It’s easy to look at a modest-sized speaker and assume it can’t throw a big stage. But size alone doesn’t determine scale. The Aspen speakers are a perfect example of that.
When Chris Brunhaver designed the Aspens, he focused not just on what they do directly in front of you, but how they behave off to the sides. That’s where the illusion of space comes from. Most speakers beam their high frequencies straight ahead. The moment you move off-axis, the tonal balance shifts, and the stage collapses. You’re reminded there’s a box in the room.
Aspens don’t do that.
Thanks to their planar midrange and tweeter, the dispersion is wide and consistent. That means the frequency response doesn’t fall apart when you’re off-axis. You get the same balance of highs, mids, and lows across the room. And when the off-axis response is right, the soundstage stretches—side to side, and front to back. The speakers disappear.
That’s why you can point the Aspens straight ahead with no toe-in and still get a huge image that stays locked in place. Not many speakers can pull that off. It’s not about tricks or DSP. It’s just good design—careful attention to phase alignment, crossover execution, and driver behavior.
So yes, big speakers can sound big. But smart speakers, like the Aspens, can sound even bigger—because they give your ears and your room what they need to believe the illusion. And once that illusion takes hold, you stop thinking about size.
You just hear the music.
