[John Gallup]

This month's The Absolute Sound is focused on speakers and cables, and asks identical theoretical and deep questions of four speaker designers: Richard Vandersteen of Vandersteen Audio, Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Yoav Geva of YG Acoustics, and Michael Børreson of Børreson Acoustics. The first three names are well known to me, and I suspect most audiophiles, but Børreson is not. In his bio I read that Børreson left Raidho and started his own outfit in 2019, which is fine but perhaps not yet worthy of the august company the magazine has put him in.

Anyway, the issue is mostly a very thorough product listing, with dimensions, prices, etc. On page 72 you encounter the listing for Børreson Acoustics, which shows four speaker systems, and on the opposite page is ad for the company with pictures of some of the company's systems. This kind of placement, along with the interview, makes me suspicious that the magazine is selling editorial content to advertisers. The speakers are pretty cool-looking, though.

[mhconley]

I have heard the Børresen 01 speakers in your photo at the last two Florida Audio Expos. They blew me away each time. I could not believe the sound emanating from those tiny monitors. Full and rich with bass like a large floor-stander and an unbeleiveable sound stage. If I had the wherewithal I would not hesitate to buy a pair. They ware absolutely amazing.

Martin

[Rusty Jefferson]

What the Dude said. I thought Raidhos were good, but they're like a Bose table radio compared to the Børresen. Worth every penny.

[poseidonsvoice]

I have heard the Børresen 01 speakers in your photo at the last two Florida Audio Expos. They blew me away each time. I could not believe the sound emanating from those tiny monitors. Full and rich with bass like a large floor-stander and an unbeleiveable sound stage. If I had the wherewithal I would not hesitate to buy a pair. They ware absolutely amazing.

Martin

+1. Not blown away but definitely a step in the right direction. One of the reasons I downloaded the Live album by Swiss synth pop group Yello.

Best,
Anand.

[JLM]

25,000 euros per pair, yikes!

[Phil A]

I have heard the Børresen 01 speakers in your photo at the last two Florida Audio Expos. They blew me away each time. I could not believe the sound emanating from those tiny monitors. Full and rich with bass like a large floor-stander and an unbeleiveable sound stage. If I had the wherewithal I would not hesitate to buy a pair. They ware absolutely amazing.

Martin

+1 on that

[mhconley]

25,000 euros per pair, yikes!

+1 on that yikes! Still, if I had the wherewithal they'd be on my short list.

Martin

[dburna]

25,000 euros per pair, yikes!

But, with a favorable conversion rate here in the States, it's practically a bargain!! 

[Phil A]

Probably have to use them in a small to medium sized room (vs. their larger floorstanders) as they are just 86db efficient.  My old Thiel 7.2s I owned many moons ago were of the same efficiency and while I had a super large room (with a 19 foot ceiling) even with something that could handle the impedance of the 7.2s it was a challenge.  The good thing about audio shows is that one gets to see lots of nice stuff, a good portion of which is not affordable to most.  Nothing wrong with dreaming.

[Tyson]

The Borresens sound good but not $28,000 good.

[Rusty Jefferson]

....The good thing about audio shows is that one gets to see lots of nice stuff, a good portion of which is not affordable to most.  Nothing wrong with dreaming.

I went to the NY Audio Show probably 10 years ago and was sort of looking for a set of good bookshelf speakers. I was newly returning to audio and wasn't familiar with all of the brands I was seeing.  Walked into the Raidho room that had the C1.2 paired with Merrill mono blocks. After 10 minutes I said to my buddy in between songs "That's it! I'm buying a pair of these speakers."  As I'm taking out my credit card I'm thinking, "it's a bookshelf speaker, how much could they possibly cost, $5-$6k?  Totally worth it"  One of the sales people was sitting behind me and leaned in and said, "if you'd like a new pair, they're $24,900, but this demo pair is available for $19,900." I thanked him very much and got the hell out of there.

If I was in the income bracket that could charge $25k speakers like it was a $2.5k purchase, I'd have bought them in a second.  That guy is doing something special. Those small Raidho, and Børresen speakers perform better than any speaker that size I've heard.

[Letitroll98]

On page 72 you encounter the listing for Børreson Acoustics, which shows four speaker systems, and on the opposite page is ad for the company with pictures of some of the company's systems. This kind of placement, along with the interview, makes me suspicious that the magazine is selling editorial content to advertisers.

It's very common for magazines to decide on their content, then release a preview to the manufacturer giving them an opportunity to place a strategic ad.   Nothing nefarious, just crass consumerism.