Borreson X2


Has anyone heard the Borresen X2? I have read reviews on the X3 which seem quite favorable for the money. However, there isn’t much feedback on the X2 (smaller sibling). Does anyone here own the X2, or has anyone heard them at their local dealer?  I’ve seen a few videos and reviews that mention the X series may lack soundstage depth. Curious what others think of this speaker. Thank you in advance for any input on this speaker.  

rick_hilton

I have not heard the X2, but I have heard the X3. The X3 is a tremendous value and hits way above its price point. Presumably the X2 is the little brother to the X3, and should give much of what the X3 does, but with less bass power. The X2 should be auditioned if possible, but from what i heard of the X3, it is a winner.

Thank you for the input. I have had a chance to demo both the X2 and X3. Although, for a rather short period of time. I was impressed with the speed and dynamics for such small drivers.  Looking to see if any Audiogon members have had any real seat time with the X2 or X3 in a home environment. Any comments on soundstage width and depth. Thanks again. 

I own the X-3's......They sound like "live music" . The soundstage width plays way beyond the speakers and the depth is in perfect harmony with the width....The X-2 is $8800 US and the X-3 is $11,000. I have not heard the X-2,  it's just now hitting the US. Showrooms...I'm sure Borresen will be showing them in Feb. in Tampa @ the Florida Hi Fi Expo. Just looking at the physical speaker itself....the X-3 is the big value....It looks and plays like a much higher priced speaker and that's a good thing. I'm super happy with mine. They come "alive" after about 300- 400 hours of play. It's hard to beat the looks and sound for 11K !

I have heard them and a fine sounding loudspeaker ,the only downside 

is the smaller bass drivers at least if these were 8 inch drivers would would pressurize the room better it isa very deep speaker but 5 inch ,I wrote to them a 7 inch driver would have been much better  ,the bass is very tuneful to a honest upper 30s it rolls off fast upper 30s is more honest. That being said very open and musical 

you are missing over a solid octave of Low Bass  for many that may be good enough , for myself I prefer to at least  close to a flat 30 hz .

a concert grand piano lowest note is 28hz which is actually to the point it’s fundamentals bosrder on vibration that’s why 30 hz is a very respectable goal  , and the larger the driver the more air volume it can push 

And the larger the driver....the Slower it is.  The bass setup on the x-3's is more than adequate for Music...I'm not interested in Home theatre. The way Borresen has constructed the cabinets...the bass is deep and FAST and Tight. That's the way Live music sounds. Much cleaner and clearer that 12 or 15 in woofers. Borresen's technology is upsetting the speaker industry norms. You have to experience and judge for yourself.....I love the bass on these. But then again, I love TIGHT TUNEFUL Bass...not the bass that big 12 and 15 inch woofers produce.

Here is a nice video which showcases the X2 with a follow up comparing it with the X3.  It's in Korean but with english subtitles.  

I've ordered the X2s which works best for my limited space in my dedicated listening room.

 

The thing you must keep in mind with the Borresen woofers is their radiating surface area is a true 4.5” inches, only about 1.75” smaller diameter than the surface area of most brands’ “8 inch” cones. As such, these “4.5” drivers look more like a typical 6” driver in person. The X3 has a good bit more bass cone surface area than an industry-standard 8” woofer, and the X2 has approximately the same amount as an 8” woofer. Gotta love math, lol! 

They are great speakers.  They will perform well on the condition that they work in your room.  Borreson designs great speakers but is a bit of a purist and they have minimums that need to be met for the image to come to life.  This was always the case with Raidho too. 

Depending on the speaker, you will need min 9' between (as they go up in size width is greater) and you need typically 3' to 5' behind the speakers.  If you don't have this, my experience is the speakers can be a bit underwhelming.  

If you have a room that is open and you can get them out and give them some space, they will be extraordinary

I considered a pair of X2 and still might.  I have heard them sound very good and also very bad.  

I believe the issues I heard when they sounded bad could be sorted by speaker placement and amplifier.  

I have a X6

Pros: super resolving, clarity, quickness, dynamics, bang 4 buck

 

Cons (relative, compared to a couple of other speakers in a similar price bracket):

Instruments sound more like instruments on my Yamaha (NS5000). It doesn’t image as well as my TAD....Very finicky with placement and sub integration, both of which are easy as pie on the TAD.

 

Other: I wouldn’t pair it with AGDenmark amps. Other brute A/AB amps seem to sound better with Borresen speakers (my ears/opinion).

@deep_333 … thanks for sharing your opinion. Let me ask you this: if you are forced to just keep one speaker in your system, will it be the Yamaha NS5000 or the Borresen?

How balanced are the upper octaves from a balance stand point? I have heard a few people call them hi-fi tuned which to me say bright like a B&W. How affected are they by tow in the highs?