Loudspeakers

The BBC’s outside broadcast engineers often have to work in cramped conditions, for example in OB vans, where the steady proliferation of equipment puts cunning stowage, tidy habits, and a strict diet for the occupants at a distinct premium. Studio monitor loudspeakers are particularly difficult to locate sensibly in these circumstances, and the design aim behind the LS3/5a was the provision of a small but high quality monitor.

Employing a deal of trickle-down technology from its costlier models, the 3050c is the only floorstander in Q Acoustics’ new 3000c range. Following on from its popular 3000i series, the basics remain the same – slim speakers that look and sound good, with price tags that won’t break the bank. The 3050c tower tested here differs from the 3010c, 3020c and 3030c standmount models not only in size, but also with its dual 142mm woofer/mid units, promising bigger bass and more thrills at what seems an extremely generous £849 price tag.

True to form, Dynaudio showed a slew of products at last year’s High End Show in Munich [HFN Jul ’24] – including a new loudspeaker styled by Tokyo’s Keiji Ashizawa Design studio, plus a turntable built by Thorens. Also shown was this Contour 20 Black Edition standmount, now finally in production. This is a range of one – an elegant two-way with no floorstanding partner – but it serves a useful purpose, offering Dynaudio fans an option to bridge the £4500 Contour 20i and the premium £9600 Confidence 20. Okay, at nearly £6000 a pair, it’s not exactly midway in price, but does represent a tempting step up.

Although SVS sells a variety of loudspeakers, from its desktop-friendly Prime Wireless Pro powered monitors to the recently launched Ultra Evolution series [HFN Jul '24], it's best known as a subwoofer manufacturer. This is, after all, how the Youngstown, Ohio-based company first got started in 1998, and in the intervening years it's evolved a catalogue of subwoofers that's now crowned by the new 17-Ultra R|Evolution models.

Situated squarely in the middle of Canton’s five-strong set of floorstanders, is the Reference 3 the sweet spot?

First seen at High End Munich in 2023, Canton’s Reference range brought a major renewal to the flagship offering of Germany’s largest loudspeaker brand. Introducing a new design aesthetic, with a rounded lute-shape cabinet profile made popular by Sonus faber many years ago, and integrating new drivers, it heralded a major course change from the previous Reference K generation [HFN May & Aug ’22]. Yet Canton’s penchant for sprawling ranges has not changed, so the Reference series contains no fewer than eight models – and that’s not counting the exclusive GS edition, nor the two Alpha models revealed at Munich in 2024.

‘Theory and Application’ (T+A) is well-known for hi-fi separates ranging from its CALA and Caruso ‘lifestyle’ models to the DACs, amps and ‘multisource’ receivers of its premium R and HV series, all featured regularly in Hi-Fi News. Less well-known are its loudspeakers, despite T+A starting out in 1978 as a speaker manufacturer. Hoping to refresh our memory and provide scope for a full high-end T+A system, is a new three-strong Solitaire S range, of which the S 530 is the middle model.

Instantly recognisable, Switzerland’s Piega has produced its ‘ribbon’ loudspeakers for nearly four decades. Building on the company founded by Leo Greiner (the other founder, Kurt Scheuch, brought technical chops to the table), it’s a manufacturer that takes pride in its family ownership. Greiner’s sons Alex and Manuel still manage the business from Horgen on the shores of Lake Zurich, where production is situated.