Borresen Loudspeakers

@gandalf .... Heresy IV's...Dahlquist 905's....Triangle Celius ES....JBL Studio 590 (great Rock speaker)....JBL Studio 390 (small tower)...Caintuck open baffle w/ LII-15 drivers...Jensen C-1's....Quad 21-L's....Alon ( Nola) Lotus Elite.....Mirage M-490's...Teckton Pendragon's ( love 'em)..Maggie LRS w/ risers.+ The Borresen     X-3's....OH , and a pair of LS3/5a's....any takers....My bedroom looks like a Speaker Shop.

Great looking speaker, I heard the Raidho’s and owned some Scansonics, great sound but a touch bright for me. The new shinny coin syndrome and hype have set in, which can make things difficult to choose any speaker. The best way to make any decision before you go all in and bash a speaker you haven’t heard, is order a go listen to a pair if you can, or order a pair. <<< Much easier to do at this price point. Common sense always wins in my book, so I ordered a pair, and if I don’t like them I will just sell them.. I think these speakers could fall in the category of value, quality = spectacular sound. (Time will tell) Heck even the new Magnepan LRS+ are remarkable for what they do at $1300 with risers.

mbmi: 12 speakers? Which brands? Heck I thought I was a speaker whore, with 4 speakers and soon to be 5 (X1)... Another monitor I have and love is the Audio Physic Spark, very, very good. Subjective hobby, and enjoy what you have!

This isn't rocket science!!!  And I'm definitely no rocket scientist, "LOL"......As we all know, buying speakers, like anything else, is highly personal and subjective.  One mans treasure is another mans trash.  Just that simple.  There's a multitude of great sounding speakers out there, in all shapes, sizes, and price points at your disposal, and  Borresen is one of them.  I've heard Borresen speakers at shows on many occasions and each time I heard them, I thought they sounded simply outstanding.  I own a different brand that I think sounds just as outstanding as Borresen, and, so do many, many others.  Different strokes for different folks.  Oh...I thought that's what high end audio was all about.  Happy listening.

Aavik has a new integrated. amp (Axess) @ $5,500 that matches up nicely with the X series speakers....That's the one they use at shows. The X series is not dry...but...It's not big , fat and thumpy either. It's the first speaker that really gets me saying to myself,  WOW...every time I hear them. ( I have 12 pr. of audiophile speakers of various brands)

I listened to a pair of Borresen 02’s at next level a few years ago that sounded a bit dry compared to the raidho D1.1 I listen to at the next level room during axpona. I pay attention to setup and components in use when I hear speakers I like and I really like the D1.1 demo at axpona, what i don’t like is the price, set up or cost of the speakers or price of Aavik components. When I see a pair of Raidho D5’s resell for 10% retail it makes me wonder what they actually cost to manufacture?

haha...the X-3's are the Liveliest speaker I've heard in years and I own them....I'm very familiar with the Qualio's and I like them a lot BUT They are definitely more laid back...The Borresens tell it like it is.

I've heard the X3s at a friend's place a couple of weeks ago and we didn't like them, we found them pretty boring, slow and not lively

We compared them to his Qualio IQs which are much better and less expensive.

Amp used was a Hegel H590 with plenty of power.

This only our opinion, other people might like them.

I heard the Borresen 01's at The Show in LA last year in Next Level's room.  I have never heard such a soundstage.  It was endlessly wide, tall and deep.  The spatial illusion was completely mesmerizing.  Perhaps the best sound I have ever heard.  I ended up buying the Borresen 03's from Tyler at Next Level a couple of months later.  I run them with Ayre Acoustic MXR monos, and QX-5 streaming preamp.  The system sounds amazing at home, although not quite as amazing as Next Level's demo in that small hotel room.

Well said.....Some of these posters are just plain ignorant and just trying to put down items that they know nothing about and never experienced. They start to get a reputation on AG for poo-pooing everything that's exciting for the rest of us. They are too stupid to realize that after a while the rest of us , that are here to experience  new items and new ideas, loose respect for any dribble they profess....and eventually they are laughed out of here and lose all credibility as someone who can actually add something genuine to these forums.

It's interesting to read the suspicious comments from people that likely never these speakers.  There are many design factors that interest me such as the dipole ribbon tweeter is the same device that Borresen uses in their $550k M6. I also want to hear the bass that a pair of 4.5" drivers can produce and the effect that 6 ports have.

For those of you that like to criticize everything before you audition them, please let us know in the 1st sentence of your post to save the rest of us review time.

@questforhifi hearing is believing.....These speakers do many things that speakers twice the price don't.  The new X1 sounds so much bigger than a "bookshelf" type of speaker with such a "live" sound that the artist appears to be coming from the middle of the room.  There is an unmistakeable three dimensional sound that creates a connection to the music.  Imaging and tonality is realistic not muddy or oversaturated.  So, for me, hearing the X1 for the first time led me to make a purchase on the spot with @nextlevelhifi.  I have spent significant time over the past 2 1/2 years listening to bookshelf speakers from as many manufacturer's as possible all over the country and at this price point nothing comes close. The closest sound in this approximate size is $16k based on what I have heard.

I encourage you to take a listen.

Since we are talking about this brand

what do they do differently that a zillion other companies dont already do

what new technologies have they implemented? Design wise they look plane jane and completely uninteresting

is there anything unique about this line of speakers? Do they do ANYTHING special in this ultra saturated martket, or are they just another of many

What your wrote sounds EXACTLY like the kef blades. Especially the imaging and soundstage part

i especially like the part where you said they sound like they cost a multiple of their price point… as if you took it directly from a kef review or forum post

Sounds like they are a full decade late to the market

I went to the website because I'm really wanted to learn about these speakers. This is the worst website and very annoying. All I want to see is the speakers and maybe some specs and the model line and it was a major effort to figure out all your website stuff. Why is it so difficult to figure your products out?

The people who design the website actually use it? Do the executives at the company get frustrated with their website?

@ cycles 2.... The AGD website can be tricky to navigate. The X 3's are listed, but the X 1's are not.  Here is a link to them. The X and O series are 2 completely different lines. The O's are a premium line below the M series of speakers.I believe the X3 and X1 will be in different rooms on the 6th floor in Florida. The M3's  will be part of a reference system in a ground level room.

Excuse my not knowing the Borresen product line but their website doesn't list X1 or X3s.  On the website they list the Borresen 01 Silver Supreme Edition and the Borresen 03.  Are these the X1 and X3?  I plan to listen to the Borresen and the Clarisys Minuets speakers at the upcoming Florida Audio Expo and want to make sure I'm listening to the correct Borresen models being discussed here.

I am the happy owner of Raidho D.1.1 and I can recommend these speakers to anyone who can afford them! They are so great that I am sure they will be the last ones I will own for the rest of my life!

I attended the Pacific NW Audiofest last summer.  Lots of overly loud rooms, questionable music with the once in a while random room playing music I liked at a volume I could tolerate. 

After most of a day I found myself downstairs on the main floor cruising through cds and records.  I bought some and upon leaving I heard a female vocalist down the hall.  I knew that live music was a part of the show and headed down the hall to check out the band.

It was the Borrenson room.  Speakers I can't afford and electronics I would die for.  I didn't care.  It was the only room I visited that sounded like music. 

I'm looking forward to the show this year and hope to buy a pair.  I don't care about the physics, or the size of the woofers.  They sounded like real live music.  And that's all I care about.

The Borrenson teeeter is exceptional ,where they screwed up is in the Bass 

the 2 - 4.5 inch drivers are perfect for the mids mid mid to low bass atleast 2-7 inch drivers then the speakers would go down to a flat 30 hz on the x3 a4 inch driver cannotpressurize a room ,you need at least one good sub,2 preferred .

I TrueType think Perlisten R7 or S7 get way overlook and verywell engineered

andthrir measured specs are very good vs much more expensive speakers.

I have a pair of M1s, but I’ve heard three or four other Børresen models as well. They really are outstanding, even the ones that cost a tenth of the retail price of mine.

E139: Børresen’s Astounding X3 Loudspeaker (youtube.com)    everyone: please listen to this.  Thank you. This explains why the Borresens sound is unique.

@woots 

Thanks for the reply. I’ll bet they do sound amazing! I heard the M1 a few years back at Axpona and those blew me away! Congratulations and enjoy! 

I have owned two pair of Raidho speakers and I absolutely loved them. I assume Borresen is a very similar sound.

@ronboco I was told that there are many patents held by Michael B. on his line of speakers. I feel confident that these were developed in house using super thin layers that go through a process that makes them as strong as a metal. For example, the “cage” that holds the driver is made from a 3D printer because the metal they use would destroy diamond tips based on this unique design. Each driver is done through this process. Please, by all means, investigate for yourself and even check in with @nextlevelhifi as I’m definitely NOT an expert…..I just love how they sound. Could Borresen sell their 4 1/2” driver design that they use in their speaker? That’s possible but I would not think likely.

@ronboco 

I thought the same thing the second that I saw them!

@woots 

Those bass drivers look just like the mids and woofers on my Rockport Avior ii speakers. You say they are custom made in house by Borressen? 

Wow, I get a strong hate vibe from some of the comments on here. What’s particularly disturbing is that I’d bet the majority of the haters have not actually heard the speakers. So much more goes into a quality speaker design than the size of the woofers. Sure, they do cost a lot, as do so many other high-end products, but they are extremely good. Are they a good value? You’d actually need to hear them before arriving at judgement.

Don’t forget that Børresen speakers are always demoed with 150K of Ansuz cabling. And their bass and placement is really tailored to big rooms, just like the Raidhos Michael used to design. 

Friend of mine has the big Raidho on 'cheap' blue jeans cabling and it seems to sound sublime..dude has one of the nicer Esoteric dacs, however...

Don’t forget that Børresen speakers are

always demoed with 150K of Ansuz cabling.

And their bass and placement is really tailored to big rooms, just like the Raidhos Michael used to design. 

deep_333

495 posts

02-02-2024 at 01:38am 

…

In a properly dialed-in multichannel music rig, you would hear no speaker or know where any sound came from ...except that the music will be all inside of ya before you knew it (in your head, inside every body cavity, etc), overwhelm you/ take over to the point where the audiophile’s thinking mind and all the squirrels in his head get shut down (bam)...nothing left but the music.

I don’t find allure in your wording, lol. I don’t mix more than two body cavities and music. Personal preference, obviously. 😉

Just let a fella enjoy the excitement over a renewed 2-Ch experience, hey? Properly implemented multi-Ch immersive sound is a neat new toy, but requires a lot of computing overhead in either kit or owner, and aims for something the vast majority of owned / streamed music isn’t (yet) optimized for. It’s also truly a matter of taste whether it bests more traditional approaches. Sounds like you and OP like the same speakers - ain’t that enough!? 😆

I've had the X2s for over a week now and they have hardly broken in yet but they are the best speakers I've had to date.  I'm limited in the space I have in my dedicated listening room (~15x20), so mostly had stand mounts or smaller footprint towers such as the Totem Tribe Towers in the past. 

Up until now I've always wanted a speaker that can reproduce percussions well. 

I consider myself a bass head and the Borresens are quite incredible in how much bass they can fill a room.  Even with my sub turned off it still produces bass with authority.  The best part is the bass such as the kick drums are a punch to the chest which is exactly the sensation I'm looking for.  The quality of the bass is fast, articulate, and amazingly deep. 

Can't wait for them to open up even more with time and additional placement/positioning to fully lock them in.

Contuzzi...you don't know what your talking about,...your stating opinion not fact ..what's the saying speak and remove all doubt.

Contuzzi...you don't know what your talking about,...your stating opinion not fact ..what's the saying speak and remove all doubt.

I don't see any brand hyping, just a lot of interest in a product which may be moving the performance/price ratio. If they are really good, we will soon know, if they are just another high priced speaker we'll soon know also.

So far, A lot of positive excitement from people who have accually heard the x series speakers

haha....no, not for me thank you......When I go to a concert.....the music is not coming from behind me. Good luck to you. I spent the entire evening last night listening to my X-3’s....I can’t believe how "realistic" to the actual music these speakers are.

This is typical of what one hears in a home theater dude’s rig, of course. Since he paid for a bunch of speakers, he wants to hear em all discreetly (feel like he got his money’s worth apparently!) and whatever movie sound effects/crap he wants to pinpoint/hear.

In a properly dialed-in multichannel music rig, you would hear no speaker or know where any sound came from ...except that the music will be all inside of ya before you knew it (in your head, inside every body cavity, etc), overwhelm you/ take over to the point where the audiophile’s thinking mind and all the squirrels in his head get shut down (bam)...nothing left but the music.

All these opinions are worthless about a speaker no one has heard but a handful of people..Personally I cant wait to hear these X1 speakers,Id think the audio community would rejoice about a truely giant killer at that price point..Its not like we are being feed the BS Tekton fanboys tried to shove down our throats.a year ago..

Very typical marketing campaign. The highest end of the range speakers perform well for a few hundred thousand dollars and then the lower end is marketed heavily as eye Candy.

The diameter of the base drivers is too small and already bass range and sound is considered a problem for the speakers. I think the smaller drivers are creating problems. This is a fad and I haven’t heard anybody really say wonderful things about the speakers just the design and what they look like which hardly makes a good speaker.

The cabinets are too small along with the drivers being too small

+1 @mbmi 

Borresen X1

Finally, some pics from the event @nextlevelhifi with Jay from @jays_audio_lab 

haha....no, not for me thank you......When I go to a concert.....the music is not coming from behind me. Good luck to you. I spent the entire evening last night listening to my X-3's....I can't believe how "realistic" to the actual music these speakers are. 

To those who have actually heard these new speakers, including the OP, you all seem to have the same reaction after hearing them, which is to say they sound fantastic and they sound bigger than bookshelves. Your word means 100X more than others, and you are also substantiating what @jays_audio_lab has said in his livestream.

I just purchased a pair of Audiovector R6 Arette’s but I wish I could have heard some Borresen’s for comparison in my region before buying. Not an option unfortunately. Audiovector cabinets are also made in China with all else made in Denmark. Great to see another Danish brand shaking up the market with innovative products!

One practical downside to these narrower style speakers including Borresen and Audiovector - they are tippier!

Nice. I’m in Fruitport, work out of Grand Haven. If you were willing I’d love to hear them when you get them sorted out! 

@mofojo I’m getting the X1 but I do live in West, MI. 

I for one would love to hear the X3. West Mi here. Off chance anyone in the area has a pair I’d bring a nice bottle of wine for an hour demo. 😃

If you have ever been to AXPONA then you know the listening rooms (hotel rooms) are very far from Idea. You will find almost every single vendor their using all kinds of room treatments and gizmos to counteract the boxy rooms with lots of reflective flat surfaces, the big windows, big flat TV’s, headboards attached to the wall, full length mirrors, etc.

 Also most rooms are sponsored by a distributor or retailer, not individual brands.  They want to show off all the stuff they sell, not a specific requirement of a particular piece of equipment.  

Woots! Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your taking the leap forward. I'm curious if you've heard the X2's? I have Focal Aria standmounts and getting the itch for more. Axpona in April seems so far away for a listen.

Thank you @mbmi you hit the nail on the head with your observation.  My intention was to inform Audiogoners about something new and exciting, knowing that only about 50 people were actually at the event with @nextlevelhifi ​​​​and @jays_audio_lab and were able to experience the new X1 and the amazing line up of Borresen speakers. My second intention was to let everyone know that the Borresen rep will out at several upcoming shows and events so those that want to hear them in their local markets will have the opportunity to do so over the next several months.....in places like Florida, Dallas and back in Chicago at Axpona in April.  I will update everyone via this thread when I get my X1's in early March!