Buchardt e50 reviews

It's unfortunate that I have to wait 2 to 3 weeks before I receive my E50's. I already own the 400 mrk 2 special edition which also has an enhanced crossover. As good as my Mrk 2 sounds, the E50's should sound a bit better.

No experience with the new E50s but I do own a pair of A10s. They do exacly what I need them to do and more and they sound great for the $$$.

I have a pair of Buchardt s400 mkii speakers in a second system. I’m very happy with them. At some point I think I need to drag them upstairs and give them a go in my main system. While I don’t see myself purchasing the new e50 models I’m a big fan of how they look.

If any forum member buys them, please do share your observations with us! 

I’m also interested in the E50, but having never heard a Buchardt speaker, I wonder what the house sound is like. For someone who has spent many years with British speakers (Harbeth, Falcon LS3/5a), would Buchardt be a reasonable choice?

Erin will get one and he has a review of the Sointuva AWG. So I'd say wait on that

@drubin - I’ve demoed Harbeth speakers but have never owned a pair. I’d say the Buchardt have more bass than the Harbeth. To my ears, Buchardt speakers are a little more rich and warm sounding. I recommend driving them with a more powerful amp though. I drive them with an Audio Hungary 100 watt tube amp and sound amazing. I also occasionally drive them with a Luxman 590axii which is a 30 watt class A amp and the results are very good. 
 

From my auditions with the Harbeths, I prefer the Buchardt s400 mkii speakers. This is of course based on my gear and room…

What amp would you drive them with? 

@kofibaffour thank you. I was not familiar with that speaker manufacturer nor with Erin. I look forward to his review of the E50.

@bluethinker thank you for sharing your experience. Interestingly, I also have a Luxman 590axii as well as a Pass INT-25 and a Sugden A21SE, all solid state class A. I’ve moved on from Harbeth (Falcon LS3/5A now for more than a year), but have always felt that “rich” and “warm” are fitting adjectives for the Harbeth sound, so not sure what to make of you feeling Buchardt is more so, but good to know. The E50 may be different.

@drubin here is Erin's review of the Sointuva AWG - March Audio Sountiva AWG Review by Erin Hardison

@kofibaffour after listening to the review and the reviewer multiple times referencing the tweeter be 7° below ear level… at 10’ seven degrees is 1.23”. 
Better not slouch or sit up too straight once the optimum listening height is established. Ha ha 🤣 

@hbarrel you seem to miss the perspective of the angling here. Unless you want to use the speakers nearfield. 7° above the median tweeter axis vertically is actually not that high above if you listen in the midfield or farfield is all

@kofibaffour so why not say ear level is my point. To be specific and say 7° is a bit of overkill 

wonder if he has a laser level/distance contraption being used to get these finite details. Said using the highest quality sarcasm font. 
 

@drubin - It’s been awhile since I auditioned Harbeth speakers, so take my comparison with a grain of salt. On a side note, how would you compare the qualities of your Class A amps? Specifically, how would you compare the Sugden to the Luxman? 

@artistx - Are you planning on picking up a pair of the e50 speakers? 

There are few reviews on Youtube and this reviewer is pretty good. He finds the E50 to be great but is not for everyone.

https://youtu.be/c9ZKXQSt1J0?si=qObBKSKr5_KRo7Dx

Steve Huff also just added his own review of the E50. 

Edit : does anyone know how to include a Youtube video here without having to open the link in another window?  

@bluethinker - I haven’t had the Sugden in the system for quite a while, but plan to put it into duty soon and will report back. That said, I would characterize the Luxman as more lush sounding, though not overly so. As I recall, the Sugden has a lot of drive and is more dynamic. However, it also has the unfortunate quality of too little attenuation at the low end of its volume dial, which means it’s a challenge to fine tune volume. This may be a factor in the drive and dynamics, I got a pair of Rothwell attenuators to help with this. More later..

i have all these amps because I enjoy different types of sound. I put one in and it’s not better or worse, necessarily, but different in a way that brings new pleasures. Expensive hobby, this is.

I’ve read or seen several new reviews of the E50, including Steve Huff’s and the Zero Fidelity review linked by @ryder. Lots of enthusiasm everywhere it seems, but the Zero Fidelity review, which is excellent, does give me pause.
 

The E50 appeals to me because (1) I like the way it looks very much, (2) I'm curious about the Puri-Fi driver, (3) several reviewers have commented that the E50 is impressive at low volume but will also play loud, and (4) I’m impressed by the Buchardt company and its business model. But the Zero Fidelity guy describes the E50 — paraphrasing here — as a bass-first speaker, suggesting that maybe the Puri-Fi driver is being asked to do too much work in the midrange. My audiophile history is mostly with speakers that excel in the midrange but are bass-shy (Harbeth, Falcon, 20 years with Quad 57). A speaker like the MoFi SourcePoint 10, based on limited auditioning, has just too much bass for me and the music I listen to. Will that be true of the E50? Buchardt’s return policy is extremely favorable, so I may just have to find out for myself. Still, bringing in new speakers requires a bigger commitment of attention and effort than other components,

@drubin 

I have been ordered my e50 in Jan and still waiting. I was told this month they should be arriving. I also have many amps(5) I have the latest electocompaniet as Pass 250, Hegal 390, Accuphase 380, Macintosh 352. I use a Loki Max which takes care of any type of tome problem. It’s an analog eq and I hear no detrimental effect to my music. I also have 12 pairs of speakers. With the Loki you can dial back the bass just the way you like it. I would not be without it. Since the E50 appeals to you, and Buchardt has a good return policy I would go for it myself. 

Heard them at the Danish HiFi show. They together with Radiant Acoustics 6.2 and the small Genelecs killed all the big and expensive ones. 

Hey All, I still have the E50's here. I am running the with Luxman, Class D GaN and a Nagra Classic. None of these setupsin my 13X18 space has the E50's sounding bass heavy at all. In fact, I find them to be very neutral with a slight and iI mean slight laid back vibe. These are dynamic and very sweet sounding. The bass was lighter than I expected as it is right in line with the mids and treble. Nothing stands out. No bass boom, heaviness or slop. Tight, tuneful all the way. The Purify driver is special indeed. I think it depends on room, setup, etc. I have them 3FT out into the room and 1 1/2 feet from side walls. Perfect : )

@stevehuff - Steve - which Luxman amp are you using the e50? 

@bluethinker I ended up getting the Wharfedale Super Lintons before the e50 came out. Got a good open box deal. Been happy with them so far. I prefer the size of the e50’s though and the other reviews have been pretty good. Have yet to hear from people on the forums that own these right now

I’ve been waiting since Dec 24,2024 for my E50’s. I was promised they would ship this past week. That did not happen. Getting really frustrated with the wait. Not fun having 4K tied up with nothing to show.

I finally got a tracking number for the delivery of my E50s. I can't wait to see how they compare to my Dynaudio Special 40s and PS Audio FR 5s.

Today after just about 5 months my Buchardts E50 have arrived. Hooked them up to my Electrocompaniet Eci 6 Mrk 2 with Cardas clear reflection, Holo spring KTE DAC. 12x14 treaded room. Local streaming from my Arunder n20. In a word AMAZING. Ultra transparent. Wide and deep soundstage. Bass is powerful and deep. Has a sought of relaxing smooth sound. Treble is top notch and accurate sounding. No hit of brightness whatsoever. Holographic? You bet. I don’t know what will change at break in, but if nothing changes, I’m satisfied as is.

5 months is a long time to get an order delivered! Sounds like it was worth the wait. 

Yes it was a long wait, but to Buchardts credit, they kept me informed as to progress. They had a big issue with part shortages. That is now corrected to my understanding. 

@dwest1023 - Congrats on the new speakers. It’s sounds like they are a home run. How would you compare them to the Buchardt 400 mkii speakers? What would you describe as the nuanced or stark differences? 

@artistx - Those Wharfedale Linton speakers get good reviews. I bet they sound great. 

@dwest1023 

As I have a Hegel H390, I’d be very interested to hear your impressions of how it pairs with the E50s’. 

@stuartk 

Out of the box, I had my Electrocompaniet integrated(latest model) connected to the E50, and my mouth dropped. The speaker sounded just like how it is described on the Buchardt website. After a period of time, I connected the Hegel 390. The speaker went to a whole new level. I think it was because of the higher wattage and current of the Hegel. The sound was so good,it was if the Hegel was used to voice this speaker. The bass is unreal for a bookshelf speaker. The Hegel's grip on the woofer was uncanny. The Bass started and stopped on a dime. Treble had the sound of cystal clear water and not a hint of brightness. Vocals were, you are there good.  The best part is you can listen and very low volume levels and the sound is the same.

@bluethinker 

I own the Buchardt 400Mrk two limited edition. This speaker has an upgraded crossover. It has a more extended treble than the regular version. In comparison, the E50 sounds like a floor-standing speaker. The E50 is more neutral and almost monitor-like. Bass is much more extended, as well as the treble. Soundstage MUCH wider and deeper. the E50 still has warmth in the midrange, but less so then the 400. In my room, the E50 comes across as just about perfect for my ears.

@dwest1023 

Wow.  Good to know-- thanks!