Audio Pro Addon T20
FOR Compact, smart minimal- fuss design; clear and agile AGAINST Lacks bass presence, drive and detail “You can be sure of two things with Audio Pro: it’ll be wireless, and will look as if it’s been freshly made by a 3D printer”
Without so much as a glance at a recent Audio Pro speaker, you can be sure of two things: it’ll be wireless, and will look as if it’s been freshly made by a 3D printer – simple, clean and minimal.
In its early days in the ’70s and ’80s, the Scandinavian hi-fi brand produced passive speakers and systems, but every speaker in its repertoire today – all under the ‘Addon’ name – is wireless.
Slim functionality
The T20s are the range’s powered towers, and unsurprisingly share the same design DNA as their smaller colleagues in the Addon range: slender and spartan, with simple functionality.
A white finish is as much a feature of Audio Pro speakers as a wooden chair or grey wall is in a Swedish family home, although there is an alternative all-black finish too. Either way, they’ll no doubt find support from those tired of the classic wood veneer and agricultural designs found in many rivals.
Both speakers stand on attached plinths and lean back slightly, but it’s the left powered speaker that deserves your initial attention. Its 20mm textile-dome tweeter and dual 12cm woofers are driven by Digital Class-d amplification, and it houses the connections.
There are RCA and twin optical inputs for connecting to, for example, a CD player, streamer or TV; an aptx Bluetooth receiver for wireless streaming from any Bluetooth-toting device; an unusual, albeit handy, USB charging port for topping up your smartphone or tablet.
A small LED light at the bottom of the left speaker’s tweeter-surround flags its power and pairing status, and there’s a decent aluminium remote in the box too.
The clue’s in the look
First things first: the Addon T20’s looks aren’t deceiving. As you might gather from the their slim, lightweight stature and modest woofer size, they aren’t the most muscular or authoritativesounding speakers. They are shown up by the beefy Dali Zensor 5AXS as much in terms of power and solidity as they are in physical stature.
If you back the rear-ported cabinets close to a wall, the presentation gains a solidity and tautness that’s largely absent when they’re placed out in the open. Bass notes rear their heads more. Even then, low-frequency softness and a reticence remain, meaning the bassline in Anthony & the Johnsons’ Kiss My Name doesn’t so much drive the track as ride passively behind the vocal.
Similarly with The Flaming Lips’ The Great Gig In The Sky cover – a perfect opportunity for any speaker to let rip – the Addon T20s don’t quite possess the bass (nor the rhythmic) discipline to underpin the track’s complex anarchy. A dedicated subwoofer output provides the opportunity to add more grunt to the system, although it comes at extra expense.
While the Audio Pros’ sonics are mirrored in their physical posture, the Dalis are more arresting in their approach, with the drive and punch to push things along, and the transparency to unveil the subtle harmonics and rich textures behind instruments.
Easy does it
If you’re someone who’d choose to live in slippers over a pair of all-terrain shoes, you might find comfort in the Audio Pros’ easy-listening nature. They’re much more at home with less demanding tracks, while still offering decent weight and insight. On the plus side, a preference for mid- and upper frequencies gives these speakers a nimble quality that helps the entertainment factor.
With more detail and power in the lower frequencies, as well as another layer of transparency above it, the T20s would be as favourable in this context as their smaller (and cheaper) family members are in theirs.
But, despite the practical simplicity and compactness of these Audio Pros, there are more compelling powered rivals (and alternative system solutions) out there we’d sooner recommend.