HiFi Speaker Reviews

Focal-JMlab tends to offer a full range of size options with its speaker series and the Chorus is no exception. There are five stereo models in the midrange Chorus 800 V series (and the same for the cheaper Chorus 700 V series) and this is the larger of the two standmounts (the 806 is slightly smaller).

There’s none of Focal’s beryllium tweeter malarkey at this price point, but the inverted dome made from an ‘aluminummagnesium’ alloy, is very finely detailed, though with perhaps just a touch more nasality than we’d like.

With the covers off especially, there’s a terrific amount of detail on show, though there’s also the feeling of a little bit of separation from the midrange picture.

The larger size means that it packed the most bass punch of anything else here, nothing woolly or undefined either, just the good sort - tight, controlled and powerful, though there’s a chance that these hefty speakers were a tad overwhelming for the modestly sized room we were using for this test.

Mordaunt-Short unveiled a particularly snazzy brace of stereo speakers at the Munich High End Show, the Mezzo 2 standmounters and the Mezzo 6 floorstanders set to cost around £400 to £800 when they’re released this September. Looking similar to Kef’s Q range, these cabinets are curved to reduce standing waves but still retain their individuality with MS’s proprietary Continuous Profile Cone 6.5in aluminium mid/bass driver.

Product image of the Mordaunt Short Mezzo tweeter The real talking point however is the Mezzo’s Aspirated Tweeter Technology (pictured) which has been passed down from the high-end Performance series. Embedded on top of the cabinet, it houses a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter and has a vented design on the top side to allow the production of “diffuse field energy” - which apparently allows the tweeter to “breathe” for a more open and detailed sound.

As for the cosmetics, the cabinets will be available in light oak and dark walnut and will feature some nice contrasting magnetic grilles for more modest owners. The home cinema enthusiast hasn’t been forgotten either, as a full 5.1 system will be revealed and launched this September at IFA in Berlin.

Given Mordaunt-Short’s track record with the THX Select 500 and their award-winning Genie sub/sat system, this could be one exciting piece of kit.

Source: http://www.avreview.co.uk

B&W has redesigned its popular 600 Series range of speakers. The company has trickled down some of the technology from the more advanced (and more expensive) 800 Series. The Nautilus tube tweeter now features a neodymium magnet system designed to increase sensitivity, and B&W claims it’s the most advanced they’ve ever offered in an entry-level range.

Other improvements include a copper-plated pole-piece for extended high frequency response, an edge-wound voice coil for lower voice-coil mass and a new surround material which is intended to lower the resonance frequency, reducing the chance of audible resonances.

The new bas/mid drivers meanwhile have a new open profile cast chassis, a new type of phase plug designed to minimise any air noise, an improved surround profile for better midrange response and copper-clad pole piece that’s supposed to improve integration with the tweeter.

They come in Wengé (dark brown), Black Ash, Light Oak and Red Cherry wood veneer finishes and there’s a diamond-cut logo etched on the brushed aluminium tweeter for a touch of extra class.

Source: http://www.avreview.co.uk

Mordaunt-Short has been through many changes since the late Norman Mordaunt founded his speaker company back in the 1960s. Early Mordaunt models, such as the Arundel, were relatively expensive, but things changed gear when Rodney Short joined in 1967. Short lengthened the firm’s name by adding his own, injected a chunk of capital, and took aim at the emerging mass market. Brothers Michael and Chris Short took over in the 1970s, and Mike Dedman designed the Carnival, Festival, and Pageant models, which became some of the most popular budget speakers around. That tradition continued through the 1980s, with the acquisition of Epos and founder-designer Robin Marshall. In the 1990s, Mordaunt-Short was bought by the TGI Group, where it operated alongside Tannoy and Goodmans. As the millennium approached, TGI began to move out of loudspeakers, and sold M-S to The Audio Partnership (TAP) and Epos to Mike Creek.

A little more than 10 years old, TAP is one of British hi-fi’s recent success stories. It grew out of leading budget retail chain Richer Sounds, and began by working closely with Far East suppliers to create “budget audiophile” electronics under the relaunched Cambridge Audio brand. Since buying Mordaunt-Short and the Opus multiroom operation, TAP employs 70 people in its London headquarters and, indirectly, rather more in the Far East.

A major link with the past is design engineer Graeme Foy, who worked alongside Robin Marshall on Epos and M-S speakers in the 1990s. Foy’s first task with TAP was to create a number of budget-priced stereo and multichannel models for Mordaunt-Short. That done, he was given his creative head to design the far more ambitious Performance range, with the intention of establishing new performance benchmarks through the use of advanced materials and engineering.

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