W5

Sleek, absolutely delightful, this compact desktop monitor is one of the most musical speakers of its kind ever created. A brilliant embodiment of the philosophy of its designer, Swiss Sven Boenicke, who sums it up with these words: “I have probably spent more time in concert halls recording music than most speaker manufacturers. Wherever I go, the sound of real instruments is with me. In my memory, in my body, and I promise you can hear it in our products.”

The W5 Standard is, as its creators claim, a little beast whose side-mounted subwoofer is capable of a maximum displacement of 16 mm, thus delivering a reproduction of the low frequencies of the spectrum that is hard to believe for a 2.8 litre cabinet. Featuring an enclosure constructed entirely from natural wood using the most advanced computer-aided design techniques available, the W5 Standard also features a custom-made spring suspension that effectively isolates it from the surface it rests on, improving midrange clarity and overall airiness while reducing distortion rates. This enables the little Boenicke to exhibit an excellent polar radiation pattern – crucial for creating compelling soundstages – that defies its very compact dimensions.

Technical Specifications

– Compact reference monitor.
– Enclosure with custom-made spring suspension system.
– 133 mm diameter woofer tuned to 65 Hz.
– Wide-bandwidth mid/high driver.
– Dedicated parallel electromechanical resonator mid/high driver.
– Rear-mounted ambient tweeter.
– First-order low-pass filter.
– Internal wiring with optimised signal routing.
– Enclosure built entirely of natural wood (4 options available).
– WBT NextGen connection terminals.
– Nominal impedance of 4 ohms.
– Sensitivity of 83-86 dB/W/m (depending on frequency).
– Weight: 3.5 kg.