Just so we are 100% clear: This is NOT a formal product review!!! It is a detailed impressions video. It's also geared towards people who are already familiar with the Buchardt Audio S400. For now, I'm unable to comment on how the in-room EQ works. Why? Because what you may not know is that I'm basically an 80 year-old man trapped inside a 30-somethings body. Case in point: Up until last year, I was still using a flip phone. I'll give you a moment to let that one sink in. Through time, I will adapt to this fancy tech stuff that you whipper snappers like and use. Edit: I got one minor detail wrong. The A500 uses three internal DACS. Not two. I was also told Buchardt is developing a mic for the in-room EQ software in order to achieve even better in-room performance.
Zero Fidelity I’ve still got a flip phone right now and still listen to 90%+ vinyl and have for the past 30 yrs or so since I was like 14. You’re not alone, man!
I'm a room correction convert after my recent experience with Anthem room correction on my SVS Ultra system. You recently asked "when's the last time your audio system amazed you?" That would be right after I ran their room correction couple weeks ago.
Mate, I’m all analogue on my system too, while I love the idea of these and totally get their appeal and perhaps for a separate system I would love them, but for vinyl it would add that digital processing that for me I’m trying my best get rid of. I’m settled on the S300’s for my system, can’t wait to get them, based of yours, Tom & Stereo and Steve Guttenbergs reviews (saw yours first)! Keep it up mate, you’re golden!
I have the A500s and absolutely love the things. My impressions so far are pretty much right inline with ZF. I know many are saying "Too technical! I don't like software! I want simplicity!" to that I say, do you know how much software (and hardware) was triggered when you launched youtube, and posted a simple reply to this video? As the title says, this is the future of hifi. As for simplicity. I had to plug in 3 power cords...that's it. One for each speaker and one for the hub. There are no cables, dongles, adapters, etc....THAT is simplicity. With that said, my primary reason for going with these is, as was mentioned in the video, flexibility. I love that I can grab these and stick them in another room, run a 1 minute room correction and now they sound fantastic in a completely different setting. I can move them for a party, move them to the bedroom, the office, etc. and have an almost instant "pop-up" hifi system wherever I want it within range of my home's network. I haven't even changed the master tuning yet as the stock one is perfect for my needs and the current placement. The main downside I can see is if you are one that just likes to tinker and constantly change out amps/tubes, cables, etc to tweak your sound. That isn't me. That just sounds like a money pit of trying to achieve something that you will never quite attain...there is no perfection in the audio world to me. These A500s sound fantastic to me (YMMV) and if I want to "tweak" them, that's what the tuning and EQ (when it releases) will allow me to do. As an aside, my previous speakers were the S400s with a Peachtree Nova150. These pretty much beat that setup in every respect and add all the above mentioned flexibility. P..S. Did I mention these pass the wife test with flying colors? No cables, racks, etc. Just two stands with two nice looking speakers sitting on top. The hub is tucked away with the router in the office away from the main living area where these speakers are. Beautiful!
Michael. Thanks for your post. I am in the beginning phase of putting a system together (2 way music listening and two channel TV). Just prior to the pandemic, I purchased a mint vintage Mitsubishi amp/preamp and just started shopping for speakers and narrowed it down to Fyne F502 or Klipsch Forte III. But then there's the whole darn thing about making sure the front end and speakers have synergy etc, and the wires, and the return of devices if they don't match, etc. It all seems so complex. I read that this journey is meant to be fun, I don't feel that at all. I am stressed, and very indecisive because there are way too many products out there to choose from. Mads' design just seems so simple. It's all there for me. Mads did all the work. My concern is: What does a speaker with DSP sound like? DSP scares me, when I see digital anything my head spins wondering how far different it might sound say from a system truly being run in all analog and tubes, etc...Does DSP yield a certain "artificial" tone to the sonic signature?
@@markd4292 Unfortunately, I can't really answer your question on a comparison from tubes to all digital. I have never dabbled in the tube game and I didn't grow up in that generation. I was an 80s/90s kid, so at the end of cassettes and CDs, etc. So, I'm not a good one to ask about this difference. Even the peachtree NOVA150 that Ihad with the S400s before this, was a class D amp. So, from that to the DSP corrected A500s, was an improvement to me. I didn't notice any coloration of sound. It was just an improvement over everything my previous setup did. I will tell you this if it helps you at all. I LOVE the sound of accoustic guitars on these speakers. There is something about that sound that is so lifelike and rich to me. Lsstly, know that if necessary, you do get a generous return period with the A500s from Buchardt. Demo them at home in your setup and if you don't like them, send them back. That was a huge part of me taking the plunge on these.
@@tydendurler9574 Am I suppose to apologize for having the money to afford these? I was broke for much of my life, but my wife and I have busted our butts to get ahead. Nothing was handed to us and now we enjoy some nice toys. I damn sure ain't gonna apologize to an internet troll for that.
I love the comments so far everyone. Keep it up! Your reaction to the A500 has been interesting. The good. The bad. This is one of the greatest assets that YT offers to manufacturers, and it's something that many need to pay attention to. Hopefully Buchardt will pay attention. Keep it coming!
Sean, I'm an A500 owner and appreciate your insight. I'm new to the game and bought these for my living room for a good convenience vs quality set up that my wife can easily use and enjoy as well. So, it's right in my wheelhouse for my use-case and I love them. I've always been a big fan of your channel and I'm planning a second build 180 degrees different from the A500 for my office and your insight has been a valuable tool in informing my decisions. So, thank you for that. However, I'm a bit confused. On two live streams I heard you flat out say that you weren't interested in the A500 and had nothing to say about them at all. Then you got them sent to you not for review, but for personal impressions as well as a bunch of tunings that aren't available to the public, yet. On top of that, you're the first to post a YT video reviewing them (I get that this is not a "review" and only "impressions", but you've given 80% of a typical review), despite other YT reviewers having been sent them expressly for review. Please don't take this as negative criticism. I'm just curious why the change of heart? Did the system impress you enough that you wanted to put something out there? Or was it just a "there's going to be demand for reviews so I'll test the waters" and, lo and behold, a YT poll convinced you to talk about them?
Good question: The answer is in the title of the video. I realized that these speakers are not only good enough to talk about in public, but I also feel like their tech represents what many people would like, even if they cannot afford it right now. Now did they change my bias in any way? Nope. I'm still not the biggest fan of actives, DSP, and class-D, and you certainly won't catch me replacing my traditional system with these. But they have an important place, and that to me, is enough to warrant a video.
@@ZeroFidelity Excellent, thanks for the reply and the honesty. Thanks again for your content and here's hoping you're doing well in these trying times!
I bought the A500's on the strong performance of the S400's but hadn't really appreciated the importance of the HUB until everything was set up and running last week. I'd purchased a Cambridge CXNV2 streamer in anticipation of managing front end duties but ended up sending it back as it wasn't needed and was just one extra piece of kit but improving the front end is still an option open to audiophiles by connecting quality kit digitally into the HUB. The sound is so good that I feel I'm listening to music again and not listening to the HiFi.
I really like this (non) review. This isn't just a new product. It's a new paradigm. And it gores a lot of supposedly sacred bulls. It will, especially, make many OCD 'audiophiles' uneasy -- even vehement. That's OK. Successful new paradigms tend to disrupt the cathedral architecture of old dogma. I am a longtime degreed, board-certified electrical engineer, so I acknowledge that my thinking may be different than many audiophiles'. I have followed the technology, if not the skirmishes and tech changes of hifi since I was in grade school. Cut to the chase: Zero's right; *this is the most likely future course of much of high fidelity audio.* Here, Buchardt has put forth that new course: in-built power amps in quality speakers, digital audio processing for tone, timing, and timbre, DSP for room corrections if needed, class D power topology for durability, energy efficiency and low heat, wireless digital connections for simplicity and balanced (high noise immunity) external connections. You are looking at the future course (which is never stationary) of audio technology. Bitch about it if looks like electric versus candle light, but here we go. I, for one, don't see an endpoint to this course change. DSP will keep on improving. Class D will keep on improving. Driver - amplifier integration will keep on improving. And, best of all, listeners' ears will keep longing for more and better accuracy or enhancement, depending on sources of music and noise. And, not forgetting cost, this overall system topology will work better and cost less in the future. Next? Expect the design of drivers to better utilize the new capabilities of these amplifier-speaker-cabinet combinations, most especially time-based response faithfulness [There's no end to that. Peace, out.]
Well said. The A500 has the potential to become the Tesla Model 3 in HiFi audio. Next step will probably also be improvements in the D/A conversion, so better integration of the DAC, upsampler and Jitter clock, so each digital audio source becomes free of error when it leaves the digital domain. Look at what Grimm Audio is doing with its MU1 for example.
@@gerard3797 That's a lot of potential for snake oil LOL! But more seriously, it gives me hope for car audio and cheap Bluetooth speakers. This tech is only gonna get more affordable over time. Just imagine Bose releasing a dope soundbar speaker for $500 which will make snotty audiophiles eat their hats!
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q There is limits to size with this tech. Buchardt has already reached that limit ;)! By the way I posted a detailed impression of the A500 yesterday. Unfortunately the A500 is not so future proof as I expected.
@@knoffiboy I think I posted it somewhere here in the comments. 1. The WiSa connection had interference issues with my Router (both in living room). So I had to move router at least 5m away to get a reasonable but still not issue free connection. 2. DSP is happening both in the speaker and the Hub. So without the Hub you cannot use Room correction or EQ. Apparently Buchardt is working on their own hub that will allow for wired connection as well. 3. The speakers have no internet connection. So all changes need to be done via USB stock. It would have been much more simpel if you just could have changed the mastertunes from the app. 4. The backplate gets incredibly hot. So hot that you can burn your fingers. Apparently this is normal, but longevity could be an issue. 5. I still could hear class D sound signature. So this lean sound compared class a/b. I think the ice amps used by Buchardt will be outdated in a few years and replaced with cheaper Eigentakt or N core designs. In a few years time you can sell an amp an buy upgrade tech. With the A500 you are stuk with ICE. Long story short. I kept my S400s and ordered the I150 instead. Also I found the design of the S400 much more balanced than the A500, which is very deep and has an even bigger recline.
Sean is correct the all in one is the future ! 3 built in amps and 3 dacs Geez! Sean is so dam honest what more could you ask for espically for all the free content he puts out for everyone thanks Sean for the video and always keeping it real !
After 2 weeks of listening to these speakers I would like to share my first impressions. After a few minutes of setup straight out of the box they sounded phenomenal . I never heard the bass that full and every tone on the spot. When I closed my eyes I reminded me immediately of the sound at a live concert. As it was meant to be! I was missing the heights a little bit in the beginning compared to my former beryllium tweeters. But that improved every day. As they burned in, and still are, it was like lifting of a piece of cloth every day! Now, maybe also because the brain is getting used to that sound I don´t miss a single thing anymore. The soundstage is deep and wide and vocals and instruments exactly where the producer wanted them to be. I downloaded the nearfield 2,5 setup and I don´t think that I need to change that setting for my 22 sqm room. The Hub is really amazing too. I have a fantastic DAC , but I don´t need it anymore. I tried it directly with XLR cables too. Great but not really better. But what´s even more amazing...my network bridge, with a real good clock inside was essential when listening from everything that came from my Mac. Don´t need that anymore either. Don´t know how they did that. Connecting my phono preamp and my old records sound like remastered. No kidding, also CD´s that, in my opinion, weren´t produced that well (Tommy Bolin) are incredible now. Wisa works brilliant. No need for superexpensive cables anymore. So when it comes to the price, quit a few are complaining about that point, they are worth every single cent! My monoamps plus speakers, DAC, Networkbridge, cables and powersupplies where more than twice the price. And you don´t have to treat the room with basstraps and so own, because of the roomcorrection. The WAF is also extremly high :-) The last point; I have no idea how many hours a day Mads Buchard is working, but the time for answering questions is superfast and helpfull! The only thing right now, but I guess one supplier will come up with, is the connection to the headphones. It looks like it needs a Wisa receiver for the headphoneamp. We will see what solution there will be. That´s it for the moment, hope it was helpfull!
I have theA500s. I am comparing them using spotify with Sonos Play 5 which are 1/4 the price. A500 beat it out for sure but I think your review quite over the top.
comparing them to Bowers Wilkins 805s they muffled but is something magical spacious and you right different things i can hear on my old cd's i have s400 with Classé amp.
@@Dan-iy8ig The Spotify app is great but using it with $4500 speakers is like driving your Tesla on a bumpy farm road. Spotify and Sonos are a good match though.
I bought these mostly based on a myriad of reviews, namely Darko. After some trial and error with different tunings I fell in love with the Buchardts. They sound amazing. It is expensive but I feel that it is a good value. I still get surprised every time I listen to them just how good they sound.
FOr me so hard to choose between the white (most of my apartment is painted white) or the walnut. Even though most of funiture is oak-y - that walnut is soooo fine.
finally ... somebody comes to the idea, that is far more convenient to make a good and flexible base-product and then give the ability to the customer to change the character of a system over software instead swapping speakers, apms, cables and so on. Taught to review it :) Now you dont have one product - one character addressing only one type of listeners.
For the people who already own the S400, it is interesting to know that Buchardt is also in the final stages of developing their first integrated amplifier, the I150. It will deliver much of the DSP advantages to the S400, but with generally better DAC and preamp than the A500. For me it seems to be the perfect middle ground between future and customisation, because alternative DACs and power amps can be added later on. Apparently this amp uses Hypex ncore and a analogue volume control so it is not typical class D sounding. Hope it is on par with for example the Primare integrated amplifiers. Would love to see you review that one with time :)!
Gerard, I connected with Mads about a month ago and he said the new later release date would be around December or January partially because of the Covid issue. Can’t wait...
David Olson Thanks, me too :)! I still use the Iotavx SA3 class A/B with my S400s. I was doubting wether to sell the S400s and buy the A500s, but I prefer separates because of flexibility and longevity. Also I think the S400 just has a more balanced and iconic design. I hope this amp will get close tot the A500 in terms of DSP power and low level enhancement, but with a better and warmer quality sound overall.
Glad to hear it. I just received mine 3days ago. Right out of the box they sounded kind of tight, dry mids were uugh. Over the next hours of listening I swear I could hear them start improving. Mids warmed up some and the bass was improving seems quicker and deeper. So far think I'll be keeping them. Hoping they get the Android room correction and eq app sooner than latter. I'd be glad to beta test the mic and app.
@@Beos_Valrah Yes still like them a lot. I found the 3 way tune sounds the best in my environment and with my music. The Android room correction software should be coming out sometime in the second quarter. I have a slightly challenging room acoustics lots of glass work. I should notice some improvement.
@@edshipe2555 Nice :) I've found out that their woofers are not that big, are you satisfied with the bass and extension? I'm afraid they could still need a proper subwoofer...
Hi there..checking in from Denmark. If Buchard only had improved the overall performance, and not getting us the wireless/active solution, it's pretty hard to see how they would defend the cost, which is now twice as expensive than the original.? So thank God were not having another company, putting out a "new version/mk2", and charge way more than the original, which has been seen way to many times :-( It's a big step up in terms of it's price, but from this review, i really think there is something very exiting for the rest of us to hear/experience soon. God job as always. Cheers
The future is so bright, I gotta wear shades...lol. Thanks for your thoughts on these and the hub Sean. Sounds to me like the A500 + hub is a pretty cool setup.
And what is the mastertuning that you measure poorly, but that emphasizes the middle range and you like it so much? I have the A500, but on the Buchardt website for now, there are only four: Nearfield 3 way, Nearfield 2.5 way, New Stock Tuning V.2 and Stock Tuning 2.5 way. Is it any of these? Appreciate. BR
For someone that has successfully used an EQ for years to get over acoustical issues in terms of placement and equipment matching it does seem funny that the opinion on these is that they interfere with the signal path therefore are inherently in league with the devil with so called audiophiles. Now roll forward a couple of years, there is some hype over a couple of Schit EQ’s and suddenly they are in vogue again. Then roll forward another year and throw into the mix what audio engineers have known for a long time, that is to say that active speakers actually solve many of the issues of partnering equipment, multiple cables that interfere with signals and now in built DSP that are found in all of the new gen active speakers like the LS50 wireless and suddenly audiophiles are cool with it again. Ultimately if you like the idea of tinkering, buying and selling, salivating over the next piece of equipment,and let’s face it a lot of us do then the conventional route is more fun. If you want a plug and play 21st century solution which bang for your buck will wipe the floor with a separates route if you throw cables and power adapters in etc etc and it becomes a no brainier. There is no right and wrong. I can iron out many of the foibles that my aged B&W P5 floorstanders have when partnered with my rare but affordable Tom Evans modded Pioneer A300r Precision with an EQ, a decent DAC and an Apple TV and save a heap of money in the process. Horses for courses. Don’t hate on something just because you either don’t understand it or choose not to. This is the future for most,just not necessarily for all of us!
Great video, and an interesting product. Now, this seems to be the first review that should have multiple after the hype follow ups. Hopefully it stays with you. And at the end, a big appreciation for your disclaimer.
If I was starting out building my first stereo now, this is definitely where I would start: a clean and simple setup and a room correction that most likely will blow you away with its sound profile.
Pretty much nailed the assessment. It's for folks that want to dive into high end audio whether be 2.1 or full on 7.1 home theater at some point but don't have the time or money to do component matching. Doing a little bit of everything and adding MQA,, DSP and all the new streaming touches that people want now, I may very well need to try out the A700 bundle
It should be mentioned that Both this excact hub and active amplifier platform have been used by system audio since mid 2019 in their legend silverback line. Their legend 5 silverback just got awarded «worlds best wireless speaker»-award from EISA - so I am not taking anything away from the Buchardts. Excellent choice of platform!
The active system on the a500 supposedly features twice the (real world, measured) output power. Otherwise you're not wrong. :). As for EISA... As somebody who helped facilitate an award, let me just say.. apply POUNDS and POUNDS of salt onto that situation. That comment has nada to do with System Audio. Just the event as a whole..
Zero Fidelity I Know, I just wanted to end on a positive note. I can whole heartedly recommend the wisa hub and room correction feature as a happy owner of a pair of system audio legend 60 silverbacks ( I assume this is the same room correction as it is only avaibable on IOS at this time - tip: do not room correct with iPad or pre iphone 8). A legend 5 SB / a500 comparison would be very interesting
It's build on the same platform yes. Made by a bunch of the engineers that did the actives for Dynaudio back when they invested big into more advanced active speaker technology. We started the development actually before system Audio along with this team. But the first platform which system Audio uses, was not powerful enough for our speakers, so we got a 3 times as powerful platform started with larger power supplys and better dacs as well. It was the reason we lacked far behind the release compared to system Audio. We also went and got a custom aluminum remote made instead of the plastic one. Hub is the same though, although it got updated with the antenna down the line :) you will be seeing more companies using this platform in the future as well which would greatly benefit the end user in the end. Sharing technology's between companies is very healthy.
I'm kinda surprised that using the Analog XLR in yielded a slightly better result. I was under the impression that leaving the signal all the way in the digital domain until the speaker side would be a better way. I'm really curious of the sound if you pair a with a decent DAC like the Topping D90 or something around there. Also how bout the volume level when you use the Analog XLR in? Do you still use the remote as the volume control or all the volume adjustment is now done on the DAC/Pre side instead?
After trying out the A500 for more than a week and comparing it with my S400, I can attest that the A500 offers a lot of value for the money and that Sean is spot on with his sonic assessment (as always). Unfortunately, however, the A500 system is a lot less flexible and future proof as you might think, because it has some serious platform/hardware design limitations. First of all the A500 has no internet/network connectivity, so you cannot quickly change the master tuning or toggle LLE on or off via the Buchardt app. The LLE is not a setting, but seems to be part of the master tuning that you chose. It basically works as a loudness control and boosts the low and high frequencies at levels below 70db. This also has the side effect that the midrange is recessed and in my case resulted in speech and dialogue being a lot less understandable on the A500 vs the S400, when watching TV/movies. Secondly, the room correction and EQ will only work with the Hub. It would have made much more sense if they just used the DSP of the A500 for this, but probably they were limited in their design choices, because the Hub is a third party product (also used by System Audio). Thirdly, this dependency on the hub also introduces a potential stability issue with the signal path, because it uses solely the WiSa protocol to transfer the digital audio signal to the A500. It has no option for wired connectivity, such as Ethernet. In my use case I had serious WiSa audio drop outs and I had to move my main router 5 meters out of the TV cabinet to solve this issue. All in all this first active speaker of Buchardt to me feels like an incomplete product and unfortunately future software updates cannot overcome the limits in the hardware design. I think for the next generation of active speakers Buchardt could really benefit from developing their own platform, with at least full DSP, network/internet connectivity and app control all build directly into the speaker. Don’t get me wrong, the A500 is still a very impressive product for what it is and all the features it delivers. I can see how this would be the perfect product if you have a dedicated listening room with a particular taste in music or have a small studio and you will be very happy with only using one kind of master tuning. But if you, like me, use this speaker in your living room, and next to music also predominantly for movies/TV consumption, the S400/I150 combo might serve you better the coming years. Especially when you already invested in the S400. The I150 will bring the same DSP power to the S400, but with the possibility to toggle LLE on and off.
Exactly what I was thinking too. The hub is needed for EQ and the hub requests to be placed far away from a WiFi router since it only connect to the speakers wirelessly. That’s not possible in my living room. Sadly. Otherwise great product. I am now looking into the direction of Genelec speakers instead. The EQ is implemented into the speakers. They are however expensive,having less bass and ,as good studio monitors, are meant to reveal all caveats of the sound unperfection. Well I don’t know. Maybe wait and see for 2021.
Gabriel Cescutti Depends all on your use case. Genelecs are more near/mid field focussed and probably don’t have the same soundstage the Buchardts have. S400 + I150 = 3600, so a little cheaper than A500 + hub and has all DSP build into the amp. Estimated delivery Spring 2021. You can already try out S400 with different amp. By the way Buchardt is also working on their own hub for the A500 with also wired connectivity.
I am so tempted to go the active route, but the one thing that always makes me shy away in the end is longevity. The amps will probably give out in 10 years, and then you're stuck with an expensive paperweight. By contrast, a good quality A/B amp and a pair of passive speakers will last >20 years.
I think thats a very fair assessment! (edited to match your edit). Reliability should always be a concern when it pertains to self-contained systems. But the notion of a Class A/B amp lasting longer than a Class D amp is mostly farcical and based more off of bias than hard data or basic technical merits. Right now, there is no hard evidence that proves a Class-D amp is inferior to other topologies in terms of reliability. In theory, it should be the other way around. Class-D amps are inherently more power efficient, meaning that they will generate less heat, which in turn means that they won't stress the internal components to nearly the same degree. OK. So you clearly prefer Class A/B amps. I do as well. But putting a Class A/B amp in a tiny speaker like the A500 is pretty much a no-go. It will add greatly to the cost and take up most of the cabinet volume inside the speaker, which will have a dramatic (and negative) impact on its performance. Even the Class D arrangement inside the A500 runs rather warm to the touch after a couple hours of use. However, the speaker *will* shut down after it detects no signal, which should help dramatically improve the overall lifespan of the amp(s).
@@gerritfridericksohn4627 AFAIK class D amps are not very serviceable. So in 10 years time (or whenever that time comes) you'd be looking for replacement parts. Keep in mind that usually the warranty on actives is very short.
Good stuff, Sean. Darko was pushing active speakers (esp the LS50W, but he had others at the time) for at least 2 years only to go back to passives 12-18 months ago. I have the same reservations I had with a very similar concept from Dali a couple of years back, and it wasnt just the price - if something goes awry with a standalone DAC or an ampifier (or any combination of the two), you can quickly narrow the problem down to a single box (or even a cable, if you are really lucky). Something goes wrong with this ecosystem and you are faced with the prospect of having to pack the whole lot up and send it back to your local distributor - given that Buchardt sell direct, that means two trans-Atlantic flights for several relatively large boxes. I admit that its unlikely to be the speakers that fail before the Hub, but how many of us would want to go through that shipping exercise twice ? No argument that this would fit into many people's lives much better than the traditional stack of components hooked up to speakers via expensive cables, but if you can put aesthetics aside for a moment, the Linkwitz approach takes a lot of beating IMO. This isnt a DiY channel, and many of your regulars would be repulsed by the thought of PVC pipes for any visible part of a speaker, but that design is completely modular and all of the parts well documented and replaceable. Thanks for the vid.
Obviously, there will be no loss stream digitally via hub. Speaker will do DSP and DACs directly. It's better to stream digitally via hub than use analog preamp and do many A/D D/A along the way.
I'm looking at the triangle bro 3. How bad is it really backed up against the wall? It would have over 4 feet the side walls. Would it be acceptable with a sub for home theater fronts and streaming? If I pulled it out when I listen to vinyl and really want to pay attention.
As far as I’m concerned, this is my target system A500 or A700 competing with LS50W II potentially with their new subwoofer. Future proof for quite some time. In live in China and Buchardt will cover delivery and import taxes! So compared to the KEFs which are more expensive here, it becomes a clear competitor...
Does this speaker still needing a good source (Audio server) in order to achieve better sound or you find no difference with just streaming directly from THE HUB the likes of Tidal, Qobuz etc ? by the way great review !!
Another excellent vid, Sean. Not really for me (at least now), but I still like to keep up to date and somewhat knowledgeable with the world of HiFi and how the technology is evolving. Thanks very much!
Yay!! So very happy to see the introduction to these. Hopefully you can get some of the floor standers as well. Looks like Mads and the engineers have been burning the midnight oil over there. Since these are about the same price as the B&W Formation, I'd love to see (someone do) a comparison. Thanks as always Sean.
So, the price to pay is always in Euro's? The Dollar is dropping currently. A500 now is on sale for €3750 (4435 Dollar), normal price €4200 (4965 Dollar). Walnut €3900 (4610) on sale, normal (5140). All prices all-inclusive. Or does Buchardt has an own dealership in the US with fixed prices? Just curious, I live in Europe so doesn't affect me personally. A700 floorstander can be pre-ordered.
You win.. a FREE HUB!! You'll have to buy the speakers separately though. Oh and the Hub may or may not be whats shown in the video. Shipping and insurance fees not included with the Hub that may or may not be real.
@@mrc6182 In my opinion, it´s exactly the opposite! Here you get the right amp for the speaker, in the speaker. On the other side you play around with amp, preamps and cables. At least that is what I have done....and that was expensive ;-)
I think the HT setup is going to be a brilliant solution for people who just want plug and play without having to bother about matching power amps for their speakers and always being assured of getting consistently good performance.
It'll be cool. Though to be fair, most flagship AVR's have decent EQ built in. Mostly because HT enthusiasts usually have to stick the speakers where they look best, versus performing the best.
@@ZeroFidelity I have a Dirac av receiver, so I will want to keep using it for all my channels. If I won't be able to use Buchardt's eq, do you think it's better to go with the passive route?
@@Mr.Grimble - I absolutely cannot say. I'd have to compare DIRAQ (which I only like below 100Hz) to the software Buchardt uses for in-room correction. Sorry. There's another review who will hopefully shed some light onto the subject, as this is what they are into and have a lot of experience with.
Thanks for the video Sean. I ordered a pair after hearing all the reviews, but then cancelled after I realized that -> "Delivery between 10-15th. of May". Bugs me that Darko's GLOWING review has the comments turned off, I'd be curious to read them.
Thanks for reviewing the A500's Sean. Be invested in a follow-up regarding the room correction feature and more new master tunings that I believe will be coming out shortly. Cheers
Nice video, thankyou (I won't say review..) and the comments are great too. This is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. I've always cared about sound quality - I was scrupulous about my LPs when i was a kid with my first turntable 45 years ago (and they are still in prime condition...), have been through various boxes, speakers etc in the time since. However, I now just want something straightforward - a one box solution if you like - and these are going to get trialled. I don't care about comparisons - I've been down that A/B rabbit hole far too many times and I think it actually creates false dilemmas. If I like them (and my better half lkes the look of them as well) then I'm keeping them. Thanks again.
Awesome, review because I bought my buchardt S400 by your recommendation. And now added Firstwatt F6 to bring out the sweet top end. Maybe I might look into this new world of speakers.
Hey Sean how’s it going bro. Love the videos as always. Would this tech be sort of comparable to what Dirac offers. Not sure if it’s in the same ballpark but It would be interesting to know your view. Thanks again man keep them videos coming cheers.
Thanks Eduardo. I'm not a fan of DIRAQ above 100Hz (phase manipulation that sounds audible to my ears), but I cannot comment with authority on how it compares to what Buchardt uses for in-room EQ. Somebody far more qualified than myself will be commenting on that soon.
Have really enjoyed watching hours and hours of your videos. Great video of A500 but still very confused as my knowledge is very limited. 1) Between A500 and S400 (from other channels), which one should I buy and what should be the criteria to decided one over the other. What is the downside of buying A500 vs S400 + integrated amplifier? 2) If I decide to buy S400, what should I pair it up (integrated streamer amplifier). I was looking at NAD M10, Naim Uniti Atom and few others but not sure if any of them are good to pair with these to drive them appropriately. Most of my listening are very average and normal stuff (orchestra, strings - violin, jazz - vocals, classic English rock, world fusion - instrumental, others). I do not listen to heavy metal or hip hop genre). Any guidance would really help. Thank you again for keep encouraging us to explore.
Just came across the system audio legend 5.2 wireless silverbacks with stereo hub. Look like it shares some similarities to the Bauchardt a500. Wondering if you will be doing a review of these at some point?
Absolutely love your work man! Will this have an accurate tubes sound setting in the eq or will you still need to feed it a tube pre amp? Surely this is going to be close to end game - as in you had that amount only to spend on speakers before you were sent to an island... with power and a sic shed on it!
Awesome! Thank you. I hope there is a reprise review, assuming you keep them long enough to give them a second look, as you have with some of your faves, such as the S400!
Sir, are you planning to review/test the floorstanding A700 upon availability? Do you mind telleing us a system in which you would forsee the use of such an intersting speaker+hub combo?
Sounds like these speakers outperform the s400's in every way. Probably putting them at the $3000 mark in general. Add the flexibility of sound tuning at $1500 doesn't seem so bad a cost. Might be saving up for those floor standers as I likes me full sound without subs!
That's a caveat that could be said about nearly every company. To even include the "big boys" that are frequently bought and sold. As for software, eventually a time will come when it can no longer be supported. Nobody has the answer on when that time will come as it hinges on variables well outside an audio companies control. My guess is Buchardt will do what they can to support the product as its in their best interests to do so.
True KEF and ELAC have both dropped the ball with their apps. It doesn’t make me feel any more confidence in this product category....although KEF and ELAC aren’t going anywhere.
Very versatilve and convenient product although costly. I've used similar types of active speakers in the studio from Dynaudio over the years, some I loved so much that I've purchased them multiple times for my own home setup, Dynaudio BM15A's have been some of my favorite active speakers for years, also used Dynaudio's Air 15 series that had dsp for room adaption, it was a pretty cool product way ahead of it's time. I'd love to hear some Buchardt's soon!
There’s something to be said for an integrated system like this. But the number of variations of the sound you can probably get from these may be a bit daunting. Almost too much choice for some people. One thing that is absolutely needed for almost every situation IMO however is room correction. Let’s face it, most can’t do room treatments or don’t want to. The improvements you can get from room correction DSP in some cases can be quite astonishing. The Class D amps though I am still skeptical over...however I am open minded!
As long as they don't oversaturate people with different tunes and keeps the profiles specific / generic, I think it'll be fine. If however, they deliver a shotgun spread of tunes, then yep.. I agree that it will be too much of a good thing.
@@ZeroFidelity that's like saying "if people only upload intelligent shit on the internet it will be a good thing for everyone but if people won't stop uploading dumb BS..." yaddayadda, you get my point.
Great review. A lot of food for thought here. I'm taking my 25 year old Meridian system and putting in my games room and having something a little more modern in my living room that my wife agrees with. This looks like it might be what I'm looking for.
Audio gears often cost 1.5-2X more with the insanely high import taxes over the maximum retail price, with these conditions I'd call the Buchardt audio a great value with amazing versatility. According to Buchardt's website, they refund the import taxes on their speakers.
15:17 - "...you can customise the sound for the room that you have it in as well as to your taste, in a way that's impossible to achieve with a passive loudspeaker system" - is this really true? What about adding Dirac/MiniDSP to a passive system together with a DAC with a built-in equaliser e.g. RME ADI-2 Pro?
For those of you that have these and stream music does Qobuz recognize the A500 from its app or do you have to open the A500 app to stream it and how well does all that work ? Seems like a small point but how well these apps all integrate is actually huge in every day use. I have a Bluesound powernode and Qobuz does not find it. I have to work through the Bluesound app which is just plain poor and so far have not been able to transfer my several hundred song playlists from Spotify through to Bluesound. Amazon had the same issues and worse. Spotify is by far the best app in finding and suggesting music to listen to but as everyone know it is not lossless and just sounds bad in comparison. I know they are supposed to come out with higher rez soon but I don't want to wait. With such a new product I worry about the integration with the Buchardt A500's ?
I think the a500/a700 grate idea as a product. Wireless + dsp based + individual amplifier for each driver. Fantastic for audiophiles who what to customize how would sound there speakers. But. I think they are missing the most important thing. Audiophiles do not want to equalize the sound. Especially when eq tool is so complicated. But instead of eq i where preferred to have ability to play with crossover points and time alignment to tune the speakers to sound as I’d like them to sound. Sorry but for me it’s a dealbreaker point. And one more thing. The ability to build 2.2 system. Ability to add stereo subs. Not just 2 subs. Stereo subs to extend button range and add the subs power to system.
I may have just missed it, but could you please address the off axis response? A lot of my listening is not in the seated sweet spot. Thanks again for another great review !
I wonder if the higher end market really wants a solution like this and if it'll sell well. I think most audiophiles still prefer a more traditional setup. I could be wrong
According to Buchardt, its sold extremely well so far and most people (who've heard it) seem to really like it. Apparently I'm the only reviewer who isn't completely blown away, which isn't surprising given how jaded I am. :D. Moreover, I think there's a big market for it. Sure, the price is a bit alienating, but I think the concept is something most people welcome. A speaker that works for you, and not the other way around. Couple that with convenience, and yep, I could easily see this kind of a solution becoming the norm for most people who aren't hardcore nerds.
@@ZeroFidelity I agree with everything you just said. But i just wonder if they made some passive "S500s" that were a marked improvement over the s400s if they would make more money that way. But I do give Buchardt credit for trying to modernize HiFi, and this system does sound incredibly promising and cool tbh
@ Matthew Christ a passive system better than the S400 in the same size cabinet is simply not possible. That is exactly why the S400 is such a marvel. The only way to improve the sound is going the active route with a DSP and variable crossovers. Basically what Sonos does but than with high end components. By the way people were asking the same questions about Tesla at the time. I actually expect Buchardt will launch cheaper active speakers in the future, when they scale up.
Sounds like a very interesting piece of kit, but my experience with tech has me extremely reluctant to rely on anything that is software driven. I like my stuff as simple as possible!
Dean Reimer Yes, I am old school but Roon is pretty impressive in which case I don’t mind streaming for convenience sake Digital is here to stay whether we like it or not
Yeah, you can dream. OR you could get a decent amp for a couple of hundred bucks like a Crown XLS and then hook up something like KEF R-300. That's less than 1,5k and you could live your dream and be a happy human every day.
I have trouble making the S400 disappear/getting the sound to detach from the speakers and with getting a solid center image. A little li’e there is a sphere of sound around each speaker, instead of one large one. On some movies the dialogue seems to fluctuate between center and localized at the speakers. I have no such issues with my b&w 805 and triangle trio (when on home dem). Super intrigued but not sure if the A500 would be any different 🤔
Just so we are 100% clear: This is NOT a formal product review!!! It is a detailed impressions video. It's also geared towards people who are already familiar with the Buchardt Audio S400. For now, I'm unable to comment on how the in-room EQ works. Why? Because what you may not know is that I'm basically an 80 year-old man trapped inside a 30-somethings body. Case in point: Up until last year, I was still using a flip phone. I'll give you a moment to let that one sink in. Through time, I will adapt to this fancy tech stuff that you whipper snappers like and use. Edit: I got one minor detail wrong. The A500 uses three internal DACS. Not two. I was also told Buchardt is developing a mic for the in-room EQ software in order to achieve even better in-room performance.
Zero Fidelity
I’ve still got a flip phone right now and still listen to 90%+ vinyl and have for the past 30 yrs or so since I was like 14. You’re not alone, man!
Heck yeah!
I'm a room correction convert after my recent experience with Anthem room correction on my SVS Ultra system. You recently asked "when's the last time your audio system amazed you?" That would be right after I ran their room correction couple weeks ago.
Mate, I’m all analogue on my system too, while I love the idea of these and totally get their appeal and perhaps for a separate system I would love them, but for vinyl it would add that digital processing that for me I’m trying my best get rid of. I’m settled on the S300’s for my system, can’t wait to get them, based of yours, Tom & Stereo and Steve Guttenbergs reviews (saw yours first)! Keep it up mate, you’re golden!
@@jinpark3876 Nice man!
I have the A500s and absolutely love the things. My impressions so far are pretty much right inline with ZF.
I know many are saying "Too technical! I don't like software! I want simplicity!" to that I say, do you know how much software (and hardware) was triggered when you launched youtube, and posted a simple reply to this video? As the title says, this is the future of hifi. As for simplicity. I had to plug in 3 power cords...that's it. One for each speaker and one for the hub. There are no cables, dongles, adapters, etc....THAT is simplicity.
With that said, my primary reason for going with these is, as was mentioned in the video, flexibility. I love that I can grab these and stick them in another room, run a 1 minute room correction and now they sound fantastic in a completely different setting. I can move them for a party, move them to the bedroom, the office, etc. and have an almost instant "pop-up" hifi system wherever I want it within range of my home's network.
I haven't even changed the master tuning yet as the stock one is perfect for my needs and the current placement.
The main downside I can see is if you are one that just likes to tinker and constantly change out amps/tubes, cables, etc to tweak your sound. That isn't me. That just sounds like a money pit of trying to achieve something that you will never quite attain...there is no perfection in the audio world to me. These A500s sound fantastic to me (YMMV) and if I want to "tweak" them, that's what the tuning and EQ (when it releases) will allow me to do.
As an aside, my previous speakers were the S400s with a Peachtree Nova150. These pretty much beat that setup in every respect and add all the above mentioned flexibility.
P..S. Did I mention these pass the wife test with flying colors? No cables, racks, etc. Just two stands with two nice looking speakers sitting on top. The hub is tucked away with the router in the office away from the main living area where these speakers are. Beautiful!
Michael. Thanks for your post. I am in the beginning phase of putting a system together (2 way music listening and two channel TV). Just prior to the pandemic, I purchased a mint vintage Mitsubishi amp/preamp and just started shopping for speakers and narrowed it down to Fyne F502 or Klipsch Forte III. But then there's the whole darn thing about making sure the front end and speakers have synergy etc, and the wires, and the return of devices if they don't match, etc. It all seems so complex. I read that this journey is meant to be fun, I don't feel that at all. I am stressed, and very indecisive because there are way too many products out there to choose from.
Mads' design just seems so simple. It's all there for me. Mads did all the work. My concern is: What does a speaker with DSP sound like? DSP scares me, when I see digital anything my head spins wondering how far different it might sound say from a system truly being run in all analog and tubes, etc...Does DSP yield a certain "artificial" tone to the sonic signature?
Your primary reason for getting these is that you have way to much money in your pocket.
@@markd4292 Unfortunately, I can't really answer your question on a comparison from tubes to all digital. I have never dabbled in the tube game and I didn't grow up in that generation. I was an 80s/90s kid, so at the end of cassettes and CDs, etc. So, I'm not a good one to ask about this difference. Even the peachtree NOVA150 that Ihad with the S400s before this, was a class D amp. So, from that to the DSP corrected A500s, was an improvement to me. I didn't notice any coloration of sound. It was just an improvement over everything my previous setup did.
I will tell you this if it helps you at all. I LOVE the sound of accoustic guitars on these speakers. There is something about that sound that is so lifelike and rich to me.
Lsstly, know that if necessary, you do get a generous return period with the A500s from Buchardt. Demo them at home in your setup and if you don't like them, send them back. That was a huge part of me taking the plunge on these.
@@tydendurler9574 Am I suppose to apologize for having the money to afford these? I was broke for much of my life, but my wife and I have busted our butts to get ahead. Nothing was handed to us and now we enjoy some nice toys. I damn sure ain't gonna apologize to an internet troll for that.
Michael Styons And you shouldn’t. Enjoy the fruits of your labor
I love the comments so far everyone. Keep it up! Your reaction to the A500 has been interesting. The good. The bad. This is one of the greatest assets that YT offers to manufacturers, and it's something that many need to pay attention to. Hopefully Buchardt will pay attention. Keep it coming!
Will A500 be any kind of improvement to Gershman Studio II (of course, in terms of sound quality)?
I want to know this :-)
Sean, I'm an A500 owner and appreciate your insight. I'm new to the game and bought these for my living room for a good convenience vs quality set up that my wife can easily use and enjoy as well. So, it's right in my wheelhouse for my use-case and I love them.
I've always been a big fan of your channel and I'm planning a second build 180 degrees different from the A500 for my office and your insight has been a valuable tool in informing my decisions. So, thank you for that.
However, I'm a bit confused. On two live streams I heard you flat out say that you weren't interested in the A500 and had nothing to say about them at all. Then you got them sent to you not for review, but for personal impressions as well as a bunch of tunings that aren't available to the public, yet. On top of that, you're the first to post a YT video reviewing them (I get that this is not a "review" and only "impressions", but you've given 80% of a typical review), despite other YT reviewers having been sent them expressly for review.
Please don't take this as negative criticism. I'm just curious why the change of heart? Did the system impress you enough that you wanted to put something out there? Or was it just a "there's going to be demand for reviews so I'll test the waters" and, lo and behold, a YT poll convinced you to talk about them?
Good question: The answer is in the title of the video. I realized that these speakers are not only good enough to talk about in public, but I also feel like their tech represents what many people would like, even if they cannot afford it right now. Now did they change my bias in any way? Nope. I'm still not the biggest fan of actives, DSP, and class-D, and you certainly won't catch me replacing my traditional system with these. But they have an important place, and that to me, is enough to warrant a video.
@@ZeroFidelity Excellent, thanks for the reply and the honesty. Thanks again for your content and here's hoping you're doing well in these trying times!
Excellent point at the end! Some people like me just despise the whole fiddling with gear, and I just want it plug n play ready!
I bought the A500's on the strong performance of the S400's but hadn't really appreciated the importance of the HUB until everything was set up and running last week. I'd purchased a Cambridge CXNV2 streamer in anticipation of managing front end duties but ended up sending it back as it wasn't needed and was just one extra piece of kit but improving the front end is still an option open to audiophiles by connecting quality kit digitally into the HUB. The sound is so good that I feel I'm listening to music again and not listening to the HiFi.
From your onion, how does it compare with S400?
I really like this (non) review. This isn't just a new product. It's a new paradigm. And it gores a lot of supposedly sacred bulls. It will, especially, make many OCD 'audiophiles' uneasy -- even vehement. That's OK. Successful new paradigms tend to disrupt the cathedral architecture of old dogma.
I am a longtime degreed, board-certified electrical engineer, so I acknowledge that my thinking may be different than many audiophiles'. I have followed the technology, if not the skirmishes and tech changes of hifi since I was in grade school. Cut to the chase: Zero's right; *this is the most likely future course of much of high fidelity audio.* Here, Buchardt has put forth that new course: in-built power amps in quality speakers, digital audio processing for tone, timing, and timbre, DSP for room corrections if needed, class D power topology for durability, energy efficiency and low heat, wireless digital connections for simplicity and balanced (high noise immunity) external connections.
You are looking at the future course (which is never stationary) of audio technology. Bitch about it if looks like electric versus candle light, but here we go. I, for one, don't see an endpoint to this course change. DSP will keep on improving. Class D will keep on improving. Driver - amplifier integration will keep on improving. And, best of all, listeners' ears will keep longing for more and better accuracy or enhancement, depending on sources of music and noise. And, not forgetting cost, this overall system topology will work better and cost less in the future.
Next? Expect the design of drivers to better utilize the new capabilities of these amplifier-speaker-cabinet combinations, most especially time-based response faithfulness
[There's no end to that. Peace, out.]
Well said. The A500 has the potential to become the Tesla Model 3 in HiFi audio. Next step will probably also be improvements in the D/A conversion, so better integration of the DAC, upsampler and Jitter clock, so each digital audio source becomes free of error when it leaves the digital domain. Look at what Grimm Audio is doing with its MU1 for example.
@@gerard3797 That's a lot of potential for snake oil LOL! But more seriously, it gives me hope for car audio and cheap Bluetooth speakers. This tech is only gonna get more affordable over time. Just imagine Bose releasing a dope soundbar speaker for $500 which will make snotty audiophiles eat their hats!
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q There is limits to size with this tech. Buchardt has already reached that limit ;)! By the way I posted a detailed impression of the A500 yesterday. Unfortunately the A500 is not so future proof as I expected.
@@gerard3797 why is it not?
@@knoffiboy I think I posted it somewhere here in the comments.
1. The WiSa connection had interference issues with my Router (both in living room). So I had to move router at least 5m away to get a reasonable but still not issue free connection.
2. DSP is happening both in the speaker and the Hub. So without the Hub you cannot use Room correction or EQ. Apparently Buchardt is working on their own hub that will allow for wired connection as well.
3. The speakers have no internet connection. So all changes need to be done via USB stock. It would have been much more simpel if you just could have changed the mastertunes from the app.
4. The backplate gets incredibly hot. So hot that you can burn your fingers. Apparently this is normal, but longevity could be an issue.
5. I still could hear class D sound signature. So this lean sound compared class a/b. I think the ice amps used by Buchardt will be outdated in a few years and replaced with cheaper Eigentakt or N core designs. In a few years time you can sell an amp an buy upgrade tech. With the A500 you are stuk with ICE.
Long story short. I kept my S400s and ordered the I150 instead. Also I found the design of the S400 much more balanced than the A500, which is very deep and has an even bigger recline.
Sean is correct the all in one is the future ! 3 built in amps and 3 dacs Geez!
Sean is so dam honest what more could you ask for espically for all the free content he puts out for everyone
thanks Sean for the video and always keeping it real !
You're way too kind man. Always appreciated!
After 2 weeks of listening to these speakers I would like to share my first impressions. After a few minutes of setup straight out of the box they sounded phenomenal . I never heard the bass that full and every tone on the spot. When I closed my eyes I reminded me immediately of the sound at a live concert. As it was meant to be! I was missing the heights a little bit in the beginning compared to my former beryllium tweeters. But that improved every day. As they burned in, and still are, it was like lifting of a piece of cloth every day! Now, maybe also because the brain is getting used to that sound I don´t miss a single thing anymore. The soundstage is deep and wide and vocals and instruments exactly where the producer wanted them to be. I downloaded the nearfield 2,5 setup and I don´t think that I need to change that setting for my 22 sqm room. The Hub is really amazing too. I have a fantastic DAC , but I don´t need it anymore. I tried it directly with XLR cables too. Great but not really better. But what´s even more amazing...my network bridge, with a real good clock inside was essential when listening from everything that came from my Mac. Don´t need that anymore either. Don´t know how they did that. Connecting my phono preamp and my old records sound like remastered. No kidding, also CD´s that, in my opinion, weren´t produced that well (Tommy Bolin) are incredible now. Wisa works brilliant. No need for superexpensive cables anymore.
So when it comes to the price, quit a few are complaining about that point, they are worth every single cent! My monoamps plus speakers, DAC, Networkbridge, cables and powersupplies where more than twice the price. And you don´t have to treat the room with basstraps and so own, because of the roomcorrection. The WAF is also extremly high :-) The last point; I have no idea how many hours a day Mads Buchard is working, but the time for answering questions is superfast and helpfull!
The only thing right now, but I guess one supplier will come up with, is the connection to the headphones. It looks like it needs a Wisa receiver for the headphoneamp. We will see what solution there will be. That´s it for the moment, hope it was helpfull!
I have theA500s. I am comparing them using spotify with Sonos Play 5 which are 1/4 the price. A500 beat it out for sure but I think your review quite over the top.
Beryllium tweeters? Did you have focal before S500?
comparing them to Bowers Wilkins 805s they muffled but is something magical spacious and you right different things i can hear on my old cd's
i have s400 with Classé amp.
@@Dan-iy8ig The Spotify app is great but using it with $4500 speakers is like driving your Tesla on a bumpy farm road. Spotify and Sonos are a good match though.
I bought these mostly based on a myriad of reviews, namely Darko. After some trial and error with different tunings I fell in love with the Buchardts. They sound amazing. It is expensive but I feel that it is a good value. I still get surprised every time I listen to them just how good they sound.
Which tuning do you like ?
That is a great cabinet finish. Love the depth of the cabinet also. Always great to see you man!
FOr me so hard to choose between the white (most of my apartment is painted white) or the walnut. Even though most of funiture is oak-y - that walnut is soooo fine.
finally ... somebody comes to the idea, that is far more convenient to make a good and flexible base-product and then give the ability to the customer to change the character of a system over software instead swapping speakers, apms, cables and so on.
Taught to review it :) Now you dont have one product - one character addressing only one type of listeners.
For the people who already own the S400, it is interesting to know that Buchardt is also in the final stages of developing their first integrated amplifier, the I150. It will deliver much of the DSP advantages to the S400, but with generally better DAC and preamp than the A500. For me it seems to be the perfect middle ground between future and customisation, because alternative DACs and power amps can be added later on. Apparently this amp uses Hypex ncore and a analogue volume control so it is not typical class D sounding. Hope it is on par with for example the Primare integrated amplifiers. Would love to see you review that one with time :)!
Gerard, I connected with Mads about a month ago and he said the new later release date would be around December or January partially because of the Covid issue. Can’t wait...
David Olson Thanks, me too :)! I still use the Iotavx SA3 class A/B with my S400s. I was doubting wether to sell the S400s and buy the A500s, but I prefer separates because of flexibility and longevity. Also I think the S400 just has a more balanced and iconic design. I hope this amp will get close tot the A500 in terms of DSP power and low level enhancement, but with a better and warmer quality sound overall.
I've had the A500s for a few weeks, and they are absolutely fantastic :)
Glad to hear it. I just received mine 3days ago. Right out of the box they sounded kind of tight, dry mids were uugh. Over the next hours of listening I swear I could hear them start improving. Mids warmed up some and the bass was improving seems quicker and deeper. So far think I'll be keeping them. Hoping they get the Android room correction and eq app sooner than latter. I'd be glad to beta test the mic and app.
Is mads offering a trade-in offer for my S400?
Wonder how big a step up in SQ for their A700 & I wonder how it compares to the B&W formation duo
@@edshipe2555 So, do you still have your A500s?
@@Beos_Valrah Yes still like them a lot. I found the 3 way tune sounds the best in my environment and with my music. The Android room correction software should be coming out sometime in the second quarter. I have a slightly challenging room acoustics lots of glass work. I should notice some improvement.
@@edshipe2555 Nice :)
I've found out that their woofers are not that big, are you satisfied with the bass and extension? I'm afraid they could still need a proper subwoofer...
Sean, how well do the A500 perform in the nearfield? Compared to LS3/5a? Thanks in advance.
Hi there..checking in from Denmark. If Buchard only had improved the overall performance, and not getting us the wireless/active solution, it's pretty hard to see how they would defend the cost, which is now twice as expensive than the original.? So thank God were not having another company, putting out a "new version/mk2", and charge way more than the original, which has been seen way to many times :-( It's a big step up in terms of it's price, but from this review, i really think there is something very exiting for the rest of us to hear/experience soon. God job as always. Cheers
The future is so bright, I gotta wear shades...lol. Thanks for your thoughts on these and the hub Sean. Sounds to me like the A500 + hub is a pretty cool setup.
Timbuk 3...
And what is the mastertuning that you measure poorly, but that emphasizes the middle range and you like it so much? I have the A500, but on the Buchardt website for now, there are only four: Nearfield 3 way, Nearfield 2.5 way, New Stock Tuning V.2 and Stock Tuning 2.5 way. Is it any of these? Appreciate. BR
For someone that has successfully used an EQ for years to get over acoustical issues in terms of placement and equipment matching it does seem funny that the opinion on these is that they interfere with the signal path therefore are inherently in league with the devil with so called audiophiles. Now roll forward a couple of years, there is some hype over a couple of Schit EQ’s and suddenly they are in vogue again. Then roll forward another year and throw into the mix what audio engineers have known for a long time, that is to say that active speakers actually solve many of the issues of partnering equipment, multiple cables that interfere with signals and now in built DSP that are found in all of the new gen active speakers like the LS50 wireless and suddenly audiophiles are cool with it again. Ultimately if you like the idea of tinkering, buying and selling, salivating over the next piece of equipment,and let’s face it a lot of us do then the conventional route is more fun. If you want a plug and play 21st century solution which bang for your buck will wipe the floor with a separates route if you throw cables and power adapters in etc etc and it becomes a no brainier. There is no right and wrong. I can iron out many of the foibles that my aged B&W P5 floorstanders have when partnered with my rare but affordable Tom Evans modded Pioneer A300r Precision with an EQ, a decent DAC and an Apple TV and save a heap of money in the process. Horses for courses. Don’t hate on something just because you either don’t understand it or choose not to. This is the future for most,just not necessarily for all of us!
Thanks for another great upload, Sean. Very interesting, as always!
super random question, where did you get your diffusers that are behind the speakers in your older videos (like this one)?
thx!
Hi Sean, Thank you for your Impressions!
Which Master Tuning do you use for S400 Sound on Steroids?
THX
Try the 3-way near field with the 1800hz cross-over point ;)
Super interesting product. I don't have them, but I'm totally nerding out on the reviews. Looks incredible.
Great video, and an interesting product. Now, this seems to be the first review that should have multiple after the hype follow ups. Hopefully it stays with you.
And at the end, a big appreciation for your disclaimer.
Cheers! Yeah, if people want to see a follow up, then I'll do what I can to make it happen later down the road.
If I was starting out building my first stereo now, this is definitely where I would start: a clean and simple setup and a room correction that most likely will blow you away with its sound profile.
Any suggestion on how to do a good room correction？
What was the master tuning that you felt gave the lush midrange?
Pretty much nailed the assessment. It's for folks that want to dive into high end audio whether be 2.1 or full on 7.1 home theater at some point but don't have the time or money to do component matching. Doing a little bit of everything and adding MQA,, DSP and all the new streaming touches that people want now, I may very well need to try out the A700 bundle
If you try out the A700, be sure to leave some feedback!
Shawn: "this is not a review"
Shawn: * proceeds to make a better evaluation than 99% of other reviewers*
* Sean
@@tydendurler9574 Shawn too :)
@@NiSHAN256 what? No. What? Ugh -_-
@@NiSHAN256 Alrighty then, Abyss ;-)
It should be mentioned that Both this excact hub and active amplifier platform have been used by system audio since mid 2019 in their legend silverback line. Their legend 5 silverback just got awarded «worlds best wireless speaker»-award from EISA - so I am not taking anything away from the Buchardts. Excellent choice of platform!
The active system on the a500 supposedly features twice the (real world, measured) output power. Otherwise you're not wrong. :). As for EISA... As somebody who helped facilitate an award, let me just say.. apply POUNDS and POUNDS of salt onto that situation. That comment has nada to do with System Audio. Just the event as a whole..
Zero Fidelity I Know, I just wanted to end on a positive note. I can whole heartedly recommend the wisa hub and room correction feature as a happy owner of a pair of system audio legend 60 silverbacks ( I assume this is the same room correction as it is only avaibable on IOS at this time - tip: do not room correct with iPad or pre iphone 8). A legend 5 SB / a500 comparison would be very interesting
It's build on the same platform yes. Made by a bunch of the engineers that did the actives for Dynaudio back when they invested big into more advanced active speaker technology. We started the development actually before system Audio along with this team. But the first platform which system Audio uses, was not powerful enough for our speakers, so we got a 3 times as powerful platform started with larger power supplys and better dacs as well. It was the reason we lacked far behind the release compared to system Audio. We also went and got a custom aluminum remote made instead of the plastic one. Hub is the same though, although it got updated with the antenna down the line :) you will be seeing more companies using this platform in the future as well which would greatly benefit the end user in the end. Sharing technology's between companies is very healthy.
I'm kinda surprised that using the Analog XLR in yielded a slightly better result. I was under the impression that leaving the signal all the way in the digital domain until the speaker side would be a better way. I'm really curious of the sound if you pair a with a decent DAC like the Topping D90 or something around there.
Also how bout the volume level when you use the Analog XLR in? Do you still use the remote as the volume control or all the volume adjustment is now done on the DAC/Pre side instead?
Always a pleasure watching your video's!
After trying out the A500 for more than a week and comparing it with my S400, I can attest that the A500 offers a lot of value for the money and that Sean is spot on with his sonic assessment (as always). Unfortunately, however, the A500 system is a lot less flexible and future proof as you might think, because it has some serious platform/hardware design limitations.
First of all the A500 has no internet/network connectivity, so you cannot quickly change the master tuning or toggle LLE on or off via the Buchardt app. The LLE is not a setting, but seems to be part of the master tuning that you chose. It basically works as a loudness control and boosts the low and high frequencies at levels below 70db. This also has the side effect that the midrange is recessed and in my case resulted in speech and dialogue being a lot less understandable on the A500 vs the S400, when watching TV/movies.
Secondly, the room correction and EQ will only work with the Hub. It would have made much more sense if they just used the DSP of the A500 for this, but probably they were limited in their design choices, because the Hub is a third party product (also used by System Audio).
Thirdly, this dependency on the hub also introduces a potential stability issue with the signal path, because it uses solely the WiSa protocol to transfer the digital audio signal to the A500. It has no option for wired connectivity, such as Ethernet. In my use case I had serious WiSa audio drop outs and I had to move my main router 5 meters out of the TV cabinet to solve this issue.
All in all this first active speaker of Buchardt to me feels like an incomplete product and unfortunately future software updates cannot overcome the limits in the hardware design. I think for the next generation of active speakers Buchardt could really benefit from developing their own platform, with at least full DSP, network/internet connectivity and app control all build directly into the speaker.
Don’t get me wrong, the A500 is still a very impressive product for what it is and all the features it delivers. I can see how this would be the perfect product if you have a dedicated listening room with a particular taste in music or have a small studio and you will be very happy with only using one kind of master tuning. But if you, like me, use this speaker in your living room, and next to music also predominantly for movies/TV consumption, the S400/I150 combo might serve you better the coming years. Especially when you already invested in the S400. The I150 will bring the same DSP power to the S400, but with the possibility to toggle LLE on and off.
Exactly what I was thinking too. The hub is needed for EQ and the hub requests to be placed far away from a WiFi router since it only connect to the speakers wirelessly. That’s not possible in my living room. Sadly. Otherwise great product.
I am now looking into the direction of Genelec speakers instead. The EQ is implemented into the speakers. They are however expensive,having less bass and ,as good studio monitors, are meant to reveal all caveats of the sound unperfection. Well I don’t know. Maybe wait and see for 2021.
Gabriel Cescutti Depends all on your use case. Genelecs are more near/mid field focussed and probably don’t have the same soundstage the Buchardts have. S400 + I150 = 3600, so a little cheaper than A500 + hub and has all DSP build into the amp. Estimated delivery Spring 2021. You can already try out S400 with different amp. By the way Buchardt is also working on their own hub for the A500 with also wired connectivity.
Yes. Give us an update in 6 months.
I am so tempted to go the active route, but the one thing that always makes me shy away in the end is longevity. The amps will probably give out in 10 years, and then you're stuck with an expensive paperweight. By contrast, a good quality A/B amp and a pair of passive speakers will last >20 years.
I think thats a very fair assessment! (edited to match your edit). Reliability should always be a concern when it pertains to self-contained systems. But the notion of a Class A/B amp lasting longer than a Class D amp is mostly farcical and based more off of bias than hard data or basic technical merits. Right now, there is no hard evidence that proves a Class-D amp is inferior to other topologies in terms of reliability. In theory, it should be the other way around. Class-D amps are inherently more power efficient, meaning that they will generate less heat, which in turn means that they won't stress the internal components to nearly the same degree. OK. So you clearly prefer Class A/B amps. I do as well. But putting a Class A/B amp in a tiny speaker like the A500 is pretty much a no-go. It will add greatly to the cost and take up most of the cabinet volume inside the speaker, which will have a dramatic (and negative) impact on its performance. Even the Class D arrangement inside the A500 runs rather warm to the touch after a couple hours of use. However, the speaker *will* shut down after it detects no signal, which should help dramatically improve the overall lifespan of the amp(s).
So they can not be repaired?
@@gerritfridericksohn4627 AFAIK class D amps are not very serviceable. So in 10 years time (or whenever that time comes) you'd be looking for replacement parts. Keep in mind that usually the warranty on actives is very short.
Plus what if they they go out of business in a few years.
@@gerritfridericksohn4627 I think the amp itself is in this slot. You can just pull out it and replace it. Drop and plop, according to Buchardt Audio.
Good stuff, Sean. Darko was pushing active speakers (esp the LS50W, but he had others at the time) for at least 2 years only to go back to passives 12-18 months ago. I have the same reservations I had with a very similar concept from Dali a couple of years back, and it wasnt just the price - if something goes awry with a standalone DAC or an ampifier (or any combination of the two), you can quickly narrow the problem down to a single box (or even a cable, if you are really lucky). Something goes wrong with this ecosystem and you are faced with the prospect of having to pack the whole lot up and send it back to your local distributor - given that Buchardt sell direct, that means two trans-Atlantic flights for several relatively large boxes. I admit that its unlikely to be the speakers that fail before the Hub, but how many of us would want to go through that shipping exercise twice ?
No argument that this would fit into many people's lives much better than the traditional stack of components hooked up to speakers via expensive cables, but if you can put aesthetics aside for a moment, the Linkwitz approach takes a lot of beating IMO. This isnt a DiY channel, and many of your regulars would be repulsed by the thought of PVC pipes for any visible part of a speaker, but that design is completely modular and all of the parts well documented and replaceable. Thanks for the vid.
All good points! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Ordered one month ago and waiting for the delivery.
Thank you for sharing.
Obviously, there will be no loss stream digitally via hub. Speaker will do DSP and DACs directly. It's better to stream digitally via hub than use analog preamp and do many A/D D/A along the way.
I'm looking at the triangle bro 3. How bad is it really backed up against the wall? It would have over 4 feet the side walls. Would it be acceptable with a sub for home theater fronts and streaming? If I pulled it out when I listen to vinyl and really want to pay attention.
May have missed it but what is that “one tune” you reference in this non-review, please. 😊
As far as I’m concerned, this is my target system A500 or A700 competing with LS50W II potentially with their new subwoofer. Future proof for quite some time. In live in China and Buchardt will cover delivery and import taxes! So compared to the KEFs which are more expensive here, it becomes a clear competitor...
My cousin is very eager to purchase the A500. i think these speakers are perfect for him as no fuss in matching amps.
*cough active LS-50s for way less *cough *cough
Does this speaker still needing a good source (Audio server) in order to achieve better sound or you find no difference with just streaming directly from THE HUB the likes of Tidal, Qobuz etc ? by the way great review !!
Thanks for your review Sean. I'm waiting on a pair of A500s now, and sincerely hope they will end my endless obsession with audio gear. Peace.
Another excellent vid, Sean. Not really for me (at least now), but I still like to keep up to date and somewhat knowledgeable with the world of HiFi and how the technology is evolving. Thanks very much!
Cheers!
Thanks for the upfront disclaimer.
Well done. I am looking forward to your future exploration of these Buchardts.
Thanks much for your timely overview Sean. I appreciate your integrity. I anticipate getting these in short order.
Yay!! So very happy to see the introduction to these. Hopefully you can get some of the floor standers as well. Looks like Mads and the engineers have been burning the midnight oil over there. Since these are about the same price as the B&W Formation, I'd love to see (someone do) a comparison. Thanks as always Sean.
I would lick those A700's. When they come out en' passive form, I will do even more to em'. :D.
This is the only audio channel that you need.
So, the price to pay is always in Euro's? The Dollar is dropping currently. A500 now is on sale for €3750 (4435 Dollar), normal price €4200 (4965 Dollar). Walnut €3900 (4610) on sale, normal (5140). All prices all-inclusive.
Or does Buchardt has an own dealership in the US with fixed prices? Just curious, I live in Europe so doesn't affect me personally.
A700 floorstander can be pre-ordered.
First!!! Do I win something?
You win.. a FREE HUB!! You'll have to buy the speakers separately though. Oh and the Hub may or may not be whats shown in the video. Shipping and insurance fees not included with the Hub that may or may not be real.
Buchardt A700 for review :-)
The punchline to an old joke: you get to get in the barel... 😳😖
I’m waiting to hear you, Zero, NBT for the Kipsch The Fives.....
You’ll yave to review the A700 Thomas. Compare it to the SA legend silverback you reviewed recently :)
Can you select the different download files or does it run from the last one down loaded? And you have to reload a profile each time.
Thanks for the info. You made my decision an easy one.
Cheers!
Yup. Too techno for me. Number one, I like the option of changing amps and preamps. Good review though Sean.
Probably save you quite a bit of money as well!
@@mrc6182 In my opinion, it´s exactly the opposite! Here you get the right amp for the speaker, in the speaker. On the other side you play around with amp, preamps and cables. At least that is what I have done....and that was expensive ;-)
Seems pretty straight forward to me. If you can use an app/PC and plug things up....that's pretty much it.
@@jsharp9735 You’re correct, pretty much plug and play. But it’s my number one I feel most strongly about.
@@chrisq_1085 exactly and I'm selling all my stuff and I'm getting this all in one digital solution
Love to hear an update. Interesting review, all this cutting edge techo stuff.
And what happens to that cutting edge techno stuff once you turn off Internet?
I think the HT setup is going to be a brilliant solution for people who just want plug and play without having to bother about matching power amps for their speakers and always being assured of getting consistently good performance.
It'll be cool. Though to be fair, most flagship AVR's have decent EQ built in. Mostly because HT enthusiasts usually have to stick the speakers where they look best, versus performing the best.
@@ZeroFidelity I have a Dirac av receiver, so I will want to keep using it for all my channels. If I won't be able to use Buchardt's eq, do you think it's better to go with the passive route?
@@Mr.Grimble - I absolutely cannot say. I'd have to compare DIRAQ (which I only like below 100Hz) to the software Buchardt uses for in-room correction. Sorry. There's another review who will hopefully shed some light onto the subject, as this is what they are into and have a lot of experience with.
Thanks for the video Sean. I ordered a pair after hearing all the reviews, but then cancelled after I realized that -> "Delivery between 10-15th. of May". Bugs me that Darko's GLOWING review has the comments turned off, I'd be curious to read them.
Thanks for reviewing the A500's Sean. Be invested in a follow-up regarding the room correction feature and more new master tunings that I believe will be coming out shortly.
Cheers
Nice video, thankyou (I won't say review..) and the comments are great too.
This is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. I've always cared about sound quality - I was scrupulous about my LPs when i was a kid with my first turntable 45 years ago (and they are still in prime condition...), have been through various boxes, speakers etc in the time since. However, I now just want something straightforward - a one box solution if you like - and these are going to get trialled.
I don't care about comparisons - I've been down that A/B rabbit hole far too many times and I think it actually creates false dilemmas. If I like them (and my better half lkes the look of them as well) then I'm keeping them.
Thanks again.
Really good informative review. No replacement for displacement... nice touch...
Awesome, review because I bought my buchardt S400 by your recommendation.
And now added Firstwatt F6 to bring out the sweet top end. Maybe I might look into this new world of speakers.
I really enjoyed this "non" review.
I would really love to hear your thoughts after living with these for a few months.
Keep up the great content.
great review 👊love to know about the A700 asap 🤙
Hey Sean how’s it going bro. Love the videos as always. Would this tech be sort of comparable to what Dirac offers. Not sure if it’s in the same ballpark but It would be interesting to know your view. Thanks again man keep them videos coming cheers.
Thanks Eduardo. I'm not a fan of DIRAQ above 100Hz (phase manipulation that sounds audible to my ears), but I cannot comment with authority on how it compares to what Buchardt uses for in-room EQ. Somebody far more qualified than myself will be commenting on that soon.
Have really enjoyed watching hours and hours of your videos. Great video of A500 but still very confused as my knowledge is very limited.
1) Between A500 and S400 (from other channels), which one should I buy and what should be the criteria to decided one over the other. What is the downside of buying A500 vs S400 + integrated amplifier?
2) If I decide to buy S400, what should I pair it up (integrated streamer amplifier). I was looking at NAD M10, Naim Uniti Atom and few others but not sure if any of them are good to pair with these to drive them appropriately. Most of my listening are very average and normal stuff (orchestra, strings - violin, jazz - vocals, classic English rock, world fusion - instrumental, others). I do not listen to heavy metal or hip hop genre).
Any guidance would really help. Thank you again for keep encouraging us to explore.
Just came across the system audio legend 5.2 wireless silverbacks with stereo hub. Look like it shares some similarities to the Bauchardt a500. Wondering if you will be doing a review of these at some point?
Absolutely love your work man!
Will this have an accurate tubes sound setting in the eq or will you still need to feed it a tube pre amp?
Surely this is going to be close to end game - as in you had that amount only to spend on speakers before you were sent to an island... with power and a sic shed on it!
So - 6 months have passed, how do you feel about them now?
$4500 this speakers are still a dream for me. Because of the pandemic not enough OT at my job.
Beyond my range, financially, but they look like very nice speakers. Great presentation as always.
Awesome! Thank you. I hope there is a reprise review, assuming you keep them long enough to give them a second look, as you have with some of your faves, such as the S400!
Sir, are you planning to review/test the floorstanding A700 upon availability? Do you mind telleing us a system in which you would forsee the use of such an intersting speaker+hub combo?
Sounds like these speakers outperform the s400's in every way. Probably putting them at the $3000 mark in general. Add the flexibility of sound tuning at $1500 doesn't seem so bad a cost.
Might be saving up for those floor standers as I likes me full sound without subs!
Caveat not mentioned.
1. Will the software still be updated in 5 years? Will the Buchart Audio website still be up in 5 years?
That's a caveat that could be said about nearly every company. To even include the "big boys" that are frequently bought and sold. As for software, eventually a time will come when it can no longer be supported. Nobody has the answer on when that time will come as it hinges on variables well outside an audio companies control. My guess is Buchardt will do what they can to support the product as its in their best interests to do so.
True KEF and ELAC have both dropped the ball with their apps. It doesn’t make me feel any more confidence in this product category....although KEF and ELAC aren’t going anywhere.
Very versatilve and convenient product although costly. I've used similar types of active speakers in the studio from Dynaudio over the years, some I loved so much that I've purchased them multiple times for my own home setup, Dynaudio BM15A's have been some of my favorite active speakers for years, also used Dynaudio's Air 15 series that had dsp for room adaption, it was a pretty cool product way ahead of it's time. I'd love to hear some Buchardt's soon!
I own active Nubert speakers that have DSP and they're from 2013, also ahead of their time :)
The bass on them is very good for the size!
There’s something to be said for an integrated system like this. But the number of variations of the sound you can probably get from these may be a bit daunting. Almost too much choice for some people.
One thing that is absolutely needed for almost every situation IMO however is room correction. Let’s face it, most can’t do room treatments or don’t want to. The improvements you can get from room correction DSP in some cases can be quite astonishing. The Class D amps though I am still skeptical over...however I am open minded!
As long as they don't oversaturate people with different tunes and keeps the profiles specific / generic, I think it'll be fine. If however, they deliver a shotgun spread of tunes, then yep.. I agree that it will be too much of a good thing.
@@ZeroFidelity that's like saying "if people only upload intelligent shit on the internet it will be a good thing for everyone but if people won't stop uploading dumb BS..." yaddayadda, you get my point.
Great review. A lot of food for thought here. I'm taking my 25 year old Meridian system and putting in my games room and having something a little more modern in my living room that my wife agrees with. This looks like it might be what I'm looking for.
Whats the equivlant to this using a PC ? Take room measurements and then use mini DSP ?
How do they compare with the PMC Result 6?
Will this sound better than Dynaudio Special 40 with a nice amp?
Tried a few active speakers, but went back to passive in the end. I do enjoy putting the right synergy together and trying out different amps/dacs.
Did you try the Elac Navis, Dynaudio Xeo, or Swan M3/M5?
@@aceofspades6667 I mostly tried some Pro audio monitors (Neumann, Adam audio)
Z reviews is going to adore these. His next favorite speaker lol
Clear sounding. Reasonably Loud. 25Hz bass. Yup. I think you may be right.
Im stoked for the a700 towers.
Now that.. is more up my speed. Big towers. Lots of air being moved. Heck yeah!
Glad you mentioned Dutch & Dutch. Don't forget Elac too
Hello Sean - will these give me the sound of a tower (e.g. Bowers 603)?
Audio gears often cost 1.5-2X more with the insanely high import taxes over the maximum retail price, with these conditions I'd call the Buchardt audio a great value with amazing versatility. According to Buchardt's website, they refund the import taxes on their speakers.
15:17 - "...you can customise the sound for the room that you have it in as well as to your taste, in a way that's impossible to achieve with a passive loudspeaker system" - is this really true? What about adding Dirac/MiniDSP to a passive system together with a DAC with a built-in equaliser e.g. RME ADI-2 Pro?
Similar product to the Bowers and Wilkins Formation Duo, although the Buchardt does have more features with tuneing options.. Similar price too.
For those of you that have these and stream music does Qobuz recognize the A500 from its app or do you have to open the A500 app to stream it and how well does all that work ? Seems like a small point but how well these apps all integrate is actually huge in every day use. I have a Bluesound powernode and Qobuz does not find it. I have to work through the Bluesound app which is just plain poor and so far have not been able to transfer my several hundred song playlists from Spotify through to Bluesound. Amazon had the same issues and worse. Spotify is by far the best app in finding and suggesting music to listen to but as everyone know it is not lossless and just sounds bad in comparison. I know they are supposed to come out with higher rez soon but I don't want to wait. With such a new product I worry about the integration with the Buchardt A500's ?
I think the a500/a700 grate idea as a product. Wireless + dsp based + individual amplifier for each driver. Fantastic for audiophiles who what to customize how would sound there speakers. But. I think they are missing the most important thing. Audiophiles do not want to equalize the sound. Especially when eq tool is so complicated. But instead of eq i where preferred to have ability to play with crossover points and time alignment to tune the speakers to sound as I’d like them to sound. Sorry but for me it’s a dealbreaker point. And one more thing. The ability to build 2.2 system. Ability to add stereo subs. Not just 2 subs. Stereo subs to extend button range and add the subs power to system.
I may have just missed it, but could you please address the off axis response? A lot of my listening is not in the seated sweet spot. Thanks again for another great review !
It's real good. On par with the (original) S400 in that regard!
I wonder if the higher end market really wants a solution like this and if it'll sell well. I think most audiophiles still prefer a more traditional setup. I could be wrong
According to Buchardt, its sold extremely well so far and most people (who've heard it) seem to really like it. Apparently I'm the only reviewer who isn't completely blown away, which isn't surprising given how jaded I am. :D. Moreover, I think there's a big market for it. Sure, the price is a bit alienating, but I think the concept is something most people welcome. A speaker that works for you, and not the other way around. Couple that with convenience, and yep, I could easily see this kind of a solution becoming the norm for most people who aren't hardcore nerds.
@@ZeroFidelity I agree with everything you just said. But i just wonder if they made some passive "S500s" that were a marked improvement over the s400s if they would make more money that way. But I do give Buchardt credit for trying to modernize HiFi, and this system does sound incredibly promising and cool tbh
@ Matthew Christ a passive system better than the S400 in the same size cabinet is simply not possible. That is exactly why the S400 is such a marvel. The only way to improve the sound is going the active route with a DSP and variable crossovers. Basically what Sonos does but than with high end components. By the way people were asking the same questions about Tesla at the time. I actually expect Buchardt will launch cheaper active speakers in the future, when they scale up.
you are
Sounds like a very interesting piece of kit, but my experience with tech has me extremely reluctant to rely on anything that is software driven. I like my stuff as simple as possible!
Exactly, since you are betting on the developers maintaining their software.
Yeah, it's like streaming videogames from servers.
It's the future and it's shit.
Dean Reimer
Yes, I am old school but Roon is pretty impressive in which case I don’t mind streaming for convenience sake
Digital is here to stay whether we like it or not
If i decide to go this way i have limitation to have speakers really close to a wall. How close to wall this speaker needs to be?
which passive speaker sounds more like the A500? The S400? @zerofidelity
Enjoy your impression of this speaker, especially the part on in-room EQ. Good job.
This is so out of this world. But i can still dream. Don't i ???
Yeah, you can dream.
OR you could get a decent amp for a couple of hundred bucks like a Crown XLS and then hook up something like KEF R-300.
That's less than 1,5k and you could live your dream and be a happy human every day.
Tyler Durden thanks for this I will search it further.
Any plan to change your review/comment on A500/700 after a year?
I have trouble making the S400 disappear/getting the sound to detach from the speakers and with getting a solid center image. A little li’e there is a sphere of sound around each speaker, instead of one large one. On some movies the dialogue seems to fluctuate between center and localized at the speakers. I have no such issues with my b&w 805 and triangle trio (when on home dem). Super intrigued but not sure if the A500 would be any different 🤔