Loudspeakers

It also had a real sense of get-up-and-go, particularly when positioned around that 20cm minimum recommendation. The funky bass track on Sophie Ellis-Bexter's live version of 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)' [Read My Lips, 2002 reissue; Polydor 589 987-2] sprung eagerly from the BRX pair, plump and purposeful, and gave the sound a feeling of genuine weight and scale. Perhaps my room dimensions and placement choice hadn't quite arrived at GoldenEar's 'balanced bass', but I was startled by how much sheer punch these compact speakers could deliver, without the trio of bass drivers blowing it out of proportion.

Going well with the BRX's bass charms was a nice feeling of snap and attack. The Ellis-Bextor track closes with a brief, energetic flurry of timbale drums, and they sounded wonderful here, with a leading edge and bounce that let me easily picture the percussionist on stage, happy to momentarily be the star of the show. Similarly, the stabbing synths and reverbed snare hits in Judas Priest's 'Turbo Lover', from the album of the same name [30th Anniversary Edition; Sony Music 88875183272], had a dynamic flair that breathed space into the swirling mix.

Club Bass
Naturally, the low-end extension is limited by the BRX's cabinet and driver size, but with that room reinforcement helping out, it made a solid stab at conveying the underlying sub-bass energy in Dillinja's drum 'n' bass track 'Hard Noize' [44.1kHz/ 16-bit download]. There was certainly enough welly here to give this instrumental the necessary sense of menace.

Small speakers that can fill a room will always have admirers, so I expect the BRX fan club to be oversubscribed. With the level up, AC/DC's 'Girls Got Rhythm' [Highway To Hell; Epic EPC 510764 2] sounded huge because of the heft of the drums, buoyant bassline, and the way Bon Scott's lascivious vocals cut through the rhythm track. This full-bodied feel comes even while the speakers don't create much beyond-the-edge soundstage width, particularly with GoldenEar's recommended toe-in.

Stereo imaging is taut, however, with the BRX bringing a focus to dense mixes and presenting a clear centre. The BBC Big Band's rendition of Elmer Bernstein's 'The Great Escape Theme' [The Age Of The Silver Screen, Vol 1; 44.1kHz/16-bit download] features 'small' woodwind instruments atop lower brass and strings, and the ensemble was well defined in the space between the enclosures – particularly the cheeky, trebly main melody – as was the depth of the stage itself. Meanwhile, composer Maurice Jarre's theme from Lawrence Of Arabia, which opens the set, should probably be in the dictionary as the definition of 'sweeping', and it swelled and slid from the BRX system with panache.

GoldenEar's bass/mid driver and pleated tweeter combined to dig out subtle detail and high-frequency 'air' from this piece's mass of violins, and did a great job with Norah Jones' dominating vocal on the jazz/pop smash 'Don't Know Why' [Come Away With Me; Parlophone; 192kHz/24-bit]. The percussive information here – cross-stick 'tocks' and delicately struck hi-hats – really benefitted from the extended treble.

Cool Under Pressure
Crucially, even at high levels, I found it hard to tip the BRX into sounding flustered. That said, GoldenEar's aim of a 'neutral tonality' perhaps veers a little bit towards the dark side – the BRX's focused delivery and excellent bass presence contrasting with the light, sweet approach of many other small loudspeakers. This, I suppose, makes it a better fit for rhythm-driven tracks than more delicate pieces, but my session with the Norah Jones album was highly enjoyable nonetheless.

Anyway, if you're expecting this review to highlight some sort of deal-breaking issue with the performance of GoldenEar's BRX, you're out of luck. The energy and bass weight on offer – for speakers at this price – is simply fantastic, and it's allied to a textured midrange and clean treble.

Talent Show
Dennis Wilson's astonishing Pacific Ocean Blue set [Caribou Records 88985368632], which hops between genres and lays on a smorgasbord of instruments, needs a talented loudspeaker to do it justice. Right on cue, GoldenEar's BRX threw itself into the slide guitar rock of the title track, while finding a more sedate groove with the honey-toned ballad 'You And I'. And with that ABR pair on hand to reinforce the active bass driver, this speaker brought to mind a famous song from Dennis's Beach Boys years. Yep, I'm picking up good vibrations...

Hi-Fi News Verdict
Its styling might not suit all listening rooms, but the final GoldenEar loudspeaker design from Sandy Gross is a triumph. Low-end power and poise, courtesy of its ABRs, is a standout trait, and the BRX doesn't overdo it at the expense of instrumental and vocal presence, nor fall short when the volume is set high. When compact speakers can be this good, you might wonder why slender floorstanders even exist!