ELAC Concentro S 503

This standmount's beguiling design makes it appear far slimmer than it really is. The S 503 comes in at £6,500 for the glossy black or white versions, while the glorious varnished walnut cabinet pictured here will set you back an additional £500.

There's much about it that's intriguing, but the headline feature is its concentric driver, making it a true three-way, ported design. The centrepiece of the stepX-JET dual-concentric driver is a new generation JET 5c tweeter, a derivative of an AMT (Air Motion Transformer). Below this is the 180mm AS-XR bass driver. There are three pairs of alloy 'Directivity Control Rings' (DCRs) bundled, offering a different dispersion pattern, going from diffuse to more focused, allowing some tuning of mid and treble off-axis response. The 'Fokus' rings are better suited to use in larger rooms, while 'Spacious' is for up-close listening - very close apparently, as the standard 'Neutral' ring (which comes pre-fitted) is designated for 2.5m listening distances.

Sound quality