Напольная акустика — Popori Acoustics WR3

The WR3 is a single-way, full-range panel speaker of the electrostatic type, made in Hungary by Popori Acoustics, whose founder Otto Popori began repairing electrostatic speakers in 1996 and built his first design in 2001. The current line was developed together with industrial designer Gabor Marko and his father Istvan Marko, a craftsman. Some European distributors sell it as the WR3 Alisca. Popori names the WR3 as the smallest speaker in the current range. In the US it was shown in 2025 at USD 18,000, about half the asking price of the WR2, which stands roughly 225 mm taller.

Key specs that matter

The single panel is rated from 35 Hz to 20 kHz with 88 dB sensitivity. Impedance reaches its minimum of 2.5 ohm at 20 kHz, and Popori quotes distortion below 0.1%. The foil area is 0.38 m2. Overall dimensions are 1623 x 360 x 365 mm, and the maker gives a weight of 23.5 kg per speaker.

Engineering and use context

Unlike the WR1 and WR2, the WR3 has no ribbon tweeter, so one foil covers the entire band with no crossover and no dynamic woofer to blend in. Popori stretches an ultra-thin foil between electrostatically charged, insulated wires, and the wires and foil are fixed with stitching. CNC machining keeps the stator surfaces parallel so that the electrostatic field is even across the panel. The panels are held by screws rather than glue, which Popori chose because bonded joints can degrade over time. The base uses CNC machined solid steel legs and a 6 mm laser-cut steel plate that lowers the centre of gravity of a tall, thin panel. With no cabinet, the diaphragm radiates as an open dipole line source. The frames are clad in Corian, which the company says makes them inert and allows almost any RAL colour, pattern, etching or laser engraving, with white, red or black as the standard colours and white front and rear planes. Only re-foiling has to be done at the factory, and other electronic parts in the removable box can be replaced by a distributor. The company states the foil weighs under 10 g.

Pairing

Popori says a tube integrated amplifier of around 35 W per channel is often enough in a room of about 40 m2, and that its own speakers work best with electronics in a similar price class. Solid-state designs that stay stable when the load dips to its treble minimum are a safe choice.

Alternatives

The Popori W360 is another full-range panel without a ribbon, rated down to 40 Hz and listed at EUR 12,800 in 2022.