GOLDENEAR TECHNOLOGY BRX BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS
AT SOME POINT when I reviewed Goldenear Technology’s Triton Reference tower in early 2017, it hit me that the company may have backed itself into a marketing corner with its new offering. After all, how do you push the performance envelope further after developing a “Reference” speaker? The company’s agenda, as it turned out, was to scale its $8,500 flagship down in order to deliver variations on the Reference experience. To that end, Goldenear quickly followed up with the Triton One.r ($6,000/pair), a smaller and less pricey tower that to my ears didn’t compromise on performance in any substantive way. Now, the company has introduced the BRX ($ 1,599/ pair), a passive bookshelf entry in the Reference lineup. Since a key component of both the Reference and the One.r is a built-in powered subwoofer section that enables the speaker to deliver true full-range sound, I was eager to see—and hear—how the company had navigated the challenge of getting Reference-level performance from a compact, passive package.
The first part of that puzzle makes perfect sense: use components similar to those found in the Triton Reference and One.r towers. The BRX’S 8 x 12 x 12.25 in (WXHXD) cabinet houses a 6-inch mid/bass driver that’s basically the same as the one used in the Triton Reference, and so is its HFVR (HighVelocity Folded Ribbon) tweeter. Bass output is augmented by a pair of 6.5-inch passive radiators (Goldenear Tech calls them “planar infrasonic radiators”) deployed
on either side of the cabinet in the same “inertially balanced” configuration found throughout the company’s full range of tower speakers and standalone subwoofers. (According to Goldenear, the use of passive radiators covering approximately twice the area of the active bass driver allows them to lower the tuning of the sealed cabinet’s output and increase bass extension.)
Along with using similar components, the BRX features the same cosmetics as the company’s flagship towers, with a piano black lacquer cabinet that tapers in gradually from back to front and sports a slight curvature at the front and back. The design is much more elegant than Goldenear’s earlier bookshelf models, which had a somewhat chunky look. High-quality gold-plated five-way connectors are located around the speaker’s back, and rubber feet are attached to its bottom surface to reduce vibration when placed on a shelf or stand. Removable black metal mesh speaker grilles that attach magnetically to the BRX’S front baffle are also included. When used in a home theater configuration, the company’s SuperCenter Reference ($1,650) would be an obvious match for the BRX, though they also offer more affordable center speaker options.
While component selection and cosmetics are key parts of the BRX story, other work went into making the company’s new bookshelf speaker merit Reference status. When I discussed those fine points with Goldenear founder Sandy Gross, he indicated that the BRX was carefully voiced to match the flagship tower models, and that specific attention was focused on bass performance to ensure its low-end would sound extended without the artificial boost deliberately built into some bookshelf speakers to compensate for their size. Beyond that, “special sauce” touches include a balanced crossover topology that arrays components equally on either side of the drivers, and internal wiring featuring a unique twisted arrangement which Gross says yields audible benefits.
SETUP
To set up the BRX bookshelf speakers, I placed them on stands approximately 9.5 feet apart and one foot out from the back wall of my 16 x 20 x 9-foot listening room. Instead of positioning them on my regular 24-inch-high speaker stands, I unboxed a pair of Sanus Foundations SF30 stands that Goldenear sent specifically for me to use in my review. The 30-inch-high stands allowed for the HFVR tweeters to be precisely aligned at ear-level when seated on my couch— something I found to be crucial when positioning the BRX pair for best performance. Following Sandy’s recommendations, I also toed the speakers in approximately 30 degrees to ensure a wide sweet spot and precise imaging. Associated components used for my evaluation included a Hegel Music Systems H190 integrated amplifier (at 2 x 150 watts, plenty of power for the BRX, which has an 8 ohms nominal impedance and 90 db sensitivity spec), an Elac Discovery DS-S101-G Music Server used as a Roon endpoint for Tidal and Qobuz streaming, and an Oppo UDP-203 universal disc player. Speaker cables were QED Reference XT40I.
PERFORMANCE
Starting out with test tones, a low-frequency sweep indicated usable bass extending down to, and even below, the 40-Hz limit Goldenear cites in its specifications. Such a result boded well for playback of a big blues-band track like Van Morrison’s “I Love the Life I Live” from The Prophet Speaks (24-bit/96khz FLAC, Qobuz), which was presented with lifelike dynamics and a sense of scale that transported me to a close-up table in an intimate club. While the bass on this track wasn’t particularly deep, there was a marked fullness to the sound that didn’t leave me wanting. Van’s voice, meanwhile, sounded nicely fleshed-out and free of any “shouty” or edgy character; it also integrated smoothly with instruments in the mix like Hammond organ, brass, and guitar, all of which came across as lush, yet detailed.
Sticking for the moment with distinctive male voices, I next played “Easy Money” from Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave &
The Bad Seeds (16/44.1 FLAC, Qobuz). Here again, vocals showed an appropriate degree of heft while sounding wellbalanced with lighter elements in the mix such as a background chorus and strings. Piano had a crisp, clear presence and was free of treble edge or bite. I also noted the distinct presence of bass guitar and drums on this track, which managed to move things along at a propulsive clip while simultaneously sounding laid-back.
Few things disappoint me more than cueing up a techno track and hearing a wimpy 4/4 beat. To test this with the BRX, I streamed “Syncope” from the Steve Hauschildt album Dissolvi (16/44.1 FLAC, Tidal) and was rewarded with an electronic kick drum that sounded warm and well-rounded while also maintaining a punchy character, even when I turned the volume up well past a preferred listening level. Wanting to further test the BRX’S ability to handle dynamics, I next played the Saturn section from a JVC CD of Holst’s The Planets-suite (Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta).
The thunderous brass and bells in the spectacular climax of this slow-moving piece came across as full-bodied with no compression or hardening of the sound even at a loud volume. Overall, the BRX’S performance here was remarkably robust for a compact speaker.
Ending my listening session on a mellow note, I streamed “Bahia” from the Anouar Brahem album Blue Maqams (24/96 FLAC, Qobuz), a track that perfectly showcased both the BRX’S easy, natural tonal balance and ability to convey fine detail in recordings. Closing my eyes, I could sense the position in space of Brahem’s oud and appreciate the resonance of its wooden body and plucked strings. When Dave Holland’s standup bass eventually joined in, it provided a rich foundation that, combined with drummer Jack Dejohnette’s deft cymbal work, resulted in strikingly spacious sound.
COMPARISON
To get a sense of how the BRX compared with other bookshelf speakers, I listened to it using the same tracks alongside
Polk Audio’s L100, the baby model in that company’s new Legend Series speakers. Differences? At 7.8 x 13.6 x 11.3 in (WXHXD), the L100’s ported cabinet has a taller profile than the BRX, and its driver array consists of a 1-inch tweeter and 5.25-inch woofer. The L100’s $1,119 price also makes it a more affordable bookshelf option than the BRX.
Playing the Van Morrison track on both speakers, the L100 had a crisp, dynamic character with a brighter overall tonal balance that drew vocals forward in the mix and emphasized elements like electric guitar and cymbals. The BRX, in comparison, had a more evenly balanced, laid-back sound, though I didn’t find it to be lacking at all in detail. With the L100, Nick Cave’s voice came across as distinctly separate from the background vocals and instruments in “Easy Money,” and the added crispness and drive on piano, bass guitar, and snare drum made for a more rockin’ presentation.
While the BRX did have better bass extension than the L100 on my demo tracks (Polk Audio’s specs cite the speaker’s -3db lower limit at 57 Hz), the contrast ultimately wasn’t that dramatic. Some differences in bass quality could be heard, however, particularly on a track like “Syncope,” where the song’s electronic beats sounded decidedly smoother and more muscular on the BRX. And while both speakers displayed wide imaging, along with a level of depth that helped them to “disappear,” the BRX had a lush, warm sound that I found I preferred on this song and also on the acoustic jazz track “Bahia.”
CONCLUSION
They say family is everything, and Goldenear Technology’s BRX bookshelf speaker bears that aphorism out. The company’s latest addition brings the good looks and highly sweated-over sound of its Reference line to a compact package that, at $1,599/pair, marks an affordable entry point for high-end performance.
True story: When working on my review, I blanked on the BRX’S price and was working under the mistaken impression that Goldenear was selling it for $1,599 each. But even that price, though undeniably out of reach for many, didn’t strike me as outrageous compared with other stand-mounted speakers from audiophile-oriented brands, and also seemed reasonable in the context of the Reference speaker lineup. When I was reminded of the BRX’S actual cost, its price-performance ratio shot through the roof.
Other final thoughts? In my time with it, I found that the BRX’S natural tonal balance and dynamic, effortless character invited extended listening, and while bass in this case is necessarily limited due to cabinet size, the low-end the BRX does manage is surprisingly powerful for a small-ish speaker. The BRX pair required careful placement to get best performance in my room, but once that was locked in, everything clicked and the result was very much in line with the reference-quality sound I’ve come to expect from the Reference series.