EgglestonWorks Andra 5

Big loudspeakers are where diligent hi-fi reviewers really earn their pay.

- TOM FINE

Not only are they heavy and difficult to move, but they also require attention and patience to set up so that they sound their best in our listening spaces. They take time to understand and study. And they all sound quite different from each other-not subtle differences, like the ones between two high-quality, similarly designed DACs. In this respect, big speakers are like phono cartridges, only more so.

That also makes big loudspeakers especially fun to review. The review is an adventure, akin to meeting a new person. Speakers have personalities-and big speakers have big personalities. The specs and measurements, along with the manufacturer's design philosophy and marketing points, tell you a bit about them, like a swipe through a dating app or a resumé on LinkedIn. But we don't really know them until we invite them into our homes and live with them for a while, ideally a few months. The process requires hours of listening with the big speakers mated in a system with top-quality components, all well-matched and well-known. It's an aural odyssey and often memorable.

Before writing, I like to review speakers for at least three months. The first month is the sorting-out period: breaking them in, learning their characteristics, experimenting with amplifiers, finding the best positions in my listening space. Then I like to listen to a variety of music, some digital, some on vinyl, some familiar, some not. Finally, I bear down and, using wellknown reference tracks-music, not test tones-form opinions. It took all of three months to get to know the Eggleston Works Andra 5.

The Andra 5 is physically striking, tall, and-the pair I had at least-colorful. They sound very good when optimally placed and driven with the right amplifier. Those last two factors took me longer than usual to figure out.

SPECIFICATIONS