At Audio Emporium we have loads of great speakers. We cover all the bases from small to tall. We have have speakers of enormous power. Yet everyone doesn’t need those.
This entry will be about smallish (not tiny) stand mount speakers. If you don’t need big and bombastic, consider one of these transducers to float your musical boat.
I’ll start by saying we’ve BOOTED OUT all the Chinese built speakers!
Despite having N American or Euro names on their grills, most affordable stand mounts are contracted to Chinese vendors we’ve never heard of. They’ll make “anything” and slap your name on it, just like baseball hats. We’re not interested. We’re going to support N American and Euro companies who actually make high quality speakers in their own houses.
Axiom M3, $760 Per Pair
Bryston/Axiom (Canada) merged years ago. Bryston kept the name Axiom for its high quality speakers that don’t quite have Bryston power handling and bass levels. M3 is a 6.5” two way of excellent character. Its bass/mid driver is Pure Aluminum instead of the typical woven fiber or paper used in China. The tweeter is Titanium which is more linear and handles more power than the cloth or aluminum domes made in the far east. M3 has deeper bass and is smoother sounding than the Chinese alternatives at the same price range. Axiom has a 5 year warranty.
Bryston Mini A, $1665 Per Pair
Mini A is a 6.5” 3-way stand mount. Being a 3-way provides distinct advantages. It has a dedicated midrange driver that reveals a more defined character on virtually all voices, be they
humans or acoustical instruments. Mini A has significantly deeper bass than you’d expect for its size because the woofer is in fact, a dedicated woofer. Two ways require the woofer reach all they way up to 2k or higher to meet the tweeter. Mini A also has complete Bryston level drivers with their unique power handling capacity. And of course it has Bryston’s 20 year warranty.
Atohm GT-1, $4500 Per Pair
Atohm (France) makes a ravishingly gorgeous, stand mount of exquisite character and power. The gloss walnut or piano black finish is as lovely as any speaker I’ve seen. But the real reason I was won over by Atohm is its ability to deliver a smooth, muscular sound. Many smallish stand mounts from Europe look good and sound smooth/musical. Their limitation is that they don’t play much bass and worse, they’re not TOUGH. Atohm has conquered both of these challenges better than anyone else out there. Your lady will love the aesthetics. You will love the sound.