Thanks in part, to their waveguide pairing with the already proven Scanspeak Revelator tweeter, and a large neodymium-iron-boron magnet loaded 165mm bass driver, substantially increasing the power handling of this loudspeaker.

Described by Krix as “the ultimate bookshelf speaker for esoteric audiophiles”, I would say they’re right on the money as by chance, I’ve heard them both in the development stage and then again at the recent Sydney HiFi Show in Australia.

Gone are the days of a cabin load of passengers applauding the pilot upon a successful commercial flight landing, yet at Sydney, the room erupted in applause following Krix’s National Manager, Don MacKenzie's presentation. That’s something you just don’t see these days.

Witnessing first-hand the toing and froing of Krix’s engineers arguing the minute details of the Altum while on a recent trip to the factory in Adelaide (sneaky spy pic shown below as I snuck into their R&D facility while they were still busy debating), it’s little wonder the finished product has turned out as simply exceptional. They’re sticklers for detail, no doubt following in founder Scott Krix’s own approach to loudspeaker design.

Don MacKenzie, National Consumer Products Manager at Krix told StereoNET:

The Esoterix Altum is a refined speaker, designed to truly enhance the full two channel listening experience, whether playing old favourites on vinyl, or enjoying the definition and detail of the latest high resolution digital tracks.

The Krix engineering team paid particular attention to imaging when designing the Altum.

The meticulously engineered waveguide controls the directivity to present a soundstage much larger than expected.

I can attest, you’d be completely forgiven for thinking you were listening to a large set of floorstanding speakers when you hear them.

And like the waveguide tweeter, Krix have been able to extract the absolute performance capability of the bass driver with a fully-mitred cabinet and bottom vented port at the rear of the loudspeaker. The result is a beautifully sonic in-room response from 40Hz to 40kHz.

Each speaker weighs 11kg and conveniently measures 390mm high x 260mm wide x 380mm deep. Now you can have big sound without the typically required big footprint.

The Krix Esoterix Altum is rated to handle 20 – 200w RMS with a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms and 89 dB sensitivity.

They’ll be available in a range of finishes including Black Ash, Atlantic Jarrah, Walnut, Blackwood, Cola. Optional matching stands will also be available.

Local UK pricing and availability in not confirmed yet.

For more information visit the Krix brand page.