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Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from ubid

Summary:
Have had the 420DX since 2001 and also had the 520DX and 220DX. Frankly I feel the 420DX superior to the 520DX and sold off my 520DX's. Don't bother with the 220DX by the way, it is not sonically matched to the 420 or 520 speakers. Also have x1 and x3's which are my home theater setup and in that application they are good (x1's across the front and x3's in rear).

YOU MUST HAVE EXCELLENT QUALITY AMPLIFICATION FOR THESE SPEAKERS.
Anything less is wasting your time and money. The prior reviewers who state this are dead on. I originally drove these with a Luxman, than a Citation 7.1 amp but evolved to a Reference Line Preeminance One Silver Signature SS amp with the matching Reference Line Preeminance Two passive preamp (you have to watch for these to pop up once every year or two used on audiogon and don't let someone else buy it before you do!!!). Complete transformation with this amp. These speakers present such a real soundstage and resolution it can be scary amazing. In a very good system these will allow even the minutest component change come through. Dropping in Luminous Audio Synchestra Reference interconnects took these speakers up yet another notch. I do use a pair of subwoofers through a marchand crossover and seperate power amp with these and that likewise is a requirement for these speakers (stereo subs that is). Again, the imaging these speakers are capable of is truly amazing when sitting in the wide sweet spot. I do wonder what a pir of ACI or HSU subs would do here.

I cannot imagine replacing these in my system, ever.

Strengths:
Imaging, resolution of soundstage, speed, price, looks...

Weaknesses:
Not a weekness when achieving optimum performance of these but absolutly require top end quality amplification and a sub, preferably stereo subs.

Similar Products Used:
520DX, x1, x3, 220dx, lesser speakers

System configuration:
Bohlender 420dx speakers
Reference Line Preeminence One Silver Signature amp
Reference Line Preeminence Two passive preamp
Citation 7.0 stereo subs
Marchand x9 crossover
Luxman amp for subs
Sony DVPS7000 as CD transport
Scott Nixon tube DAC or (Monarchy 33b DAC and pair of Monarch DIPS)
DIY Jon Risch power strips
DIY silver ribbon speaker cables
DIY Max Roachlin Digital cables in CD, DAC, DIP connections
Luminous Audio Synchestra Reference interconnects DAC to preamp, preamp to amp
DIY TNT Twisted Sanke power cords
Dr. Scholls pumise foot stones for CD isolation

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Ebay

Summary:
OK, so I moved into a new house and wanted to update my 5.1 speakers. Out went the old subwoofer and in went a new Velodyne HGS-10 subwoofer. Yowza! That was nice... Next, I read some good reviews on BG speakers here and saw a deal on two front X3's and one center channel X1 for $550 brand new on ebay. Decided to try them and was not disappointed. First off, I HATE speakers that have peaky highs because now that I'm older, peaky highs do nothing but irritate me. Thankfully, the X series here are crystal clear yet have no apparent peaks in high end response. They are just so detailed thanks to the wonderful, trademark BG tweeters which to my surprise aren't electrostatic ribbons but planar magnetic. The speakers do not have low end heft but have sufficient bass as to sound quite acceptible and pleasing without any subwoofer support. These speakers are easy to drive (Audiosource monoblocks) and fill my large family room (with high ceiling) with the utmost of ease. Unlike others, I found these speakers enjoyable right out of the box and now that break-in is done, they are still very detailed, just smoother. My room's rear cannot accomodate another pair of X3's so I have wall pillar-mounted NHT SuperZero XU's. The combo is GREAT and the best part is that this audiophile sound was achieved with a relatively low budget. As for fit and finish, the X3/X1's are excellent. Not GREAT, but certainly what I would expect for sub$2000 for the set. For whatever reason, you cannot get these speakers from traditional brick and mortar audiophile shops, but rather through "independent" online dealers and ubid.com. All I know is that for what I paid, I am immensely pleased.

Strengths:
Great sound, particular highs. Relatively small footprint. Classy looks, quality fit and finish. Quite a huge value!

Weaknesses:
carpet spikes rounded, not sharp.

Similar Products Used:
NHT superzero's, One. AR 308HO.

Price Paid:  $880.00 from Ubid

Summary:
This review is for the Radia X series. I purchased 4, Radia X3's and an X1 for my center. These speakers are absolutely amazing. As others have posted, they are highly underrated and unknow to many. One look at the craftsmenship out of the box and you will be pleased. They are not only an eye piece, but create an amazing sound stage. I recently completed my dedicated HT and still don't have the room completely "acoustically correct", however, the sound is stunning. At first, they do sound a bit tinny which is common before break in with many speakers. I set up all 5 speakers and let my reciver play a series of cd's ranging from classical, to alternative, to jazz, to rap and let them break in slowly. 100 hours is the recommendation, and I belive this to be true. I have about 70+ hours or so on them and they are warming up quite nicely. Their bass response is not great, however, I've actually been able to get fairly good results due to the construction technique I used in the room. DEFINITELY add a sub to these. All of their speakers are know for their crystal clear high's but the bass is definitly lacking. I've paired them to an SVS 20-39 PCI sub and it completely rounded out the package. I'm powering the system with a Denon 3803 and I couldn't be happier with the setup. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a solid competitor without breaking the bank.

Strengths:
crystal clear high's build quality visual appeal

Weaknesses:
minimal bass response under 80hz

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm MKII's

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Price Paid:  $1300.00 from ubid

Summary:
This is a review of the 520DX which contains the 50-inch ribbon as opposed to the 40-inch in the 420 unit. These speakers are criminally underrated which is fine with me. True, they have no bass under 80 Hz or so. You need a sub. Due to the slim baffle area (under 8 inches) they also suffer from cancellation effects which produces a thin sound. This cancellation results in a suckout of 3-4 dB from 800 - 2 KHz. These always sounded great to me but suffered from the thinnness until I tried a GOOD EQ. Amazing transformation, now the Radia 520DX is almost as good as any speaker I have ever heard. The only speaker I would trade for this one would be the Maggie 3.X series. They do look sexy too.

Strengths:
Transparency, imaging, depth. Even sound transparent at low volumes. Much easier to place than Maggies or Quads.

Weaknesses:
No bass, no highs above 16 KHz, Dip in the lower midrange (800 - 2 KHz) can be easily fixed with a decent EQ like the Behringer.

Similar Products Used:
Maggies, Quads, Acoustats, Newforms, etc.

Price Paid:  $629.00 from UBID

Summary:
RADIA X-series (x5) WOW! I love these speakers. I used to have Paradigm Studio v.2 speakers (which I also loved) but these are definitely better! The clarity and realism of voices are unreal. I thought that the vocals from my Paradigms were good but I've always loved the realism that ribbons provide (was going to purchase the Maggies MG-12 but read that they are finicky about their placement). However, I have to admit that these Radia X floorstanding speakers lack bass response. In fact, even the mid-range is weaker than my Paradigms. Imaging and resolution are wonderful with these speakers. I've tested these speakers using bryston and anthem amps at a local hi-fi store and compared their sonic character to PMC speakers and Mirage. No where close! The PMC's were $10,000 cdn. and the only thing they beat these BG's in was the bass response. But who cares if you have a subwoofer. Overall, couldn't be happier with this purchase. Absolutely loving it! Definitely consider these if you're looking for speakers! Equipment used: Integra DTR 8.2 Paradigm Servo-15 sub Sony 32" TV Toshiba DVD/CD player Monster HTS 3500 Powercenter Ultralink, Kimber cables

Strengths:
Looks amazing, Realistic vocals, imaging

Weaknesses:
relatively weak bass response, craftsmanship on the box/MDF housing is mediocre

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm Reference Studio 20's v.2, PMC, Mirage Omni, Magnaplanar