Buchardt A10 Bookshelf Review: The Real Pros and Cons

[@madsbuchardt7845]

Thank you so much for a great review as always Erin! I'm very satisfied with this, we do also clearly state that this speakers weakness is high SPL. It's designed for people that value or need a small speaker :) For mastertunings the flat in room might have been your preferred, I know you of course do not have time to test all with your schedule, but this is designed to follow the estimated in room response curve, so it have just a little less treble :) I hope you have time for our newly sub10 soon! 😜

[@MisterTwister222]

Passive floor stander when?

[@madsbuchardt7845]

@@MisterTwister222 i would say 2025 🙏

[@madcrabber1113]

Who are you to be satisfied with this?

[@juicy_clams]

@@madcrabber1113 The owner of the company... LOL

[@TheKoC74]

@@madcrabber1113 The name Mads Buchardt should make it obvious ;)

[@natdenchfield8061]

I've seen people keep pointing to your channel with their hyper objective blinkered opinions and "Klippel blah blah " .. it got tiring before I'd even watched your reviews and my mind biased . But, you know what, your reviews are absolutely perfect for me ! Just down to earth straight up talking sense and technical details that engage my brain.. And still with a light bit of subjective, human response thrown in. Thanks Erin !

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you for that. I’m glad you gave me a shot.

[@guystpierrecomposer]

Great review! Two things that I can add since I’ve owed those in my professional studio. First, at medium volume, the sub freq are not only there, this is the best integration I have ever witnessed. Any kind of music, the bass is fast, well define and absolutely no gap between mid bass and sub bass. 2nd, those speakers have really good dac included. Unfortunately, there is no digital input in the speaker. So using the wiim or any other preamp, you need to come in the speaker with analogue signal that will be converted to digital (AD converter) then dsp then reconvert in analog… BUT when you use the Wisa hub, you come in directly in digital and you really benefit from the very good Dac inside without a double conversion. That means you get way more spaciousness and 3D soundstage. It is really like going from a 200$ Dac to an 1500$ one. The other bonus with a digital hub (that you can include in the package) is that you get a very good room correction software and peq EQ. Those option are in my opinion, the killer deal.

[@ksukhia]

Well put... Ill second that, have had them in my mastering space now for about 6 months, the presentation of all the frequencies esp sub bass are nothing short of addictive to work with. As you say, its the integration and linearity of sub lows into the low/low mid region that is unique at this price and configuration (2-way, roughly NS10M sized). I have had other engineers come over routinely to check their mixes on them now prior to mastering and they too are amazed at how easy it is to hear what is going on in a mix/master etc. And when not using them for work being able to throw them into the other tunings is fantastic fun...

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Excellent point about the double D/A conversion.

[@terenceyow]

Erin your reviews just keep getting better. Definitely the best KZbin audio reviewer at the moment. 🎉💪🏻

[@x-techgaming]

At the moment. High praise lol. And who is the best of all time?

[@Raymondey]

@@x-techgaming Sean from Zero Fidelity

[@mikeherbert1343]

Also try stereo X

[@ksukhia]

I use these for work (mixing, mostly mastering) they’re plenty loud for me and unless you’re looking for party / live levels they might be loud enough for you too…. The tunings also really change up the speaker, even changing the crossover point. They are highly room and setup dependent though, not an issue if you use monitors daily you’ll set up quickly but experiment if you need to in your room. Mads Buchardt and his team were also great to answer questions.

[@DearSX]

Thanks Erin! Helps we have more clarity as an owner of these speakers. Love the info on how to place them and data on where they do well measurements wise.

[@masterchef6694]

Thanks for discussing SPL.....no other reviewers have spoken anything about that

[@MattyDaddy14]

Hey buddy! This has to be one of my fave reviews you’ve done and I’ve watched a lot of your videos!! 🎉 these may be out of my price range, buts what’s cool is to be able to use this info on what to look for in terms of sacrifices for less expensive options!🎉 also, it seems some comments on here are a bit harsh (not every speaker is meant for everyone!) 🎉 I really liked your use of data plus visual aids and verbal descriptions in this review vid! 🎉

[@JulioCSolar]

I really like your reviews. I had the original S400 and I sold them for only one reason: I needed more output. I contacted Mads Buchardt because I heard them bottoming out on James Taylor song "Gaia". About the third of the song, there's a huge dynamic percussion that I love and they couldn't reproduce it without compression and distortion at around 90db. Mads suggested me to get the towers; but I didn't have the money available. So I got a couple of ELAC towers. Despite that, I loved the S400. Thank you for your review.

[@danfisher6154]

90db at which weighting, A or Z? from what distance?

[@59seank]

Thanks Erin for mentioning the price early in the video.

[@george0t]

It would be interesting to see a comparison between these and the Kali IN-5s or IN-8s.

[@trevorbartram5473]

Hi Erin, that Purifi based speaker is impressive. Another Danish company, DALI, has done work to reduce driver distortion by reducing eddy current hysteresis distortion in the steel components of a driver. Any chance you could test one of their speakers using this technology?

[@avnut5517]

I like the testing you did with each of the DSP settings. Max SPL measurements are enlightening. Definitely love the dispersion and lower level distortion.

[@bruceandt]

PURFI… great transducer! I like that you mentioned all the aspects regarding its limitations using the settings. It’s a small speaker cabinet and will only be as good as you set it to be in a small to medium small room. I miss equalizers… kind of the same thing but not at all.

[@lukeselker5175]

Looks like a great stereo solution for those with limited space! At regular listening volumes, no need for subwoofer integration for content from the mid-twenties and up. All in a handsome package that takes up relatively little space. Thanks for the great review Erin!

[@aaronmatuszny8856]

Isn't there a special edition of this that has an extra woofer on the back and cardioid bass capabilities? I wish that one was more available...

[@GochestGoch]

Can you please review cabasse rialto wireless? It will be nice to see comparison between this two speakers.

[@User_not_found_403]

Solid analysis Erin. I'm a big Buchardt fan, love how they continue to innovate and give us great sound form a Ince compact form factor.

[@davidfuller581]

Not surprising it's SPL limited. Asking a 6.5" class woofer to extend flat down to the low 30s is going to run out of steam pretty quick.

[@eugene9000pro]

There's no replacement for displacement. This is one of first things you learn when you try to modrl any speaker in enclosure

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

"Pretty quick" is very relative, though. I run 4 inch woofers down to 30Hz in-room and barely ever see them moving. Nearfield or just apartment listening setups change the constraints a lot.

[@Hirnlego999]

@@erkkijaakkopetteri You got Ino Audio or Guru?

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

@@Hirnlego999 DIY

[@anandshah71]

@@erkkijaakkopetteriwhich 4” are u using

[@zoranpavlovic3319]

What is appropriate room size for these speakers? I have Buchardt S400 MK2 + preamp + Dac + streamer + dozen of cables. I ruined my living space with so many boxes and thinking about to sell all of that and go to active speakers. My room is 7 x 4 meters and ceiling 2,8 meters high. Listen to jazz, ambient, very rare rock, at low or moderate levels. Can somebody tell me is A10 good fit for my room or A700 is the way to go? Thanks in advance

[@stoianovadrian8772]

Hi Erin, Thank you for your work and all the explanations, love the science behind the sound and understanding limits of your system. May I ask a question or two, please? I would like to know if a high dB speaker (90dB + ) will give to the listener a more detailed experience at lower volumes? What would it be the best approach to achieve this using bookshelfs? Thank you in advance! Peace!

[@0212schadel]

How do they compare to the KEF R3 Meta with a price appropriate amp like Hegel H120? You almost didn’t discuss how it sounds except the measurements and technical data, I mean how the music sounds on it. Thanks for the review

[@Hung_P]

thank you for asking the same question in mind.

[@De132an]

I have to smile every time even up to now that you need to explain your definition on on/off axis. Seems so long ago the KEF users spoke up to mitigate the confusion as per the KEF manual. 🤓

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Yeah. It gets old. But here we are …

[@ThePentosin]

Hey Erin. There is some distortion from your mic....

[@dadoluka4648]

very nice review! what about Larsen 4 loudspeakers review...that would be nice

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

The flat in room is what I would have gone for because it solves the constant directivity - flat on axis problem.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Flat in room is brighter than flat anechoic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/laXRiHVuh9Fjg9U

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Yes, but it is not what Buchardt meant. You can clearly read from the description that it has less treble and it is meant to compensate for the linear on axis response and constant directivity. "This optimizes for a flat estimated in room response. Our waveguide/tweeter design keeps a constant wide dispersion at higher frequencies, unlike your typical speaker. So despite a flat frequency response, the estimated in room response when counting for reflected sound is a bit higher than other speakers. This tuning is designed to reduce the treble slightly, so it matches a flat estimated in room response." Buchardt has clearly misused the term flat in room response and this setup is supposed to sound less bright than the stock setting.

[@FOH3663]

With such well defined horizontal control, exploring a Time/Energy Sharing approach would be fascinating ... (if needed for a mega wide sweet-spot).

[@fullalbums5675]

why there's a drop in multitone distortion in tweeter after the 80Hz filter?

[@richardgrant418]

the lower the frequency, the greater the excursion needed to reproduce it When you remove the need for midwoofer excursion for anything < 80 Hz .. the driver is doing a lot less work and distortion reduces That applies to any and all woofers, not just this

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

@@richardgrant418 They asked about the tweeter, not the woofer

[@richardgrant418]

@erkkijaakkopetteri I did miss that But that doesn’t make sense.. reads like he meant woofer

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

@@richardgrant418 It doesn't to me 😄

[@richardgrant418]

@@erkkijaakkopetteri Bravo!

[@danab7472]

I’m sort of starting to think a Purifi loudspeaker is coming our way. Me fav tweeter maker Morel has a speaker out. It’d be awesome to see Purifi jump in.

[@keith6872]

Could you do a WIIM Ultra equalization demonstration using maybe the Klipsch rp600m2 speakers and show frequency response graph. Can we get great sound using digital equalization.

[@NosEL34]

You definitely can. I prefer my DSP in the digital domain before the dac. I find DSP/PEQ to perform/sound best when I keep the Boosting of frequencies to a minimum...bringing other frequencies down to better match what is naturally boosted by the room or speaker itself. I have no experience with the WiiM though

[@NosEL34]

What I meant to say was bring the room or speaker boosted frequencies down instead of trying to raise up the frequencies that aren't. Basically, try not to add gain to any frequency if possible.

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

I too would like to see Erin do a room correction demonstration with REW or something similar. I also agree with the other commenter that applying the EQ digitally is the way to go. You want to keep the low level analog path (output of the DAC) as short as possible, ideally routing it directly to the power amplifier.

[@MattyDaddy14]

Sorry. One other thing, I couldn’t find the product link to your sponsored page for these speakers. Thanks 🎉

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I don’t have one for this company.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Great rundown!! 😊😊. Well done sir.

[@Alextraz]

I have tried them and i was really really willing to like them. They sounded like the perfect speaker for my use case...small room, no space for sub, low spl listening...but for me i no matter which tuning i was trying the vocals and people voces(especially in movies) sounded behind everything else...like the bass and the treble was masking it. Ended with r3 meta and i am very happy. Its not perfect but it do everything i want very well...i would appreciate more weight in the bass though to me it sounds slightly thin..fast and agile but some lack of mass

[@Waffle087]

I suggest if you get the chance to, review the Polk Audio XT70 towers. In my opinion they have a very good sound for the price.

[@wadia434]

Erin awesome review, thank you for explaining the audio terms you use , like room size distance to wall. It’s frustrating to not know, distance to front or back. Love the direction you are going .

[@kzil]

I have these in my ~3250 square foot [EDIT: cubic foot] living room which leads to an open hallway, and they're amazing. For my listening levels (up to 80%) I do not miss bass at all - it's deep and precise. I recommend using the built-in room correction (in the Platin WISA hub) to adjust for room modes. Also, I've added a bit of EQ to address a bass issue around 180 Hz or so, and now I consider them, well, perfect. For me, at least.

[@senorsmile]

3250 sqft living room? That's bigger than both floors of my entire house! Good to know these things can fill the room.

[@kzil]

@@senorsmile Oh, I meant cubic foot :) Sorry. Conversions.

[@senorsmile]

@@kzil ah, that makes way more sense

[@zoranpavlovic3319]

How many square meters is your room? I have Buchardt S400 MK2, and think about to sold all of my equipment (except streamer) and purchase these active? My room is 7 x 4 meters, ceiling is 2.8 meters. Thank you

[@kzil]

@@zoranpavlovic3319 My room is about the same - 7,5 x 5 m, ceiling 2,6 m. Open to the hallway.

[@ruvamsi]

Really nice little speaker., I'm always impressed when properly implemented DSP squeezes out extra potential. Surprised they didn't use the complementary Purifi passive radiator, seems like it would fit this design

[@chinmeysway]

prob nowhere to put it bc of the amps

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

@@chinmeysway You think the plate amp extends upwards twice it's visible size?

[@kzil]

That would make it into a A500 LE.

[@Tanner_o]

There's was with the prev model

[@dsnyder0cnn]

65 to 75 dB at 10 ft seems low to me. I'd love to know how the Neumann KH150 compares. I own a pair of KH150s and find them to be enjoyable into the low to mid 80's at 7.75 ft away. I can hear compression at 90 dB at this distance, but with family around, I rarely have an opportunity to play that loud. Nor do I need to for them to sound delightful. An informative review as always. Hoping to see more Neumann reviews on your channel. And glad to see that the new WiiM is working well for you.

[@ksukhia]

If it helps, I am familiar with the KH150s as I use them at work and I also own the A10. The A10 can play far louder than the KH150s by a good bit at constant playback, I don’t think it’s very close. As the testing showed, the speaker isnt compressing till about 96db @ 1m which at about 8ft in my studio feels plenty loud and impresses clients if needs be. Sounds like you work at similar distances. For work, I get the A10 up to about 85-90db constant just for a check. I think when 28Hz is coming out your monitor as loud as 125Hz or 500Hz or any other 'easier' to reproduce frequency it 'feels' very loud and exciting even though a db meter reading might not register as conventionally loud. The magic of this speaker is you only want/need to work at 75-80db @ mix/master position because its still so informative and frankly so much fun with all the low end energy integrating so tightly with the low mids/upeer mids etc etc. Perhaps audition them and try the monitor tuning which he did not test here (I go between that and flat myself) and maybe get the mic and hub so you can run room correction on them if so inclined. Good luck on your audio journey!

[@dsnyder0cnn]

@@ksukhia - I should do a compression test to objectively see at what output level compression starts to set in on the KH150 in my room. 10 dB is a pretty big difference. That means that if Erin tested the KH150 in the same environment as he did the A10, optimal ("sweetspot", to use Erin's term) levels would be 55 to 65 dB at 10 ft. That's barely above the noise floor! I definitely listen to my KH150s at much higher levels with no obvious distortion or compression.

[@ksukhia]

@@dsnyder0cnn oh boy I am sorry! Firstly I revised the comment bc the 10db was too much and could be misleading, I think you saw it before it updated, my bad. Also I use the KH120 more than the 150 (we use both at a company where I work & work for me sometimes involves voicing studio monitors and other speaker products, so my company has lots of models on hand to compare to) and I confused the two in my head. The 150 and A10 will indeed be more of a closer comp in vol but the A10 will still feel a good way louder and play a bit louder.

[@jeanbeezy]

@@ksukhia im curious to know what you think how the two speakers compare. i really like the KH150 for music production and mixing, but for home listening, i would prefer a speaker, less dark sounding and a bit more fun. would you say they sound very different? and how is detail retrieval on the A10? cheers

[@ksukhia]

@@jeanbeezy A10 can be very 'resolving' and generally abounds with details. One thing about the default tuning, it is scientifically flat which means that it will be much brighter than what many of us are used to. That is why the A10 has 20 master tunings that can drastically take the speaker from 'lab tool' to total fun speaker. When im not working on them I use one of their 'red' tunings which boosts LF at low listening levels and gets linear as you get louder. FUN!!!!! (and amazing to work on too). Audition them and try some of the tunings, its easy as turning on the speaker w a thumb drive plugged into it to change tunings.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Very nice. Good to get the technicals. Great showcase of these =)

[@allanwhittle3041]

Hi Erin ...I'm new to your channel , but what a great review , very in formative ..Thank you ! I have a pair of A10s and am awaiting a pair of Sub 10 subwoofers . Can ask plz ..Would you use the 60hz mastertuning as provided by ~Buchardt or in your opinion would i be better de burdening the driver further by setting the crossover to 80hz ..? Would appreciate your view .

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

If you can properly set up your subwoofer at 80Hz then I’d go that route.

[@martinriiser5523]

Pair of Sub 10 are better crossed at 200-300hz.

[@allanwhittle3041]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thank you 👍

[@mjamiep12]

Will adding a sub(s) also allow you to push the speakers more, since you are taking some of the workload off the 6.5 inch driver?

[@allanwhittle3041]

@@mjamiep12 In a word yes ,crossing at 60hz will allow far less strain on the Purify woofer, that said ..The A10s whist fabulous easy to listen to /detailed speakers do have a limit as to how far they can be pushed , they are no kick arse rock speakers and to me , are meant to be listened to in small rooms not too loud

[@shaymcquaid]

What is going on with that surround?

[@chinmeysway]

lol i know i can’t hardly stands that weird broken tire look!

[@ganck1147]

Tat’s the trademark look on those purifi drivers

[@richardgrant418]

They tried all sorts of shapes, and that strange one has an advantage in sound quality It’s explained on the Purifi website

[@mileshember3501]

@@chinmeysway It’s not a “look” it is a really clever solution to an intermodulation problem they identified. In my view it is one of the most impressive of their innovations. Sure, it looks odd but it is there for a very good reason. Read up on their explanation, you might find it very interesting!

[@sudd3660]

looks like a well rounded speaker with mastertunings. i bit too much wireless stuff, that is my only gripe. also doing some custom tuning would be nice addition.

[@HansWurst-gh7ew]

Custom tuning is possible with the platin hub and the Buchardt app as far as I know.

[@IrenESorius]

Thanks Erin,, 👍‍‍😎👍‍‍

[@madcrabber1113]

Everytime I have went on their website it does not show US dollars so I have no clue how much they cost.

[@GaryGauthier-v4z]

@PixelViking$4100+

[@KoeiNL]

Is the price for a single speaker or for a pair?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Pair. Sorry.

[@middleearthltd]

Not a powered speaker user, but for many people these would make a great system Purifi is an excellent Class D implementation Per usual a very useful review

[@timh6510]

Most enjoyable review!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Much appreciated!

[@joeindia1647]

Buchardt active speakers have this feature called LLE, I think it's a fancy loudness control, have you tested out this feature, would love to get your thoughts on this. In your test, is the LLE happening on the speaker or on the HUB? How does the LLE work with analog source/XLR input? Thank you if you can share some testing result on this. Edit: not sure where my follow to the reply below went, but to explain my question better: when XLR input is being used, the claim is that the speakers will sample the input and figure out the volume and apply LLE accordingly. However, XLR is analog and doesn't contain the gain information, this to me sounds like LLE will be applied when the input signal is quieter and LLE off when the input is louder. Further more if one channel is louder, there will be instances where one channel LLE on and the other off. Am I missing something improtant? Would love to hear your test result on this.

[@joeindia1647]

​@PixelViking Thanks, Buchardt's explanation is very similar to your understanding, but think about this, music has louder parts and quieter parts, when using XLR input, yes the signal gets digitized and go through the DSP pipeline, but my question is how do the speakers figure out volume level? XLR signal is analog meaning it doesn't contain the volume/gain info. How do the A10's figure out the volume to decide when to turn on LLE. For example, if I am play at a high volume but there is quieter part of the music, if what you are suggesting is true, then the LLE only kicks in for the quieter part? And if what you are suggesting is true, does that mean during a playback of a single track, LLE is on sometimes and off the rest of the time? Isn't that problematic? I have not found an answer to this question, there is no white paper either to my knowledge. This LLE feature is the only thing stopping me from purchasing Buchardt active speakers. I am planning to use them in my home theater, and my processor will handle all the EQ.

[@joeindia1647]

@PixelViking LLE I think is a patterned technology from Buchardt, all their amplification product and active speakers has something like this feature. Platin won’t have that information. I think this requires some controlled testing and measuring. I don’t have the equipment to do the testing myself so I am asking Erin maybe he can do it.

[@Tanner_o]

LLE only works with Platinum Hub. When you use XLR you loose all eq, room correction and LLE made by the Hub.

[@joeindia1647]

@@Tanner_o Thanks, that's what I thought.

[@liamporter1137]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[@dragonstone6594]

Can you also review the Fyne Audio F500SP? WhatHiFi writes that it's more exciting than the Wharfedale AURA.

[@tonymolina7744]

Thanks for the review!

[@tnargs57]

4m08s "the speakers were about a foot off the back wall"....FYI the front wall is in front of your face and the back wall is behind your head. Shouldn't need saying, but people do get confused by thinking that they are a loudspeaker. 😁

[@x-techgaming]

You talk about speakers and amps a lot... But what about DACs? What do you use, and recommend? 🙂

[@Gunmastercomua]

Thank you Erin!

[@KimmoJaskari]

I might go for the 700 towers from them, if it wasn't for the fact that they cost something like six times what I'm willing to pay for speakers. I'm sure they make some excellent stuff though.

[@michaelsegel8758]

Great review... very thorough. But have to ask... the speakers have an XLR input. Their matching hub or even the Wiim that you used has RCA outputs. What cables did you use? Did you try connecting them to an XLR source? Thx

[@kzil]

They have WISA

[@michaelsegel8758]

@@kzil Yeah, saw that... but then your amp has to have WISA too... Thx

[@kzil]

@@michaelsegel8758 Yup. But I believe speakers like these should be fed directly from the source. No need for an amp. I think the shortest signal path is the best.

[@michaelsegel8758]

@@kzil Oops. Sorry when I said amp, I meant the source. That your source has to support WISA.

[@kzil]

@@michaelsegel8758 Well, yes. But the Platin hub is not a bad WISA box. So you plug in your source(s) and that will do the streaming. Also, it comes with a lot of streaming options on its own. I'm running Roon directly to the Hub, and it works great.

[@HansWurst-gh7ew]

Finally, thank you so much! Measurements of the "neutral in room" and (more of) the "warm" would have been too cool, but I totally get that there is not enough time. Did you try the "flat in room"?. Your videos never disappoint, that's a Patreon payment I can totally argue for with myself. 😁

[@davidelmquist8670]

They just released a sub, Get on it!

[@CashGravel]

Nice review not sure who the market is for this type of speaker however

[@Pok-001]

He says it in the review Anyone who wants low distortion and full range sound in a small to medium size room from a powered speaker. DSP gives you multiple sound signatures so you can tailor the sound to your room or taste.

[@veroman007]

@@Pok-001 like i said. it was a rhetorical remark btw. a lot of dough for that set up imo. thrive

[@kzil]

I have a weirdly shaped living room and I need to place speakers on either side of a door, making cabling a PITA. Also, I need to have my speakers close to the wall. But also, I like good sound. So, a wireless, active speaker with no bass reflect port is the one for me. Not cheap, no, but I need no amp, no cables, no signal source, and in that way a close to high-end system for USD ~4,000 is ok, imho.

[@natdenchfield8061]

They appeal to me, greatly! I know the low distortion quality of the purifi, I know about directivity and how it matters .. and how constant directivity is required for constant EQ for room correction. I have a small space, can't often play loud but I really want that low end .. and getting out of my old audiophile habits of wanting to swap amps etc and to just listen to the music is my current motivation as other things in life take priority (new family). So active speakers are now so appealing .. Really .. perfect design for someone like me! Save up, just pay the money ... and forget. Then focus on the music. I think you probably have to have been through the journey of swapping speakers and amps for a bit before you get to the place of not wanting to do that any more and settle on something damn good.

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

Great review. These speakers always do well in reviews... They're just a little bit over priced in a fairly competitive powered/ DSP segment. There's a LOT of alternatives at that price or less. Particularly from KEF.

[@bbfoto7248]

@AnotherAnonymousMan Overpriced? I don't think so, mate. As Erin mentioned, these speakers are using some of the finest Danish-manufactured drivers in existence in order to achieve their excellent sound. These come at a high cost. I use these same Purifi PTT6.5 midwoofers in one of my high end DSP-managed car stereo systems, and they are the finest drivers I've ever used, which includes Dynaudio Esotar2, Scanspeak Illuminator/Revelator, Focal Utopia, etc. The cabinet construction and finish is top notch, and the DSP and internal amplifiers are of high quality as well. ALL of this results in greater cost, but with the performance and "looks" to back it up. Not saying that KEF is subpar. Just different... HOWEVER, I don't know of ANY powered/DSP KEF speaker of the SAME SIZE category that will reach down nearly as LOW as these Buchardt A10 do. NONE of KEF's powered/DSP "bookshelf" or stand-mount speakers are really comparable IMPO. You would definitely need to add a good subwoofer to any of those active/powered KEF stand-mount speakers, or the KEF R3 Meta, in order to reach the low end extension of the Buchardt A10. AND then you still need to buy an Amplifier for the R3 Meta as well. The Buchardt also basically have a built-in DAC and the "Master Tuning" EQ Preset options as well. Add all that up and the equivalent KEF R3 Meta setup is AT LEAST as expensive as these Buchardt A10 on their own. ;) The closest equivalent or sonically-comparable KEF speakers are probably the R1 Meta, and those are more than DOUBLE the money. Oh, and you'd still need to buy an amplifier to power them.

[@diymaster1121]

Will you do a review of the wiim ultra ? I want to know how well it works for 2.1 setup with some eq. I wanted to get minidsp flex 2x4 but it is really expensive so the wiim ultra seems like a nice alternative.

[@leeh4722]

Good vid…I was interested in the using WiiM for EQ stuff…you could do a whole video on it?

[@bryandimaio9704]

Really cool speaker!

[@seanb3303]

For someone looking for the studio monitor sound (analytical and edgy) these would be great…audio voyeur types who want to listen for things in mix they shouldn’t be hearing…For someone looking to relax and enjoy the music after a long day…probably a hard pass 😉

[@gregbegland7640]

With the included DSP, I'd say they can fill both roles. And adjust for a wide range of recordings as well. Nothing wrong with that.

[@seanb3303]

@@gregbegland7640 there are some people who believe that frequency response adjustment is the answer. It can be…but there is so much more to the timbre of the final sound. This will always be a modern/studio sounding speaker…for better or worse 😉

[@bbfoto7248]

​@@seanb3303 Ummmm...the "timbre of the final sound" IS Frequency Response, mate! I'm curious as to WHAT ELSE you "think" it is? These speakers are fully "EQ-able" which means you can adjust their "final timbre" to be WHATEVER you prefer. As Erin explained quite well, their excellent directivity allows for this, and you can make them as warm, woolly, and cozy as you'd like if that is your preference. You aren't limited to just using the "tuning" presets that Buchardt provides. When you use EQ to reduce and "scoop out" the 1kHz to 4kHz region, and also shape the upper treble response to have a slightly more constant downward-trending slope out to 20kHz, this 100% takes away the "analytical and edgy" sound of ANY speaker, which directly affects the "timbre". So, whatever "timbre" you hear is a Direct Result of the Frequency Response shaping, and you have full control over this with these speakers. But if you'd like, you can put a warm, cozy, Merino wool blanket over the speakers, too. That will definitely keep them from sounding "analytical and edgy". 😛 In all seriousness, as a direct correlation, when I'm recording my drums in my studio for particular songs, I will sometimes actually clip or tape lightweight bath hand towels, handkerchiefs, or microfiber towels partially or completely over the drum heads to knock down their dynamics and tame the extra harmonic resonance, "ringing", or sustain. Or I will play with brushes or soft felt timpani drum mallets instead of using regular wood drumsticks. And I'll also add small strips of gaffer's tape to the underside of my cymbals in various positions and amounts to tame and soften the cymbals as well. I've also coated the tips of some of my drumsticks with "Plasti-Dip" rubber coating. All of these techniques result in the overall sound or "timbre" of the drum kit and cymbals being more "round", "warm", and "full", and not "analytical and edgy". IF I were to show you the differences in the sound of the open drums and cymbals versus the "muted" drums and cymbals in my DAW software's spectrum analyzer, you would see a significant difference in the Frequency Response between the two. For an example of this, check out the Jake Reed KZbin drum channel video titled, "That 70s Sound", or "LautenAudio Dead Drums in a Live Room with Jake Reed & Darrell Thorp at Studio 606".

[@seanb3303]

@@bbfoto7248 tonal balance and dispersion are extremely important no doubt…but so is IMD from amplification and driver material for example…i wont speak for what you hear or don’t hear…we all hear differently…but I can always hear the timbre of the aluminum driver for example. I am very sensitive to it.

[@kingtubbyleeperry]

Thanks! ❤

[@falvegas511]

good to hear tweeter is not Paper .... not particularly fond of Paper. I Have Titanium Tweeters that have been functioning perfectly for 'almost' 20 years.

[@chinmeysway]

only tweeters that are paper are like from the 70s snd earlier pretty sure.

[@MechAdv]

Uncover the shocking truth? Lol what is this CNN?

[@artificialmonkeypoo]

With 18 tunings you kinda wonder what exactly it is you're buying.

[@goodsound4756]

Ability for customization

[@bbfoto7248]

@artificialmonkeypoo ...An extremely versatile speaker that is adaptable to just about ANY Room and to ANY sound preference you may have, with class-leading performance in nearly all metrics except perhaps Extreme SPLs. They are a bargain for what you get in build quality, finish, and performance. These "tuning" options are common on the best Professional Studio Monitors for good reason. IMO it's refreshing to see these same options come to more consumer-based HiFi speaker options. What you're buying is a pair of speakers that doesn't sound like artificial monkey poo! 😛

[@wadimek116]

"subwoofer not needed unless you turn on the volume" As every active speaker the bass is probably amazing until the limiter will start, so on reference volumes the bass will probably be disapointing. Max volume of 94db, so in room during peaks while sitting 4-6m away from those explosions will hit with midrange/highs rather than with full bass. Multitone distortion super high because of that as well. So no, you shouldnt use it without subwoofer. Lets not forget the enormous price of those speakers.

[@erkkijaakkopetteri]

No one is going to sit 6 meters away with these speakers. And the pricing is far from "enormous", though they are on the more expensive side

[@bwiz6514]

Shocking

[@ChristianGoergen]

I would appreciate, if you quit terms like “shocking truth” in combination with simple speaker measurement. If IOC president Bach is elected as next Hamas leader, that would be shocking. Thanks.

[@anthonynoto9336]

I’d wish you’d make up your mind……you claim db sensitivity in your listening to +/- 2b but yet claim this speaker has ‘constant directivity to 55 degrees…….given your +/- 2b, looks more like +/- 35 degrees at best…..and that’s a HUGE disparity from measurements to ‘sighted listening’ interpretation…….55 degrees on average is -6db from 35 degrees.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Huh? Try again.

[@p_mouse8676]

No subwoofer with a single closed 6 inch subwoofer? Even at 10mm excursion, that's not gonna be a lot of SPL and/or low end. Edit: as predicted, 94dB max

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

You gotta watch the video before commenting, man. LOL

[@p_mouse8676]

@@ErinsAudioCorner yes man. And you literally described what I predicted? What's your point man?

[@MegaEpstein]

Overrated and overpriced

[@bbfoto7248]

I doubt you've even heard them yet, LOL. IF you have, what performs better in ALL metrics in this size/category for less???

[@dirtydoug5050]

I know they are low distortion, and expensive and great drivers, but those purifi surrounds are so ugly, like a prolapsed…. driver

[@sudd3660]

there has to be a way to get the same benefits and still looking good.

[@bbfoto7248]

Beauty is in the eyes and EARS of the beholder. ;) I use these same drivers as the midwoofers in one of my high end DSP-managed car audio systems. Best I've ever used and heard, and that includes ​top tier Dynaudio Esotar2, Scanspeak Revelator/Illuminator, Focal Utopia, etc. IMPO, the design of the surround is a thing of beauty and an example of what is possible when thinking and engineering "outside the box". Every time I look at them I'm reminded and amazed of the incredible technology and engineering that went into these drivers and the vivid, lifelike sound I hear from them every day. To each their own, or "horses for courses".

[@dirtydoug5050]

@@bbfoto7248 no doubt they sound excellent. I’ve heard them at shows and considered them for bookshelf builds but for the fact that I don’t like to use grills. If I play them in the dark, I’d be more than happy, I guess.

[@bbfoto7248]

@@dirtydoug5050 I get it. But some of the most lifelike & dynamic speakers I've ever heard were the giant 1920s Western Electric multi-horns made out of paper mâché, LOL. They are huge monstrosities and quite industrial/steam-punk'ish, and I'd also need a room 3 times the size to even begin to fit them! But I'd sure still love to have them and be able to listen to their glorious sound every day! Don't care in the least what they look like, but they certainly wouldn't have the WAF, LOL.