Recent Floorstanding Speaker Reviews

Elac’s Andrew Jones has completely redesigned the company’s Uni-Fi range of 3-way loudspeakers. The Uni-Fi 2.0 series is now the brand’s least expensive to offer Jones’s signature concentric drivers, where the tweeter sits inside the midrange driver. The Uni-Fi 2.0 lineup includes the UB52 bookshelf speaker ($600/pair), the UF52 floor-standers ($1,200/pair), and the UC52 center-channel speaker ($400/each). Read on to learn more.

JBL’s newest high-end loudspeaker is the 4349 Studio Monitor ($7,500/pair). The 4349 combines the company’s lauded, horn-loaded D2415K compression driver with a 12-inch woofer to deliver “a triumph for accurate sound reproduction.” Despite the “Studio Monitor” moniker, the 4349 is intended for both audio professionals and home listeners. Read on to learn more.

Our review last year of the Revel PerformaBE M126Be bookshelf speakers impressed us so much that we wanted to check out a pair of towers and center channel in the same lineup. The PerformaBe F226Be is a three-way floor-standing speaker, and the C426Be, a monsterous three-way center speaker uses four 6.5" bass drivers and the same mid/tweet array. Our exhaustive review explores if these products live up to the Revel reputation and our comprehensive measurements and listening tests will help determine that.

As a follow-up to our extremely popular recent article, An Audiophile’s Realization: My Last New Speakers, the least we can do is take a close look at the object of that article, the Legacy Audio Signature SE floorstanding speaker. Will this story have a happy ending? Will the audiophile ride off into the sunset with a smile on his face? Read our review of the 4-way Legacy Signature SE Towers to find out.

Dynaudio has totally overhauled its popular Contour series loudspeakers with new internals. All four speakers in the new Contour i series employ a new tweeter design and updated woofers and crossovers. The flagship Contour 60i floor-standers ($10,750/pair) are almost entirely new from the ground up. And it doesn’t hurt that they sport gorgeous new finishes. Read on to learn more.

Developed alongside the less expensive EVO4 range, Wharfedale’s new flagship Elysian range is now the brand’s top offering. The Elysian 2 stand-mount speaker ($7,000/pair) and the Elysian 4 floor-standers ($10,000/pair) combine an Air Motion Transformer tweeter with custom-designed midrange and bass drivers. Wharfedale claims that these beauties “push the boundaries of capability and performance from a speaker at this price-point.” Read on to learn more about these speakers that were 3 years in the making.

More than two years after Definitive Technology launched their Demand series bookshelf speakers, they have expanded the line to include some tower speakers. However, the Demand tower speakers look to be a lot more than simply larger versions of the bookshelf speakers. They show a significant design departure from past Definitive Technology floor-standing speakers, and that has us interested in this new direction. In our review of Definitive Technology's new Demand D15 floor-standing speaker, we will look at why Definitive Technology has changed their direction in loudspeaker design and see what advantages this new direction holds.

Focal’s Kanta N°2 floor-standing loudspeakers ($10,000/pair) are now available in two new finish options, Carrara White and Black Lacquer/Walnut. The new finishes will come to the rest of the Kanta range next year. One of the most popular speakers in Focal’s extensive lineup, the Kanta N°2 combines the company’s unique flax sandwich cones with its famous pure beryllium tweeter. Read on to learn more.

One of the most anticipated loudspeakers shown at the 2019 CEDIA show has finally come in for us to review, the JBL HDI-3800 which is the big dog of JBL's new HDI series. This 84 lbs beast uses three 8" bass drivers and an advanced compression driver and waveguide derived from the cutting-edge audio R&D from the whizzes at JBL. At $5k/pair, they ain't cheap, but a loudspeaker this powerful and advanced may well be a bargain at that price if all the technology translates into real performance. Read our full review to see what we found.

RBH Sound unveiled a new flagship SVTRS active speaker system that rocked the 2020 Florida Expo show. This large, powerful speaker is truly a sight (and sound) to behold. These titans stand nearly eight feet tall and weigh 310 lbs and offer bass extension down to single digits. RBH claims this new system offers significant advantages over their Status 8T speakers while being slightly less expensive along with including its own state-of-the-art amplifier and DSP tuning. Does Audioholics have a new reference speaker to dethrone the mighty Status 8Ts? Read on to find out!

Definitive Technology has expanded its popular Demand Series of loudspeakers with the addition of the D15 towers ($3,398/pair), the D17 towers, ($4,598/pair), and the D5C center channel speaker ($799/each). These new speakers are designed to “deliver full-range, room-filling sound and elegant styling for enthusiasts seeking a premium listening experience.” The new Demand Series tower speakers feature newly-developed carbon fiber woofers and dual side-firing passive radiators. Read on to learn more.

Yamaha gives a nod to the past while pushing sound reproduction further into the future with their NS-5000 loudspeaker. This state-of-the-art speaker uses a vintage design as a platform for some very modern audio engineering that uses cutting edge technology to solve problems with ingenuity that have traditionally been solved with brute force. At $15k/pair, they ain't cheap, but if you want the latest in speaker science in a gorgeous package that is built to last, the NS-5000 speaker might be the bargain you are looking for.

New speakers from Revel and JBL stole the spotlight at the 2019 CEDIA Expo. Revel added three models to its Performa Beryllium range, including a large flagship tower with an all-new beryllium tweeter. Meanwhile, JBL announced a completely new line of speakers called the HDI Series, featuring stylish curved cabinets and a new compression driver based on JBL’s professional gear. Read on to learn more and be sure to watch our detailed YouTube overview video.

MartinLogan’s updated Motion Series loudspeakers sport a fresh new design while leaving the “proven performance” of the previous generation largely unchanged. There are three floor-standers, two stand-mount speakers, and two center channel speakers in the range, all featuring MartinLogan’s Folded Motion (AMT) tweeters and custom aluminum cone woofers. With prices ranging from $800/pair to $3,200/pair, will these redesigned speakers be the more affordable jewel in MartinLogan’s crown? Read on and be sure to watch our CEDIA 2019 Youtube video interview to learn more.