Price Paid:  $495.00 from lowtherspeakers.com

Summary:
I bought the drivers with cabinet plans from David Dicks at Lowtherspeakers. The cabinet is very easy to build, if you have some skill with wood. For a couple of hundred dollar bills you can have a pair of speakers that sound better than those that cost tens of thousands! Bought them "in the dark", had never listened to Lowthers. With a SET amp (Decware Zen 84C)they are a match made in heaven, specially if you love chamber music and vocals. I listen to music like never before (and to think that I discovered these speakers only now that I am 48 years old!). And these are their cheapest drivers, with a cheap SET amp! It is hard to imagine how their most expensive ones in a 2.5 cabinet and a pair of Zen monoblocks will sound. Some people say that Lowther drivers should be used only in bass horn cabinets. Well, I never heard them in a bass horn design, but in this simple bass reflex one they sound amazing enough to me. I would like to thank Mr. David Dicks for making me take this "leap of faith". As you can see, now I am converted. "Lowther for life", some people say. Indeed.

Strengths:
Resolution, soundstage, the famous midrange magic, lifelikeness (but even live music doesn't always sound that good).

Weaknesses:
Defficiency in low bass (I use a Paradigm subwoofer) and in very high treble. But what lies in between is UNBELIEVABLE.

Similar Products Used:
B&Ws (several models), Tannoys (also), Norh 4.0 (better than B&W 601s!), Magnepan MMGs.

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from lowther usa

Summary:
This review is of the 2.5 ( with dx2's)rather than the minitower. After hearing these at David Dick's home,I had to get a pair...they had sounded better than any other speaker I'd ever heard. The lack of a crossover, the speed, and purity of tone were addicting. Well to make a long story short,getting them to sound as well in my home has been a labor, albeit a labor of love.First of all,my supposedly class A amplification was exposed and all its weaknesses paraded through the room. And speaking of that, my room needed help too. The driver you select should be matched to your room. Once again to make a long story short, the problems have mostly been solved, and I've got the best sound I've ever had. The point I want to make is that these are NOT a plug in and play component. They require work to make them give up their best sound. When not set up right they are thin sounding, even screechy. When they are set up right (and broken in), they have the speed of an electrostatic, an addictive purity of tone, and an uncanny ability to image. Great "pace" too.

Strengths:
unreal speed, can be matched to YOUR room,imaging, pace

Weaknesses:
can sound thin, need LONG break-in, absolutly require good (not expensive) amplification and source ( this speaker will ruthlessly reveal poor recordings)

Similar Products Used:
nht 2.9's, thiel1,6,klipsh cornwall,klh 9's,

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from lowther usa

Summary:
This review is of the 2.5 ( with dx2's)rather than the minitower. After hearing these at David Dick's home,I had to get a pair...they had sounded better than any other speaker I'd ever heard. The lack of a crossover, the speed, and purity of tone were addicting. Well to make a long story short,getting them to sound as well in my home has been a labor, albeit a labor of love.First of all,my supposedly class A amplification was exposed and all its weaknesses paraded through the room. And speaking of that, my room needed help too. The driver you select should be matched to your room. Once again to make a long story short, the problems have mostly been solved, and I've got the best sound I've ever had. The point I want to make is that these are NOT a plug in and play component. They require work to make them give up their best sound. When not set up right they are thin sounding, even screechy. When they are set up right (and broken in), they have the speed of an electrostatic, an addictive purity of tone, and an uncanny ability to image. Great "pace" too.

Strengths:
unreal speed, can be matched to YOUR room,imaging, pace

Weaknesses:
can sound thin, need LONG break-in, absolutly require good (not expensive) amplification and source ( this speaker will ruthlessly reveal poor recordings)

Similar Products Used:
nht 2.9's, thiel1,6,klipsh cornwall,klh 9's,

Price Paid:  $1165.00 from Lowther Speakers USA

Summary:
I forgot to mention that the ports are removable. I understand that with the ports removed, the loading on the cone changes creating a deeper low-end at the loss of some upper bass.

What is said about the break-in period of Lowther drivers is a fact. The drivers sound better over time. My Minitowers are smoother and have an almost liquid midrange that is very extended and not peaky as others have described.

I would like to thank Mr. Dicks for his comments. His follow-up review is accurate and reflects a deeper understanding of this product than I had the opportunity to develop during the time period up to my review.

I had sent several e-mails to Audio Review requesting after noticing the error that I made on the price. As it was not corrected, I assume that once a review is written, Audioreview cannot change anything.

Price Paid:  $1165.00 from Lowther Speakers USA

Summary:
Hello,
I'd like to add a few comments to the review by Richard Sherman. He purchased these speakers from me.

Generally, I believe he gave a fair representation of his experience with the speakers. However, there are some important comments I would like to add:

1. There is a mistake in the price. A pair of 'Minitowers' with PM6C drivers (the cheapest ones that Lowther makes) are still only $1165/pr. And you can purchase the drivers with cabinet construction plans for only $465/pr.
2. The 'Minitower' is a cosmetic variation of the original factory 'Acousta 90' that was designed more than 30 years ago. This was our very first attempt at putting Lowthers in bass reflex enclosures. It is only 1.27 cubic feet in volume. Our best model is now called the '2.5' and is twice the internal volume. It has SIGNIFICANTLY more bass output and a much smoother overal frequency response.
3. Lowthers can't play bass that they never receive from the amp. It is very important to use an amplifier with full frequency response. Few Single Ended Triode amps are capable of this and neither are most 'modern' tube amps.
4. The material used for all Lowther bass reflex cabinets is very important to the sound.
5. Selecting the Lowther driver with the correct level of detail for the listening room is of paramount importance. Richard had a fairly live room and would have been MUCH better served by using the PM6A driver.
6. Unfortunately, Richard was one of only two or three customers in the last five years that experienced ANY problem with their drivers. And we did make it right for him. The climate in Puerto Rico is especially hard on ALL audio equipment.
7. Further information can be found at our website:
www.lowtherspeakers.com or email us at: lowthers@i1.net

Thank you for the opportunity to add our comments to the review. David Dicks

Strengths:
Realism, detail, accuracy, clarity, 'magic'