Top-7 New Floorstanding Loudspeakers – Choosing the Best

Choosing floorstanding loudspeakers is now akin to looking through a kaleidoscope – your eyes run wild from the abundance of choice. That’s why we’ve put together an editorial expert rating of the seven most impressive new speakers for you – as usual, the list is sorted in ascending order of cost.

7. Piega Classic 5.0

Pros – the use of an AMT tweeter guarantees a flurry of details

The Piega Classic 5.0 floorstanding loudspeakers offer a 2.5-way design with a ribbon AMT tweeter (the company’s favorite Hale emitter) and a pair of long-throw 130 mm midrange/low-frequency drivers. The enclosures are also very clever – with thick 25 mm walls and a profile rounded towards the back panel, which reduces vibrations. As a result, the very compact acoustics sound very lively and impressive, literally knocking you down with a mass of details.

6. Acoustic Energy АЕ520

Pros – exceptional sense of rhythm, very comfortable sound

The new tall Acoustic Energy АЕ520 loudspeakers use the latest 25 mm carbon fiber tweeter in a Dy-cast WDT waveguide. The rest of the frequency spectrum is covered by a whole array of drivers – 2 x 125 mm are responsible for midrange frequencies, and as many as 3 x 125 mm provide bass. The long-stroke diffusers of these drivers are reinforced with carbon fiber, and the use of powerful 35 mm voice coils made it possible to achieve excellent output (up to 113 dB of sound pressure) in the range of 30 Hz to 28,000 Hz, with an impedance of 6 ohms and a sensitivity of 90 dB. Add anti-resonance RCS sandwich enclosures (9 mm MDF, 3 mm bitumen and another 6 mm MDF) – and we get a candidate for the leader in its price group. The sound of the model is exceptionally lively and rhythmic.

5. Technics SB-G90M2

Pros – precise, rhythmic and verified delivery

Floor-standing acoustic systems Technics SB-G90M2 belong to the branded Grand Class series and offer very precise and reliable sound with excellent holographic construction of the scene. A 160 mm coaxial driver with aluminum diffusers and a specially designed phase-aligning “bullet” here voices both midrange and high frequencies, and 160 mm woofers work on the bass. Magnetic systems are double, the speaker housings are designed on a computer to suppress vibrations and are equipped with a special system for removing standing waves at the peak of resonance (sound-absorbing material is practically not used, a separate patent was received for such a scheme). In general, not speakers, but an encyclopedia of modern engineering.

4. Wharfedale Elysian 3

Pros - a large-scale sound canvas

The Wharfedale Elysian 3 floor-standing loudspeakers easily sound even a very large room and offer full-height sound images and stunning dynamics. The model is equipped with a ribbon AMT tweeter, a 150 mm midrange and a pair of solid 180 mm woofers with 38 mm voice coils and diffusers with a fiberglass coating. The multilayer speaker housings are made using Panel Resonance Optimisation System technology and consist of wood profiles of varying density - everything is good here.

3. Canton Reference 5

Pros – precise timbre picture, excellent localization

The floorstanding Canton Reference 5 speakers not only look gorgeous, but also sound excellent – their precise timbre picture and hyperrealistic sound will remain in your memory for a long time. The speakers use a 25 mm BC tweeter with a ceramic (aluminum oxide) diffuser, a 174 mm midrange driver with a ceramic tungsten diffuser (25% of the molecular structure of the aluminum diffuser is converted into a ceramic structure and reinforced with tungsten and metal particles) and a pair of 174 mm woofers also with ceramic tungsten diffusers. All this miracle is installed in high-tech semicircular cases (the company uses a 5-axis CNC machine to create round partitions inside the cabinets) – bravo.

2. Borresen X6

Pros – extraordinary detail, surprisingly fast sound

The Borresen X6 acoustic systems reflect the approach and latest developments of a respectable High-End manufacturer. The speakers are equipped with a ribbon tweeter and an array (2 x 4.5" + 4 x 4.5") of drivers for the rest of the spectrum. Composite housings, magnet systems with double copper caps on the pole rings, three-layer speaker diffusers (a layer of carbon fiber, a layer of aramid honeycomb - and again a layer of carbon fiber) - it is possible to list innovations for a long time, it is better to hear once. After all, the sound of the speakers is truly impressive, fast and colored with the whole gamut of emotions.

1. JBL Summit Pumori

Pros – dense and rich sound, true High-End

The JBL Summit Pumori reference loudspeakers use a 38 mm patented proprietary D2815K compression driver with a dual diaphragm with the HDI Sonoglass high-definition system, as well as 200 mm and 250 mm drivers with a cast frame. Both of their HC4 diffusers are made of a honeycomb composite - a layer of carbon fiber with cellulose, a layer of foam and another layer of carbon fiber. Luxurious anti-resonance housings, crossovers with miniature capacitors and extremely low electrostatic resistance - before us is a real pearl of the industry. It is difficult not to fall in love with the dense sound of the model.