Which speaker should I buy?
All our speakers are voiced very similarly tone wise. If you’ve seen a review of one of our speakers, you can expect one of the other models to have a fairly similar overall tonal balance but there are definitely differences as you step up in lines that will stand out. Depending on your use case and room, one of our speakers might be a better fit for you than another.
Our Lineup
We carry 3 different lines of speakers. Each one represents a great value at its price point but the relative value increases as you go up in line. The Torii line competes with speakers 2 times their price, while the X-series line competes with speakers several times their price.
Torii Series
$279 - $1099
The Torii is our introductory line, starting at the lowest cost for a bookshelf and going up to a 3-way tower. The Torii line offers a great sound at a great value. Quality parts are used throughout but there are currently no options for a crossover upgrade or future driver upgrades.
Criton TD Series
$549 - $1269
The TD series is our first original design we started with. It offers driver quality that you have to spend thousands to get in most speakers. The TD series does not offer crossover upgrade packages but does allow for an easy upgrade path to the TD-X series in the future with a tweeter and crossover swap
Criton TD-X Series
$774 - $3799
Our Criton TD-X series is our top of the line offering. These speakers compete against offering several times their price. The TD-X series utilizes the same amazing LDW7 woofer as in the TD series but improves the tweeter with our ultra low distortion LD25X. The X-series is the only line to offer crossover upgrades.
Room Size
Speakers interact with the room they are in to ultimately produce the sound you hear at your ear. Smaller rooms can increase the perceived bass response due to room gain and often have closer boundaries all around, which contribute to early reflections that can alter the sound. Larger rooms often have less issues with reflections and boundary gain, but might require speakers that can play louder with less distortion. Bass extension, the amount of baffle step, and directivity all play a role in which speakers work best in which rooms.
< 1500 cu ft / 42 cu m
Best
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Criton 3TD-X *
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Criton 1TD-X
-
Torii Tower S4
-
Torii (sealed)
Better
-
Torii (ported)
-
Criton 1TD
Good
-
Criton 2TD-X
-
Criton 2TD
-
Torii Tower P2
-
1500-2000 cu ft / 42-56 cu m
Best
-
Criton 3TD-X *
-
Criton 1TD-X
-
Criton 1TD
-
Torii S4 (might need a subwoofer)
Better
-
Criton 2TD-X
-
Criton 2TD
-
Torii Tower P2
-
Torii Ported
Good
-
Torii (sealed)
-
>2500 cu ft / 70 cu m
Best
-
Criton 3TD-X *
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Criton 2TD-X
-
Criton 2TD
-
Torii Tower P2
Better
-
Criton 1TD-X
-
Criton 1TD
-
Torii S4 (likely needs a subwoofer)
Good
-
Torii (ported)
-
Torii Sealed
-
* Due to the Criton 3TD-X's wide dispersion and smooth DI, it actually works very well in a smaller room. The extra energy from the broader than normal dispersion helps to balance out room gain from the smaller room and keep a good tonal balance.
Bass Extension
Depending on room size, all of our speakers can potentially be used without a subwoofer for 2-channel music. Some customers will want a subwoofer with the Torii S4 and sealed Torii bookshelf in larger rooms. Most customers are happy with our Criton (X and non-X) bookshelf speakers without a subwoofer. Customers who buy our 2TD/2TD-X or 3TD-X generally end up getting rid of their subs.
Impedance
We monitor impedance throughout the design process and work to ensure we maintain as high an impedance possible while producing the best frequency response we can. For designs that have lower impedances, we focus on maintaining phase angle as close to zero as possible, which ensures the least amount of stress on an amplifier.
