Aretai Contra 100S Bookshelf Speaker Review

gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
The Aretai Contra 100S is a 2.5-way bookshelf design featuring a 1.75" ring radiator tweeter housed in a custom-built waveguide horn that sits on top of the speaker. Each speaker also includes a pair of 6" forward and rear facing drivers to give them more punch than their diminutive size suggests.

Aretai.png

At $9,900/pair, they aren't inexpensive and in fact, you could get incredibly competent fullrange towers at or less than this asking price. Does this mean, the Aretai 100S aren't worth it? Based on Don Dunn's listening experience, you may be surprised to find out just how much he enjoyed these speakers.

Read: Aretai Contra 100S Bookshelf Speaker Review
 
Last edited:
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
The Aretai Contra 100S is a 2.5-way bookshelf design featuring a 1.75" ring radiator tweeter housed in a custom-built waveguide horn that sits on top of the speaker. Each speaker also includes a pair of 6" forward and rear facing drivers to give them more punch than their diminutive size suggests.

View attachment 70219
At $9,900/pair, they aren't inexpensive and in fact, you could get incredibly competent fullrange towers at or less than this asking price. Does this mean, the Aretai 100S aren't worth it? Based on Don Dunn's listening experience, you may be surprised to find out just how much he enjoyed these speakers.

Read: Aretai Contra 100S Bookshelf Speaker Review
That was a very clever idea to reduce cabinet height. So what they have done is to use the rear driver for BSC correction of the step response. Since a speaker is a monopole (omnidirectional) below the transition frequency it does not matter which way that driver faces.

That was a clever idea and valid. I don't see a port so I assume this is sealed design.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
That was a very clever idea to reduce cabinet height. So what they have done is to use the rear driver for BSC correction of the step response. Since a speaker is a monopole (omnidirectional) below the transition frequency it does not matter which way that driver faces.

That was a clever idea and valid. I don't see a port so I assume this is sealed design.
Yes they are sealed. More specs here:
 

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