Today, Buchardt Audio announced a new version of their highly-touted S400 Bookshelf Speaker called the S400 MKII. The first S400 was a big hit with audio reviewers and it was the “it” speaker for some time despite only being sold directly from the manufacturer in Denmark.
While this new speaker looks a lot like the original, it’s said to have a brand new crossover, cabinet, and paper cone woofer. Buchardt says that compared to the S400 this new model has a wider, deeper soundstage, smoother highs, and more realistic mids.
When I did my review of the first model, I felt that there was some room for improvement in terms of midrange clarity and soundstage depth, so I’m very interested in hearing how they addressed these elements this time around. I’m also very interested to hear how much wider the soundstage could be since the first S400 had one of the widest soundstages I’ve ever heard in a bookshelf.
At the end of 2019, Buchardt also released a more expensive S400 Signature Edition, which was advertised to have a new crossover and silver wiring. I’m not sure how the MKII relates to this “premium” version.
That said, it seems like Buchardt Audio is looking to move away from the somewhat V-shaped tuning of the first speaker, and to me, that’s a good thing. Looks like we may have a whole new Buchardt speaker craze going on before long.
The S400 MKII is now available for pre-order in limited quantities (25 pairs in white & 25 pairs in black). Those who purchase from this Early Bird batch will SAVE €200 off the €2.000,00 list price. For more info visit https://buchardtaudio.com/
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My hunger for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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