High End 2019 • Hot Product

Listeners looking for something to bridge the yawning gulf that exists in the Living Voice range between the OBX-RW3 (right pair of speakers) and the Vox Palladian (not shown) will be heartened by the first glimpse of the new R80 (£33,000 per pair in standard finishes with internal crossovers, rising to £45,000 per pair in the lacquer finish shown with external crossovers), a larger floorstander that follows the established driver layout of the Auditorium/Avatar series. Built around a Scan-Speak elliptical tweeter and a pair of 8” elliptical bass-midrange units (for all those confused by the image of clearly circular bass drivers, the "elliptical" moniker refers to the shape of the voice coil/motor rather than the diaphragm), the company claims 96dB sensitivity and easy drive for these potent rear-reflex-loaded boxes. There’s no release date as yet, with the design still undergoing final voicing, but given the enduring popularity of the Auditorium/Avatar speakers, the R80 will offer an extremely welcome upgrade path.