Buchardt S400 Speaker Review

[MaxBuck]

Not sure what to make of this review? Then hop a ride to cool, relaxing Phoenix Arizona on August 27 to hear the the S400 II and a bunch of other stand mounts sponsored by the Arizona Audio/Video Club. I'll be there to annoy and confuse. Here's the lineup:

1. ATC SCM 11, Courtesy of Lone Mountain Audio, Brad Lunde, Leland Leard
2. KLH Model 5, Courtesy of KLH Audio, Jeff Dano
3. KEF R3, Courtesy of OmniClassic Recording, Ben Taylor
4. Sonus Faber Lumina II, Courtesy of Dedicated Audio, Dan & Matt Harmon
5. Totem Sky, Courtesy of LMC Entertainment, Mike Ware, Paul Henningsen
6. Philharmonic BMR Monitors, Courtesy of Philharmonic Audio, Dennis Murphy
7. Polk Audio Legend L200, Courtesy of Polk Audio, George Klopfer
8. LSA Signature 80, Courtesy of LSA Audio, Walter Liederman
9. Tekton Design Impact Monitors, Courtesy of Woolsons Audio, Larry Woolson
10. Monitor Audio 100 Gold, Courtesy of Dedicated Audio, Dan Harmon
11. Buchardt Audio S400 MkII, Courtesy of Mads Buchardt
12. Triangle Comete 40th Anniversary, Courtesy of Frank Gazzo
13. GoldenEar BRX, Courtesy of Chris Volk, GoldenEar Technology
14. GR-Research X-LS Encore, Courtesy of Stephen Scharf

Cool, relaxing Phoenix in August. LOL. But a very impressive lineup of small speakers. Wish I could be there, Dennis, to audition your BMRs!

 

[Chromatischism]

Even if Vilip said such a thing, he is just of the three. But Vilip personally owns a Magnepan, and has previously owned Martin Logan, both of which are very neutral. He is also a fan of JBL, especially the classic ones (I think he owns a pair of those stashed away somewhere).

I don't know how to provide a link to a YouTube comment. It was the latest video where they bought another pair.

Are Magnepans really neutral though? I thought I recall those being more mid-forward, but I could be wrong. Martin Logan speakers aren't super neutral either. If you're talking about their ESLs, then like the Magnepans, I don't know how we would compare since we're not talking about monopole speakers. Classic JBLs had their own house sound as well.

Adrian (the store owner) personally owns the Wilson Alex (or one of those very expensive Wilson's similar to it), which is one of the most brutally revealing and neutral speakers ever made. It's ugly as hell, but it is neutral.

No clue about Wilsons. I can't find anechoic measurements, but I found these which show the tweeter to get a little bumpy. Not sure if they are worth anything.

Louis (or Lewis, not sure) personally owns the Dynaudio Special Forty, a 2-way stand mounted speaker, which is relatively neutral (being Danish and all, like the Buchardt).

From what I have seen, the Special 40 is only kind-of neutral, in the Dynaudio way. They have their own sound, like JBL.

So none of the speakers on the list are as neutral as the S400 MKII. It's obviously just not what they prefer, and that's fine, but they need to give it a better amp than the Hegel and they need to find the root cause of some of their weird experiences, like low image height.

 

[Chromatischism]

Not sure what to make of this review? Then hop a ride to cool, relaxing Phoenix Arizona on August 27 to hear the the S400 II and a bunch of other stand mounts sponsored by the Arizona Audio/Video Club. I'll be there to annoy and confuse. Here's the lineup:

1. ATC SCM 11, Courtesy of Lone Mountain Audio, Brad Lunde, Leland Leard
2. KLH Model 5, Courtesy of KLH Audio, Jeff Dano
3. KEF R3, Courtesy of OmniClassic Recording, Ben Taylor
4. Sonus Faber Lumina II, Courtesy of Dedicated Audio, Dan & Matt Harmon
5. Totem Sky, Courtesy of LMC Entertainment, Mike Ware, Paul Henningsen
6. Philharmonic BMR Monitors, Courtesy of Philharmonic Audio, Dennis Murphy
7. Polk Audio Legend L200, Courtesy of Polk Audio, George Klopfer
8. LSA Signature 80, Courtesy of LSA Audio, Walter Liederman
9. Tekton Design Impact Monitors, Courtesy of Woolsons Audio, Larry Woolson
10. Monitor Audio 100 Gold, Courtesy of Dedicated Audio, Dan Harmon
11. Buchardt Audio S400 MkII, Courtesy of Mads Buchardt
12. Triangle Comete 40th Anniversary, Courtesy of Frank Gazzo
13. GoldenEar BRX, Courtesy of Chris Volk, GoldenEar Technology
14. GR-Research X-LS Encore, Courtesy of Stephen Scharf

That is quite a lineup. I'm surprised. Some brands don't like submitting speakers to compete against others.

 

[Chromatischism]

Please don't try and tell me that if you won $200 million in the lottery, that you would be buying a Class D amp for your best 2-channel stereo system. Please don't tell me that.

I would still use my NCore but I may buy a 3-channel Purifi if I came into some money. No, I wouldn't buy a class A, even if I had millions in disposable income.

 

[Mark_A]

I would still use my NCore but I may buy a 3-channel Purifi if I came into some money. No, I wouldn't buy a class A, even if I had millions in disposable income.

I didn't say $1 million. One million in disposable income is nothing. How about $200 million? I would very likely go Class A with that much money.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

That is quite a lineup. I'm surprised. Some brands don't like submitting speakers to compete against others.

A lot, and maybe most, of the speakers are being provided by private parties. But the Buchardt is being supplied by the factory. Good for them.

 

[Mark_A]

Wow, nice line up.
I wish i could make it

Are you serious? Phoenix in August? The average high temperature is 105 F and 115 is not unusual.

 

[muad]

I don't know anyone who prefers a Class D amp over Class A or class A/B, except that Class D for the same power output is much less expensive, is much more compact, and develops much less heat. The McIntosh Class D amp is designed for multi-channel home theater use, where absolutely best fidelity is not so critical in the rear or side channels.

Please don't try and tell me that if you won $200 million in the lottery, that you would be buying a Class D amp for your best 2-channel stereo system. Please don't tell me that.

You seem to have a fixation on cost relating to sound quality, regarding speakers and amplifiers.

There is a strong correlation between cost and psycho acoustics

I love the hell out of my hypex amplifier. Dead quiet, clear and never runs out of steam. The fact that it's better for the environment and doesn't add too much heat in the summer is just a bonus. If I won the lottery I would grab some purifi class Ds or the d&d 8c and whatever amplifiers it comes with.

 

[Mark_A]

I'd rather spend in better speakers than in a non-issue that amps are today.

I agree that the importance of amps is somewhat over-rated compared to speakers. Although there is some difference in sound between solid state and tubes, the Audio Excellence review of the S400 was done with a Hegel integrated amp that is highly regarded, and that is very revealing in detail. But if I had $200 million, I probably would get a Class A amp (or one that is in Class for most of the listing range).

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Are you serious? Phoenix in August? The average high temperature is 105 F and 115 is not unusual.

Perhaps this will separate out the wimps from the audiophiles.

 

[Vacceo]

I agree that the importance of amps is somewhat over-rated compared to speakers. Although there is some difference in sound between solid state and tubes, the Audio Excellence review of the S400 was done with a Hegel integrated amp that is highly regarded, and that is very revealing in detail. But if I had $200 million, I probably would get a Class A amp (or one that is in Class for most of the listing range).

Yep, the difference is psychoacoustics. For tubes, it is distortion. Nothing wrong with liking distortion, though.

 

[Mark_A]

You seem to have a fixation on cost relating to sound quality, regarding speakers and amplifiers.

There is a strong correlation between cost and psycho acoustics

I love the hell out of my hypex amplifier. Dead quiet, clear and never runs out of steam. The fact that it's better for the environment and doesn't add too much heat in the summer is just a bonus. If I won the lottery I would grab some purifi class Ds or the d&d 8c and whatever amplifiers it comes with.

When did I have a fixation about relating the cost with sound quality of amps and speakers? Class A amps usually do cost more, because they require significant heat dissipation aa bunch of other technical reasons. My preference for Class A amps goes back to 1998 when I purchased a Creek OBH-11 SE Class A headphone amp, that was better than any headphone amp I have every heard (unfortunately it finally gave out early this year). But I would probably never buy a Class A speaker amp, because the watt per dollar is not usually worth it.

My new headphone amp is a Schiit Magnius that costs $200, and in Balanced mode, is very accurate, with very low distortion (in measurements I have seen on this website). I very much like the way it sounds. Shortly before I got the Magnius, I had previously purchased a Singxer SA-1 Class A headphone amp that supposedly also measured flat with very low distortion, but IMO placed an obvious veil over the music. I took a $200 beating on the SA-1 selling it on eBay. So it is clear to me (no pun intended) that measurements are not the only thing that matters when it comes to amplifiers. But I "generally" don't believe that things like high-end cables, network switches, etc, make any audio difference.

I certainly don't equate cost with accuracy in speakers either. The best speakers I have ever heard are very expensive, but some other very expensive speakers I have heard are fairly colored in sound to my ears, and not particularly appealing to me. I own a pair of PSB Synchrony 2 speakers that I purchased in 2009, and I think they sound very good.

I don't know how this whole conversation has progressed to discrediting the listening test opinions of Audio Excellence. It almost appears that some people are saying that the S400 must be good sounding because it is only about $2200 a pair, or that the ones tested by AE were likely defective, or all kinds of other crazy reasons. I just accept the fact that they didn't think they were in any way special and not up to the hype they heard about them. But AE probably would not like my PSB Synchrony 2 speakers either, and I don't really care.

 

[Vacceo]

If there is a difference, you can explain it. If the explanation is accurate, it can be backed with measures. Everyone can use REW.

 

[Mark_A]

Yep, the difference is psychoacoustics. For tubes, it is distortion. Nothing wrong with liking distortion, though.

I don't believe the difference between Class A and Class A/B or Class D is 100% psychoacoustics (based on my listening experience with headphone amps), at least not for me. Whether a preference that is based solely on cost is psychoacoustics, is an entirely different matter. Even though not all Class A amps sound better than all other Classes of amps, they often do, and they are more costly to make. Class A amps are not a gimmick, unlike some high-end cables, power cords, network switches, etc. Whether Class A amps are worth it, is an entirely different question. Someone who has $200 million may not want to spend the time and hassle of trying different equipment, and just get what most consider to be the best, even if they are not sure they can hear the difference.

 

[Mark_A]

If there is a difference, you can explain it. If the explanation is accurate, it can be backed with measures. Everyone can use REW.

Then why do reviewers (including the official reviews on this website), include listening tests for speakers in addition to the measurements? The idea that one should buy a speaker based solely on measurements is not a good idea IMO. However, in this day and age, where a lot of products are only sold online direct from the manufacturer, there is no way for the buyer to do a listening test, so they often rely on listening tests performed by others.

 

[Vacceo]

Because they feel less intimidating and we enjoy empathy.

 

[muad]

When did I have a fixation about relating the cost with sound quality of amps and speakers? Class A amps usually do cost more, because they require significant heat dissipation aa bunch of other technical reasons. My preference for Class A amps goes back to 1998 when I purchased a Creek OBH-11 SE Class A headphone amp, that was better than any headphone amp I have every heard (unfortunately it finally gave out early this year). But I would probably never buy a Class A speaker amp, because the watt per dollar is not usually worth it.

My new headphone amp is a Schiit Magnius that costs $200, and in Balanced mode, is very accurate, with very low distortion (in measurements I have seen on this website). I very much like the way it sounds. Shortly before I got the Magnius, I had previously purchased a Singxer SA-1 Class A headphone amp that supposedly also measured flat with very low distortion, but IMO placed an obvious veil over the music. I took a $200 beating on the SA-1 selling it on eBay. So it is clear to me (no pun intended) that measurements are not the only thing that matters when it comes to amplifiers. But I "generally" don't believe that things like high-end cables, network switches, etc, make any audio difference.

I certainly don't equate cost with accuracy in speakers either. The best speakers I have ever heard are very expensive, but some other very expensive speakers I have heard are fairly colored in sound to my ears, and not particularly appealing to me. I own a pair of PSB Synchrony 2 speakers that I purchased in 2009, and I think they sound very good.

I don't know how this whole conversation has progressed to discrediting the listening test opinions of Audio Excellence. It almost appears that some people are saying that the S400 must be good sounding because it is only about $2200 a pair, or that the ones tested by AE were likely defective, or all kinds of other crazy reasons. I just accept the fact that they didn't think they were in any way special and not up to the hype they heard about them. But AE probably would not like my PSB Synchrony 2 speakers either, and I don't really care.

Sorry, some of your posts came across in that way.

Btw if your synchrony 2 measure similarly to the synchony 1, they're outstanding!!

 

[Mark_A]

Because they feel less intimidating and we enjoy empathy.

OK, so you are saying that listening to speakers before you buy them is a waste of time, and one should base the purchase solely based on measurements? I guess audio shows are also a waste of time also.

 

[Vacceo]

OK, so you are saying that listening to speakers before you buy them is a waste of time, and one should base the purchase solely based on measurements? I guess audio shows are also a waste of time also.

Where I live, it is not posible as they do not exist or are too far away.

I bought the LS50 Wireless II solely on measurements. They are exactly what I expected.

 

[Mark_A]

Where I live, it is not posible as they do not exist or are too far away.

I bought the LS50 Wireless II solely on measurements. They are exactly what I expected.

I didn't say that we can always listen to speakers or other audio products before we buy them, I said that is the ideal situation, especially for speakers. For example, the S400 is only available via direct order from the manufacturer in Denmark. Did you read any listening test reviews before hand? Why does the creator of this Audio Science Review website perform listening tests in addition to measurements?