Greg Belman of Brooklyn, New York’s Bache Audio recently dropped off a pair of his rear-ported Sonata EX2 speakers ($2,780 per pair). Rated at 91 dB sensitivity, this speaker features a 3-inch bamboo cone driver with no crossover, 5.25-inch composite cone woofer, 1-inch super tweeter, and 1-inch air motion transformer (AMT) tweeter. Each speaker weighs 27 pounds. Two removable magnetically-attached grilles are included, and a number of standard or custom finishes are available.
The EX2 exhibited a punchy and cohesive sound and made gorgeous-sounding music. Yes, there might be more linear speakers out there, but most of those I’ve heard don’t have the EX2’s heavenly midrange.
I enjoyed listening to and photographing them.
The Sonata EX offers a unique driver complement.
The EX2’s rear panel is as understated as its front.
The Sonata EX2 is a crossoverless design.
Proudly made in Brooklyn, New York.
Howard Kneller’s audiophile adventures are documented on his YouTube channel (The Listening Chair with Howard Kneller) and on Instagram (@howardkneller). His art and photography can also be found on Instagram (@howardkneller.photog). Finally, he posts a bit of everything on Facebook (@howardkneller).
