Chane A2rx-c 5.0 Loudspeaker Review Discussion Thread

theJman said:

Good stuff Dennis! Thanks for the really thorough write up.

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Thank you, Jim! I had a blast with these speakers.

gdstupak said:

Thank you for this informative and well written article.

You mentioned going through several iterations of setup to integrate the center channel. Jon Lane has remarked that using these MTMs in the vertical orientation can produce the best sound.

Have you decided if you are leaving the center speaker horizontal?
If you experimented with a vertical orientation, do you have any notes to share if there were noticeable differences between horizontal/vertical?

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Thank you, Glenn!

I only set the A2rx-c center up one way, as pictured. I have no other options without blocking the HDTV. Someone with an AT screen would indeed be best served by a vertical A2rx-c at the same height as the L/R. If nothing else, because the center would be further from the floor (or ceiling).

Judging by the 2 channel sound I heard, and based on what we know about MTM designs, I am confident that vertical orientation is best for the center, especially for off axis listeners.

If I have time this weekend, I'll rotate the tweeter, see if I can get the center elevated to the same height as the L/R, and listen to some hi rez 5.1 music. Being directly on axis with the center, I do not expect a vertical placement to make as big a difference as simply elevating the center, but it will be interesting to experiment with it.

Lumen said:

Your impressive review is much appreciated! The Chane A2rx-c doesn't seem to have any wall-mount provision. Approaching 30+ pounds, I understand why unicorn mounts need not apply. Can you please share, or can you recommend a wall mount for surround purposes? Maybe something similar to Willis7469's clamp-type mounts (discontinued)? TIA!

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Thanks for the kind words, Lou. Sorry, I do not know much about wall mounts, and would not want to be responsible for a 27 lb. brick falling on someones head! :whistling:

Todd Anderson said:

Great read Dennis! Looks like the A2rx are for real!

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Realtorx7 said:

This was a great read. Made this Columbian Coffee much more enjoyable.

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AudiocRaver said:

Excellent review, Dennis. Thank you for bringing the A2 system to life for us.

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Thanks, guys!

Jon Lane said:

I just emailed Dennis thanking him for his effort and commending him on a particularly clear and pleasant review. It's one thing to find favorable remarks about your product in the press, but it's another to see such a nicely written and presented piece. Thanks again, Dennis. This is genuinely good reporting.

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Thank you, Jon. It was my pleasure to review such a fine loudspeaker.

bkeeler10 said:

Great review, Dennis! I enjoyed reading it very much, and I'm glad to hear that the Chanes are living up to their reputation, especially the reputation they have on this forum.

It's interesting to note how at times, with some recordings, you thought perhaps the tweeter was held back just a smidge, but later on other recordings decided maybe it was right where it should be. Did you feel the slight lack of resolution was the result of a tweeter intentionally brought down in level as part of the design, or was the tweeter itself not quite capable of the last bit of resolution regardless of its level relative to the rest of the system?

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Thank you, Bryan!

I have to say, I labored over the wording of the Conclusions first paragraph. In a short, there is nothing wrong with the planar nor the resolution of the A2rx-c. The A2rx-c does come very close the best available. I'm just trying to remain objective and do not want people thinking they can buy a reference grade monitor for $229/each.

I have not experienced the level of realism and resolution the A2rx-c 5.0 set delivers in it's price range, though, and I have laid ears on many, many loudspeakers. I hope this perspective adds clarity and helps to answer your question.

Let me put it another way. The A2rx-c 5.0 does such a great job, not only in it's price range, but as an all around communicator of music and movies, that I am buying the review set.

gdstupak said:

I'll do my best to relate what I've read and how I understand it. Disclaimer: Accuracy is not guaranteed...

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Glenn, your assessment is a perfect description of the way I understand it, too.

chashint said:

Thanks for the review.
And special thanks for detailing the whole experience.

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You bet, thank you, Charlie.

Not being much of a believer in extended break-in periods I must say you have the patience of a saint too.
Once a speaker's mechanicals are exercised a little bit (<1 hour) it should be good to go.
There is no way I would have invested 30+ hours into "break-in", that is just ridiculous.
There is always the proposal that it's not the speaker changing its sound it's the listener's ears becoming accustomed to the speakers.
In the end I am glad you had an enjoyable experience

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It is hard for me to say how long break in will take, until I feel it is actually completed. The planar tweeter does not have a lot of excursion, perhaps like many low excursion drivers, it takes a bit of time to loosen up?

I do try to keep in mind that it could be me that is "breaking in", as well. Possibly a combination of the two. In my experience, the A2rx-c leaf tweeter is one smooth puppy after it and/or I have acclimated.

As an aside, I bought "The Incredible Hulk" on Blu-ray to exercise my system, and invited a friend over last night. I ran the whole movie at -2 dB, and we were both amazed how loud, while maintaining that smoothness, the planar could get. As I stated in the review, the dual woofers never seem to come anywhere near their limits, either.

I'm more than a little OCD and am still turning over Bryan's question in my head. I've come to a conclusion that I can finally be happy with, and have edited it into the review.

"Is the A2rx-c the greatest speaker in the world? No, but I feel it is one of the world's great speakers at its price."

Thank you for helping me come to that conclusion, Bryan. I think that is a fair assessment.

Jon Lane said:

It's not easy to communicate this every time, but while SplitGap (XBL2) may sound like just another trademark, when you can virtually double the midwoofers' linear excursion and cut distortion about in half, it can be audible.

The tweeter is comparable: Roughly four times the surface area of a conventional dome grants a proportional reduction in distortion.

While the overall design is ultimately responsible for the presentation in the room, hopefully it's been given something important to work with.

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The decision to move lots of air certainly does give the A2rx-c a marked advantage. The -2 dB setting for that particular movie is arbitrary, and as with most TV viewing I do, level is set to bring the volume level of spoken word up to a realistic level, around 70 dB or so. Whatever happens after that, explosions, gunfire, whispers, background sounds, should be rendered correctly as well, if the studio did their job right.

I've been living with the A2rx-c set for over 3 months now, and am still amazed at its ability to deliver proper, distortion-free dynamics. The huge soundstage presentation is icing on the cake.

red99 said:

I would like to know how does the A2rx-c with a port plug sound and perform vs open ported. And could anyone post any measurements of ported vs plugged?

The reason is my HT setup I have my TV mounted on the wall and the center is under it on the fireplace mantel. So the center speaker has to be up against the wall with just enough room for the wires.

And if I plugged the center, would I have to plug all the others if I did a 5.2? (Running Dual 18 inch subs).

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If you are crossing a speaker over above the port's tuning, boundary reinforcement at lower frequencies will be greatly reduced, be it the center or the others.

I did try subjective 5.0 and 2.0 listening with ports plugged, then open. With movies, ports open (@ 60 Hz XO) sounded best. With music, ports closed (@ 50 Hz XO). This is in my room, yours will probably differ. Measurements will tell us little unless performed outdoors, and that will also change once brought indoors.

No, you would not necessarily have to plug all speakers should the center be plugged. My advise would be to plug the ports and let your subwoofers do their job. Of course, experimentation is key, and I value highly the ability to try both.

Another tool in the bag is moving the subwoofer(s) in time, physically or electrically. I love my passive-pre integrated amplifier, but the AVR's ability to let the subs grab that free front wall boundary reinforcement AND walk them forward electrically in the soundfield relative to the mains has proven invaluable. It can also help phase rotation a bit when high and low pass crossover slopes are disparate.

Jon Lane said:

Agreed. I understand the power-field argument for loading bass speakers with corners, but with stereo subs, getting them aligned in amplitude and phase with the mains pays real dividends. In other words, treat them like part of the mains instead of like parts of the room.

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Yes, distance of the subs from the listening position and the mains is key to great blending. I do wish more AVRs allowed selectable crossover slopes. At least the Chane loudspeakers allow us a degree of flexibility.

Thank you, Steve!

I knew from all the other impressions I've heard and read that the A2rx-c would be a good speaker, but once in hand, they really exceeded my expectations.

Jon Lane said:

(Oh, and Dennis, if you're interested, there may be something else of the MTM variety to interest you shortly.)

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Absolutely. My interest in the A3rx-c has not waned, either.

Thanks for the update, Jon!