Borresen X3."Hi Fi" or High End as in natural realistic sound ?

Previous Borresen owner here, of both the Z3 Cryo and 02. I‘m also sitting in the Audio Group Denmark room at Southwest Audio Fest as we speak listening to the Borresen X6 and have heard the X3 on multiple occasions. In my experience, Borresen is very much more “hifi” sounding than delivering natural sonics, especially with the X series which are largely less refined and more peaky than their more refined lines. Even with the Z Cryo series, I found it very hard to get natural presentation given their brashness. That said, I have a lot of respect for the 0 and M series, but those are largely unaffordable by most.

The X series in my opinion is a nice gateway to the rest of the Borresen line at a modest investment, but the takeaways I got from them are similar to walking into a Best Buy to shop for TV’s and being attracted to the dynamic contrasts of HDR, only to return home with one and realize how fatiguing it is. 

The X series is a  bit of a chameleon and appears to be rather drastically tailorable with different electronics for your individual taste. 

@blisshifi - I am personally biased as I love and own the Borresen product.  Understand that preferences differ but I have yet to find a product that sounds so lifelike and real to my ears.  

It's a bit odd to see your negative sentiment/criticism towards Borresen the last couple of years on this forum.  Tyler mentioned to me that a couple of Axpona's ago (2022) you had inquired to request a Borresen dealership and that could have been a possibility once you have/had a brick and mortar store (Borresen policy)...given that history your negative feedback should be thoughtfully considered among the community you aim to serve.

@rost As I mentioned before, I’m a bit biased. I own the O3 SSE and I do pair them with Aavik products. I absolutely love the X series. If I didn’t invest in the O series I’d be very content with a pair of the X3s and a Forte 3. Every time I listen (and it’s been a few years) I always find content that makes me smile. For me music is a way of life. Alows me to forget reality and enjoy what makes me happy. 

If you’re going to be at Axpona 2024 next month stop by and say hello. Tyler or Josh with Next Level HiFi will answer any questions. It’s an amazing product. There is a reason why the press and reviews are giving it awards. Price to performance is insane. Enjoy the ride brother. It’s totally worth it. 
 

jeff 

I heard both the X3 and the X6 at Capital Audiofest with the intention of buying either one. They sounded wow for the first 2 min, but I could not relax and listen long term. Different with Joseph Audio or Gershman or Schweikert. 
For me nice, but not for long listening sessions. I ended up with Rockport in the end.

@tom2015 Tom. All good. That’s the beauty of this hobby. There’s not one shoe size fits all. I’m glad you’re happy with your Rockport’s. Nice looking speakers. Never heard then though. There’s just something that Michael is doing with his knowledge of inductance and such it’s hard to imagine anything better (for me). Enjoy the sounds bro. 

@networkguy2010 It’s not my intent to be negative about Borresen. I thought I mentioned in my post above that I have a lot of respect for the 0 and M series, but noted their price points make those models inaccessible to many. I probably should have been more clear to say the Borresen X specifically sounds more hifi and less natural sounding, not that the whole line is like that. If that gets perceived as a miscommunication, then I apologize for misconstruing. 

I was a die hard Borresen fan, and in many ways still am, but at the end of the day, after living with two pairs, I wasn’t able to get what I wanted out of them, and I found other speakers that did. As a dealer, I get a number of speakers to try out, both for brands that I deal and through those that give me theirs in trade. I’ve also heard a lot of other speakers since owning Borresen in my customers’ homes when I am installing new gear for them. The Borresen M1 and M6 again were amongst this weekend’s best of show at the Southwest Audio Fest  

My inquiry to be a Borresen dealer was simply that - an inquiry. I inquired when I was just starting out and had no expectation that I would be a dealer. I was not disappointed in the response, as I knew I wouldn’t even be able to afford a buy in with Audio Group Denmark. I was just starting out and had very little budget for anything at the time. I have no resentment on this. Tyler has been a fantastic dealer to me, and he has even provided me with some good advice and guidance when I first started my business. I wish him all the success, and as you’ve seen, I started a thread about his service a last year, and this was already at a time when I had started my business and was already a dealer myself. In fact, that visit to him was when I had that conversation.

The only time I may seem to speak less than glowing remarks about Borresen is with the X line, and that’s just based off personal experience at the shows. There is something brash about the presentation of the speaker, and it seems I’m not the only one on this thread that feels that way. Maybe it’s not even the speakers, and instead the lower line of Aavik electronics they are typically paired with, or both. It’s a personal taste and opinion, and I’m not stating it as fact. But the OP asked for opinions, so I gave one.

I would appreciate if you don’t try to overcomplicate this into something it is not. I have no hidden agenda against Borresen or Tyler and wish them both all the success in the world. 

@networkguy2010 I should also mention that I had just launched Bliss Hifi at AXPONA 2022 with the intent to sign on my first three brands - T+A, Aurender and DH Labs. Borresen was not on the list at that time, so there is no way that I would have talked to Tyler then about a Borresen dealership. I would never have had the capital to pick up on it, and I still don’t. Perhaps he might have told you at AXPONA 2023, as it was in that Jan 2023 visit that I linked to above that I asked him out of curiosity. 

Nothing wrong with that my friend. There are choices. And many choose AGD because it’s special. I’m not the only one. About a dozen reviewers have given Borresen the editors choice award. But again, it’s personal taste. Not everyone has to like or live with a specific speaker brand. I choose AGD and do not regret one moment of it. No one else can come close to the noise floor and presentation. Yes, electronics matter. And synergy with Asvik is recommended if you want to push the system to its full potential. 
 

Enjoy your system. Nothing wrong with it. If you like it then who cares what others think. Let’s just enjoy the music. 
 

jeff 

The X3s are some of the most natural sounding speakers I’ve encountered if they are setup well and driven with decent (not necessarily expensive or esoteric) equipment. Both their midrange and treble is more refined than you’ll get from any of the popular BBC-derivative brands but more detailed as well. In that sense they are true “high end” and “HiFi.”

If one determines they are “peaky” or unrefined they should revisit their sources and amplification. Many popular speakers with a rep for being non-fatiguing sound like distortion machines relative to the Borresen X series.

Maybe it’s not even the speakers, and instead the lower line of Aavik electronics they are typically paired with, or both. It’s a personal taste and opinion, and I’m not stating it as fact.

It’s not the speaker dude, it’s that AGDenmark front end ( i did get a taste of the Axxess box and the Aavik Class D naked emperor before i sent them back. Such is the nature of Class D naked emperors everywhere). Their streamers/dacs are good, stay away from those amps.

My X6 sounds juicy and chocolatey with other non-Class D electronics from other manufacturers.

Yeah in my audition the Axxess integrated produced some of those typical Class D traits, especially the roll-off of the lowest two octaves. Class D is leaps better than it was decades ago but I’ve still yet to encounter an amp of that topology that competes with good A/AB designs.