Extraordinary speaker for the money. Compares to commercial audiophile speakers costing up to 5 times more. (for example - its sonic signature is virtually identical to the JM Lab Mini Utopia)

MTM design with excellent bass to 50 hz - so can really benefit from a little more low-end - -so a top notch (must be fast) subwoofer can top off this great speaker. Combined with such a subwoofer, this speaker is truly amazing. As an example - the T-22 + the Adire Rava is far superior to my Paradigm studio 100 v2s - -its not even close.

This is a truly great speaker. In short, it is a transducer that gets out of the way of the music and delivers what was recorded (for better or worse dependent on the quality of the recording). It’s extremely fast, detailed, produces a wide (beyond the speakers ) and focused soundstage, has great extension and air on the high end, and yet is also dynamic. It is a midwoofer/tweeter/midwoofer (MTM) design that extends to roughly 50 Hz, so it’s a speaker that benefits from a subwoofer. With regard to the low end of the T-22, it sounds flat, very accurate, with plenty of punch, and clean. If you haven’t gathered, the T-22 is a serious audiophile speaker. It’s a speaker that will reveal any flaws in the signal path - - from the original recording (which unfortunately is all too often where serious flaws reside), up to and including all your equipment. In fact, if limited to one word to describe the speaker, I’d use either “revealing” or “transparent.” On well-recorded source material (e.g., a Mapleshade recording, DMP, Sheffield, Reference recordings), it literally sounds like the band is in the room with you. Its quite impressive. If the recording is of high quality, then you’ll hear singers breathing, fingers sliding on strings, individual voices in crowds on live music, echoes and reverberations that are lost on most speakers, and on and on. This speaker really shines when a lot is going on. It is able to keep everything “in its place” and does not confuse the detail. I've heard a lot of speakers in the last 20 years, and own a couple of real good ones, but nothing in the $1000 range that I've come across is as good as this speaker. Ed Frias has done a great job with this design.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm studio 100 version 2 (own) Thiel CS3 (own - since 1985)

Soundstage, musicality, transparency,resolution,and excellent build quility.

None

I found out about Ed Frias and his speakers through a friend of mine who works in the high end audio retail business. I was putting together a home theater/music system and it was time to purchase my rear surround speakers. My friend had purchased a pair of the DIY bookshelf speakers from Ed and brought them over for me to look at and listen to. I was impressed so I called Ed later that day and talked to him. The room that my system is in is rather large so Ed recommended his T-22 speakers for the rears and a C-2 for my rear center speaker. My surround sys. is a 6.1 with a front center speaker and a rear center speaker. Mr Frias kept me informed as to when my speakers would be built and when they were shipped. When they arrived I was very happy with the build quality. Mine are in a dark Mahogany laminate finish. I set them up and compared them to my front speakers which were B&W Nautilus 804's and the front center is a B&W Nautilus HTM1. I was amazed at how well they sounded next to the B&W'S. The B&W Nautilus is noted for its natural sounding tweeter and kevlar mid-range driver. The T-22's sounded as good as the B&W's in the highs and mid-range. The B&W's out performed them in the lower octaves but thats because the B&W's have two additional 6" bass drivers. The B&W's cost me $3400.00 and the T-22's cost $990.00. The T-22's perform just as well as the B&W's do in the critical high and mid-range octave areas. These speakers produce a very lifelike performance. They are well focused, have a wide & deep sound stage and give great detail without sounding overly bright. They sound fantastic and at this price they are a bargain. I highly recommend these speakers. They sound superb, the build quality is fantastic, and the costumer service can't be beat. I liked the T-22's so much that I purchased a pair of the T-60's to replace my B&W Nautilus 804's as my front two speakers. E-mail Ed at EFESPKRS@AOL.COM . He will be glad to talk to you about building you some quality speakers that truly compete with high end speakers at a reasonable price. My system EFE Tech. T-22 rear surround speakers EFE Tech. C-2 rear center speaker B&W Nautilus HTM1 front center speaker EFE Tech. T-60 front speakers " I had to try the T-60's after hearing the T-22's read my reveiw on them". M&K MX 350 subwoofer Denon AVR-5800 surround receiver" used as a preamp/processer and to power

Similar Products Used:

B&W, M&K, Vandersteen, and Bose.

see above paragraphs

none noted

Let me begin with by saying the following: I do not hold an advanced degree in electrical engineering. I cannot tell you how many giggawatts a given component requires to activate its flux capacitor and achieve a level of sonic performance never before achieved by mankind. Fortunately, one does not need to be able to construct a speaker to be able to appreciate the end result. I spent a good deal of time researching and auditioning speakers…while many sounded very good, I did not find anything that really made me want to part with the amount of money required. Somewhat discouraged, I returned to the online reviews. Based solely on the merit of the posted reviews, I contacted Ed Frias (EFE Technologies) regarding his speakers. The level of customer support provided prior to my purchase of his T-22 & C-2 speakers was unparalleled. Perhaps not as important to those intimately familiar with the art and science of speaker construction, but it was critical to me. Every question emailed was answered, every phone call pleasantly received. Even more satisfying is the fact that Mr. Frias continues to offer support/advice on a variety of topics. He has gone above and beyond all of my expectations. I have read that most speakers require a lot of burn-in time before they begin to sound their best. This was not the case with the T-22/C-2 speakers. Right out of the box (superbly packaged for shipment), the sound was amazing! I decided to go with the T-22/C-2 for a couple of reasons: The sealed cabinet design (which I believed would yield greater detail), the size, and of course, the cost. NOTE: I do not own the necessary equipment to measure the frequency range of the speakers so I’ll have to be subjective. The Highs are crystal clear, the Mid-range produces vocals that are the best I have ever heard from any speaker, and the Bass extends remarkably low for a speaker of this size. The clarity and level of detail EFE Technology achieves is incredible. These speakers sound exactly the way I hoped they would! Overall, I am extraordinarily pleased with this purchase. While I purchase quite a few things online, I was nervous spending $990 pair T-22 / $500 C-2 center for a product I had not seen or heard. I can say that my faith has paid off. I highly recommend EFE Technologies and Mr. Ed Frias.

Similar Products Used:

I have not used anything comparable

Great musicality, presence, balance, speed, neutral, natural, extended highs, clean throughout and works great on all kinds of music from classical to jazz to rock and techno, etc...

None detected

Appearance wise, these speakers look stunning in black lacquer. It does not weigh a ton--only apprx. 30 lbs. Yet, within its operating range, it is a pair of fine speakers. Starting at the top, the highs are airy, breathy, uncompressed, great separation and dead quiet without any edge or harshness, yet the details are all there and natural. In addition, it is capable of very high-resolution, limited only by the recording and complementary equipment used. When I swapped amp from the HT3 Odyssey Stratos to a dual mono Stratos, it took it to another level. The critical midrange is both beautiful and as it is natural. I hear no coloration that would bias the tonal picture to either warmth of coolness. It is very faithful to the recording and neutral in its presentation. Voices come across clean and unhindered w/o smearing, it could be light and delicate or authoritative but never in your face unless the recording calls for it. The soundstage is wide and deep, yet coherent and effortless. Imaging is nice and solid but not overly done to affect musicality. On the bottom end of things, the mid-bass is taut and clean without any overhand. It can explode with quick transients that would surprise you and stops on a dime. For bass freaks however, augmentation with a good but fast subwoofer is critical to keep pace with this pair of speakers as it is very fast and clean. Once you find a happy and harmonious union with the your sub(s), music could be rendered so pure, pristine, visceral, coherent and beautiful as well as everything in between. Comparison: I was using a pair of ($1800 w/ upgrades, extra damping, etc...) Madisound MTM w/ 9700 Scanspeak tweeter and 7in woofers prior to this. However, since its introduction into my set up, the T-22 swallowed it whole for lunch w/o breaking a sweat. Top to bottom, the T-22 just sounds darn musical, making the previous MTM sounded like music that was coming from a cavern and making me feel claustrophobic in the process. T-22 is much cleaner, sweeter, more truthful, less colored (or uncolored), faster, better pace & rhythm, well-balanced and beat it in pretty much every parameter that matters as far as musicality is concern. Bonus: the ability to swap different value resistors for the tweeter to better match whatever musical tastes or equipments you have. Warning: trying is buying!

Similar Products Used:

B & W P6, Madisound Soloist (DIY) MTM.

Musicality, soundstage, separation and space, cleanliness, pace & rhythm, dynamics, neutral, natural. Great quality and cosmetics to boot (I have the high-gloss black). In a nutshell: performance, build-quality and value in once unbelievable package.

None whatsoever.

Bought a pair of Scanspeak MTM DIY with 9700 tweeter (regular flanged Revelator, not to be confused with the 9900)kit and put them together with a friend. In addition, I upgraded the internal wiring and added damping materials to further reduce resonance on the walls of the speakers. Result: a mixed bag. Sound as compared to the B&W P6 seems fuller (mid-range and bass emphasis) while top end extension is truncated and compressed, lumped together as if devoid of oxygen. Went to see Ed and demo his T22 (a gracious host by the way). Long story short, I started seeing and hearing shortcomings from my own MTM after this audition. Decided to return for a second visit with my MTM's on hand to do a side by side comparison. No comparison! Starting at the top the T-22 is both extended, detailed, airy, natural without edginess or harshness--quite a combination and not easily found in most speakers I've listened to. Midrange is clean, smooth, uncluttered and natural w/o excess bloom and very distinct in its presentation. Bass is tight, tight, tight with slam and impact within its operating range. Coupled with a powerful amp and a solid subwoofer there's nothing left to be desired. Together, the speaker synergistically weave a coherent soundstage that is both wide and deep, continuously layered with absolute neutrality--neither yin or yang but a balance of the two in perfect harmony. In addition, it is a fast speaker able to keep pace with any music you throw at it. Anything from classical (great detail and perspective) to Jazz (clean, presence) to hip top (pace & rhythm) to rock (raw and full of energy), this speaker can handle them all. One other point worth mentioning is the provision for resistor swapping--correct value depends on your musical taste and the associated equipments involved. This is so very important for mix/match and extremely convenient and easy to implement. All I can say is that these speakers present music in a most lively manner in the home that I've experienced. It currently does double duty for music as well as HT and worked amazingly well for both. Another important attribute is cleanliness or lack of noize associated with this speaker. Comparing the Mad MTM to this unit, it sounded so clean it was as if I am getting better quality AC feeding the set up--absolutely amazing. Cannot recommend it more highly!

Similar Products Used:

Scanspeak MTM, B&W P6, Matrix 805, Infinity Ref 5,

see above

none noted

Let me begin with by saying the following: I do not hold an advanced degree in electrical engineering. I cannot tell you how many giggawatts a given component requires to activate its flux capacitor and achieve a level of sonic performance never before achieved by mankind. I am very glad there are people like that in the world…I am equally happy that I am not one of them. Fortunately, one does not need to be able to construct a speaker to be able to appreciate the end result. I spent a good deal of time researching and auditioning speakers…while many sounded very good, I did not find anything that really made me want to part with the amount of money required. Somewhat discouraged, I returned to the online reviews. Based solely on the merit of the posted reviews, I contacted Ed Frias (EFE Technologies) regarding his speakers. The level of customer support provided prior to my purchase of his T-22 & C-2 speakers was unparalleled. Perhaps not as important to those intimately familiar with the art and science of speaker construction, but it was critical to me. Every question emailed was answered, every phone call pleasantly received. Even more satisfying is the fact that Mr. Frias continues to offer support/advice on a variety of topics. He has gone above and beyond all of my expectations. I have read that most speakers require a lot of “burn-in” time before they begin to sound their best. This was not the case with the T-22/C-2 speakers. Right out of the box (superbly packaged for shipment), the sound was amazing! I decided to go with the T-22/C-2 for a couple of reasons: The sealed cabinet design (which I believed would yield greater detail), the size, and of course, the cost. NOTE: I do not own the necessary equipment to measure the frequency range of the speakers so I’ll have to be subjective. The Highs are crystal clear, the Mid-range produces vocals that are the best I have ever heard from any speaker, and the Bass extends remarkably low for a speaker of this size. The clarity and level of detail EFE Technology achieves is incredible. These speakers sound exactly the way I hoped they would! Overall, I am extraordinarily pleased with this purchase. While I purchase quite a few things online, I was nervous spending $990 pair T-22 / $500 C-2 center for a product I had not seen or heard. I can say that my faith has paid off. I highly recommend EFE

Similar Products Used:

I have not owned a speaker that would qualify as being similar to the T-22/C-2.

Soundstage, musicality, transparency, resolution

None so far

Ed Frias of Ed Frias Enterprises(EFE Technology)is a small speaker builder in Southern California. He builds five models of high performance, reasonably priced models ranging from a small two-way mini-monitor,the B-15, to his five foot tall,$4,500 T-60's. The speaker I am reviewing are his MTM design called the T-22. The T-22 costs $990 and features two 6.5 inch poly midwoofers surrounding a 1 inch titanium dome tweeter. The T-22 are basically the top half of his flagship T-60s. My speakers are covered in a deep luster, mirror-like mohogany laminate(you can also get it in white or black). The laminate is on top of 3/4 inch MDF and looks stunningly beautiful, as nice as any veneered speaker that I've ever owned. There is a pair of gold-plated binding posts on the bottom rear and no port, that's right, it is a sealed cabinet design.

Ed Frias is an electical engineer by trade and pays very close attention to designing his crosssovers. They are all signed by him personally. He also uses heavy fourteen gauge wire internally. The T-22's are an 8 ohm speaker and have a frequency response from 50hz to 20 khz.

The first thing that struck me when I opened the box was how large they were. I new the deminsions were 22x9x10 and weighed 30 pounds but they looked massive pulling them out of the box. When I put them on stands they looked very odd, like elevating small floorstanders. Perhaps it's because I've only had mini-monitors on my stands but I'm used to it now. In fact they look quit nice.

When I hooked them up to my Audio Refinement Complete amp and heard them I was amazed at how clear and open the sound was. The music just flowed out of the speakers effortlessly. The are very lively speakers and are extremely dynamic. Ed beleives that dynamics are a key part in creating the illusion of hearing a live band and I have to agree with him. They certainly sound closer to live music than any speaker I've ever heard. The T-22's sound so "alive" and my bedroom gets electrified with music. Loud music is no problem with the T-22's. They sound clear as a bell with no distortion at extremely high levels. What really separates these speakers apart from the ones I've owned is its low level performance. Many speakers I've heard get flat and uninvolving at really low levels, not the T-22's. These beauties keep all of the transparency and detail as they had at moderate levels. They don't loose certain parts of the frequency band.

Another surprise with the T-22's is the bass. They have tremendous impact and go much deeper than their rated 50 hz. In my room the bass and midrange are very tight a controlled, no doubt helped by the sealed cabinet. They have a full, rich sound and don't need a subwoofer, even though I have one. Detail and transprency are fantastic(better than my Magnepans MMG's) and the imaging is first rate. Vocals are centered right in the middle and the speakers totally dissappear. When I turn off the lights and listen I get the "wall of sound" effect which I love so much.

I've never recieved such special treatment from a company as I have from EFE Tecnologies. Ed constantly updated me on the progress of my speakers(they are built to order. Mine took two and a half weeks to complete. He even emailed me pictures of my speakers and crossovers which was a nice touch. I also recieved a classy pen, an expensive one.

The T-22's are everything I want in a speaker and the closest thing to real life as I heve ever heard. I you're looking for a speaker with no coloration, crystalline transparency, and an energetic, full sound then the T-22's are for you. Ed doesn't have a website but would be glad to send you an emailed brochure of his speaker line. You can email him at EFESPKRS@aol.com. There are some great reveiws on Audioreview.com also.

Pete

System:

EFE Technology T-22 Loudspeakers
Adire Audio Rava Subwoofer
Audio Refinement Complete integrated amp
Audio Refinement Complete Tuner
Motorola digital music box
Parasound transport with ART D/IO DAC
Tekline TL-650 and DH Labs T-14 speakers cables
Tekline, Audio Magic, Tara Labs interconnects
Absolute Power Cords

Similar Products Used:

JM Reynaud Twins, Magnepan MMG, Newform Research R630, Audiovector M1 Super, Paradigm Studio 80, ACI Emerald, Axiom M3ti, Swans Diva 2.1, Boston Acoustics VR20

Crisp and clean highs, excellent build quality,surprising bass response for a speaker of this size.

none

I use this speaker for a center channel in my home theater.
It has met or exceeded all of my hopes/expectations.
I currently have it powered by 450 watts(ATI amp bridged)
I am impressed with the all around performance, when using my EFE decoder I use the center channel with my 2 T-60s', for 3 channel music.....what a sound!!! HUGE sweet spot!!
I highly recommend listening to any of Ed's speakers, you'll be glad you did.

Similar Products Used:

Def.Tech., Infinity, Legacy

smooth accurate sound, tight bass, first quality components,excellent cabintry, very transparent

none, absolutely none

It seems auditioning high end speakers has become, for me, somewhat of an addiction. Every major manufacturer comes up with an endless supply of what they call innovtions that quite honestly seldom match the hype.

A few months ago, I had the chance to listen to two sets of speakers created by "hot shot" crossover engineer, Ed Frias. What amazed me was the level of real high end performance that came from his efforts in designing an affordable kit. Even more impressive was his limited line of reasonable priced state of the art speakers. Don't take my word for it...check the reviews. I don't see any major manufacturer eliciting such high ratings.

I now have had a chance to lisen for an extended time to the Model T-22. This is a medium sized bookshelf system featuring two 6-1/2" woofers and a 1" soft dome tweeter. The overall size is 22"H x 9"W x 10"D. I hate to use the word "book shelf" as you would never want to hide these beauties on any shelf. First of all, the craftsmanship of the cabinets is unequaled. They are gorgeous. EFE Technology offers several looks but the red mahogany just exuces quality. They are the best piece of furniture in your home.

Now the meat. What grabs you first in listening is Frias'
s ability to create a speaker that blends the elements of incredible detail of every piece of material it reproduces. At any volume, the sound effortlessly pulls you into the center of the music. If you close your eyes, you have no idea of speaker size. Every sound, and I mean every sound comes across in true size. Drums are big and bold, strings are smooth and supple and voices blend one foot in front of your face. How Frias accomplished this from a small enclosure is a mystery. Somehow the sound is all around you. The sound stage is enormous. I had the same observation with Frias's small kit which is the only speaker I know that has all 5's by every reviewer.

This speaker sounds the same but the addition of an additional woofer allows for greater sound pressure levels...if you really need it.

The T-22's attributes are smooth accurate sound, tight bass(because of the sealed cabinet) and the ability to play extremely loud with no virtually no distortion. This is particularly good for Home Theater because dyamic demands are high when playing movies with crash or explosion scenes. Many audiophile speakers seem dead when playing them for HT but not the T-22's. Music or HT, they sound fabulous.

The secret of Ed Frias is getting out of the bag. The bargain of Ed's reasonably priced high end speakers may soon go away. I am waiting for a major manufacturer to buy out EFE and raise the prices because they know they can get it.

Somehow Ed Frias's EE background has given him the talent to do wonders in crossover design and couple the magic with very high quality raw drivers. He selects the very best cabinetry and blends them with his mastery in arranging capacitors, resistors and chokes to create what reviews seem to universally say is "the best".

Congratulations, Mr. Frias on creating a masterpiece is the T-22

Similar Products Used:

B&W