i recently attended the Delux HifI show here in the UK and listened to a pair of Radho TD 2.2 priced at £40,000 these are two teirs below the TD 3.8 and they was the star of the show simply beautifuly sounding speakers very holographic with great imaging and soundstage so the TD 3.8 on test here must sound out of this World, great video thank you.
@exlipse1237 ай бұрын
First of all I must congratulate you and your team! You do a combination of certain things that nobody else does in the world and for this you will always have the respect of people that follow you! 1. You measure the system. Listen with and without DSP then conclude. You also show us the measurements. Most audiophiles hate measurements ! 2. You show us SPL measurements while listening, and also listen loud, as all music should be listened to, in order to also feel the music, not only hear it !!!! 3. You reach the peak power of the speakers to actually know where the headroom stops and what the upper limits of the system are. Then you show us what happens ! An excursion clip could also be appreciated. 4. You have a great team comprised of various aged professional individuals that have proven experience and know how to explain the way they perceive the system sound. I have had the lucky opportunity to listen to many of the speakers you reviewed and I can say that you come closest to reality, when compared to other reviewers online that only know how to praise speakers, and never say anything critical about any brand. Basically every speaker they review is the best in it's class/price and best available. Not so smart! In the case of the Raidho TD 3.8, I can say Sebastian was on spot with the sound signature. When I first heard them I immediately knew that these speakers have a V type of sound that is more friendly to older audiences which lack the top end sensibility, as you've also stated. Similar sound signatures can be heard from older, now obsolete Dali speakers like Ikon MK2 and Mentor. Maybe you could make a separate video explaining what the canceled reviews are? The manufacturers refused to respect the rules that you imposed - complete transparency - and did not send you the units to review them? You are the master of audiophile reviews! Thank you!
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Thank you for those kind words. There is no reason for wasting more energy with vendors that pull their participation for various reasons. I would rather spend the time doing great work with the ones who will. I am glad you see the value of doing team reviews. Keep them comments coming, and consider joining the facebook group.
@razisn7 ай бұрын
No offence meant to the very good subjective reviewers here but no real speaker measurement took place here, I'm afraid. Just simple measurement of the in-room freq. response. Maybe good for someone who has the speaker in his room to perform, but totally inadequate (and sometimes misleading) for a speaker review. Regardless of the in-room measurement, this review remains 100% subjective. This is not a bad thing but it is what it is. Many reviewers do in-room freq. response measurements, like this, so 'nobody else in the world' is a huge exaggeration and very unfair to many reviewers. However, very few reviewers in YT, internet and the printed press perform proper speaker measurements too using specialised equipment. There should be more of them but it takes significant investment and deep knowledge to perform and interpret.
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
@@razisn no offence taken either, but please dont confuse your brothers. Sometimes your replies comes off so dry, they could risk self combustion 😀. The most important thing to me is not now a speaker measures, its must be how it is experienced in a given room. Here I feel that the listening position response in the reviewers chair can provide some good context that is easily followed when I show what a room correction system would do to it. You seem to be talking about making scientific measurements of speakers showing all kinds of performance metrics off axis responses, phase and so on. Well, something entirely different. I want to focus on what the different speakers brings to the table of music enjoyment. On channels like @ErinsAudioCorner www.youtube.com/@ErinsAudioCorner you can watch a depressed man reviewing speakers he might not even have experienced, admiring their specs and measurements if that is your thing. Ill rather have sex with the prom queen 🙂over a longer period and take others with me on the journey. If I was doing speaker design and build videos, it would be a totally different thing.
@exlipse1237 ай бұрын
@razisn a scientifically made measurement = 0 for the average listener with an average room, which is what I am. What good will an anechoic measurement do if we cannot get that response in our normal listening room, dare I say, 95% similar to what our great Mr. Sternholm has. There are loudspeakers that perform perfectly in controlled environments but do so poorly at home, and this can only be identified by what Mr. Sternholm does. The reason why I say he is the only one that does this is because he is unconventional and counter-intuitive when compared to printed press or other reviewers, WHILE remaining true to what 90% of audiophiles will experience!
@razisn7 ай бұрын
@@exlipse123 I'm afraid you're very wrong. You can get a very good approximation of the expected in room response using modelling as used by the Klippel instrument. On the other hand, an in room response using REW or Dirac or any pf these software is only for that particular room and says nothing about what causes the response to be like this (or even if you CAN correct it trough EQ) because it does not say anything about the speaker's directivity behaviour. Of course, such a measurement says neither either about speaker distortion behaviour etc. Nothing of what you are saying is actually correct, I'm afraid. Pls educate yourself and come back.
@acegolemi38187 ай бұрын
The involvement, multi faceted approach, objectivity, positive energy, humor etc. - that you fellas bring out for us the audience, deserves nothing but utmost praise! Kudos to all of you and I wish you all many happy and healthy hours of listening to your set ups. On a constructive note I would put forth that I hope you have a chance one day, sooner than later ofcourse, to conduct your reviews in much larger room which undoubtedly will be way more appropriate for the size of these Raidho's or the Dali's you had there(ofcourse, many others in the same or bigger caliber). Just to let them breathe and really demonstrate what they can do when you let it rip! Oh, another thing as important as the room, hopefully you can have a partnering gear of same level/price range. Yeah, I know that would bring the cost considerably, no doubt about it, but in my opinion based on over 25years of experience, it is the correct path to take, if one wants to squeeze out close to the last drop of performance of each individual component in the set up. I do use the Diablo 300 in one of my set ups, but its with a Epicon 8 (with assistance of a pair of Rel's) , which is in a rather similar price range and logicaly one would assume performance bracket. Although, in a 7m by 10m room, with 3.5m vaulted ceeling (professionaly treated) But I'm not dismissing the notion of: "it punches way above its weight". I'm beyond certain that if you had these Raidho's partnered with something from upper level Moon (as the brand itself does on numerous demos, as well as reputable dealers) in the close to 100k price more or less, or lets say Pilium or Karan (yes, originally I'm from the Balkans, so I tend to root for my neighbours), also maybe Vitus, Soullution, ChPrecision or lets bring from across the pond - Pass Labs, D'Agostino etc. Hm... 🤔 Im curious to try them with Halcro as well ! Pretty sure you would have gotten some clearer picture of the performance of the 3.8. No, I'm not biased towards Raidho, nor defending them in particular, although I've been considering including the TD 6 in a upper end set I'm contemplating about putting together. But when one considers that many renown and long established audio reviewers, editors etc, have used and still using plainly laughable rooms in the size and construction department , whether is a basement with weird proportions and short ceelings but somehow the large Wilson Audios does just miraculously fine in there(guessing you might know who I'm referring to) , or a purpuse built insulated room, but still with a enterance door a meter or so behind one speaker and actual result that screams - it's small for serious floorstanders or critical review (yeah, its the one in New Mexico), than... Than you guys are on a high horse in the audio reviewing world! So cheers for that and all the best!!! p. s Yes, those terminals are just SILLY!!!
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
@acegolemi3818 , thank you for the kind words. I cant agree on the room size part. I for one, when performed focussed listening at average listening levels of say 82dB in the listening position would have trouble finding a decently sized speakers than can deliver 25 dBs of headroom as demonstrated using the 1812 overture in the video. The TD 3.8 was simply to small for the room and listening distance in that regard, and would feel pressured if pushed harder. Ceiling height is another thing: Here better performance can be achieved with more height (aka having "magic" dimensions in the room) but on the other hand, it would alienate many viewers in normal domestic homes. We got a pretty good representative room here, medium sized very like most rooms in europe) treated to meet EBU standard, with only a few modes , making it in line with a better than average domestic room. As the viewers are going to use audio equipment in such rooms it makes totally sense to me, together with the power of actually testing a lot of equipment under the same conditions. It makes the entire team extremely familiar with prior experiences. For your second point about matching equipment: in general find so the improvements to be so subtle in high-end electronics today above a certain construction standard, that the extra money spent is more on "feel good" than on actual sound improvements. The mark-up alone on the more exotic stuff from tiny manufactures that needs to cover all their expenses and salaries from a very limited number of units, makes them relatively much more expensive than actual sound suggests. I undestand that chasing the last 1% is the most expensive part, but if the speakers are not able to deliver the required peak performance in the room effortlessly (in relation to the room size and listening distance,) all the other things really does not matter, as I would not be able to get the HIFI realism that means the world to me, when really immersing myself in music. Point is, with even bigger rooms (this is 52m2) that problem would just grow exponentially. We all have different approaches, music habbits and outer framework. That is what I dig into when I consult people helping them to solve issues and find the sound of their dreams. More often than not, they have been chasing the wrong things (like cables, when the room is the issue). In the end, the only thing that matters is YOUR experience, - and if that wakes the right feeling - it is just right. Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. Much appreciated. Consider joining the "making HIFI great again" facebook group. Here you can show your system and join the brilliant conversations.
@acegolemi38187 ай бұрын
Hey @stjernholmreviews , greately appreciate the honest and all encompasing reply. And now... Oh man, ahahaaa, so Moon really bailed out huh ?!? Who knows, it might really be lack of cojones.😂😅😂😅 Hm , 🤔 dunno , never owned their products , but I mentioned it mainly for the reason stated in the original comment. Couple of audiophile friends have their pre/pow combos, I think its the models just before the top of the range if Im not mistakin. 860 or whatever was exactly. In both set ups doubled up as monos for extra power and control. One has them paired with Dynaudio Confidence 60 the other with B&W 801 D4 Sig. , Well, most importantly they are completly happy with the results in their systems, tastes and needs, and admitedly in both cases is praise worthy, no doubt. Which brings me actually to the most important point that you made and smacked it down for sure ! The personal preferances, viewpoints and achieved results is what matters most, regardless of the individual steps and path taken on ones audiophile journey, and I couldnt agree with you more on that. So cheers for it ! ( with 36yr Laphroaig, at the moment). And now about the proverbial bull in the chinashop that seems to be the pricing - calibre of amplification and source components in relation to the loudspeakers when assembling the hifi system, ahmm... just for sake of enjoying the music and good times I wont poke it too much but just say it again in friendliest and constructive manner that the results will be more than obvious and probably jaw dropping if the amplification is on par with the speakers,in this case 100 k more or less! Worth listening if you ever get a chance.In my experience, way more than the illusive last 1% ! But Im surely not dismising your stance on pricing /performance diminishing returns point that might appear. Just a small example out of personall experience, I have tried the Diablo 300 (that I use now with Epicon 8 and pair of Rel 212sx ) with Vimberg Tonda D that I have in another set up/house, and most definetly, beyond any doubt it cannot match the performance of the Karan Master Collection PowerA and LineA pre combination that are partnering the Vimbergs. Than again, the Gryphon Commander /Apex combo ,could probably be even better than the Karan ,but ...😮 yes its neverending game,I know. Jeezz😂. Ah , I must definetly retract my observation about your room size in my original comment. If its 52 sq m is more than sizable and your stance about the approach in reviewing is absolutly correct. For some reason, I really percieved it as much, muuuch smaller. I shouldnt multitask too much and probably should watch more of your videos. And yes, the golden ration is the king, no way around it. Thank you a bunch for the invitation about joining the group.I would need to dive into the fb world again since I got out of there more than 3 years ago. Ive been poundering for long time now to have some really good videos and photos made of all my set ups. But being a bon vivant, traveling around, living internationally - party guy, sort of livin la vida loca(no, I havent met Nina Moric; the babe from the video of that song😉) and ... risking to be labaled with toxic masculinity from the big brother, if I go into more detail here, ahahaha. All that has been postponed for ages but if I find time and patience I would reach out to you guys. Keep up the great work and ofcourse - enjoy the music ! Cheers again ! Mmmhhmm,this Laphroaig is damn fine.
@martymcfly38377 ай бұрын
Thanks for the Interesting Loudspeaker reviews! Amazing
@Megamare17 ай бұрын
I’d be very curious how these compare to Borrenson , even the “ little “ X3’s. Another great review 👌🏻
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
You and me both!
@dieselbrodeur7 ай бұрын
I don’t think your first amp ran out of power on the Kunzel 1812 (1979 telarc). The recording faulty includes as low frequency as 6 Hz. Many amps (for good reasons) block this via their protection circuits. I am also a bit curious about your measurements, was that really with the Z weight ( SPL) it looked more like A weighted and not set on impulse either. You could try the 98/99 recording instead, better sound and no subsonic garbage.
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
It was the safety in the nuprime amps cutting off, when reaching below 2 ohms :-) The meter has changed their ways, now charging a premium yearly for access to C-weighted measurements. In this case, we used A-weighting. Should not affect things like peak SPL, though. Thank you for advice and watching the channel!
@acegolemi38187 ай бұрын
Now Im curious to try that exact recording on some of my set-up's.
@esben19657 ай бұрын
Very good for the few, im happy with my Tannoy Legacy Arden
@jungtarcph7 ай бұрын
Super cool - keep up the reviews 🎉💪😉🙌
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Thanks! 👍
@harrisedgar7 ай бұрын
Wonderful review as usual...!!! Just wonderful...!!!
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@phonatic7 ай бұрын
That was fun to watch, these are real beasts. Thank you for including the info on the diamond coating process. Literally the very moment when I started to ask myself how one would do that, your explanation popped in. Great editing, as always and worth a good taaaaap. Btw. your Inakustik-Referenz-German gets better everytime. :)
@razisn7 ай бұрын
Please tell me that you understood what 'firing diamond atoms at light speeds' means.. lol. You can start by explaining to me what a 'diamond atom' is. Hint: No such thing exists, diamond is not an element so there are no diamond atoms. A 'diamond' is made of at least 18 carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice of a very particular shape. For your information the coating is performed by carbon vapour deposition using a Physical Vapour Deposition machine as explained by the manufacturers in an answer to my comment above. You can google vapour deposition and PVD technique for growing artificial diamond crystals if you want to understand more.
@acegolemi38187 ай бұрын
@@razisnhuge respect for resolving the detailed and direct factual tech. terminology. As for me personally I gave up a while back to pay too much attention to the sort of esoteric lingo that many brands tend to use for the same reasons that you are trying to point out. Cheers.
@phonatic7 ай бұрын
@@razisn I was merely glad to see that the process in general was addressed. Although admittedly scientifically inaccurate, after all, it's a review about a speaker's performance and not a dissertation. But thank you for the details, very interesting!
@razisn7 ай бұрын
@@phonatic That was not a failure of the reviewer it was a failure of the manufacturer’s representative to utter anything other than erroneous marketing speak designed just to impress. This practice I highly dislike.. wow! 2 karats of diamonds on that cone, diamond atoms shot at the speed of light! Many hifi manufacturers do that but not all.
@phonatic7 ай бұрын
@@razisnAh, now I got it. I wasn't aware of the manufacturer's wobbly wording.
@Newrecordday20137 ай бұрын
Subscribed!
@matthewhoult13507 ай бұрын
Simply wonderful great looking speakes next stop the Scansonic Q series
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Yes. IMO The Q series looks even better. Those corvette exhaust style ports and the shape. Not many speakers carry that kind of boldness maintaining elegance at the same time.. :-)
@razisn7 ай бұрын
There's no such thing as a 'diamond atom' so you can't 'fire' it at 'light speeds'... There is artificial diamond nanocrystal powder (produced by controlled explosions) and usually used in polishing applications which you might be able to fire (not at light speeds..) at a surface to coat it or you may grow diamond crystals on a surface using carbon vapour deposition. No idea how those cones are surfaced but certainly not by firing diamond atoms at light speed..
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Thank you for the comment. Maybe raidho should expand here, I dont know the physics of it, so the explanation came "direct from factory", so to speak.
@raidhoacoustics65367 ай бұрын
Well, you are partly right and partly wrong. We do use more simple languange to explain cutting edge technology. Otherwise it will be very difficult for most people to understand. The coating is done with a PVD machine.
@razisn7 ай бұрын
@@raidhoacoustics6536 So, vapour deposition, as I thought. No idea where I'm wrong though.. Using simple language does not excuse using totally incorrect marketing language designed just to impress like 'firing diamond atoms'. What would 'most' people understand by 'diamond atoms'? Nothing, because there's no such thing. 'Firing diamond atoms at light speed' is not google-able after all, while carbon vapour deposition, physical vapour deposition and PVD machine are, so the one who wants to understand more can always google it up and also find out to what extent it is indeed 'cutting edge' or not.
@razisn7 ай бұрын
@@raidhoacoustics6536 So it is vapour deposition (the V and the D in the PVD), as I guessed. Easy and simple for anyone to google if one needs to know more. Not so for the non-existing 'diamond atoms'. I'm not really sure where I was partly wrong, though.. Personally I highly detest marketing speak disguised as tech speak (and it shows in my comments) but I do think many other consumers do as well.
@jungtarcph7 ай бұрын
Thanks for fantastic and innovative speaker building! Rock on and don't let "nitty gritty" spoil the fun 🎉💪
@TM-fx2pi7 ай бұрын
Great video. Too rich for my wallet but great to learn about them anyway. Thank you.
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@BeyondResolution7 ай бұрын
Raidho came on my radar back when Scansonic launched the MB series. I owned both the MB3.5 and MB2.5 and back then got intrigued by Michael Børresen as a designer. But just to clearify.. Who is designing the new Raidho after MB left and started another brand? There is no doubt that these TD3.8 are beautifull and look like a killer audio tower :)
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
The TD 3.8 is one of the models designed by someone else. I believe Raidho bring in freelancers from the "alley", and John Jensen work on the crossover designs. To be verified, though. Thanks for watching!
@dokterbc7 ай бұрын
Fantastic review as always. Dream speaker with this amp, very cool combination.
@alexvetstein7 ай бұрын
there is no way, diablo is a good amp for the td 3.8.... connect them to some serious electronics and you will understand what they can do. I have them with way better electronics and familiar with Diablo.
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Hello Alex, thank you for commenting. I really appreciate more context when people do statements like that pulled out of thin air. You will need to elaborate in a way so people can actually get smarter from your experiences. Looking at the diablo 300, it has no problems driving a TD 3.8 to the edge, no matter the frequency, - thus handling the load with authority. To discard it with a wink of the hand, to justify that you are running even more expensive kit - is not kosher here without you actually sharing your experiences that tought you so in greater detail. Looking forward to hear more about them!, and Thank you for watching!
@alexvetstein7 ай бұрын
Hello, Well, it is not about expensive as per say, but about class of the electronics. In hi end industry, it is normal that higher performance gear costs more. When you connect top shelve speaker to a mid- market integrated, you will hear the limit of the integrated and its character, that is all. Ask your friend Rune from Gryphon, I’m sure he will tell you to connect TD3s to Mephisto or even better to Mephisto Solo. The same applies for a DAC streamer and so on. The break in of these is also longer, where the speakers change their tonal balance and boomy goes away in 200 hours, as was my case. They also need a good room space. I did compare them to the best (as expensive and more) head to head in my own setup, and that is when you start understanding pros and cons. @@stjernholmreviews
@ac810173 ай бұрын
I'm in the process of looking to buy my final dream speakers, I've been listening to both Borresen and Raidho. I've discovered i'm a Raidho guy. Problem is finding the speaker to demo, I've listened to a pair of Raidho D3.1, amazing sound just way too much bass. My listening room is fully treated, and I have a pair of REL Carbon specials, so i want a smaller speaker, question is which one TD1.2 or an older D2.1 due to the price factor.
@stjernholmreviews3 ай бұрын
@ac81017 Very interesting case! The key will be to get those REL Carbons to be super well integrated. You having two of them would allow you to run them as boundary subwoofers, with a high crossover point, effectively getting much closer to the performance of a much bigger raidho. It all hangs on how well you can integrate them. Most elegant way I have seen so far, is using a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 for the task. Check the CUE-100 review for more on boundary woofer setups (if you dont know already!). I have not heard the D.2.1 and the TD1.2 side by side, but remember, - if you take care of your bass, - the bass will take care of you ;-) Thank you for watching! Let me know if I can assist you professionally with getting it all right.
@peterschaldemose78617 ай бұрын
Pretty bummed out that the others didn't have the balls, especially Lyngdorf and B&O, since they are danish companies. I know the quality of the Steinway-Lyngdorf but I doubt B&O could live up to the others in sound. Only design matters, and that just crazy spacy the last two decades.....
@razisn7 ай бұрын
Thanks for the review. I'm not in the market for such high-priced speakers but even if I were I wouldn't know what to make of them based on this review. It seems that in your room they were not dynamic enough but at the same time were too bassy. Not a nice combination, it seems to me. Of course, the one who buys 100K speakers without auditioning them first is a very stupid buyer.
@raidhoacoustics65367 ай бұрын
The TD3.8 is one of our most succesfull speakers and the issues being raise here we have never had any complaints about from customers. If it is the room or the circumstances is difficult to tell, but it is their experience. But you should always listen and judge for your self. I do not think that any customer in the market will buy without an audition in this price class. You should always listen and see what you think.
@razisn7 ай бұрын
Well, assuming that the reviewers are on to something here, the findings of somewhat dynamically limited and too bassy, though appearing as different findings, may be closely related. Of course, they have no way of measurement so they can't say more. Access to a Klippel is a reviewer's friend..
@annenominous72207 ай бұрын
heard them recently, very nice, but too expensive for me :(
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
They are to expensive for most :-) Thats the idea and why they too should be reviewed. :-) Thanks for watching!
@acegolemi38187 ай бұрын
A way more affordable "cousin" from the Scansonic range, like the MB6B mentioned, partnered with something like Marantz PM10, Plinius Hiato or Hegel H600 (if one chooses to take the integrated path) or even Simaudio, T+A or AVM appropriate models- just to point out few options ; connect them with Nordost Red Dawn or Heimdal if you are into open, transparent and dynamic presentation, and you have a amazing set up for the fraction of the cost of just the TD 3.8 . You get the authentic Danish speaker experience without breaking the bank. Well, not as much at least. Oh, something like the Dynaudio Contour 60i would be a great option as well, for even slightly less than the MB6B. Thats just in case we are considering larger floorstanders. p.s If the room size allows, listening perferances and pocket as well, adding a Rel subwoofer or a pair of em (and when funds and mood allow you can go for the full deal, line arrey six pack) u'll have a full range-boombastic set up, that wont leave you asking for more anytime soon ! Cheers to all and happy listening !
@ofir50007 ай бұрын
The cons are unacceptable for a speaker at that price😢
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
In the luxury segment, relative price is not a concern. Thats why we did not use the price as such as a measure of value in sound..... and diamonds :-)
@bilguana117 ай бұрын
Raidho demos always drove me out of the room due to harshness.
@stjernholmreviews7 ай бұрын
Can you expand on the statement? Harshness where? At what playback levels? We heard lifted absolute heights, but only bothering the youngest "bat ear" on the team finding it "nippy" :-) The midrange felt so very clear, punchy and dynamic. Amazing power for voices and not harsh at all. No unpleasant phase or crossover artefacts in the mid and heights as well that would bother the brain. Tell more about your experience at shows.
@bilguana117 ай бұрын
I heard Raidho's demos many times at CES (I recall Nordost ex-pat Lars giving some of them) and audio shows. They do have great detail, but, like most ribbon tweeters, they sound harsh. I could not live with them.@@stjernholmreviews