That was a great review and comparison. Having both pairs actually in the room adds an air of relevance that most reviewers don’t have. You’ve really helped me decide that the S400’s are the way for me to go so thanks for that as you’ve saved me a shitload of time and hassle. Cheers!
Pretty accurate review Nemo. I have them in my setup for a bit more than 3 weeks. Few notes: They do open up after 2 weeks of active listening, and I was a bit suspicious on their recommendation of 100 hours of burn-in. Placement can be a problem, as u said, but I am using their amp, Buchartd i150 with room correction,that solves the tons-of-bass if close to the wall problem perfectly. So, If you happen to got any room correction, this is not an issue. Very happy with them overall, listening fatigue simply does not exist, they have full sound, genre neutral, with great presentation and excellent bass. They like to be played loud, without any distorsion or effects on the sound quality. Cheers
I know, I break in all speakers before review for 100 hours. Yes tone control and room correction can change things but I cannot review a product based on that as not everyone has access to such functions and those who do will already know what they can and cannot change :)
Enjoyed your straightforward approach and review. Your point about equipment is spot on. No sense in getting a super high end speaker without the amplifier to bring out the detail.
Words cannot describe how elated I am to see speakers with a green finish. My finger was on the trigger for the ProJect Speakerbox 5 S2 until your video popped up. Thank you for sharing this lovely pair of emeralds.
Awesome review, thanks! Also I’m pumped to hear that the UBR62s are in the pipeline. I own those speakers and like them a lot. I used to run them with a Loxjie A30 and now I use a Roksan Attessa, which improved bass, sense of depth and overall weight. I have great interest in knowing how the Elacs fare against some contenders, specially the S400 MKII.
Appreciate the discerning and detailed breakdown. Dig the yellow & blue and a savvy aesthetics and commercial move by Buchardt. Looks like the gateway drug to the their sound and can see them with a good integrated amp and minus a sub for a minimalist or secondary system. Like many have found, the S400mk2’s can do justice to just about any genre or type of recording and for long use periods. Despite the differences, seems like these would still do the same at smaller scale. Paired my mk2’s with 200W and a REL T5x sub via your good recommendation. Kicks ass. Thank you!
I like the way they have one price for everyone, including delivery anywhere. (Also, with many mid and hi fi companies, their stuff almost impossible to find.)
I don't buy into the idea that the speakers need to be the most expensive part of your system-- there is a lot to consider when putting a rig together in your listening space. Some space related, some sound and some budget considerations. Good review.
Another great review. I really want to order these, but your comments about space from back wall gives me pause. Do you think these can play ok closer to the wall IF in an open concept space, with a subwoofer and room correction?
Nemo ma man! Another great review! A heads up, you should try to get your hands on the new affordable range from Focal, the Theva and Vestia series and compare it to the Chora and Aria. Spoiler alert, I like how the Vestia sound better than my Arias. :)
I will not, I'm finished with Focal products unless they will provide a review sample. I have spent $6k of my own money aquiring focal products for review already but they only send samples to big channels.
Hi Nemo, I am trying to buy a pair of bookshelf speakers blindly. Between these Buchardt P300, S400 MKII and KEF R3 Meta, which in your opinion would you choose? I am also open to any other bookshelf that you would like to recommend. I willing be using this for prog rock, some rock, fusion jazz and jazz music. Thanks in advance.
Buchardt S400 MK2 are my daily driver brother so for sure that's the one I love the most :) KEF R3 Meta are larger and have a little tighter bass. P300 is cool but I did not love it the way I love the S400 MK2 but as stated in the review if you only play to use inexpensive amplifciation the S400 MK2 and P300 will sound similar, the S400 MK2 has a much higher performance ceiling.
Thanks nemo for a super cool review. Ur the best. One question regarding placement, when u say front baffel, u mean the baffel on which the drivers are mounted rite, or do u mean the baffel on which the binding post are mounted ?
As long as it has plenty of power it should be okay. These speakers need power & volume to really sound their best. Lower volume listeners will want to go for the S400 MK2 which has a much wider sweet spot.
Have you ever heard Golden Ear bookshelf speakers? I have a pair of Aon 3's that I pair with a SVS SB3000. They also have a newer more expensive model called the BRX. . When you say these speakers go strong down to 30Hz, and the SVS 3000 Micro you reviewed rolls off under 35dB, does that mean the P500 have better bass performance than the SVS and the Micro wouldn't enhance this speaker"?
No I don't really like golden ear as a brand so I stay away. No, so bass from a speaker and bass from a subwoofer are very different. As far as the micro with P300 its hard to say as I did not use the two togehter (micro has been sent bask as it was a review sample) but bass from a subwoofer is different than bass from small speakers and the room is a big factor too. My room is very friendly with bass, I would not expect everyone to have strong bass down to almost 30hz in their room with a pair of bookshelf speakers.
@@NemoPropaganda That explains it, I was surprised when you said on one of your videos or comments that recently you don't even use a subwoofer. What after all those subwoofer reviews and purchases?? I can't imagine your KEF KC62 sitting idle or upstairs with your secondary system, while playing even the best bookshelf speakers in your critical listening room! Agree, the room is the one factor that can't be compared with others when comparing systems.
S400 MK2 is my fav speaker, it's not a low volume champion though. It still sounds good at low volumes but rewards you with better sound when you play it louder.
As always great review!!. Nemo as a owner of a Ta2. Do you believe that with the base management taming the bassfrecuency at least @ 80 Hz and with at least 30 inches from the wall these can run better in a small run??. Room size is similar to yours but 8 foot cielings!
Yes! 80hz might even be too high, with the highpass set to 40hz on the TA2 the P300 bass still extended very low but it was much more manageable with room placement :).
@@NemoPropaganda i forgot that i have a subwoofer. Is a cheap Kanto 8 inch !! . Si lets say cross at 60 hz. ThNksss!. Evaluatin for nice rel T/5x for christmas!!
Have you come across the Zu DWX? That’s my coin flip in this comfortable price range. I use a Nakamichi receiver as a pre-amp, and an Acurus A200 for power.
@@NemoPropaganda Ok got it thanks. Makes sense seeing that you have to toe them in so much to get the right sound. Keep up the great work bro. Your style is unique, honest and refreshing.
Seeking informed opinions. Should I get the Buchardt p300 or criton tdx1? Cost is roughly the same to NZ, when adding on taxes and shipping for the Tdx1.
same price for a completed set or you still have to build it? Either way both speakers are hard to drive and need proper amplification, assuming you have that I feel the 1TDX is a little better than the P300. Both speakers have really good & strong bass and warm midrange but the 1TDX treble is a little more effortless to my ears but they are very similar sound. Hope that helps.
@NemoPropaganda Hay thanks for your reply and opinion. Much appreciated. Thanks. And that would be a flat pack(Birch wood) standard crossover tdx1 kitset, the Nz$ is low, our import taxes are high, and so are shipping costs from the US. Where Buchardt cover all those costs, both end up at about $2500NZD. Reviewers seem to love both, speakers and for the same reasons, I think you have said there is more play In The critons top end given better amplification. I may wait and see what CSS are going to do with the Buchardt similar Wave guide tweeter they have been teasing us with. Thanks for your valued opinion, again. Ps. Currently have A Billie mk2(heaven11),.hence need a bass leaning speaker, May change to a Atoll IN200 amp as it would solve my need for yet more speakers🤗 Good luck to you in the coming new year!
@@aaronkingi545 Billi amp should have plenty of power for either speaker, as long as you don't mind bulding them the CSS 1TDX is the better speaker overall, this is a situation where going DIY really does get you more for your money.
@@NemoPropaganda I forgot you don't like big heavy subs. If the 10S is any indication I think the 12S will sound excellent and should be good for movies and music.
I had to make a call between the p300 and s400 mk2… and went with the s400 mk2 Fauna SE model… hoping it pairs well with my peach tree Gan1. With your amps used do you feel like the Buchardt products pair well with class D amps? The Gan1 right now is paired with Lii Audio open baffle 15’s and the detail is amazing but there is now low end. The bass is detailed that is there, but it doesn’t go deep enough for the music we listen too.
Excellent choice, S400 MK2 is not a very fussy speaker and should pair well with a wide variety of amplififers. Buchardts own amp is Class D so I think it will be fine :)
@@NemoPropaganda Speakers just arrived today and consider me impressed. The GAN1 with the Lii Audio 15’s (a wonderful speaker by the way, makes me want to try a lower powered tube amp) could get fatiguing even at lower listening levels (bedroom system and not a huge room). We have a much fuller sound that is detailed and warm.
You talk about when the distance from the wall is too small it’s bass is overpowering. What do you mean by this? Is this comparable to what JBL or Beats headphones do with the sound? Is it thát bad? Or is it “bad” from a purist hifi perspective where the extra bass might be something that is to someones liking?
great question, the overloaded bass certainly could be something some people prefer but it can close off the midrange & treble a bit so from an audiophile perspective most people would not prefer the bass to overload the room.
in overall voicing yes but the original S400 has a higher performance ceiling still. I would rather have the OG S400 if I were you so keep what you have brother!
I have the ubr62 and am happy with them. I have to buy a subwoofer to improve the bass performance on more bass demanding content, but really happy with them otherwise. The p300 are a lot more expensive though, not sure it's a fair fight. One that I'd really like to have your opinion on is the new kef r3 meta.
@@NemoPropaganda I actually got a good deal on them but still they are marked 850. I think Elac is originally a german brand but i red somewhere they were now part of klipsch's group and i thought it was an american group. Strange. Still, assuming both brands are european and i live in europe, the p300 is around double the price. But I understand you're in the US and most of your audience is american so you have to work with what you've got. :) Waiting for your opinion on the new r3 meta though. Keep up the good work!
price is shown in the video, link to website is shown in the description. You can connect any pair of speakers to any TV as long as you have an amp inbetween.
Thanks for a great review! I'm deciding between the P300 and the S400mk2 so I need an advice from you. Now I've heard that the P300 is better for smaller rooms and the S400Mk2 outshines it only in larger rooms (is it true?) I have an AV receiver: Yamaha RX-V471 I intend to pair it with, it can't be compared to the fancy amps you mentioned so I don't think your point of the 1500$+ Amps counts as I don't intend to spend that much on a new amp (at least for now, hopefully hehe) So my room size: 12.2 * 15.5 ft Speaker Distance from listening position = 8 ft Distance between speaker and wall behind it = 2ft I can bring them closer to me, increasing the distance from wall to 2.5 ft, and decreasing listening distance to 7.5 ft Distance between the right speaker and a side-wall = 2.5 ft, can be increased to: 3ft *Preference:* - Music listening(24 bit HQ or spotify): Neutral sound (lol), good bass, clean mids, and clear sounds (don't mind if it's a teeny tiny bit on the bright side but no glare). Not interested in very high volumes as my room is small. One thing I heard in your review that could be a deal breaker for me is that they are not bright enough, and not that crisp/clear in the treble department, as I like clear. Budget wise, I can go up to the S400 but if there are not enough reasons for me to do it, I prefer to stick with the cheaper P300. I also like that the P300 has deeper bass, removing the need for a subwoofer. So I'm a bit lost here, based on all this info, could you give me an advise on which one I should go for? Or neither won't be such a good match with my situation and preference?
Hi kabo, I love buchardt but buchardt is not a good match with AVR style amps and it sounds like you want a more open and effortless sound. You need a speaker that is open, airy, and easy to drive yet still has nice strong bass. For you that speaker is the Heco Celan Revolution 3! That will be a much better pairing with your current gear and more suited to your taste based on what you've said.
@@NemoPropaganda thanks Nemo for the quick response and advise! This looks like a great match, but unfortunately where I live currently it’s not possible, the only options I have are: Klipsch the nines Or Something from the companies that ship internationally everywhere, i know only 2: Buchardt and philharmonic Do you know any others? What do you think?
@@NemoPropaganda nope i just relocated to Saudi Arabia for work, and hi fi speakers are very few here even on amazon sa. That’s why I was looking for international stores.
