If you want to find out just how much high-end goodness $1399 can buy in a pair of loudspeakers, then you absolutely must audition the Triton Sevens. I consider this speaker a masterpiece of value-oriented audio engineering—one that sets a performance standard that will not easily be matched or surpassed.
KEF’s versatile coincident driver, the Uni-Q, has been cast in a new role—a part, in my humble opinion, it has always been destined to play. It’s the X300A Digital Hi-Fi Speaker System. I’ve admired this unique transducer for some time but most recently when I evaluated the KEF LS50 (awarded a Golden Ear in Issue 235). I continue to feel it’s one of the most satisfying compact two-way speakers I’ve encountered in the last couple years. The speaker is not only visually arresting; it also boasts superb midrange sonics, full-bodied presence, and potent midbass punch. I always thought it could be the basis for an outstanding nearfield or portable monitor. And whaddya know—with the X300A KEF engineers have taken that next logical step and reimagined the LS50/Uni-Q for desktop duty and the world of computer media.
The speed of delivery for instruments and voices is stunning. There is no hint of any distortion or noise. Nothing in the musical presentation takes away from any other element. The air, space, depth and apparent room ambience of the recording are palpable. Each instrument has its own dynamic envelope which allows a pianissimo strike of a triangle to exist alongside a forte gong crash, with each instrument perfectly distinguished, each part of the musical whole, but also being appreciated as their own notes. The amps rendered it effortlessly. I cannot imagine that I would ever want more power. The stage is three-dimensional, images are stable and placed believably on that stage, each surrounded by its own cushion of air. Bass is powerful and at the same time taut, articulate and well controlled. With my speakers, which each employ four 10-inch dynamic drivers to reproduce the range below 170 Hz — there appears with these amps to be an extra half octave of extension at the bottom. Noise is vanishingly low, grain is for all practical purposes non-existent. Most importantly, these are musically natural and emotionally satisfying.
There’s much to be said for a product that precisely defines its purpose and then proceeds to fulfill it to near perfection. The British designer Jon Palmer set out to make a high-end turntable that would be essentially plug-and-play without serious compromise in performance at a price that, though far from inexpensive, is by no means unreasonable in the world of high-end audio. The result is the Palmer 2.5 turntable, the domestic price $7995. Allow me to anticipate my conclusions by saying that in my judgment, Palmer has not only realized his brief, but made a turntable that I have no hesitation calling sonically, aesthetically, and functionally one of the most satisfying I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. It’s a design I could happily close up shop with tomorrow and enjoy thereafter without a moment’s regret or thought for something else.
Indeed, these are one of the few speakers I’ve experienced which do the trick of realistically putting a singer, guitarist, bassist, what have you, in the next room. Doing my laundry I could swear on a stack of TAS back issues that Ella Fitzgerald was right there next door in the listening room. Well of course “she” was, as that is where my stereo is, but my point is that it sounded as if a real person were singing in the other room. Try this and you’ll see what I mean (or not).
"The PSB Image T6s offer a very high level of sonic performance for their price: bass to below 40Hz in-room, natural warmth a little further up (where floorstanders often dip), a largely neutral midrange, and a clean treble. The T6s play more loudly, with less of the distortion or compression expected from speakers of this size."
The Triton Two is a three-way, five-driver, dualpassive-radiator-equipped floorstander with a built-in powered subwoofer. Voiced from the top down, it handles high frequencies via a shockingly good ribbon, the all-important middle frequencies via dual ultra-wide-bandwidth midrange drivers, and the low end via a sophisticated subwoofer powered by a 1200-watt, DSP-controlled amplifier. The result is an elegant, full-range floorstander that sounds astonishingly refined, delivers spectacular 3-D imaging, and provides robust, full-bodied dynamics.
Its sound is far larger than one would expect from a box this small. The usability was first rate and it was super-easy to set up. There wasn't a single hitch during the several weeks I used it. Moving it to different locations in my home demonstrated a few different personalities. In the office, the sound was tight and detailed but somewhat small. Placing it in a corner really restricted its sonic capabilities. Once I moved it into either a large open room or a treated listening space, its true audiophile capabilities shone. It seemed to have no volume limit either. No matter how high I turned up the fun, there was no harshness or loss of detail. Thanks to some high-end amplifier technology, you'll never mistake the VISO for a boom box. Getting the same Direct Digital Amplifier design as the $6000 M2 in a $600 portable component is nothing short of incredible. Bass extension also exceeded my expectations greatly. While size does indeed matter when it comes to bass, NAD and Paul Barton have done a terrific job bending that rule in the extreme!Read the full review at the Secrets of Home Theater and HiFi.
