The Absolute Sound
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- Apr 19, 2013
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- #1
<p>
<strong>Paradigm Shift A2</strong><br/><em>$279-$329</em><br/><a href="http://paradigm.com">paradigm.com</a><br/>A 2012 Golden Ear recipient, the Shift A2 is more than just a cleverly named loudspeaker. Compact, internally powered, and equipped with DSP bass management and enough backpanel inputs to connect to almost any source, this is what 21st century entry-level high end is all about. A combination of sound and value, it extends the welcome mat to budding highenders who may have felt they couldn’t afford the entrance fee.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Paradigm%20Shift%20A2.jpg" title="Paradigm Shift A2"/></p>
<p>
<strong>Focal XS Book</strong><br/><em>$299</em><br/><a href="http://audioplusservices.com">audioplusservices.com</a><br/>While functioning best as nearfield monitors tethered to a good computer-audio system, the XS Book speakers also work beautifully as part of a smallroom bookshelf system. For $299 these powered speakers offer a lot of sound, flexibility, and functionality. And though, in the end, they are a lifestyle rather than an audiophile product, it’s a lifestyle that most people won’t mind living.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Focal%20XS%20Book.jpg" title="Focal XS Book"/></p>
<p>
<strong>B&W MM-1</strong><br/><em>$499</em><br/><a href="http://bwspeakers.com">bwspeakers.com</a><br/>Small and attractive enough to place on a desktop without rearrangements, the MM-1 features B&W’s famed Nautilus tweeter technology, a pair of 3" “woofers,” and four miniature, Class D, 18-watt amplifiers. The sound is notably natural with vocals, well balanced, and surprisingly open. Although there is no deep bass, what’s there will satisfy most, without the need of a cumbersome addon subwoofer.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/B%26W%20MM-1.jpg" title="B&W MM-1"/></p>
<p>
<strong>Magnepan Mini-Maggie</strong><br/><em>$1490–$2285</em><br/><a href="http://magnepan.com">magnepan.com</a><br/>The Mini-Maggie system is a three-piece, ribbon-tweeter-equipped, planar-magnetic, dipole speaker system intended primarily for desktop use. Featuring small tweeter/ midrange panels that sit atop the desk and a two-channel mid/bass panel that sits in the footwell below, the Mini- Maggie package is arguably the finest desktop speaker made. In detail, resolution, purity, freedom from grain, soundstage width and depth, and, above all, coherence, it sounds like a pair of Magnepan’s exceptional 3.7s on a smaller scale.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Magnepan%20Mini-Maggie.jpg" title="Magnepan Mini-Maggie"/></p>
[Source: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2013-tas-editors-choice-awards-desktop-loudspeakers/]
<strong>Paradigm Shift A2</strong><br/><em>$279-$329</em><br/><a href="http://paradigm.com">paradigm.com</a><br/>A 2012 Golden Ear recipient, the Shift A2 is more than just a cleverly named loudspeaker. Compact, internally powered, and equipped with DSP bass management and enough backpanel inputs to connect to almost any source, this is what 21st century entry-level high end is all about. A combination of sound and value, it extends the welcome mat to budding highenders who may have felt they couldn’t afford the entrance fee.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Paradigm%20Shift%20A2.jpg" title="Paradigm Shift A2"/></p>
<p>
<strong>Focal XS Book</strong><br/><em>$299</em><br/><a href="http://audioplusservices.com">audioplusservices.com</a><br/>While functioning best as nearfield monitors tethered to a good computer-audio system, the XS Book speakers also work beautifully as part of a smallroom bookshelf system. For $299 these powered speakers offer a lot of sound, flexibility, and functionality. And though, in the end, they are a lifestyle rather than an audiophile product, it’s a lifestyle that most people won’t mind living.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Focal%20XS%20Book.jpg" title="Focal XS Book"/></p>
<p>
<strong>B&W MM-1</strong><br/><em>$499</em><br/><a href="http://bwspeakers.com">bwspeakers.com</a><br/>Small and attractive enough to place on a desktop without rearrangements, the MM-1 features B&W’s famed Nautilus tweeter technology, a pair of 3" “woofers,” and four miniature, Class D, 18-watt amplifiers. The sound is notably natural with vocals, well balanced, and surprisingly open. Although there is no deep bass, what’s there will satisfy most, without the need of a cumbersome addon subwoofer.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/B%26W%20MM-1.jpg" title="B&W MM-1"/></p>
<p>
<strong>Magnepan Mini-Maggie</strong><br/><em>$1490–$2285</em><br/><a href="http://magnepan.com">magnepan.com</a><br/>The Mini-Maggie system is a three-piece, ribbon-tweeter-equipped, planar-magnetic, dipole speaker system intended primarily for desktop use. Featuring small tweeter/ midrange panels that sit atop the desk and a two-channel mid/bass panel that sits in the footwell below, the Mini- Maggie package is arguably the finest desktop speaker made. In detail, resolution, purity, freedom from grain, soundstage width and depth, and, above all, coherence, it sounds like a pair of Magnepan’s exceptional 3.7s on a smaller scale.</p>
<p>
<img alt="" class="caption" src="http://media.tas.zeitpress.com/articles/images/Magnepan%20Mini-Maggie.jpg" title="Magnepan Mini-Maggie"/></p>
[Source: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2013-tas-editors-choice-awards-desktop-loudspeakers/]