Raidho X2.6 Loudspeaker

The lower midbass driver crosses over at a relatively low 140Hz; the other midbass (the “.5” element in this 2.5-way) rolls off acoustically at 6dB per octave. The tweeter is in full song at 3.5kHz. This contrasts with a pure three-way in which a dedicated midrange transducer is electrically crossed over via low-pass and high-pass filters. Internally, the point-to-point hardwiring is all done by hand using top-notch Nordost cabling. Stability is key with narrow tower enclosures. Rather than the more common spiked footers, the X2.6 employs stabilizing aluminum “outrigger”-style brackets that bolt onto the speaker from below. These are attached to hemispherical footers which house the inner ceramic balls that the speaker actually rests on and that help to decouple the X2.6 from the floor. Beautifully designed and executed, the outriggers’ form factor makes them an integral part of the loudspeaker.

Excellent loudspeakers have, to my way of thinking, multiple personalities. And so it is with this Raidho. The X2.6 was a shapeshifter, happy to become almost anything that was asked of it. It could play small and intimate, capturing the finest details of acapella voice or solo classical guitar or jazz trio, for examples. But it could also go big and boisterous and direct, rising to the occasion on a full-tilt orchestral recording. Tonally, X2.6 was largely neutral through the midrange and treble. I didn’t perceive evidence of a rising top end or recessive upper midrange. The X2.6 didn’t round the edges or smooth the grittiness of musical images; nor did it add any superfluous upper-treble information. The planar-magnetic tweeter was swoon-worthy in its naturalism, harmonics, and airiness, achieving, in my view, near state-of-the-art transparency, detail, and speed. String sections were lovely, layered, and refined. Cello, in particular, was expressive and darkly resonant. Brass and wind instruments, from piccolo to trumpet, to trombone, to sax, and on down, retained their transient, even blistering attack but also finished with openness and bloom. Try listening to Lew Soloff’s trumpet solo during “Autumn Leaves” for its realistic sense of dynamic attack. The power and stridency of its full-tilt blasts struck me as musically truthful, and just as if he was playing in a small club, it’ll clean your ears out.

Given its midrange vitality and engaging dynamic energy, the X2.6 was anything but dull. The midrange was lively and forward, when necessary, but always balanced and in control. I’d describe the X2.6 as having a bottom-up character, one that shades a bit darker and heavier. (And this contrasts with the lighter, top-down demeanors of some two-ways that seem, at least to me, to over-sell transient detail and push high-octave energy into the foreground.) This makes it a natural reproducing pipe organ, the resonances reverberating from a piano’s soundboard, the keyboard pedal sustains and decay, and the darker tonality of cello and bass violin. In these instances, I could hear and, at times, feel the weight and tug of the X2.6’s rich and ripe lower mid and upper bass octaves. This palpable weight lends the speaker a foundation that grounds it and solidifies soundstage and acoustic cues.

Bass extension was prodigious, plummeting into the low 30Hz region (and easily perceivable even lower). Pretty much on spec. My room is on the small side (room gain is another factor that must be accounted for), with old wood floors on a raised foundation. In the event of too much bass energy, Raidho recommends foam plugs or simply blocking the ports entirely to dampen low-bass extension. (Raidho states that plugging two ports reduces output by –3dB and plugging all four a –6dB reduction). In my case, I was getting a little too much energy and bloom in lower strings and heavy percussion such as kettle drums. A bit of experimentation was required (even small differences in room placement make a difference) but I was able to reduce low-end output sufficiently. Ultimately, I think the X2.6 longed for a slightly larger room to engage with, but I was more than satisfied with the results I was getting.

The other critical elements that helped define the X2.6’s sonic virtues were output and dynamics. Capable of pants-flapping high-pressure levels, the X2.6’s performance was nothing less than rock stable—tonal balance and timbres remained constant at all volume levels. Even at extremely stressful volumes, the cabinet was stable and quiet and the port unfazed, exhibiting little in the way of coloration or overhang. No matter what I threw at it, the X2.6 was a model of composure. And this includes dragging out some 80s-era, 12″, 45rpm remixes, like Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long,” a track that makes full use of top session players like Abe Laboriel on bass and Paulinho da Costa on percussion, along with a burn-down-the-house horn section and innumerable backup singers/partygoers filling in the back of the soundstage.

Or, let rip Metallica’s “Sad But True” at the seriously loud levels this music demands. It may be hard to imagine, but even hard rock at the extremes, like Metallica, could be reproduced with utter clarity, precise imaging, and openness, with only the distortion elements that the band had purposefully dialed into the mix. Even in the face of this onslaught, the X2.6 demonstrated uncommon transparency and resolution. Similarly, there were the two Bruce Springsteen ballads, “Racing in the Streets” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (same album, same story told from opposite sides of the same coin) Joined by Garry Tallent’s electric bass, Max Weinberg’s kickdrum overflowed with skin texture and room pressurization. And yet there was perfect synchronicity and balance between the bass and percussion, the instruments standing apart but timing the beat as one. The sound was open and uncompressed, and even as I raised the output there were no added colorations, image smearing, or port overhang.

Very much to my liking was the extent that X2.6 excelled at reproducing voice—not only vocal intelligibility but inter-driver coherence and unity And not just the vocal presence of chesty baritones like Bryn Terfel but even mezzos like Janet Baker or sopranos like Renée Fleming were reproduced as resonant and fully physicalized entities—not just disembodied voices. This was also true with vocal choruses, where each individual within the unified choir was revealed.

The X2.6 also played with disarming sensitivity. An example: Michael Jackson’s guitar/vocal rehearsal demo of “She’s Out of My Life” [This is It] has a fly-on-the-wall tenderness that was very affecting. Another prime vocal track that shined was Melody Gardot’s “Who Will Comfort Me.” Her vocal struck my ears as a bit darker and throatier, but it was also as if more air was being pushed from her body. Listen for the terrific, tuneful bassline that secures the rhythm and hangs with Gardot’s vocal but never upstages it.

The Raidho throws a lavish orchestral soundstage, dimensional, defined, and layered to the back of the hall. Its ability to suggest scale, often real-life rather than miniaturized, was a bonus. It didn’t provoke a sensation of “manufacturing” unearned soundstage depth—that sleepy laid-back feeling that drains away the micro-dynamic energy of an orchestra. Rather, during Vaughn-Williams’ The Wasps Overture, the orchestra came to life with natural section layering, crisply accented low-level lines, upper-octave air, and gentle harmonic lift to the string sections. Image placement, even the delicate concert harp, was unwavering.

As 2.5-way floorstanders of this spec go, there’s little room to improve on the X2.6. With proper setup and care taken to rein in its bass output, it truly is that good, But three-way floorstanders still have advantages, as I’ve observed with my ATC SCM50ASL towers. By using a dedicated midrange transducer and driver-specific crossover filtering, the immediacy factor and presence are heightened even further. Raidho knows this, of course, which is why the larger three-way TD3.2 exists.

To be a high-end audio enthusiast means one’s system always seems to be in some state of flux, where tips, tweaks, upgrades, and updates are always beckoning from around the corner. But I think Raidho’s X2.6 is an exception. Few loudspeakers can boast about offering “something for everyone,” but this speaker’s unreserved likeability factor among my observant audio friends means it surely qualifies. I think it’s a “buy and hold” component—a loudspeaker of such rewarding musicality and superior quality that I see satisfied owners building a system around it for the long haul. A loudspeaker to celebrate.

Specs & Pricing

Type: 2.5-way, bass-reflex floorstander with rear ports
Drivers: One planar-magnetic tweeter; two 6.5″ mid/bass
Frequency response: 32Hz–50kHz
Crossover: 140Hz/3.5kHz
Nominal impedance: greater than 6 ohms
Sensitivity: 87dB
Weight: 66 lbs.
Dimensions: 14.2″ x 42″ x 16.1″
Power requirements: Greater than 100W
Price: $22,800/pr.

DANTAX Radio A/S
Bransagervej 15
9490 Pandrup
Denmark
raidho.dk