Boressen speakers

I heard all 3 Boressen speakers recently at Axpona, all sounded wonderful, very musical with the M3 being the best and not by a small amount. You would think at 270 000 it should. But I can't help wonder that the rest of the equipment had a lot to do with the SQ. 

@rsf507 I agree with your comments regarding the Borresen (and Aavik) gear being highly musical. In my opinion, they have found the right balance between musicality and detail retrieval/resolution. When I bought Luxman 590AXII, I was told that it had a 'tube-like' sound signature. I did not find that to be the case. I was of the opinion that only tube gear sounds like tube gear. So I went back to tubes and never looked back. However, my Aavik integrated is the first amp I've owned where I don't miss tubes. It has enough of the warmth, midrange magic, and holographic imaging to not make me miss tubes. The only thing I miss is the lushness that tubes provide, but that's only on some type of music. For almost everything else, the Aavik is amazing. Also, it doesn't hurt that it has a vice like grip on the woofers and make the speakers behave the way it wants too.

I have heard many of them and owned two pairs. I went up the line from Scansonic MB-6B to Borresen Z3 Cryo to Borresen 02. The 02 are still to this date the best speakers I’ve ever owned. I am a dealer for a few other brands, not Borresen, and I still think the 02 beats everything I’ve had on my floor. Unfortunately they will have to go at some point as my business continues to grow. Since I run my dealership from my home, I only have so much space.

I’ve spent a lot of time with many models. In addition to the ones I’ve owned, I’ve heard the X3, 01, 02SSE, 03SSE, 05, 05SSE, M1, and M3.

While the Z3 Cryo I owned were a lot of fun and a great speaker at its price point, the 02 is a bit more refined and holographic. It can still fill a medium to large room without an issue, as long as the electronics can control them. I find Borresen are a bit harder to drive and quality electronics matter. I had great luck powering them with the T+A HV stack, Audionet electronics, and Luxman Class A amplification. I’ve never owned Aavik or Ansuz gear and cables to pair it with.

My favorite quality about them is their ability to image. They can make for a truly holographic soundstage and not be fatiguing at all. They are super fast, yet refined. It is really hard for a speaker to do both exceptionally well.

@blisshifi Would you share a little more about what you meant by "refined" that last part? Do you think super fast is a part of being refined, but the refinement is a combination of other qualities with it?

@gladmo by refined, I mean less etched and with more natural presentation. The Z3 Cryo had a sliiiightly more brash character - maybe just a bit more distortion. It wouldn’t get fatiguing, but depending on the rest of my system synergy (I am a dealer so I swap a lot of gear in and out), the Z3 Cryo could at times sound tipped up or a bit more piercing. Not necessarily fatiguing or painful, but in comparison the 02 are notably smoother while being more revealing and detailed.