a word, firepower. The Kallos 465 will hit way harder than a typical on-wall speaker. So how does it do it? Basically, JTR uses some of the highest-performing drivers around. Not only are these drivers extremely powerful, but they are also highly linear. Let’s begin our discussion of the drivers at the top of the frequency band by talking about the tweeter.

   

The tweeter is a compression driver mated to a horn. It’s a driver from German manufacturer BMS that looks to have a 1” diaphragm. JTR claims it is capable of 136dB, although it does not say at what distance. It uses a very powerful neodymium magnet motor. The horn looks to have an elliptical curvature with a 60-degree by 90-degree coverage pattern.

   

The midranges are two 6.5” drivers from B&C Speakers that use a paper cone. They have a 91.5dB sensitivity with a 400-watt power-handling spec, which is very powerful, especially for an 8-ohm driver. The voice coil has a 1.7” diameter and uses an all-copper winding. The magnet is a very powerful neodymium unit that likely costs a small fortune. It was probably needed in order for the driver to fit in the small amount of depth available; similar and less expensive results might have been had from an iron ferrite magnet, but it would have made the driver too large to fit in the enclosure. Venting is done through the pole piece. The basket is a heavy-duty aluminum piece that looks like it can withstand a lot of vibration.

    

Deeper bass is handled by a pair of passive radiators that have a carbon-fiber woven cone. The radiators have a very beefy surround, which is needed because they are going to require a lot more excursion than the active drivers.

The crossover circuits are made with high-quality components, including high-grade perfect-lay inductors and metallized polypropylene capacitors. Taking a peek at the circuit, it looks pretty involved and looks expensive. The crossover frequency is 1,500Hz.

   

The enclosure is made from stacked Baltic birch and has a lot of bracing and reinforcement around the driver mountings. It is a very strongly built cabinet and has a real feel of solidity. The interior is densely packed with fiberglass stuffing. The ‘knock test’ feels like rapping on a boulder. The cabinet has keyhole slots as well as a 100mm X 100mm VESA mount. If it can be accommodated, the VESA mount is a better way to install the speaker. I think a French Cleat hanging system would have been a good addition too, and easier to mount than the keyhole slots. The speaker connects to the wire with a standard 5-way binding post in a terminal cup. One change JTR might think about is making a groove leading from the binding posts in the back of the speaker, where wire can be threaded; that way, the speaker can be mounted flush against a wall.

All of this design adds up to a very high-powered on-wall speaker. I don’t think there is an on-wall speaker that promises as much punch as the Kallos 465 speakers anywhere in the world, at least I cannot recall having seen anything like them. But design is one thing, and experience is another, so now it was time to hear for myself what they can really do in some actual listening…

JTR Kallos 465 Listening Sessions

In my 24’ by 13’ (approximately) listening room, I set up the speakers against the back wall with about a 9’ distance between the speakers and 11’ distance from the speakers to the listening position. No room correction equalization was used. Processing was done by a Marantz 7705 and the amplification was a Monoprice Monolith 5x200 amplifier. The subwoofer used was the JTR Kallos 12S.

Music Listening

For something to show how the Kallos speakers handle orchestral music, I loaded up the soundtrack from the 2025 Netflix thriller “A House of Dynamite” by Volker Bertelmann. This soundtrack was a masterclass in how to use music to help create tension for a movie and is very listenable on its own. Bertelmann abets the traditional orchestral instruments with other effects noises, but this music is largely orchestral, and, as a score to a major Netflix film, the production quality is as good as money can buy. I streamed this album from Qobuz in high-resolution.

The first track, “Inclination is Flattening,” started by panning a low-pitched bowed double bass back and forth across the soundstage. The 465 speakers gave this instrument a rich level of detail and also made it easy to track its movement across the stage. There are a lot of lower-pitched strings used in this album, and appropriately so, in order to illustrate the gravity and tension of the scenario. On the 465 speakers, I could just about hear individual vibrations of each string, so clear was the reproduction. Kettle drums were given a powerful thump by the sound system. While the subwoofer handles much of the bass from a kettle drum, a lot of the sound is carried by its harmonics, which the speakers must handle. On this count, the speakers were easily able to keep up with the powerful Kallos 12S sub that I was using. Since this album was a very studio-engineered work, and not trying to replicate an orchestra in a symphonic hall, individual instruments and sections were quite specific in their positions, and the 465 speakers were able to relay their placement with excellent precision. Violins, oboes, trumpets, double bass, cellos, bassoons, etc., were all very easy to place within the soundstage. The soundstage was wide and encompassing as well. On the whole, the presentation was very cinematic, not surprising given the album being a film soundtrack, and the 465 speakers were certainly able to give it that big screen feeling. Hearing it on this sound system made me want to watch the movie again, which is a real compliment given how rarely I tend to rewatch anything. Much like the movie, the score is an exercise in suspense, and that was a palpable feeling when reproduced with such a high degree of realism. 

  

For something with an emphasis on a single human voice, I listened to “Infinite Source of Heat” by Chris Morrissey. This jazz-rock album is a brand new release with vocals by Chris Morrissey. Chris is backed up by drums, bass, electric guitars, trumpet, saxophone, and piano. I don’t normally go for jazzy rock, but Chris’ raw musical talent and ear for catchy compositions make this really easy to listen to. The clean production also helps in this regard, and this is a great album to listen to on a high-end sound system. I also streamed this from Qobuz in a 96kHz/24-bit stream. 

The first track, “I Found Love,” had a lot going on, instrumentally speaking, but the speakers were able to keep everything distinct and clear. Clear also was Morrissey’s smooth voice, which was not lost in the plethora of instrumental accompaniment. Imaging was exceptionally good, and Morrissey’s voice was placed dead center stage. Other instruments had highly focused positioning as well, such as the alto sax solo in the second track, which was precisely relayed by the speaker. A simple track that placed more emphasis on Morrissey’s voice is “A Million Beginnings.” Morrissey’s relaxed and mellifluous vocals were articulately rendered by the 465 speakers, and the detail and immediacy of the sound reproduction made it seem like this performance was happening in my living room. Morrissey’s vocals and instrumental accompaniment all sounded natural and balanced. I did not get a sense of any elevated or diminished frequency ranges. Everything had a full sound without an undue emphasis on any sound in particular. Chris Morrissey’s music is always a delight, and it was great to hear it on such a high-fidelity sound system. This artist deserves more recognition, and while a high-end system such as the JTR speakers isn’t necessary for enjoying his stuff, it certainly helps in realizing the full potential of the superb work done by the sound engineers.  

Switching from the acoustic to something entirely electronic, I listened to a new release entitled “Interstitial Geometry” by Insectoid Intelligence. I stumbled upon this release by accident while perusing electronic music subgenres on SoundCloud. A misclick sent me to this album, but I was immediately intrigued by the sound, so I allowed it to play, and I am glad I did. It sounds like a modern take on the ‘Berlin School’ of electronic music, a la Tangerine Dream, but with a greater sense of focus and modern production techniques. I wanted to hear what it would sound like in a higher-end system, so I decided to give it a try on the Kallos speakers. “Interstitial Geometry” can be had on Bandcamp in a lossless Flac format.

The album opens with a simple ambient piece that underscores some high-pitched chimes with an oscillating bass sound and establishes a gradual string melody over it, all of which were reproduced with a fine level of detail and definition. The third track starts with an arpeggiated synth rhythm that made for a striking sound on the 465 speakers. It was a dense sound, but the speakers delineated it all with a good level of lucidity. The fourth track, “Panchromatic Oscillator,” was a fun piece of space music with lead synths that sound like they were pulled out of the movie “Forbidden Planet,” and these spaced-out sounds were magnificently realized on the JTR speakers. The following track, “Everything Plus One,” brought in an arpeggiated synth with constant modulation that was a blast to hear on such a capable sound system. The album closes out on two long-form pieces, the first of which, “Space Caves,” opens with a pulsating drone before settling into a stately groove surrounded by a miasma of psychedelic electronics. Though an altogether bizarre assortment of sounds, it all came together beautifully on this speaker system. Synth sounds growled and bubbled from all across the soundstage, and the 465 speakers were able to telegraph their source positions with laser precision. “Interstitial Geometry” was a lot of fun to hear for those who enjoy a modern take on a vintage electronic music style. This type of music was likely intended more for headphone users, but I love what a serious sound system can do for it, such as JTR’s Kallos 465 speakers. 

  

To see how the Kallos 465 speakers would react to being pushed hard, I threw on “For Honor” by Esym. This killer 4-track E.P. of drum’n’bass bangers begs to be played at a loud level. Big bass and hard beats are the stuff of “For Honor,” and it will press a sound system to its limits pretty quickly when the volume is raised. My guess is that the speakers would have way more headroom than my ears do, but I pressed on just to be certain of that fact. I streamed “For Honor” from Qobuz.

I forgot that I had left the volume at a high setting when I started the album, so when the first track kicked on, I was immediately deafened. The Kallos speakers were not troubled in the slightest by these high loudness levels, however. They were very much at home with hard-hitting music. The lead synths used a metallic growling sound that was reproduced with vivacity and detail. Percussion had a snap and punch that could be felt. Bass was aptly handled by the tremendous Kallos 12S sub, but the speakers could easily keep up with the sub. The speakers had no problems getting louder than my ears could handle. The dynamics exhibited by the Kallos 465 speakers were tremendous, especially for an on-wall speaker. These are one of the few on-walls in existence that could handle house parties without fear of being over-driven. The only problem with their dynamic range is finding a subwoofer that could keep up with them. JTR provided a great compliment to the speakers with the Kallos 12S sub, one of the few non-giant subwoofers that could hang with the 465 speakers. Even so, I think the 465 speakers have enough dynamic range to justify two Kallos 12S subs, if that can be accommodated. Better yet, add some mighty Captivator RS1 subs which still remain one of the most tremendous sealed subwoofers that have have encountered so far (JTR Captovator RS1 Review), if there is room for an 18”. “For Honor” was a fun E.P. of electronic music, but I am glad it was only four tracks for the high levels I was listening at, and my experience in listening to them on the Kallos speakers demonstrated a lot more about my own personal limits than any limits that the speakers had.    

123dB Output from Lifestyle Speakers? JTR Kallos!

Movie Watching

To hear what the Kallos speakers could do for a wide dynamic range movie mix, I decided to watch “Predator: Badlands,” the 2025 science-fiction actioner, which posits our titular character as the protagonist. When this project was announced, I thought this was an interesting move as a longtime fan of the series, although I felt it might ruin the mystique of our infamous alien hunters. I hadn’t yet seen it, but the generally positive  reception that the movie had helped to push me into giving it a chance. 

“Predator: Badlands” turned out to be a fun and engaging movie, although I am hoping that using this iconic movie monster as a sympathetic protagonist instead of a frightening killer is a one-and-done deal. The sound mix was as aggressive as one might expect, so it was a good thing I had such a powerful speaker system on hand. The movie opens with a pair of predators fighting each other, and the thuds and clangs of their colliding weapons were given a nearly tactile violence by the speakers. Likewise, the predator’s crash landing on a hostile planet was also an aural onslaught that pushed the sound mix to the maximum, but the Kallos 465 speakers were seemingly unfazed, even at the elevated levels I was listening at. Much of the fighting was the predator battling a host of bizarre beasts on an alien planet, and the monster’s roars, thundering footsteps, and chomping jaws all had a ferocious power thanks to the JTR speaker system. Much of the dialogue was spoken by the predator creatures (called the

“Yautja”) in their own language with guttural, inhuman voices that sounded menacing on the Kallos speakers. Sarah Schacher’s and Gilles Nuyten’s orchestral score incorporates synths and processed Mongolian throat singing for a properly bombastic and unique musical accompaniment, and the speakers gave it a meaty presentation. The entire movie was a feast for a dynamically capable sound system, and any ten-minute stretch of it could serve nicely as a demo for home theater dynamics. While I enjoyed the film, the nearly two hours of non-stop action were enough to make me crave some peace and calm at the conclusion, so I was relieved when it ended. I would say that just shows that the speakers delivered what the filmmakers intended.

  

For a movie that promises a lot of fun in the sound design department, I watched 2025’s “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” the sixth installment in the unusual ‘fate as the horror’ series. I hadn’t seen any of the previous entries, but I caught a clip from ‘Bloodlines’ involving a cascade of mishaps in an observation tower restaurant that results in a very unlikely and hilariously gruesome catastrophe. It had me laughing so much that my eyes were tearing up, and it was then that I realized that this series was as much about humor as it was about horror, so I decided to give it a try. If the clip that I saw was anything to go by, I would be in for a treat both audibly and visually.

The main set piece of the film was the tower restaurant disaster, and it was a blast to hear on the Kallos 465 system. The whole sequence was a masterpiece of editing, both in video and audio. The very intricate sound mix for the scene had a plethora of sound sources occurring simultaneously, such as the cracking glass floor, chiming of toasting wine glasses, the live band’s cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” and the tinkling of a rogue penny that sets up the conditions for a horrific scenario. The 465 speakers were the perfect speaker system for the elaborate havoc of the scene due to their superb articulation and endless dynamic range. Another bravura scene involved an MRI machine that, through a freak series of events, becomes activated and turned to its most powerful setting. Naturally, this causes chaos with nearby magnetic materials to outrageously bloody consequences. Again, the 465 speakers provided the perfect sound system for the on-screen carnage, and they gave an exquisitely detailed account of metal tearing through flesh. Outside of the effects sounds, dialogue intelligibility was always perfectly clear, and the characters’ screams at gruesome outcomes were particularly well-defined. The orchestral musical score by Tim Wynn was effectively conveyed by the sound system; it was a score that played it straight in delivering tension and terror, and it never winked at the viewer in acknowledging the overall comic absurdity of the scenario. I enjoyed “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” and the sound design being rendered by such a capable loudspeaker system certainly aided in that enjoyment. I now intend to watch the others, and I am going to hang on to the Kallos 465 speakers long enough to do so.

JTR Kallos 465 Measurement and Analysis

The JTR Kallos 465 was measured in free-air at a height of 4 feet at a 2-meter distance from the microphone, with the microphone raised to an 8’ elevation that was level with and aimed at the tweeter center. The measurements were gated at 8 milliseconds. In this time window, some resolution is lost below 400 Hz, and accuracy is completely lost below 200 Hz. Measurements have been smoothed at a 1/24 octave resolution.

 

 

The above graphs depict the Kallos 465’s direct-axis and horizontal dispersion out to a 90-degree angle in five-degree increments. Information on how to interpret these graphs can be read in this article: Understanding Loudspeaker Review Measurements Part II.

The above response exhibited by the Kallos 465 is very good, on the whole. It maintains a fairly flat response with some slight imperfections, but is mostly an accurate loudspeaker. The most obvious flaw is a slight dip centered around 3kHz. It takes out a couple of decibels at a region where human hearing is most sensitive; however, it is not a very wide recession, so I don’t think it will be very audible. The range below the dip seems to have a slightly higher elevation on the response than the range above, and I do think this will lightly color the sound, giving it a slightly warmer signature than a totally neutral loudspeaker. Personally, I didn’t find the Kallos 465 to be a warm speaker in my own listening, and I didn’t notice any coloration like this. I like warm-sounding speakers, and since I didn’t get a sense of warmth from the 465s, I don’t think this elevation in the response is enough to put a particular signature on the sound. Something to note about the above graphs is just how well-controlled the tweeter is. Many horn-loaded tweeters do not have such a nicely balanced response, but the BMS tweeter used by JTR is an excellent one.

 

The above polar map shows the same information as the preceding graphs but depicts it in a way that can offer new insight regarding these speakers’ behavior. Instead of using individual raised lines to illustrate amplitude, polar maps use color to portray amplitude, and this allows the use of a purely angle/frequency axis perspective. The advantage of these graphs is that they can let us see broader trends of the speaker’s dispersion behavior more easily. More information about interpreting this graph can be read in this article: Understanding Loudspeaker Measurements Part II.

The above response is a great example of controlled directivity from the Kallos 465 speakers. This speaker does not have a small ‘sweet spot,’ but rather holds an even tonal balance over the breadth of its dispersion. The dispersion narrows as frequencies increase, but only gradually, and there are no odd directivity errors or regions of misbehavior. This speaker is not a wide-dispersion speaker, but it isn’t as narrow in dispersion as other larger horn-loaded loudspeakers. The waveguide used is simply too small for a really tight dispersion, as well as the size of the midrange driver. What this all adds up to is a speaker that will behave predictably in any normal room. The listening room won’t need any special acoustic treatment to address anything from the speaker itself, and any equalization that is applied should yield an expected response. This type of response lessens the need for equalization, but at the same time, it will make any equalization more effectively used, especially sophisticated auto-EQ systems like Audyssey or Dirac.

The above graph shows the Kallos 465’s low-frequency responses captured using ground plane measurements (where the speaker and microphone are on the ground at a 2-meter distance in a wide-open area). Here, we see the need for a subwoofer for these speakers. Below 80Hz, it starts to roll off the response fairly rapidly, and that is about what one would expect given the design. Having passive radiators in a small enclosure is not a recipe for deep bass. Rather than extending the response, the radiators are likely just taking a load off the lower end of the midrange driver’s bandwidth, thereby alleviating distortion that comes from the higher excursion requirements of lower bass. The good news in this graph is that the bass response is fairly smooth and linear. There are no surprises in this graph, and that is a good thing.

More of a load can be taken off the woofers with a higher crossover frequency, and this will increase the dynamic range as well, so if you want the Kallos 465 speakers to hit even harder, use a 100Hz or 120Hz crossover frequency. However, a multi-sub setup is really needed for this, at least to avoid bass localization to a single sub’s position. The curve of this low-frequency response suggests a slightly higher than the traditional 80Hz crossover frequency may be optimal.

 

The above graph shows the electrical behavior of the Kallos 465s. These speakers are not the easiest electrical load for amplifiers. The impedance minima approach 3 ohms at around 300Hz. A 4 ohm stable amplifier is certainly a requirement for the 465s. The good news is that since the sensitivity is higher than average, the amplifier gain will not have to be jacked up to get these speakers loud, thereby giving the amp a break. The phase angle is not especially steep in that frequency band either. So while the speakers will want a decent amplifier, users will not need a super amp to run the Kallos 465s. I don’t think this will ever be a problem since I doubt anyone will attempt to run these $2.5k/each speakers with a budget amp. Something else to note here is that we can see the passive radiator tuning frequency looks to be 90Hz from the low point of the saddle dip in the lower end of the response.

I measured the 465’s sensitivity to be 96.6dB for 1 meter at 2.83V. This is very close to JTR’s own spec of 97dB for 1 meter at 2.83dB. That has to make these some of the most sensitive on-wall speakers around. But this measurement doesn’t even factor in the additional gain that a half-space placement will net, so the reality is that the Kallos 465 speakers will see a higher sensitivity than their spec in practice. These speakers don’t need a high-power amp to get loud, although they can certainly handle more wattage than typical on-wall speakers for those who like extreme dynamics.

JTR Kallos 465 Conclusion

Before bringing this review to a close, I will briefly go over the strengths and weaknesses of the product under evaluation, and, as always, I will start with the weaknesses. What weaknesses do JTR’s Kallos 465 speakers have? The answer is not many. They are somewhat large for an on-wall speaker, but I don’t think that matters much since I doubt they will ever be paired with a small television. They don’t do deep bass and require a subwoofer, but so do all on-wall speakers, so that can’t be held against them. They are fairly pricey for on-wall speakers, but I don’t think that criticism holds since ‘expensive’ has to be taken in context of ‘value,’ and I don’t think they are a bad value at all, quite the contrary.

 

I just don’t have anything serious to complain about with the Kallos 465 speakers, so let us discuss their strengths, the foremost of which is their sound quality. They are a speaker with fairly neutral voicing, and they project that balanced sound over a wide angle without falling off into a poor response. This means that they sound great over a wide area, and it also means that they will work better over different types of acoustic environments. Their dynamic range is tremendous, and they may well be the most dynamically capable on-wall speaker that can be had at any price. If you need on-wall speakers but want a sound system that can get very loud without breaking a sweat, these are the speakers for you. With some capable subwoofers, they will add up to a system that can achieve a serious home theater sound in a normal domestic room. And while they are an absolutely killer speaker for home theater, they are truly stellar for music as well. They image superbly, and present a deep and enveloping soundstage.

 

Outside of their sound, their build quality is tank-like and is totally befitting their pricing (and even excels their pricing). They are using top-notch components for drivers and crossover parts, and the cabinetry is excellent. Make sure that the mounting method has them properly anchored to the wall, because they are somewhat heavy owing to their rock-solid cabinets. As far as their appearance goes, unlike many other on-wall speakers, they are not trying to disguise their appearance as speakers, at least with the grilles off. I think that most users will have the grilles applied, and with grilles on, they look fairly innocuous.

 

The Kallos 465 speakers are not just on-wall speakers that happen to have a JTR badge; they are truly JTR speakers that meet all the expectations that the brand carries. They are the perfect solution for those who want a real home theater sound but who are not able to set aside floor space for some heavy-duty speakers. Not everyone can set aside a whole separate room for a dedicated home theater or two-channel listening setup, so they have to set up their sound system in a shared area with others. It can be a tall ask to have some tower speakers with a significant footprint in homes where floor space is at a premium. The Kallos 465 speakers are very uncompromised for what they achieve: they have a high-fidelity sound, hard-hitting home theater dynamics, and they can be mounted on a wall unobtrusively.

JTR Kallos vs the Competition

They are not cheap at $2,500 each, but not much else comes close to what they can do. The only other speakers in this category that come to mind are the Legacy Audio Silhouette on-wall speakers and the RBH Sound P821-W on-wall speakers. Both offer similarly wide dynamic range, but they are more expensive, and I suspect neither would quite match the Kallos 465's output capability. While the Legacy and RBH Sound speakers dig considerably deeper in the bass, the Kallos 465 trades low-frequency extension for a slimmer form factor and substantially higher sensitivity, a compromise that is unlikely to matter as much in systems that properly employ dedicated subwoofers.

In that sense, the Kallos 465 is something of a bargain. How many other speakers are arguably the best at what they do while costing so little? Most loudspeaker companies would likely charge significantly more than JTR given the construction quality and component costs of the Kallos 465. If I were shopping for on-wall speakers, the Kallos 465 would be near the top of my list. There are certainly other on-wall speakers that cost considerably more, but I would be hard-pressed to justify the added expense based on performance alone.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Build Quality
Appearance
Treble Extension
Treble Smoothness
Midrange Accuracy
Bass Extension
Bass Accuracy
Imaging
Dynamic Range
Fit and Finish
Performance
Value