The Buchardt Audio S400 MK2 | Class Leading Performance! | A Review 

I need to be super clear about something: The original S400 is still a fantastic speaker. The new MK2 doesn't change that. If you own the S400, enjoy it! Don't allow this review to make you feel insecure about what you have. Yes, the MKII is an improvement. And really, that's exactly what it *should* be! Progress is a good thing. I'm simply stoked that there are finally small speakers out there that are capable of delivering this kind of performance for the buck. I hope that most of you feel the same way.

Brilliant review, congratulations. The level of coherency throughout the presentation is applause worthy. Always enjoy watching them. Thanks

Ah man, Thanks Shawn. I was waiting for your review on these. I've been on email chats with Mads and now I think I am going to get them. And that Unico Primo looks lovely, hell maybe I'll get that end of year. Stay well.

Thanks for this review Sean. Now I know this speaker is not designed for my room (short), you brought that out. It is short and clear, and pointed at places where it matters. Hope you have many more equipment coming to you--so that you can help this community be smartly informed.

That model 5 & mk2 comparison was GOLD 🙌👏🏻❤

Your reviews are always informative and fun to watch. Thanks

Been waiting for this review, finally ! Awesome review

Great review. Seems they have addressed my main complaint with the original one, what I called "fake bassy sound". Thanks for the nice informative job.

Came back to watch this a year later. Best reviewer by far.

Wow, this is one of your best review, yet 👍💪👏

Thank you for such a comprehensive review, looking forward to receiving my S400 MKII 😉

Sean I hope you continue with the channel. As always great review. If I ever get some more change jingling in the pockets(cheap audio man cost me this year), the decision between the Model 5 and this is going to be a struggle. Keep it up dude. ✌

What a great company. Very innovative and well priced.

Buchardt is back! Love that shot of the new crossover. For me deeper cabinets=good!

Great review, Sean! You highlighted the improvements AND you told us how they got there. Not everyone does that! :-) The 400 mk2 is back in my shortlist. Thanks!

This is what my weekend needed 😃

Great review, Sean. Really good and detailed. 👍

For S400 owners Buchardt Audio also offers the Signature Edition cross over for EUR 650. Bought the original S400 Signature Edition and it sounds really good.. I had the opportunity to compare them to the A500, both sounded great, but I already own a M33 integrated amp and the signature edition speakers are a perfect match for it. I have not compared them to the S400 or S400 MKII. The Buchardt Audio stands are a perfect match. Just beautiful.

Double Thumbs Up. You did a Model 5 comparison. I have been waiting for them to be delivered at my local store but Covid has delivery all mess up, and the "more audiophile" experience and depth of sound I think is what I am after, so the MKII I think will be it. My girlfriend loves the Model 5, curious how the Unison Research Unico Prime goes with the Model 5.

Thanks for this great review -- as well as many other great reviews. The speakers I spend the most time with are Large Advents I bought off a showroom floor in 1974. So when I started looking around the KLH Model 5 naturally caught my attention. But then I started considering more modern speakers from Elac and (thanks to you and A British Audiophile) Buchardt and (thanks again to A British Audiophile) the Acoustic Energy AE1, among others. And I didn't have the context to make a good judgement about small modern speakers and large bookshelf speakers. So thank you so much for the comparison at the end. It's still not an obvious choice for me but your insights are indeed helpful. Now then :) :) The only thing missing is a comparison to the Wharfedale Linton :) :) Cheers!

Great video. Really dig your BDI stand!

Thanks, I enjoyed your review, balanced and precise.

Cracking review , thanks I need these , happy New year

Great review as usual. Thanks.

They did it à la Elac Debut it seems. Good move. I hope more manufacturer start using good parts on the crossover. That miflex cap and the better resistors told me a lot. Keep playing them Sean. After a week they open up more because of the miflex. I use it often. Magical cap

Great Review like always.

It is so important to have quality components on a well designed crossover really makes a difference in the sound. Tweeter at the bottom is something new, I must hear the new MKII's

The new MK2 is my end game bookshelf speakers.

Thanks for the near field warning - crucial distinction!

They're the best sounding speakers these are my favorites ❤️

Lot of excellent information.

Unrelated to this video but thanks for your review of the Cambridge AXR 100. I ended up buying it and am very happy with my choice.

Excellent video Sean. Really like the setup and recommendations format

Superb review!!👍👍👍 Very interesting speaker...

I'd love to see Mads do an update of the S300 MkII like he's done for the S400, since the s300 is better in a near-field setup. That's the only setup I use these days.

Really impressed with your analytical yet approachable reviewing style. I'm not in the market for any of the speakers but really enjoyed the comparisons.

Great to see paper cones coming back again. They just have a better tone

Hello sean, great review as always! Would love to hear your review on their new I150 Amp paired with the Mark IIs. Cheers and more power!

Best Video. Thank you. Still waiting for the confidence 20

Love this review. Cheers Sean. The comparisons really help I do fancy the s400 but don't have the room at the moment to get the best sound. Maybe one thing you didn't mention is the import duty too 20% because of bloody brexit in the UK so that makes them just over £1800. Great review. Keep going mate

Great review, as always! I was wondering if you could say a few words in regards to the new S400 vs. the KEF LS50 Metas + twin KEF KC62 sub combo.

Cannot waite…… in two months I will have a paire. Great review. Thanks

Great video Sean!! I was about to order the original S400s but now I’m definitely getting the MKIIs! I believe I can still get the pre-order discount. Stay safe! 🤙

Oooooh!

My experience with the S400 after switching to the Kinki B7 mono blocks recently, is that they scale big time and that bass control and slam is just of the charts with that amount of power and control. I know Sean says 120 watts is enough, but my experience with the Kinki’s says otherwise and I tried different power amps before including Kinki EX-M1 (in bypass mode) and Keces S125. Very curious what this MK2 version will bring to the table , will certainly try them out in the future. Apparently the paper driver is easier to drive than the aluminium one.

Long awaited review has landed! Thanks again for a job well done 🙌 I note you haven't heard the Signature edition of the original S400, but you did make enquires about the crossover parts for the new ones, so I am wondering if they are on par with the signature edition, quality wise. If that's the case would that make them very similar in terms of the high frequency reproduction? In addition, did they make any changes to the binding posts? Keep up the good work 👍

Thank you Sean for another great review. Did you have a chance to run these with your Accphase? Just curious how the MK2 scales.

Your video Production as of late has seriously gone thru the roof, quite noticeable looks great!

Nice job!

Hi Sean, thank you for another excellent review. I currently use Triangle Borea BR03 which you also raved about and I am pleased with it. I know its price difference with this is big, but just for perspective how much more listening enjoyment will I get if I upgrade to this speaker? Thanks!

Great review; really appreciate the setup tips and where this speaker will and won’t work. The S400s are my favorites so far (and I think the mkii will improve in just the places I’d want it to) and I’m on the border as far as distance to my listening position - 5 feet with 2 feet away from any wall. If these can get closer, that would be great. The 45 day trial (use every bit of that ) with free shipping and no tax to the US is great, and if I decide they’re not for me, it’s somewhere around $59 to ship it back to them for me.

I have an audiolab 6000a integrated amp that outputs 75 watts into 4 ohms. Will that be plenty adequate for the 4 ohm Mk II?

I don't think anyone else comes close to your descriptive and easy to understand reviews and comparisons on the web Sean. Chapeau. With regards to the S400 mkII how is the off axis performance? I suspect with its slightly forward projection it's not as good as the mk I?

Hello Sean. Thank you for the review. I have one question you may have an opinion on this. For a small room of 3 x 4 meters, and a little lively (tile floors) what do you think is more suitable to avoid that it overpowers the room, KLH Model 5 or Buchardt if listening position is 6 feet from the speaker and 19 inches from the back wall? I won't be able to audition both in my room

Great video Sean. Have you considered reviewing Buchardt a700? No one seems to have done that yet and also not many reviews on active floorstanders out there

I often marvel at how my LS50's is able to do instrument separation and pinpoint the source of each note in the soundstage (not an area but a point). While I would appreciate the expanded soundstage of S400 mkii how much would I have to compromise on the above two features I love in the LS50 in my quest to get more bass? Would R3 be a better upgrade path?

review was fantastic and informative as always, i think i'm almost sold on the SW400 mk2, just thinking now what pair of subwoofers to use with these.

Thank you for a comprehensive, useful, and mostly jargon-free speaker evaluation. I'm considering purchasing either the S400s or the KEF LS 50s, and would very much appreciate your opinion on which direction I should go. I have a 56-year-old tube receiver (Fisher 500-c rebuilt twenty years ago with slightly larger caps, so a bit deeper bass), and although only rated at 35 watts RMS, as a tube powered unit it outperforms solid state amps having twice its rated power output. It's set up in a large room and I listen mostly to jazz and soft rock, so nothing too esoteric here. My ears are also 63 years old so can't hear anything above around 8,000 HZ these days so ultra high range not so important. If I go with the Kefs was thinking adding a sub-wooer but would prefer not. Thank you, Fred

Sean, great review as always. Question: do you have any plans to review the Amphion Argon A1 speakers. Looks like nobody has done one here in the US and you are great at discovering good stuff out there!! It would be great to hear your take on it.

What stand height for ear level at 41”? The rake angle seems to indicate 24” stands are okay, but I’m thinking 28” is better. Your thoughts, please?

The new crossover looks so much better!

After owning S400s for two years and trying many setup options... I definitely recommend using primacoudtic recoil stabiliser pads between speakers and sand filled stands. HUGE improvement in overall sound, especially bass response and tonal character.

Nice review, Sean. I'm still a sucker for the old school large speaker, like the KLH..........

Sean, great review! You talk about the distance between speakers to be wide. Please give some numbers also 🙂 Currently I sit 8ft away and I can't get any further from the speakers. Speakers are also 8ft apart. Thanks!

Hi Sean, I have a really quick question, I unfortunately have to put the speakers of my hifi system in a built in media cabinet. I was looking at getting a front ported design so as to minimize reflections from the cabinet and just wanted to know if these speakers (or any other speakers with passive radiators instead of ports) would be a better option? Thanks!

I have the original S400, in the future I will be getting the S400MK2 love the S400

I'm considering these S400 MKII's or a pair of used Harbeth C7ES-3. Do you think the Buchardt's have similar qualities in regards to projecting a 3D soundstage or are the Harbeth's still in another league?

Buchardt now sells an integrated amplifier, I150. Does that make it the amplifier of choice with the S400 mk2? Are their better options for a similar price?

Great review Sean! When reviewers talk about bass what they don’t mention is the differentiation between mid bass & lower end bass. I find that these days most speakers seem to miss the mid bass (90hz - 180hz) band and concentrate mainly on the lower end. That’s why they don’t give us that great mid bass punch! The roll of the drums or the attack on the snare is such an important part of music. Can’t see how speaker manufacturers miss this when it’s so evident when you hear a band play live! Can you tell me whether these speakers have a good mid bass punch?

Great review once again 🤗👍 On past you stated that Gershman Studio II are good upgrade option for S400 MK I. What is your take on after hearing S400 MK II. A brief Tonality and engagement comparison would be highly valued. 🤗👍

Sean, thanks for this great review. I ordered the S400 MK II in Rosewood after watching this review. I also watched your reviews for the Kinki Studio EX M1+ and Unison Research Unico Primo. Which one of these integrated would have better synergy with the S400 MK II?

Is the S400 MkII equal to the sound quality of the Gershman Studio II? You did a bit of a comparison to the original S400.

I love the various demo sound tests on here featuring the Buchardt's. My only concern is the 4 ohms, whereas my amp (Rega Brio) prefers 8 ohms but has a 4 ohm rating but can heat up the box if used for long periods of time. You ever expereince issues with 4ohm speakers driven by 8ohm amps?

Hi Sean, I heard that you used some dumpening material to reduce bass in your smaller room. Did it worked? Having mk2 for some time now, tried different amps, but my room is 4m x 4m, so it builds up bass in almost every listening position.

Is the bass on par with the S300 mkii? (I like a lot of bass)

How do these compare to the Dynaudio Evoke 10?

Would the Unison Unico Nuovo be an equally good match for the Buchardt S400 MKII, as the Unico Primo? It seems to be in the same Unison Hybrid integrated category (2x95W/8Ohm). The Unico Primo is not being imported in my country.

Thanks! I'd love a comparison between the S400 MK2 and the Amphion Argon 3s.

Another great informative review Sean. Would you or have you ever thought about possibly reviewing the Amphion Argon 1 and comparing to the new MK2 as they are close enough in price and very close in looks? I know there is a review and comparison done by A British Audiophile, but would love to hear your thoughts just as much.

Sean, thanks for a killer review of the S400 MK IIs. Isn't there one more difference between the Mk IIs and the original S400s? Isn't there a not insignificant weight difference? It seems I read (but I might be wrong) that the new one is heavier?

Good review. Would this speaker work well with a Cambridge Audio CXA81 ?

Hep. Another comment: Dang, Union Research has some interesting gear. Thanks Shawn! Question: I have a vintage amp/preamp that I could pair with the S400MKII but I love the Unico Primo or the Unico Nuovo, but I can't do both the S400 and the integrated amps, so it's one or the other: Suggestions? What other speakers will the Unico Primo pair well with?

Thumbs up Sean!

Very good review. May do a trial, looking for a pair of speakers for the bedroom. In my living room I have a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5T seemingly very similar, would love to have a comparison review. Originally I was thinking about putting a pair of Buchardt A500 in the bedroom room Wifi connect to Aries streamer.

Thanx! Great Review ! Any chance of testing the Triangle Comète 49th anniversary loudspeakers !

Great Video, I have those original S400 just I added a shiit EQ to my system and there's no way to go back or change for while. I love my S400.

Which would you choose Buchardt S400 MKII vs Kef LS50 Meta + SUB?

Sean, I hope you will review Audiovector speakers

I like bass. So, what do you suggest what subwoofer would work best in a room approximately 14 x 12.

Hey Sean, do you think the IOTAVX SA3 would power the S400 MkII even though its only 50wpc?

Wonder what you would think about Guru Audio speakers

Thanks for this review. I was looking for the comparison between Buchardt and Kef. Specially between Buchardt A500 and Kef LS50W II, and this is the closest I could find. Being a non audiophile, I don't want to do the equipment matching guesswork.

Would love if you could get in the Focal Kanta No 1 Bookshelves in for review!

How's this VS the most recent (comparable) amphion speakers? Have you tried them?

Hats off to Buchardt not reinventing the wheel on this one!

Awesome review. Shame they don't work up close :(

How would the s400s sound paired with the Luxman 550 AXII integrated?

How does this compare to the Encore XLS with the high end crossover?

S400 mkii with Musical Fidelity M2si? I have the M2si but wonder if I should try the Unison Research Unico Primo instead?

Hi, I have the new Marantz Model 40n Stereo Amp. Do you think, that the S400 MK2 also good for movies in kind of dynamic and effects?