Loudspeakers

All things are relative, I guess, but in the realm of high-end audio, the Børresen X3 looks like a lot of loudspeaker for the money. Moreover, a recent price cut – just about unheard of in the modern hi-fi market – has brought the speaker down from £10,000 to £8000 a pair. Described as an ‘entry-level into the Børresen universe’, the X3 draws on technology created for the Danish company’s higher-end models [HFN Sep ’25], from the drivers to the enclosures.

Certainly everything seems to be present and correct here – the cabinet, finished in a choice of black or white piano lacquer with a carbon-fibre inlay on the top and lower baffle, is substantial and of a curved profile, always good for rigidity and keeping internal reflections and standing waves under control. The drivers are also far from ‘off-the-peg’ solutions – the tweeter is a planar magnetic design, while the driver above it, and the two other 128mm units further down the baffle, have an intriguing chequerboard pattern, somewhere between a chessboard and the flag waved at the finish line in F1. Within their motor assemblies, copper rings are applied to the outer and inner surfaces of the two pole pieces, aiming to improve magnetic flux and reduce inductance. The three crossover inductors are large air-core types too, rather than more affordable ferrite-cored parts.

The lowdown

Yet the integration of the drivers is perhaps not what it seems [see boxout] as the uppermost unit is run ‘full-range’ with the tweeter. The pair might easily form a two-way standmount in their own right. All of which means the two lowermost drive units simply reinforce the bass – and do so to a major degree, as the listening sessions were to demonstrate – making Børresen’s X3 a bespoke two-and-a-half-way loudspeaker.

There’s also the small matter of the septet of ports/tubes on the speaker’s ‘spine’ [see p53]. There are two behind that upper ‘don’t call it a midrange’ unit, and one to relieve back-pressure on that ribbon tweeter set deep into the baffle. The stack of four ports down at the bottom of the cabinet’s rear panel form part of the X3’s proprietary bass tuning.

Above: The 128mm DCC5 bass and mid/bass units have an intriguing chequerboard pattern

These bass and bass/midrange drivers all use Børresen’s ‘DCC5’ construction, the cone having three layers with what is described as a ‘spread carbon fibre’ skin sandwiching an aramid honeycomb core. The manufacturer explains that this layered combination of materials delivers an excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio, resisting physical distortion of the diaphragm and reducing spurious resonances [see PM's Lab Report].

The RP89 tweeter is described as a ‘ribbon planar’ type, and is derived from the HF driver employed in pricier Børresen loudspeakers, but with a reduction of the size of the magnet assembly. Operating from 2.5kHz upwards, the thin film diaphragm weighs only 0.01g but claims a robust design to handle ‘very high transients’.

Maximum impact
Initial listening in the HFN Reference Listening Room [p41 & HFN Yearbook ’25] suggested this slender and stylish speaker wasn’t short of low-end substance, and this proved to be the case with organist Anna Lapwood’s take on Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’, from her 2025 Firedove album [Sony Classical 19802809272]. The sound of the choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge, where Lapwood was Director of Music, was more about impact than pin-point definition via the X3s, with plenty of the chapel ambience rather than solid soundstaging. Then Lapwood adds organ to the mix and its power almost swamped the vocals – it’s certainly massive, and massively impressive, but arguably too much for every room and system.

This track clearly hit the spot – the bass peak seen on p53 – but these Børresen speakers were otherwise more assured with the Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic recording of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances [Warner Classics 9845192] where the sound was very clean, with plenty of weight and dynamics. The speakers delivered thrilling speed and drive in the build of the first movement, plus plenty of slam and punch, before settling into a slow but still rhythmic presentation of the second ‘waltz’ section. Yes, the soundstaging was still a little ‘free form’, but it was hard not to like the rich presentation of the orchestra.

Above: The stiffened MDF/HDF cabinet is offered in gloss black or white with a carbon-fibre inlay atop and on the lower baffle. The 128mm Børresen DCC5 bass/mid driver (with carbon- fibre/honeycomb sandwich cone) crosses to the brand’s RP89 ‘ribbon’ planar tweeter at 2.5kHz

Changing tack completely to Squeeze’s Trixies album [Love Records/BMG 964202912], which revives tracks written and then set aside half a century ago, and that big, bold sound was again much in evidence. As an antidote for those who find many systems too brash and bright, the Børresen X3s will please, impressing even more with the stripped-back 1975 demo of ‘Psycho Killer’ from Talking Heads’ Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live compilation [Sire/Rhino R2 728486], where it’s interesting to hear the song in its original form. Meanwhile, even if the closing live cover of Al Green’s ‘Take Me To The River’ from a 1977 gig is not the last word in fidelity, and has more of a left/right mix than a solid image, it had a perky vitality when heard via the X3s.

These floorstanders create a large picture of sound with impressive soundstage spread. However, the sense of inner detail and depth is influenced by how far apart the cabinets are placed and the degree to which they are toed-out (crossing behind the listening position, as set out in the manual). But there was always plenty of low-end power – a theme with these speakers – with the star-studded Gorillaz album The Mountain [Kong KONG 001CD], thumping out ‘The Plastic Guru’ without overshadowing the contributions of Anoushka Shankar and Johnny Marr. Even on the stately ‘Casablanca’ the balance remained rich and weighty, with treble details sweet and informative rather than incisively sharp.

Sight test

This balance of qualities was also borne out by the safer ground of Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye III+ [Uniquity Music; 96kHz/24-bit], where the speakers cruised through the tightly recorded ‘Our Old Street’, making the most of the guitar’s distinctive tone even while the cymbals fizzed and shimmered alongside.

Above: A single set of 4mm binding posts feeds a crossover mounted on the rear of the baffle. The top bass/mid unit is reflex-loaded via the two upper ports while the smaller tube attenuates the tweeter’s rear output. The lower ports form one half of Børresen’s novel bass tuning

By this point I think we’re getting a handle on the balance of these speakers – keep the recordings clean and crisp, and they thrive; give them a chance to break loose, and they’re likely to take it. While relishing the easy-going ‘A Thread In The Dark’, from Mammal Hands’ Circadia [ACT 8042-2], I found myself contemplating the whole concept of hi-fi systems making the listener choosy about selecting music that plays to the strengths of the system, rather than vice versa. Musing aside, the Circadia album manages to please the head and the heart – it’s another fine jazz recording from the ACT label, with drums so close up you could almost reach out and touch them, and the instrumentation beautifully realised in a persuasive soundstage picture.

Demo delights

Likewise, the freshness of Paul McCartney’s ‘rough mix’ of ‘Arrow Through Me’, from his Man On The Run soundtrack [Capitol/MPL 602488235297], worked especially well through these speakers. His vocals are slightly recessed, the drums take centre stage and the brass breaks of the finished track are vocalised, giving a real ‘work in progress’ feel. And with the lovely stripped-back demo of ‘Silly Love Songs’, again with McCartney’s vocals a touch recessed and Linda McCartney’s backing vocals laid bare, it’s hard not to become immersed in the immediacy these Børresen floorstanders deliver.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

Børresen’s X3 floorstanders typically delight with their combination of a big, room-filling sound and exemplary build and finish, even if some care is needed in choice of music if they’re not to become a little overexcited in the bass. But they are never dull or boring, their idiosyncrasies bringing out a character in the sound that draws you in. If your tastes align with Børresen’s vision then you’ll likely love them.

Sound Quality: 85%