Loudspeakers

With the arrival of some recent loudspeakers, it seems the gap between the high-end speakers we all dream of, and drool over, at hi-fi shows and the ones we can actually afford is getting ever smaller. Designs such as Sonus faber's Lumina line, using trickle-down technology from pricier models while retaining the USP of Italian build and style, are an example of this trend, as is the KEF R series [HFN Jan '24], which seems to inch ever closer to the company's flagship Reference lineup [HFN Jun '23] when it comes to both technology and performance. Elsewhere, the entry-level Bowers & Wilkins 600 series [HFN Dec '23], which once jousted with those overachieving 'Brit boxes' down in the £100-£200 arena, has gradually moved up in terms of the performance it delivers, thanks to technology derived from the company's pricier models, and is now knocking on the door of the midrange 700 series [HFN Mar '23].

Then again, a manufacturer can fill a gap with some clever thinking and use of what it already has quite literally on the shelf. For example, PMC's prodigy models [HFN Nov '23] have become quite a hit at a new, affordable price, thanks to some judicious cost-cutting. You can only have it in black satin, and grilles are an extra-cost option, but the component quality has been maintained, and the sound is a revelation at the price.