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2009's Best Audio Products

CANTON GLE SERIES HOME-THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM

In today's crazy, fast-paced world, at least one thing remains constant: good loudspeakers. Sure, you pay a little more for quality speakers, but chances are you'll use and enjoy them far longer than any upstream A/V gadget in your system. If anything, like good wine, good speakers seem to get better and better with age. Canton's GLE Series exactly fits my definition of "good," both sonically and financially. They use trickle-down technology from Canton's pricier models, and thus offer high value. (At a total price of around $3,000 for a full 5.1 package, they're essentially midlevel speakers, but deliver far beyond that designation.) And they effortlessly provide detailed, transparent performance. Days of enjoyable listening, verified by lab results, showed that they're genuinely accurate speakers. My only caveat concerned the firepower of the particular subwoofer (AS 85 SC) that Canton supplied with my review system; such fine satellites deserved a bit heftier sub. Since you'll be looking at them for a long time, you can also rest assured that the punched-metal grilles masking the GLE speakers' aluminum-cone drivers look absolutely terrific. - Ken C. Pohlmann

cantonusa.com

APERION INTIMUS 4B HARMONY SA HOME-THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM

Ilike Aperion speakers for three reasons. First, they provide solid performance. Second, they offer amazing bang for the buck. Third, the company's Web-based, direct-sale business model - with its risk-free audition and free shipping (both ways), full trade-up program, and generous warranty - is terrific. The Intimus 4B Harmony SA system is a great example of everything Aperion does well. If you blind-listened to this system (which has a combined price tag of $999), you'd swear that the speakers cost much more. And when you pulled off the blindfold, the appearance and build quality of the cabinetry might cause you to up your estimate. With all due respects to middlemen, sometimes there are advantages to cutting them out of the deal. Of course, this is still a fairly modest system of diminutive size that's best suited for small rooms. Its response isn't ruler fl at, and its subwoofer could use more horsepower. But if you're shopping on a budget (and who isn't?), this system will amplify your purchasing power. And if you disagree, don't forget the money-back return policy with free shipping -although I seriously doubt you'll need it. - K.C.P

aperionaudio.com

FOCAL DÔME 5.1 HOME-THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM

Ignoring the unwritten law that chic, designerfriendly styling and top-shelf audio performance shall never meet in a single product, Focal's Dôme 5.1 ($2,595) is that rare kind of speaker system that can truly satisfy both decorators and audiophiles alike. As one of the world's most highly regarded manufacturers of drool-worthy audiophilia, Focal used its formidable design and manufacturing chops to create a compact speaker system where you simply get just a little smaller slice of a very highperformance pie. Using mini versions of the same in-house-built drivers you'll find in the company's full-size Chorus Series, the Dômes can go toe to toe with their big brothers in most performance areas; just don't expect them to be able to crack the plaster when you crank it up. Best of all, the speakers' wall-hugging cabinets are Euro-chic all the way, with several hip colors to choose from. - Michael Trei

audioplusservices.com

PARADIGM SIGNATURE W5, W5C, AND ADP-3 ON-WALL HOME-THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM AND SUB 25 SUBWOOFER

At $2,999 each - three times the price of a typical high-quality on-wall speaker - the W5 eschews any pretense of affordability or practicality. It's strictly for those who demand good-as-it-gets sound quality but can't, or don't want to, use freestanding or in-wall speakers. As the sole on-wall I've heard that has the sound quality and power handling to hold its own in the finest custom home theaters, the W5 almost creates its own product category. It's hard to believe an on-wall can sound so good; even delicate audiophile recordings come across as rich and enveloping through the W5. With W5s in the left and right channels, the W5C in the center, and two ADP-3s as surround speakers, you can create a stellar on-wall surround-sound system for $16,394. While the powerhouse $3,999 Sub 25 subwoofer is more than a match for the W5 (or any other speaker), a pair of smaller subs would better complement the W5's visual aesthetics. - B.B.

paradigm.com