Obscure companies making excellent speakers?

Tidal Audio

In their home country so far completely absent from audio magazines or tests (their advertisement budget must be inexistent) and thust even less known over here than in Asia or the USA where the distributors do some promotion.

http://www.tidal-audio.de

Danish System Audio could be on the list as well.

www.system-audio.com

They continously get good reviews in the Nothern European hemisphere. I have had two pairs over the past 15 years and can highly recommend their monitors.

Soren

fly under the radar because advertisement just too expensive or not viable.

I don't think I have ever seen ATC advertise although they are longtime supporters of the Audio Engineering Society and have published peer-reviewed engineering papers on speaker technology, which is a form of advertising if you think about it. ATC management and design staff are bona-fide degreed audio engineers rather than DIYers with a passion for audio that became gifted at cabinet making and went into business from that route. One of the few small companies that make their own transducers instead of sticking to wood work and third party parts assembly.

ATC is a UK company based in rural Gloucestershire (presumably for access to lower cost labour and skilled crafts people). They tend to sell speakers by word of mouth and have have barely began to penetrate US markets in the last ten years; they remain a name that the majority of North American Hi-Fi dealers and audiophiles have never even heard of. They fulfill a small niche for Studio precision/reference sound at realistic SPL levels/dynamics of live music but with audiophile precision rather than PA sound (PA or live event sound reinforcement is a much bigger market as JBL and Bose can attest to). Recently, ATC have began installs in exclusive night clubs/Jazz clubs and high end concert halls such as the Disney Concert Hall in LA....again a niche market. They also have made home studio installations for some well known musicans/artists.

Shadorne I would have to agree with ATC. These are very homely looking speakers. Outwardly the speaker is so understated that it looks more at home in a pawn shop than a high-end boutique. But you only need to listen to them to understand. Their styling and marketing does them no favours though.

I would nominate Lansche audio as a company that flies under the radar. They are the only other company to make plasma tweeters (the other being Acapella), only that the Lansche Corona tweeter goes down to 2.5khz. The Acapella ION tweeter goes from 5kHz up.

First let's start with some largely if not entirely under-the-radar companies producing high-quality speakers that I have heard and admired but presently have no commercial ties to (this list is from memory and no doubt incomplete). In no particular order:

- SP Technology: Advanced constant-directivity waveguides, very low crossover for a two-way.

- Omega Loudspeakers: High quality, natural sounding full-range single-driver monopole and bipole speakers.

- Pi Speakers: High value, very well designed high efficiency kits.

- Cogent: High efficiency speakers using very cool field-coil drivers.

- Classic Audio Reproductions: High quality high efficiency speakers, possibly offering field-coil as an option soon.

- Magnestand: Superbly done hotrodded Maggies

- Intuitive Design: Incredible precision and quality

- ACI: Excellent sound from conventional drivers through very intelligent design.

- Von Gaylord: Again fairly conventional format, but superbly executed.

- Amphion: Relatively wide-pattern waveguides from Finland.

- Green Mountain Audio: Probably not exactly "below the radar", but imho the pinnacle of phase-conscious design.

- Sanders Sound: The return of Roger Sanders with his excellent electrostats.

- Sonicweld: My nomination for best speaker; not cheap, but this is how you do DSP right. Very intelligent design.

- Shahinian: Voiced for orchestral music, gives a richness similar to a good omni but with more natural image size.

- Analysis Audio: High quality full-range ribbon dipole.

- Linkwitz: Multi-amped dynamic dipole.

- Daedalus: High efficiency and quality without horns.

- Tonian Labs: High efficiency wideband drivers augmented by a supertweeter, very well done.

- Huff: On a custom basis, offers ultra high quality omni systems.

- S.A.P.: Strange little Italian speaker whose driver complement is visually reminiscent of a Fisher-Price toy but they sound great.

- Duevel: Innovative omnidirectional designs.

And here are some companies whose designs I have not heard but find very interesting:

- Hornshoppe: Very high performance from a small fullrange driver.

- KCS Loudspeakers: Incredible parts and build quality for the price; I am amazed at what John offers and conclude that his profit margin must be extremely small.

- Ridgestreet Audio: Very high quality parts.

- Wolcott Audio: Innovative quasi-horn high-output omnidirectional system.

- Morrison: Another innovative omni system, more compact than the Wolcott.

I am omitting several imho worthy-of-mention loudspeakers that I have commercial ties to.

edit: Shadorne, I also think very highly of ATC but considered it to fly "above the radar horizon". Amfibius, I should have included Lansche on my list; that was one of my favorite speakers at CES this year.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer