Hansen Audio THE EMPEROR

"One of my best sounds at RMAF was the room ... featuring THE EMPEROR speakers from Canadian manufacturer Hansen Audio that had so impressed Jason Serinus at the 2008 RMAF. The three-way speakers were driven by Accuphase monoblocks sitting on Critical Mass Systems platforms, with the front end based on a Trans-Rotor turntable. I was drawn into the room by the full-range sound of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and didn't leave for quite a while. Wes Phillips said it best in his CES 2009 coverage of THE EMPEROR: "the music had me melting in my chair"."

John Atkinson
Editor
Stereophile