TOP 3 AUDIOPHILE PRODUCTS! My Favorite Speakers & Amps that I Reviewed (2021)

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Күн бұрын

Most of the stereo gear I reviewed last year was pretty good. Yet some components stood out above the rest in terms of value and performance. Here are my top 3 picks from 2021! :
-- PRODUCT PAGES:--
Unison Research Unico Primo - Link removed. Unison Research changed US Distributors. I will not link to the current distributor out of respect to the people who invested their time and shipping costs into having the product covered here. E-mail Unison Research directly if you're in the US and wish to check out the Unico Primo.
KLH Model 5: klhaudio.com/model-five-pair/
Polk Audio R500: www.polkaudio.com/en-us/produ...
Buchardt Audio S400 MKII: buchardtaudio.com/collections...
-- MY FULL LENGTH REVIEWS---
Unison Research Unico Primo: • Beautiful Sound! Uniso...
Polk Audio R500: • Review! The Polk Audi...
Buchardt Audio S400 MK II: • The Buchardt Audio S40...
KLH Model 5: • 渋い For the Musicphile....

Пікірлер: 310

@mmdusa 2 жыл бұрын

You have been greatly missed sir! Hoping you stay well and continue to make more great reviews. Peace.

@thierrybernot9369 2 жыл бұрын

Ok… 25 minutes after this,video is online, almost 700 views. Let’s say this video was awaited ! Great work as always. Thank you Sean.

@aceofspades6667 2 жыл бұрын

we've been waiting for Sean to post for a month now... I missed his last two livestreams to glad to see this.

@raj6338 2 жыл бұрын

Sean- Thank you for your honest and straight forward reviews . You are very articulate which I love. Thank you again for all your help and hard work

@ZeroFidelity 2 жыл бұрын

These are some of the products that truly stood out to me last year! Fun Fact: This video was meant to be super short. Leave it to me to take a simple premise and morph it into a nearly 18-minute ramble. Ah well. Tis' easy to wax poetic about gear that I feel is awesome.

@randalllawkin 2 жыл бұрын

No worries we love it!! I just want to see you review some Heco Aurora speakers

@aceofspades6667 2 жыл бұрын

TBH I like it Sean.. just let the content take it where it goes... if it's 5 min or if it's 20 min then so be it.

@jon.6753 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you're back

@psyrus73 2 жыл бұрын

I actually prefer your longer videos. I’m interested in your subjective opinions on gear. Great job as always, Sean.

@rmzidann 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sean, do you have any opinions on the quality and sound of XiangSheng DAC-05BII? I know it’s an unknown company and there is virtually no resale possibilities, but it looks really good on paper. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks! 🙏🏼

@DruvisR 2 жыл бұрын

Happy to see you back!!

@rohitharsh100 2 жыл бұрын

Great to see you back.

@alm5693 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sean. his is a wonderful "best of 2021" list. You're full length reviews of those speakers last year put them all at the top of my "wanna" list. I did pick up a pair of the Polk R200s when they were on sale for black Friday. I'm using them with a pair of the older REL T/5i subs that I already owned. Happy. I'll confess that my other favorite thing about your best of list is that it's not full of DACs and streamers and processing apps. Thumbs up to old school hifi. 👍

@danwheetman6914 2 жыл бұрын

Nice. Good to have you back.

@sadge9697 2 жыл бұрын

Khruangbin on vinyl ftw! I've been enjoying the KLH Model Fives since April, in part thanks to your review. While I never seem to stay completely satisfied with any speaker forever, these are great for just enjoying most genres of music in a refreshingly uncomplicated way. Your review was very accurate. Keep up the good work.

@larskarlsson9102 2 жыл бұрын

Good to have you back!

@2010aloy 2 жыл бұрын

Love your videos Sean. Doesn't really matter whether your videos are late or infrequent so long as you show up and talk about 'all things audio'.

@justanobody4983 2 жыл бұрын

Hey, your back! Looking forward for more reviews, great start for 2022.

@jptok 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see you back Sean! Will you be doing a similar video on your top 3 amps? Thanks for all your excellent reviews! 👏

@guccisasha 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back Sean, we missed your candid reviews.

@davidbailey6350 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sean, nice to hear from you again…

@mm-tg8oo 2 жыл бұрын

It is good to see that you are feeling better.

@Pete.across.the.street 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see you're well enough to do videos again. You were missed. Stay well.

@davidmccue9983 2 жыл бұрын

So refreshing to hear a review say what most people want to hear ie enjoy your music collection without referring to performance charts brilliant

@jeffkalina7727 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you are back. Great short lists!!

@irisfinchmusic 2 жыл бұрын

Sean, I really want to thank you! I bought the Luxman SQ-N150 (10 Watt/Ch Tube Integrated Amp) and the Triangle Genese Trio Speakers this year. This is an awesome combination. I love both of them and am thoroughly enjoying my system now! thanks again!

@larrywe3320 2 жыл бұрын

Better late than NEVER... has a different meaning these days. Thanks !! Good to see you back

@prsalcedo89 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sean, great to see that your back.

@robertovelicia3949 2 жыл бұрын

Nice to see you again Sean!

@jeppemichaeljensen2684 2 жыл бұрын

Hey ! Good to see you again. Great list !

@hi-fihaven2257 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sean! It was great seeing the Unico again. Love the minimalist aesthetic. Love the depth of the Buchardt cabinet. Wish that there was a place near me where I could audition the KLH. Really enjoyed the video!

@findingninno2 2 жыл бұрын

I’m happy for you Sean when you talk about the way the Model 5s make you feel. Haven’t had an opportunity to listen to them yet but I hope I’m able to soon

@ta563 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. I'm not even in the market for anything right now and I still watched and enjoyed it.

@Michael-xz1nk 2 жыл бұрын

Keeping it simple with high value will help reduce all the frustration out there. Many of us just want to enjoy the music and not overthink the gear, which is a means to an end. Good job!

@MangoZen 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back!!! Missed your videos and live streams Sean.

@WarinPartita6 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, my friend, also want to wish you a Happy New Year!

@Audiomainia2310 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Sean - good to see you back! Feel well my man.

@alibo_ 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back mate ❤️

@Labor_Jones 2 жыл бұрын

glad you are up and about.... & it was 4 minutes (per-item) re-revisiting your best! - thanks~

@Another_Audiophile 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see you back mate. Happy new year and I hope everyone in your family is healthy and well

@atomicdoohicky3416 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sean. Man oh man you hit the nail on the head with 'frustration!'. It's sure true for me. On one hand things are better than they've ever been with all the affordable equipment and all the accessibility to great reviewers on youtube. On the other, it can be fatiguing wading through all of it and trying to distill it all down to what's right for you - not even touching on trying to get the 'perfect' setup (which of course probably does not exist). It's one of the reasons I'm still listening to a 40 year-old pair of Polk Monitor 5b's. I love 'em.

@seanb3303 2 жыл бұрын

You gotta admit Sean, Zeos put Buchart on the map with the S300s. They weren’t even for sale in USA when he reviewed them

@Jay-fk9wm 2 жыл бұрын

I am absolutely loving my Model 5s. Your review was actually the first one I saw if I remember correctly and one of the reasons I decided to get them.

@jeffreypicciolo7706 2 жыл бұрын

Jay, I just bought a pair as well. Congrats, What amp will you be using? I plan to use an NAD326BEE 50/watts, and hope that is sufficient.

@Jay-fk9wm 2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffreypicciolo7706 Hey, Jeffrey. I believe that should be sufficient if they’re not set up in a huge space. Mine are hooked up to a Cambridge CXA60 and I’m getting enough volume out of them for my liking. I just wanna add that it’s certainly true that these speakers are truly a joy to listen to. I’ve read some not so positive comments about them but I personally really love them, even if my living room isn’t exactly ideal when it comes to acoustics.

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffreypicciolo7706 Brother, give these Model 5's some juice, they gobble it up! I'm using the XTZ A2-400 class D, and the soundstage is just NUTS! Go watch Jay's iyagi video on these, the Debak video, where he sends them out to be tested. Everything he stated is true, the HUGE soundstage and the fact that it is 3 dimensional in the sound, to the point you have to look over your shoulder or to your left or right to see what the hell was that! It was the speakers! I tore out a 5.2 system, and replaced with these two KLH speakers, a Cambridge Audio CXN v2 network streamer/DAC/Preamp along with the XTZ amp, blows that old 5 speaker SVS Ultra package, powered by two Emotiva XPA amplifiers out of the water. There is no comparison. And this is just two channels!

@reinhartfrais8549 2 жыл бұрын

Great you are back, thank you.

@carlitomelon4610 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back sir Hope you and the family are doing better. Interesting review especially after you mentioned how many fine-tune their systems to where they hate actually listening to music 🎶😉🎶

@SeanSisco 2 жыл бұрын

He's BACKKKKKK!!!

@psyrus73 2 жыл бұрын

I value your comparisons of components. Knowing that the Luxman does not deliver twice or more the performance of the Unison Research Unico Primo is valuable information. That’s the kind of information I’m looking for. Keep up the great work!

@madcrabber1113 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you seem to be feeling better.

@henrychan6982 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sean. Great review, it makes since why you chose this selection of speakers and integrated amp.

@NemoPropaganda 2 жыл бұрын

The return of the King 🥳

@Lerch-vz2kp 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back!

@burtonwhiteside1240 2 жыл бұрын

I appreciate the thumbs up on the polks probably my next purchase

@jfarlandutube 2 жыл бұрын

Good review. I would love to hear All three of those speakers. Will definitely make an effort to find somewhere to listen to them. Also the Italian amplifier sounds intriguing. I like a product that’s got some staying power. Good choices.

@joedavenport3263 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Sean, good to see you. Hope all is well. Hope you have a good sebaticle from reviews.

@MusicianGreg 2 жыл бұрын

He is BACK!

@jayjordan3785 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back Sean

@creville9331 2 жыл бұрын

I don't have the opportunity to Demo anything where i live....I count on videos like this from reviewers I trust. The KLH M5s are amazing. Thanks!!!!!!

@HaraldMacGerhard 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, good to see you again Sean, and as always you hit bulls eye What we need guys: sit down and enjoy the music with a super chilled beer 🍺 Are you thinking Buchardt A500 or A700 next? Looks insane 😍🤩

@lanemiddleton9 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent review, Sean. Thank you 🙏🏼

@ryanlucas7588 2 жыл бұрын

I had carried a Unico Primo in my luggage from a trip to Hong Kong. Worth all the luggage space. Kept the Primo for over 10 years and it never missed a beat. It sounded good with all the speakers I threw at it, except for the LS50.

@homerjones3291 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see you back. I have the new S400’s (only took 3.5 months to get them) and they are indeed great but that lack of midbass hump did give me slight pause, but the enhanced dynamics and realistic vocals made me an immediate fan. I had auditioned the KLHs but the upward firing position and the shortness of my room stopped me.

@charlesclifton1006 2 жыл бұрын

Any thoughts on low to mid level listening?

@homerjones3291 2 жыл бұрын

@@charlesclifton1006 Very good for both, but not for high volume listening. I had the mki’s and they really didn’t come alive until about 75dB but these are enjoyable lower than that. I don’t listen at whisper-quiet levels but these are good there as well. Desktop? No. In a dorm in a room next to others? No.

@ravenhoon 2 жыл бұрын

I love your integrated collection 😎

@t8500shx 2 жыл бұрын

I’m thinking about getting KLH 5’s as I want to stop analyzing my music and just enjoy listening again 😁

@bencausey 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your reviews.

@ibassnote 2 жыл бұрын

Pretty surprising list. There doesn’t seem to be a runaway product of the year as the end-of-year lists are very diverse. Happy New Year.

@jctai100 2 жыл бұрын

That Texas Sun album is lit, good taste Sean

@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Sean ,

@jesuscostantino2925 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for being real. Dig your channel, and dig your deal.

@pm4898 2 жыл бұрын

So which one is best? Good to see a vid from you again.

@williamcanada6195 2 жыл бұрын

Sean, where were !! Between all your Colleagues, I really prefer you and your analyses and critiques !!

@mikej9174 2 жыл бұрын

Based on your enthusiasm, as well as many other reviewers, I decided to pick up a pair of these for the bedroom. When they arrived I decided to run them in the living room for a while. After a month I brought my JBL studio 590's back into the living room. Three days later I brought the Model 5's back out. The 590's are too big for the bedroom, but there's no way I'm taking the 5's out of my main listening room. At 60 years old this is likely my last set of speakers, unless I buy a second pair for the bedroom.

@daniannaci3258 2 жыл бұрын

Good seeing you again. Long is good. And I second the earlier comment: Your pick for 3 best integrated amplifiers you reviewed this past year.

@goo4tube Жыл бұрын

Hope you can review the newly announced KLH Model 7 🙏🏻 More power to you and your channel 🥂

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

Going on a few moths with the KLH Model 5's. The game changer with these speakers was the addition of the Denafrips Ares II DAC, soon to be a Pontus II... I liked the Ares II so much, I bought their Iris DDC, the Hades pre and Thallo amp. Go see Jay's review on those, they really are, "Tuberlicious", and daily "Eargasms" are now the norm, as the speakers and gear breaks in... Just incredible old school 60's, 70's beautiful analog sound.

@ianorigbo7617 2 жыл бұрын

I already got the KLH MODEL 5. I love em!!

@michaelshaw9740 2 жыл бұрын

What are you powering your Model 5s with?

@macyu1001 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great video Sean. Is there any reason you don't review open baffle speakers?

@Philear4124 10 ай бұрын

Hi, I also had this one, but now the Unico 90 in the house. A big step towards high end. Grtz Phil

@fletchermunson6225 2 жыл бұрын

I was lucky enough to score one of the Primos when they were $2k. I love this thing. I replaced the 12ax7 with a PS Vane tube and also got a RCA NOS black plate and they both make stunning music. For more energy, a Gold Lion Genelex will be your deal. I am totally happy and can't imagine selling this any time soon. It is magical with my Dynaudio Special 40s and the CSS Audio Criton 1TDX speakers not to mention JBL 1600 HDI speakers. I directly compared it to a Vincent SV237 integrated priced at $2800. No contest. The Vincent hacked the spacial and holographic qualities and while had some warmth, changing the tube, which is a pain in the ass, didn't do all that much to change the sound. The Primo it is very responsive to tube rolling to pick your flavor. Thank You Shawn, or Sean or...just thanks.

@kamadeva1 2 жыл бұрын

I loved it right out of the box myself, but it truly is a sexy sound. Do you know what the stock tube is? I'm tempted to buy a bunch and keep them around for replacement time. I beat the price increase by weeks myself.

@fletchermunson6225 2 жыл бұрын

@@kamadeva1 I thought I replied once but here goes again. The stock tube just says it was made in Russia. If you like the stock tube you might like the Gold Lion Gelelex tube or Electro Harmonix. Just a reminder always turn the amp off before changing tubes and better yet, take out the power cord. I speak from experience.

@johnnymossville 2 жыл бұрын

Loved your "rant" about letting it be about the music and just enjoying listening. I know the "audiophile" bug is strong, but it must be about the music first.

@dougg1075 2 жыл бұрын

Love the Tennessee tophat:) Kentucky waterfall. Kidding

@De132an 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man!

@toddstyles7194 2 жыл бұрын

Sean you and Jay are my favorite reviewer's. When are you going to do a review on the JBL 100 classic??? 👍🤪

@rickc661 2 жыл бұрын

big +++ to the retro look of the electronics in the background. Mid '70's look. ahhh. ( I just got an Outlaw Receiver > with KEF Meta's , + Def tech Sub )

@davidlambert3892 2 жыл бұрын

I love that vintage look.

@mrg1911 2 жыл бұрын

I was a bit surprised you didn't review any of the Harbeth XD models; namely the P3ESR-XD. Thanks!

@vaksilvaksil9939 2 жыл бұрын

I dispointated also

@robertomusitano4238 2 жыл бұрын

Great work Sean

@chaindrive98 2 жыл бұрын

Eagerly waiting for your review on the Magnat Transpuls 1000. Love the looks. But want to know if it sounds good. Thanks.

@hailtothevictorz 2 жыл бұрын

Sean and Andrew both compared the KLH and Whafedales head-to-head if I'm not mistaken and came out on opposite sides. Interesting.

@illjhero 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Sean! Very curious how the timekeeper 3i fared against your choices for 2021?

@antwake 2 жыл бұрын

interesting that you picked up the Unison Research when you could have picked the Kinki (if we consider the price range). Means that I should change my search focus and try to find a Unison 🙂

@MarkDavidMcCoskey 2 жыл бұрын

I'm LOVING my Walnut pair of KLH Model 5's. Using an XTZ Edge A2-300 for power. Midfield (7-8 feet) listening. No sub-woofer (doesn't need one).

@baronofgreymatter14 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Sean got the Yamaha AS2200 and the KLH model 5s WOW what a match thanks for the recommendation

@ZeroFidelity 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers man!

@nathanjones4039 2 жыл бұрын

@ Baron of Grey Matter I’ve got a Yamaha A-S2200 and currently have the KLH Kendall’s. I wonder how much better the Model 5’s would be with my 2200 than my Kendall’s are??

@joshjr5817 2 жыл бұрын

Sean - would love to see your review on Audiovector R1 Arrete bookshelf speakers. They my make your product of the year 2022 ;-)

@jonuiuc 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome back man, hope you and your family are in good health now.

@hififuture 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely trust this guy

@ta563 2 жыл бұрын

It is like audio shopping with a very knowledgeable friend that steers you towards what will work best in your setup.

@williamrose7434 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see you brother 🇬🇧

@cdr1576 2 жыл бұрын

Good video thanks.

@samuelwaters697 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to see Sean is doing ok, been a while. I have been on the fence regarding the KLH speakers. I currently have a glut of equipment but want to strike before the price hike. In my listening room I’ve got Zu omens with Aegir powering them. It is a medium room with a somewhat dark nature. I spend more time indirectly listening to 45 yr old Smaller Advents in a large space. Has anybody pulled the trigger and enjoy them for low level listening?

@simianinc 2 жыл бұрын

Weirdly, Steve Guttenberg didn’t even publish a review of the KLH Model 5 because he hated them so much, but every other review I’ve seen is complementary. I wish I could hear them for myself

@charlesclifton1006 2 жыл бұрын

Can anybody answer this? For mid to low level listening, would either the KLH or the Buchardts be a good choice? Thank you Sean for this posting.

@billd9667 2 жыл бұрын

More speaker manufacturers need to offer acoustic suspension products. That’s why the 5 isn’t boomy and the bass rolls off slowly and smoothly. What was old is new again. It’s very hard to make a good vented speaker properly (Polk does a good job in the R series). It’s less hard to design a sealed speaker if the Q is right - just match speaker volume and damping to the driver (assuming that the driver is done right). I’ve always preferred acoustic suspension, but they are rare these days, probably because manufacturers want to offer the lowest bass they can wring out of a design. Trouble is that vented speakers have at least two issues - phase discrepancy between the bass driver and port and mushy bass from the port, partly due to the former and partly due to the fact that the port output is one-note. Great choices, Sean - and Happy New Year!

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

Nothing better than a sealed box. When I heard that it was sealed, and the glowing reviews, it was a no brainer to order a pair. Should be here in a few days. Ported speakers and subs in my house always sound boomy, it is the room, not a lot I can do with it. When I replaced the ported SVS subs with a pair of the SB3000, night and day, and really solved many issues. I cannot wait to pair the KLH's up to these.

@daniannaci3258 2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelwright1602 Of course any sub will more seamlessly blend with a sealed box main speaker. Tho if you’re planning on using a sub with a ported speaker anyway, you can always seal a ported design with the supplied foam bung. A (clean!) sweat sock works just as well, too 😮.

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

@@daniannaci3258 Yep, sure can.

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

Sean, I just ordered a pair of the KLH Model 5... I am salivating for their arrival! Found them on sale, demos, $1899, in walnut... If anyone is interested, Audio Advisor may have one more pair of the walnut, and they did have the Mahogany in stock for the same price. Call them, ask for Jay, tell him I sent you. ;-)

@daviddunwoody1979 2 жыл бұрын

Was that the Raleigh or Charlotte location?

@Jay-fk9wm 2 жыл бұрын

Ohhh you’re gonna have so much fun with them.

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

@@daviddunwoody1979 Grand Rapids MI...

@michaelwright1602 2 жыл бұрын

@@Jay-fk9wm I finally got them up and running... OMG! I'm using the Cambridge Audio CXN v2 network Streamer/DAC/Preamp with the XTZ Edge A2-400 amplifier, and the sound is AMAZING! I can see why these reviewers are keeping them, the soundstage these create is mind blowing to say the least. I caught myself a number of times snapping my head to see what the hell was that coming from behind or to my left or right, that is how large and encompassing the soundstage is. It is downright 3 dimensional. They love power too, the more juice the better, and the larger and more filling the soundstage. If you run these on anything less than 200 wpc, you are really missing out on the true potential and sound quality of these incredible speakers. These are staying, the only possible replacement would be the Model 9 when they come out. But right now, I see no need to go that route.

@ManuelMedellin. Жыл бұрын

@@michaelwright1602 You mean the upcoming Model 7, surely. And yea Holographic capabilities is what makes them so special, almost replaces the need for Rearspeakers entirely. These must be insane with a pair of Subwoofers in Home Cinema.

@margix1172 2 жыл бұрын

Let's hope more and more hi-fi equipment will look like the timeless immortal era of the 60's 70's and 80's this is not "vintage" this is BEAUTIFUL STYLE.

@scottyo64 2 жыл бұрын

Hope you're feeling better!

@eMRhLvBrSn 2 жыл бұрын

"Frustrating system matching process, leading you down the road to a super resolving system on which you can no longer enjoy music that you used to love" 100% absolute agree, years of youtube-driven audio nervosa with constant gear changes has driven me to a super analytical system that I can't kick back and just enjoy music on. I'm all in it for the gear now, music is more annoying that joyful. I'm just listening for flaws in the recordings and/or equipment.

@solomonstewart1025 2 жыл бұрын

Geeze!! Such an awful place to find oneself.