These Transparent One Encore Pluses also sound so good from my bedroom when I’m in the kitchen, which is a short hallway away.

Bought in Nov. 2021… listened to, pretty much daily on a Nad transport…T1E such a gr8 set of speakers… I added set of RSl speedwoofers, 1st a 10s, then a 10sm2, to balance the room acoustics, still run the T1E in “flat” and “uncompressed”…as I have only cds from the past 6 decades, everyday is a new listen!! Gr8 pair of speakers!!

Recently bought Transparent One Encore speakers to be used in a desktop PC setup. After much research and checking out a few setups, I ended up buying these. The positive professional reviews and the owners on reddit are all correct — these are amazing speakers. Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for making a product this great! I highly recommend these for desktop setups like mine.

Well I suppose I should have said something nice about these speakers the day I plugged them in. I was really impressed. Been an audiophile since I was a teen (I’m 54 now). Had all sorts of cool equipment over the years but have mostly whittled down to smaller setups. If you’re thinking getting really good sounding speakers, stop looking now. Based on my experience over the years, these sound as good a speakers costing 3-4 times. You just can’t go wrong. If I can only describe how great they sound right now playing Spanish instrumental guitar, I would.

A number of years ago, after months of looking and review reading, I purchased as pair of Vanatoo T-0’s and fell in love with them. I made sure to make the speaker setting changes needed to the factory settings to get the best sound for my ears. I drove the speakers from both my computer with a USB cable and also from my iPhone by Bluetooth all from iTunes. The sound was outstanding and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. However, in 2020, I decided to upgrade these T-0’s to a new set of T-1 Encore speakers since I moved into my new home office which had more physical space. Again, I made changes to the factory speakeer settings and continued driving these new speakers from both my computer and iPhone from iTunes. In an effort to enter the 21st century, I converted all of my songs, 9K+ to FLAC and added JRiver for my player/interface for my computer. I cannot describe the change in sound that is now coming from my T-1 speakers. I thought that they were great before, now they are exceptional!!!! I’m hearing sounds in songs I have never heard before, the clarity, depth of the base, openness, and all the other audiophile terms that I can think of are there. These speakers are used everyday and I can’t imagine not having my Vanatoo speakers providing me with soooooo much audio happiness. If you are thinking of adding a set of powered speakers to your audio collection, don’t hesitate in making a Vantoo purchase! Tweek your speakers to your liking, convert your files to a lossless format, get a highly rated interface player and sit back and enjoy the best sound available from a set of powered speakers! You won’t be sorry!!!!

I don’t have the most experience with audiophile speakers, but these are outstanding. You’d be hard-pressed to find a speaker that’s the whole package at this price point.

It took some searching because I wanted nice speakers all in one speaker setup without breaking the bank. I know the hobby can eat up wallets and speakers were a thing I stayed away from for a really long time. But I wanted a way to relax and listen without headphones or iems, and I wanted a great audio product, not that rinky dink plastic speaker that larger tech companies sell, with only a 3.5mm in. These were a bit more than what I wanted to spend, but I’m glad I got them and I don’t see myself ever needing to upgrade

I have used various sound systems over the years while working at my computer. Just before buying the Transparent One Encore I was using a 5.1 system. It was good/fine but nothing to write home to Mom about, if you know what I mean. I saw a review on Youtube and the Encore speakers seem to check most if not all the boxes. They simplified my speaker setup in both numbers of speakers and hook up. So I pulled the trigger on a set and boy, did I get my money worth. I got them in cherry so they look good. Put them on a couple of small stands to bring the speaker’s tweeter up to a good height and … Bliss.

Whether I am listening to ELO, Alan Parsons, Gregg Allman, Roy Bachanan, Dave Brubeck, Boz Scaggs or Eva Cassidy, this speaker delivers.

The confession of a fusspot who has returned speakers after home audition a few times: The sound on these small bookshelf speakers is just beautiful. The highs are natural and extended, the midrange sweet and lifelike, and the bass is tuneful, lively and extended. The imaging is very real. Listening to The Weight, the blended voices of Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel come from three distinct locations. Reviews that discuss bass treble balance are more about the reviewer’s room acoustics and speaker placement than about the speakers. You can get different sounds by moving the speakers around. This is a speaker created for a broad audience. You can forget the manual (well except to learn about an important button on the remote), connect the speakers and be happy. Or you can learn about the dual purpose of the labeled knobs and buttons on the back and tweak anything you can imagine plus things I didn’t imagine. But the important thing is the sound. Wow.

TIE ENCORE. These speakers project bass x infinity. Connection wise every possible way to connect. The Solid build quality of these speakers I do not see in other brands ,and I’ve had them all. The sound from these speakers are unbelievable. I play these speakers on flat but you would never know it. The power behind these speakers are solid to the max. Volume can fill a large room. The mids and highs are very balanced. Bluetooth is excellent. Simply the best speakers I’ve ever owned. My big sub woofer is collecting dust in the closet.

Why do I have a sub. What is a sub. Should I send my 300Watt sub back! You don’t need it with The Vanatoo TIE. Nope These speakers defy Einstein’s law of everything. The 5 1/4 Speakers produce bass that is twice the size woofers do. I had Fluance Kanto every speaker. These speakers blow the doors off them. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Not only this. My cds sound like I’m streaming on Tidal. I never go to the cds I’m a Tidal master streamer or vynil. I broke our Deep purple Machine head cd blew the windows out. Outstanding!!!!

Very good speakers in its area of small size category. I think it can compete with other bigger bookshelf speakers in terms of audio quality which is superb at least on my desk setup, I think it can work as TV/Movie speakers as well but Vanatoo Encore might be the best fit. Audio connection options are superb (coax, usb, analog, optical, bluetooth) which covers most inputs versus other speakers that doesn’t have usb specifically. DAC and AMP, I can’t really speak on it as I’m not technical in audio devices, though I’m wondering if I can connect it to my fiio K5 pro which is already a DAC AMP, I’m still exploring it. Really happy with it 🙂

I don’t care what anyone says. If you need computer speakers or something for a small bedroom and are space/budget limited these are the ONLY choice. For such small speakers the T0s sound incredibly natural with just the right amount of detail and stupid good bass that hits the sweet spot between not being over done and bloated like a lot of small bluetooth speakers and still surprisingly strong. If you want more thanks to the sub out and DSP magic these pair very well with even inexpensive 8″ subs.

What I’m even more blown away by is the sound stage and imaging. Transients come from several feet to the side of each speaker and form at times a soundstage that is wider than 180deg. When properly set up the soundstage height and depth is also mind boggling. In addition to that both transients and the center image have an incredible 3D quality to them with a lot of space around them. These are really the only speakers I’ve heard that I find myself consistently snapping my neck to the side thinking a sound actually came from within room or even just beyond the room boundary and this is after owning them for years. The center image in the meantime is so realistic you feel like you can reach out and strangle the vocalist.

The fact they are powered, have bluetooth, don’t need a DAC, and have all inputs you could ever need is just icing on the cake. That paired with the myriad of customization settings and remote control makes these suckers probably the best deal in the entire audio market. And that is really my only complaint with these. They are so good you have to spend several orders of magnitude more money on a full sized system to beat these at least in terms of throwing a massive holographic sounding soundstage. Both the T1 and T0 cost about the price of a low-mid tier DAC alone. Every single person on planet Earth should own a pair of these even if you have a more impressive full size system. These are hands down the best desktop speakers ever considering their size and price to performance ratio.

Gary, Rick I really don’t know how the heck you did this or what black magic you are using. Only thing I can come up with would be very smart design decisions coupled with a DSP amp thereby bypassing the phase distortion and efficiency loss inherent in passive crossovers because I have spent 1000s trying to replicate how your speakers image in a larger living room system to no avail and its getting a bit frustrating. =) Unfortunately the T1 and T0 are just a little too small to fully energize a large room and no one else seems to make speakers like these in larger sizes. I know designing and manufacturing a new product is expensive particularly one with larger parts. But please for the love of all that is holy, or rather saving me from years of tinkering and book learning to DIY something, make a bigger stand mount speaker or even a tower!

Forever a fan and eternally grateful/mad you got me started on this horrible addiction called audio.

My first experience with Vanatoo was the purchase of their Transparent Zero speakers, that I’ve been using on my computer desktop. From the beginning, I’ve been thrilled with their sound, appearance and build quality, far better than any desktop speakers that I’ve owned, over the years. I was drawn to the Transparent Zeros by their 87% 5 star rating here and glowing professional reviewer reviews. My desktop audio system has been my primary listening equipment, other than some excellent headphones powered by an external DAC and amplifier, from JDS Labs. Truthfully, the Transparent Ones quickly became my go to equipment.

Wanting an away from computer desktop and more traditional stereo set-up, I was drawn to Vanatoo’s Transparent One Encore speakers. Exemplary reviews, ratings and trust in the Vanatoo company, I purchased a pair of these remarkable speakers. I use the Transparent One Encore pair on 30 inch pedestal stands, about 18 inches away from the opposite wall from my desktop and Transparent Zeros. I love and use both of the models but am enthusiastically enjoying the sound of the Encores. Soundstage is amazing, as the speakers all but disappear, when playing a good quality stereo recording. I love hearing sound stretching wider than and above the speakers. Music seems to float, with excellent instrument and vocal placement. Often listening for hours, I also am constantly amazed at the quality of the bass response, especially considering the Encore’s compact size. That holds true for all frequencies, with the resultant sound much bigger than the speakers. Plenty deep for my office, bass is tight and detailed, thanks much to the passive radiators, on the rear of the speakers, to enhance quality. I’ve grown to really appreciate those, now preferring them to bass ported speakers. The Encore’ present a lifelike, exciting and alive sound. Vocals, both male and female are astonishingly real sounding, most often positioned above the speakers. Love the “air” present in the female vocals. I opted for the cherry finish and the speakers are beautiful and very solidly built. I really appreciate the generous inputs available… USB, coaxial, optical, analog and good bluetooth. The speaker audio settings available is amazing. The owner/designers truly seem to have thought of everything a listener might desire. Even the easily removable speaker grills are impressive, as when re-mounting them, magnets firmly and precisely snap them into place! The very functional remote control is user friendly and contains controls for seemingly every adjustment parameter.

As you can probably tell, I’m completely satisfied with and sold on the Vanatoo speakers. The Transparent Zeros are perfect and amazing desktop speakers. The more expensive Transparent One Encore’s, for me, have been totally worth their cost, easily besting any speakers I have previously owned. The 2 owner/designer partners stand behind their products and even seem to always be available for phone calls and quick reply emails! Highly recommended! Note: the Encores have been used by many satisfied purchasers as desktop speakers as well.

These speakers have blown me away and am very happy with them. Very nice and compact with lots of features and doesnt skimp on quality. Everything has been great so far, I cant stop talking about them when people are over

My first experience with Vanatoo was the purchase of their Transparent Zero speakers, that I’ve been using on my computer desktop. From the beginning, I’ve been thrilled with their sound, appearance and build quality, far better than any desktop speakers that I’ve owned, over the years. I was drawn to the Transparent Zeros by their 87% 5 star rating here and glowing professional reviewer reviews. My desktop audio system has been my primary listening equipment, other than some excellent headphones powered by an external DAC and amplifier, from JDS Labs. Truthfully, the Transparent Ones quickly became my go to equipment.

Wanting an away from computer desktop and more traditional stereo set-up, I was drawn to Vanatoo’s Transparent One Encore speakers. Exemplary reviews, ratings and trust in the Vanatoo company, I purchased a pair of these remarkable speakers. I use the Transparent One Encore pair on 30 inch pedestal stands, about 18 inches away from the opposite wall from my desktop and Transparent Zeros. I love and use both of the models but am enthusiastically enjoying the sound of the Encores. Soundstage is amazing, as the speakers all but disappear, when playing a good quality stereo recording. I love hearing sound stretching wider than and above the speakers. Music seems to float, with excellent instrument and vocal placement. Often listening for hours, I also am constantly amazed at the quality of the bass response, especially considering the Encore’s compact size. That holds true for all frequencies, with the resultant sound much bigger than the speakers. Plenty deep for my office, bass is tight and detailed, thanks much to the passive radiators, on the rear of the speakers, to enhance quality. I’ve grown to really appreciate those, now preferring them to bass ported speakers. The Encore’ present a lifelike, exciting and alive sound. Vocals, both male and female are astonishingly real sounding, most often positioned above the speakers. Love the “air” present in the female vocals. I opted for the cherry finish and the speakers are beautiful and very solidly built. I really appreciate the generous inputs available… USB, coaxial, optical, analog and good bluetooth. The speaker audio settings available is amazing. The owner/designers truly seem to have thought of everything a listener might desire. Even the easily removable speaker grills are impressive, as when re-mounting them, magnets firmly and precisely snap them into place! The very functional remote control is user friendly and contains controls for seemingly every adjustment parameter.

As you can probably tell, I’m completely satisfied with and sold on the Vanatoo speakers. The Transparent Zeros are perfect and amazing desktop speakers. The more expensive Transparent One Encore’s, for me, have been totally worth their cost, easily besting any speakers I have previously owned. The 2 owner/designer partners stand behind their products and even seem to always be available for phone calls and quick reply emails! Highly recommended! Note: the Encores have been used by many satisfied purchasers as desktop speakers as well.

I’ve been a happy owner of the original Transparent One for about 6 years. Based on recent reviews in the audiophile press, I decided to upgrade to the T1 Encore. Wow, am I glad I did! This new version is a fabulous upgrade from what were already great speakers for their size and price range. And the new features, such as BT, remote control, and more flexibility among programmable options are a real plus. Kudos to the very talented gentlemen at Vanatoo!

I purchased a pair of the T-One Encores last October and was so impressed by the soundstage, imaging and versatility of the set I bought a pair of the T-Zeroes in November.

Both systems check all the boxes; clean crisp highs, great mid-range tonality & deep bass that you don’t really need a sub-woofer (unless you’re a bass-head). You can customize the treble and bass settings manually or with the remote control that comes with speakers.

Everything is well thought out & the fit and finish are impressive. They connect with Bluetooth, Toslink Optical, USB, Co-Ax & Analog.

Lastly, the T1-Es had a power issue so I contacted Customer Support. Gary emailed the next day with the following response “The T1E is our new flagship product, we’re proud of it, and we stand behind it.” He attached a pre-paid UPS label, I shipped the active speaker & had it back within a week.

How many Company President/CEOs do you know that would respond in person & so quickly? If you’re in the market for a terrific powered speaker system look no further than Vanatoo.

While most reviewers will be raving about the audio fidelity (and I agree with them) I most want to share how the speaker remote control handset is a really useful tool. This controller has those elastic material buttons which protrude (stick out) a long way so I’m egetting a great tactile feel.

With those buttons all I need is a light press and I’m getting a 100% reliable response.

I’ve given away two sets of speakers simply because they had those flat “membrane action” remote controls, where I would spend a few minutes trying to get the audio levels to change, and the buttons would engage only intermittently (fresh batteries, close to the unit or further away – no improvement).

The Vanatoo remote works from every angle, from every distance, and only requires a soft push. Loving it !

Loved working with these guys and their helpfulness in making my purchase. Love using these as a combination desk/ living room speaker. Plenty of clear sound whether loud or quiet, and excellent host of features.

I have several Vantoo speaker products and they have always performed flawlessly. So I was surprised when my T1E passive speaker quit working after I moved the speakers to a new location. I’m a pretty technical minded person, so I spend some time troubleshooting and wasn’t able to resolve. I emailed Vanatoo to ask for assistance in troubleshooting. Gary responded with the likely cause and provided an immediate solution. He sent me replacement parts in less than a week, which did fix the issue. I am absolutely thrilled! I can’t thank Vanatoo and Gary enough for this outstanding customer service. Did I tell you I purchased the T1E in January 2019 as part of the early shipment of the new design? WOW.

I’ve bought two sets of the T1E’s now. They’re just fantastic. On the second set, I was late on ordering them for my wife’s birthday. I called the mainline and Rick answered the phone. I told him the situation and he promised to get my order out ASAP. I got a tracking number confirmation within 30 minutes of making that order and they arrived at my house a day early. Not many companies I can think of that give that level of service.

The speakers themselves are truly excellent. The clarity they offer, especially on vocal tracks is unmatched. I paired mine with subwoofer because, well, I like loud bassie music sometimes, and when turned up the sub really helps match the punch that the T1Es put out in the higher ranges. If you plan on using these for home theater applications, I would highly recommend a sub. But if not, the T1Es have very respectable bass on their own, and that might do it for you. Best advice is probably to just buy the speakers only first, see if that works for you, and then decide on sub.

Set up was an absolute cinch. The materials are clearly written and easy to understand.

I also REALLY like the remote control. Why? Because they made the volume button a different shape from every other button so it’s easy to find by touch when in the dark. Well done, Vanatoo. Well done.

I am blown away by these speakers, rather this all-in-one speaker system. I have spent the last many years hunting down components that offer the highest level of sound quality for the lowest cost, and the T1E system is the culmination of that effort.

The most expensive speaker system I have owned and listened to over a long period of time is: a PS Audio DSD DAC, PS Audio M700 Monoblock amps, KEF LS50 Meta speakers, with AudioQuest William Tell Zero speaker cables, AudioQuest Sky (v1) interconnects, an AudioQuest Niagara 1200 power filter, AudioQuest NRG-4 power cables, and IsoAcoustic isolators under everything, all fed by Roon over USB. Every one of these components are class leaders, represent the highest sound quality per dollar available (IMHO), and together present music in the most natural, balanced, and effortlessly detailed manner I have experienced. I am providing the details of this system so that you can understand the context of my thoughts and to act the baseline for my sonic comparisons.

The Vanatoo Transparent One Encore system, in my room, properly set up on IsoAcoustic isolators and fed by the AQ Niagara 1200 and a Mac mini running Roon (via USB with AQ Jitterbugs), consistently reminds me of the system detailed above. Over and over, well-known song after song, I keep mentally connecting these two systems. It’s akin to freshly experiencing a nostalgic smell, of something well-known from childhood. Your brain instantly links your present experience with those of the past and all the memories wash over you anew. In fact, the T1E gets so close to achieving the sound of the former system, I am selling all my other speaker components and keeping the T1Es. This is the highest review/recommendation/accolade I can personally provide.

To add to the sheer sonic prowess of this overachieving system, it also is highly compact, convenient, connected, and beautifully finished. It has 5 inputs: USB, coax, optical, 3.5mm analog, and bluetooth. It offers auto-switching among these inputs, for convenience I’ve never had with any other audiophile system. To top it all off, the speakers’ fit-n-finish is at home with the best components available at any price.

Most (every?) speakers and systems have downsides, and the T1Es are no exception. They won’t play uber loud and would not be appropriate for a large room. Their bass extension is commensurate with their cabinet size and won’t dig out the lowest lows, but neither will the KEF LS50 Metas. Also, They aren’t the last word in resolution, accepting up to 96/24 PCM signals, and downsampling everything to 48/24 for internal DSP functions. And speaking of bits, since they sound much better via bit-perfect playback, it’s unfortunate that Vanatoo doesn’t provide a Windows ASIO driver. So, you’ll have to find a third-party driver, or use a Mac instead (which offers bit-perfect playback natively).

Even with their limitations, the T1Es represent the absolute last word in value. I will be recommending them to every music lover and audiophile I know. Why? Because everyone I know CAN afford them and SHOULD own them if they love music. Why? Because they go so much farther down the audiophile rabbit hole than they have any right to, for their asking price. Also, they are so small and well-connected that they should easily fit into anyone’s space and lifestyle. And treated like the audiophile component that they are (with proper placement, isolation, source, and power), they provide a high level of musical enjoyment and refinement. They are THE ONLY all-in-one true audiophile speaker system available for everyone.

I bought a pair of Transparent One Encores a couple of weeks ago to replace a wife-approved sound bar/wireless sub combo that wasn’t remotely making it for me with music. I knew that size was going to be a concern for my home-fashion-conscious wife so I couldn’t go any bigger than the T1Es in our townhome’s living room. I was instantly floored by the fidelity, clarity and imaging of the Vanatoos. I simply can’t believe the bass definition and depth coming from such small speakers, even at background volumes. Songs such as Come Fly With Me by Holly Cole are absolutely stunning. I have seen her live and she has followed me back into my living room via these speakers. Everything is in perfect balance from top to bottom and there is no listener fatigue at any volume. I tried hooking up my Tannoy TS2.10 sub to the T1Es and while there was definitely more and deeper bass, I felt that the sub took away some of the magic from the Vanatoos. While I have owned many far larger and more expensive speakers over the decades, I have zero nostalgia for any of my previous systems. I thought from reading the reviews that the T1Es would be a no-brainer upgrade from my $900 (Canadian) sound bar but I just can’t believe the difference. I will be recommending these speakers to any friends looking for a sound bar or surround-sound alternative. I phoned Gary with a couple of questions and was super-impressed that he showed a genuine interest in chatting with me. Vanatoo is a 100 percent class act. Bravo!

I’ve had my T1 Encore’s for ..wow, almost 2 years now. Writing this review now because even after 2 years, just now when I started listening to them I was so impressed and pleased. Their sound is so tight, accurate, and detailed. The bass is very satisfying as well, even at low volumes – I’m amazed at the amount and depth of it that comes out of these little things. I use them both for desktop listening and to fill the room with music, and they excel at both. I also use them for movies with a computer/projector – in that application I use the bluetooth input and am happy to say there’s no lag. The amount of input options, and being self-contained (self amplified) makes these the best option for a wide variety of people. Really a home run, just wish the Vanatoo name was more well known so that more people could enjoy these. One suggestion would be to be able to adjust settings/programming via a simple phone app. The current programming technique is not ideal, but also not a big deal because you basically set it once and forget it.

As a not very wealthy lover of music, I’ve spent half my life listening to music with whatever I could afford (or was small enough to cart with me), which meant mostly headphones, of which I own some decent ones. Was not till a few years ago that I made the decision to try to build/purchase an actual speaker system of some sort, and like most ignorant people, read a lot of reviews and not nearly enough how to’s. Ended up with systems that were either too large for the room, or near field exclusive, nothing that met my needs. I’ve been fortunate to be able to resell some of the equipment and I finally managed to acquire a pair of Vanatoo t1e, and they are perfect for my needs, excelling at near field, yet still very good at filling my room (which is part computer room, workshop, library, game room).

Started with shelved dsp setting and just set on my desk with some pieces of angled foam, and then a set of 5 inch desktop stands, adjusting the dsp setting away from shelved, and then finally some 9 inch Soundrise stands. I’ve experimented with various positions, toe in, toe out, straight out, ended up with about 18 degrees of toe in set 4 feet apart for best near field and room filling sounds. I don’t own a subwoofer, so I was experiment that route, though I would never add one because of lack of bass, these put out some quality bass that can be felt across my room. I did test out the speakers with a dummy plug attached to sub out so I could test if the mids improved substantially like I have heard in other reviews, but hard to tell with the volume increase and with the bass cut out. Still its great to know I have that option if I ever acquire a quality subwoofer, though it certainly does not lack without, tested with some fairly bass heavy material.

As for what music these are good for, I would again apply the word versatile as the main adjective. With solid quality bass and precision treble, and a well programmed dsp, these have stood the test with what music I have available, mostly flac or straight from my teac cd player, I have listened to Sibelius, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Holst, and some Ravel, using performances I am most familiar with, they have been absolutely all that I could hope for. I switched to jazz, Grover Washington Jr, Vince Guaraldi, Coltrane, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Bill Evans, and found they are slightly too revealing for some of the poorly mastered cd’s that I have, but sounded stellar with the rest, though I would be the first to say that I have some old recordings of Bill Evans that are nearly unlistenable on almost any system, more’s the pity.

Changed gears to more modern sources, and while I again ran into some issues with some poorly mastered cd’s, as these speakers played whatever they were fed, I could still enjoy the bulk of my rock and roll collection, not going to mention all the names tested, but I have definitely spanned the bulk of a century at any rate, neglecting only content from the last decade or so. Even tried some metal, though again mastering of old/new metal is questionable, still had some good sounds, particularly opeth and tool.

Bass I tested with what bass laden content I have, which is Beastie Boys (very very good), Tron:legacy soundtrack, and some more milder compositions that were Cello heavy. These have no issues with bass, accurate to the content played, could really be cranked, if that is your thing, with the included, and highly functional, bass and treble adjustment knobs. Which I should more than mention, I’ve rarely found an eq supplied with any speaker that made much of a difference, but the ones on the Vanatoos were exceptional, if anything they were a little too aggressive, a small turn of the knob makes a huge difference, really allows a lot of adjustment.

I have a very limited selection of country music, and would be a poor judge of its accuracy, that goes for a lot of the music produced in the last couple of decades, though I try not to artificially limit myself based on preconceptions and am always on the lookout for something worthwhile. I’ve tried a few times to get into electronic music, but with how fast it has blossomed and no set route of distribution, I have found myself left behind and uncertain how to navigate to find quality examples. I’m sure someone else here can/have be a better judge for anyone reading these reviews looking for particulars.

One last note, I do like the auto source algorithm, at least for how I use them. I keep these off when not in use and rarely switch sources in the middle of a listening session, but turning them on and no matter what source I decide to use at that particular time, they are very quick to pick up on and they keep on it for the remainder of my session. Perfect for me, would not change a thing.

Going to cut this short, too much to do and so little time, thanks for a great product, hope to enjoy it for years to come.

I’ve owned numerous speakers, however, none with the combined versatility and sound of the Transparent One Encore speakers!

I recently purchased the brand new, Audioengine HD4 speakers. When my notebook was placed next to the powered speaker, a terrible feedback happened . I contacted support and their solution was to, …move them away from the power source 🙂  Also, no treble or bass settings on the HD4’s and the sound simply wasn’t great. These Encore’s on the other hand – all I can say is WOW! For approx. $150.00 more than the HD4’s and/or about the same price as the HD5’s, ….if you’re unsure, I would highly recommend to simply try them. I’ll wager a bet you won’t be returning them! Fantastic, small remote, excellent input options, Bluetooth has worked seamlessly, ….and again, the sound is amazing! I have a SONOS set-up in my living room, which I’ll now be retiring and replacing with another set of these speakers!! I couldn’t imagine the sound if you added a SUB! Way to go Vanatoo, keep up the great work!!  BTW – what Audioengine has going for them is slick marketing and advertising – with an inferior product. If you picked it up a notch with your online presence (coming from someone who builds websites, i.e., your website is weak), ….you’d see Audioengine in your rear view mirror 🙂

I found these giant killer(Transparent One) speakers at the Washington DC audio show. I am an audiophile, my systems include Klipschhorns,Mcintosh,Parasound,Quad Z4 and others.

During the audition I kept thinking I must have been drugged as I couldn’t believe the sound coming from the little things. The production was still several months away but I quickly purchased two pair. I carry one pair around like a puppy just to blow my other audiophile friends 3 to 5 k systems away. If you only have 500 bucks, this system is the biggest bang

for the buck I have found. Gary and Rick, Keep up the great work.

I’ve had my Vanatoo Transparent One’s for about a year now and I still love them. Over the past year Vanatoo updated the driver software and it definitely improved the mid-range. They are always available by phone and are über helpful. At their price I think it would be hard to find anything better especially if you want bass extension.

I’d like to mention two tweaks. 1) I got the isoAcoustics stands which improved the sound. 2) I first tried with USB but had a Peactree X1 USB to SPdif converter. I do think there was a clear improvement using SPDIF through a coaxial connection. The peachtree converter broke and I was able to buy the inexpensive DOUK Audio “U2” USB to SPDIF converter which has an XMOS ship to decrease USB flutter and this works great to improve the sound over direct USB connection.

It is so nice to see that there are still companies out there putting love into their products. My Vanatoo speakers blow my mind every time I turn them on.

A loudspeaker has to been really good for me to listen for hours on end, day after day. My new T1Es have passed that test with ease, after a month of daily use. I’ve been involved with audiophile systems since the 1950’s and have lived with many great systems and listened to many others at audio shows and dealers. The T1Es are very musical, reveal lots of subtle details, and have at times startled me with what sounded like something was happening in my room. Yes, for a LOT more money a person with a discerning ear could say the reproduction is even better, particularly if your room is really large and you like to listen at high volumes, but even then adding a good subwoofer might be enough to keep you happy. Kudos to Rick Kernen and Gary Gesellchen for fine ears to assess it all and the engineering and product delivery chops to make it happen.

I used to have – and love – Apogee Calipers, ribbon speakers with an amazing presence. Those days are long ago, and I was looking for a transparent sound with great imaging without dedicating my life and living room to speakers, amp, pre-amp, and cables. I did a lot of research, and it seemed like these would fit the bill. (And the 30-day guarantee didn’t hurt.) I was thrilled from the moment I heard the beginning notes of my audio test recording (Frederica von Stade singing “Una voce poco fa” from Mozart and Rossini Arias on Philips). I could hear the breath; everyone was in the proper place, spread out in front of me. I followed that up with Mel Torme singing “Too Close for Comfort” (Verve Compact Jazz), and it was just as good. And that was cold, out of the box. They have only improved with time, and my listening experience is so much more enjoyable now.

I had some questions as I was considering the purchase and called Vanatoo. Rick returned my calls and was very patient with me and extremely helpful.

I’m so happy that I purchased these! Thank you, Vanatoo.

(These are sitting on IsoAcoustics ISO 155 stands, set up on my desktop, with backs exposed to the room.)

You know, in our world of excessive consumption, we often times regret our purchases, looking back. Perhaps it seemed right at the time, it was enticing, it was new. You wanted it. But once the shine wears off, all you’re left with is a piece of plastic and a hole in your pocket. I really didn’t want to fall into this trap, and so I made sure to do a very thorough research before I purchased a set of powered speakers. And let me tell you something…

I’m so glad I did. My purchase of Vanatoo’s T1E is honestly the best decision I’ve made recently. I believe it’s been around a year since I got them, and the amount of joy they have brought into my apartment is infinite. I never felt a sliver of regret.

They’re very easy to handle, look beautiful and have an excellent sound quality to them. My classic trance playlist is done full justice by these speakers. Only thing that slightly bothers me is the blue light on the back of the left speaker that beams a little too bright.

All in all, simply a masterpiece.

As a longtime audiophile I was a little skeptical about ordering the Transparent One Encore without having listened to them before. I decided to trust the positive reviews and the 30 day money back guarantee offered by Vanatoo, and give them a try. Right from the start I could tell that this company was first rate: Ordering process, email communication and timely shipment went smoothly (in the middle of COVID 19 lockdown).

I got these speakers primarily for near-field music listening on my desk, in my second home. I‘ll just go out and say I couldn’t have made a better choice. Attention to every detail has been placed in designing this product. They look great, they are easy to operate, and above all sound transparent and true to the music, specially when connecting to the USB digital input from my laptop. It’s not even been a month yet but I have spend endless hours enjoying all kinds of music on these special little music makers.

Keep up the good work!

These speakers are so good. I really am in awe. The sound quality is extraordinary and the ease of use and wide range of connections makes them super versatile. Very happy with this purchase.

I’m not an audiophile but like getting good sound. I before had a SA 1550 column speaker and NAD3020 + DAC Hi Fidelity + Tidal.

I get tired of those system that need a minimum volume to get all sound out even if they are very good when out. I use it for near field listening on my desk but have tried on living room it fill the room pretty good with Quality sound. With Just this Speaker using USB or BT I havent really felt any quality loss. it streamline the entrire sound quality and as a result I’m now listing at much less volume and the details is just good. i listen Classic for Working and Cool Electro house to chill out and all sound texture is so well rended / highligted all sound work / mix is very well rended. I really enjoy.

I start to be anoyed by previously unoticed noise like AC starting or LAptop fan starting since you have such low back ground noise you really enjoy the dynamique. focus on pianissimo part then get the amplitude of a forte surprising you.

Dont know what to say if not supporting those people dedicated and driven by passion of sound. their 30 days listing is as well a commitment and trust in their product.

Thumb Up.

Holy cow! I thought the Vanatoo T1Es were great for blues that I normally listen to. I was wrong. They are even better for jazz. I’m listening to Miles Davis and Miles is in the center, some kind of high-pitched drum is on the right, and a softer wind instrument is on my left. I’ve NEVER heard such instrument separation before and I feel guilty at the pleasure. How do the speakers manage to place the center image so precisely between the speakers emanating from my PC screen where there is nothin?!

Beginnings of a Vanatoo T1E review.

The box is really neat, did not have to be cut or destroyed so it can be used indefinitely to store or move the speakers and comes with a carrying handle built-in so can be easily carried. Very smart engineering.

Each speaker double wrapped in soft cloth-like paper as well as plastic. Love the cherry wood (not vinyl but real wood). Looks very expensive. Don’t tell Gary but after seeing them, I would have paid $1599 and not $599 for them. Might I say looks just like the expensive PSB cherry models.

Straight out of the box, they sound better than any speakers I’ve had. This is with factory bass/treble and all other factory settings. I haven’t attached the little isolation pads or purchased Isoacoustic stands, nor played with toe in.

The speakers are 4-5′ apart on a desk, 1-1.5′ from front wall, and 5′ from side walls. I’m about 3′ from each speaker and I pointed them straight at me. Connected by USB out from my PC.

As far as I can tell, toe in doesn’t make a difference when I altered it hugely, which is a good thing. I mean the sweet spot is huge and there seems to be no bad way to point them. The bass is very good–gives a lot of presence to the music that I was not getting earlier. Painful lead guitar blues is not painful/fatiguing but very pleasing. How do they do that? Vocals are very very good and centered. My desk gives very pleasing vibrations to my finger from the music as I type.

Sound is natural, not processed. All this is with my hearing aids off. I guess it’ll blow me out of the water with them on but I’m just testing slowly for now.

The official pictures on Vanatoo’s website are very bad and misleading compared to how beautiful the speakers are in person. Which amateur took these pics, guys? Why is the beautiful black baffle photographed so poorly on your website. I almost didn’t buy the T1E due to these pics and expected to have to keep the grills on all the time. I haven’t unpacked the grills yet and don’t intend to!

I just received the Vanatoo t one encores and couldn’t be happier. I’ve had for the last three years the JBL ls305’s and in my living room they sounded ok. I couldn’t put them where they really needed to be. In the open about three feet from any wall they sound great. But I had them in a entertainment cabinet on the ground even though they’re rear ported. Needless to say they sounded boomy in that spot. Also had them connected to a powered homemade subwoofer but the mix never sounded quite right. Fast forward to last Saturday when the Vanatoo’s arrived. same exact position same subwoofer without changing any of the optional settings. HOLY COW! literally they sound amazing. Our living room is 25ft long and 14 feet wide with very high ceilings and just using Bluetooth sounds amazing. Thanks so much for the great product, couldn’t be happier to be honest.

After 2 months of ownership I lost count of how many times I drifted off to sleep to amazingly nuanced mids, highs and satisfying bass that enveloped the entire apartment. I love closing my eyes and visualizing all of the sound sources because the imaging is so good ( even at soft volume levels ). These speakers truly are transparent! Especially on speaker stands, flat DSP settings and disabled compressors.

After finding the magic speaker position that coupled them with my living room – the bass response out of these tiny enclosures is shocking. I am using them as my main HT/Music system, with a mix of Netflix and EDM/Jazz/Hip-hop from Amazon HD.

I re-watched the first two seasons of “Dark” just to hear it again. It’s unbelievable how good of a cinematic experience you can get with just 2 speakers when you have this kind of imaging and transparency. I am able to sit anywhere in our living room and hear dialog that lines up with mouths. I get awesome dispersion and sound stage with minimal toe in. The bass extension is so good that thunder sounds believable, with enough power to pass the “adjacent room” test.

Speaking of power, these will get your neighbors complaining even without a sub (ask me how I know). They are very energetic, so any small to midsize room will “sing” and amplify bass response down to the mid 40s. These are astonishing figures, for any 2 way bookshelf speaker, regardless of size. So you will find that these will get as loud and as low as you can reasonably expect for apartment living.

Whenever I will decide to upgrade these, I would have to be looking at something like KEF LS50W, Buchardt S400 or Dynaudio Xeo 10/20 to be worth the SQ gain and ONLY if my next living room is significantly larger than my current one. The speakers I listed cost over $2000 and not all are active, because NOTHING under 2k can even get close to the combination of size, performance and versatility that is Vanatoo T1E.

There are speakers out there in the 600$ range that might be as musical, but they won’t be as good for home theater, or they might be good for home theater but not as musical. Most likely they will be much bigger and won’t have the kind of tight and powerful bass combined with the amazing imaging and transparency. These speakers have awoken the dormant audiophile in me after a 20 year hiatus and now im shopping around for high end speaker stands 🙂

Speaking of speaker stands, my only gripe is the lack of detachable power chord. Because most stands on the market have routing that is far too narrow for a power plug.

A small price to pay for otherwise phenomenal system.

Also, these are underrated on Amazon because some of the reviews are written by ignorant users who don’t know how to setup speakers and blame Vanatoo for Bluetooth limitations which apply to all brands. So don’t spend too much time dwelling on them.

If you’ve seen some of the video reviews on these, you already know these speak for themselves. At this price range (and honestly even over $1,000) for this form factor and size. You’re getting something I can barely rationalize. Only now are companies starting to offer something somewhat similar to what these are capable of. The amount of convenience and creature comforts offered here are simply wonderful. The connectivity options alone sell these speakers. And for anyone looking to get great audio without the rabbit hole of amps, dacs, pre amps, and all the requirements that comes with getting and having the capacity for such setups.

I love the enclosed cabinet, and the bass that is produced as a result, and by extension it makes the dedicated Subwoofer-out connection almost redundant for people like me living in a New York City apartment.

The DSP options in place do a nice job of keeping the speaker tamed to avoid damage to the drivers when really pushing these to/and beyond their limits. But for those who want to take such risks, such settings can be disabled and you can go out and tinker to your preference.

It’s very perplexing to try and pigeon-hole these speakers to a specific use-set. When in fact you can use them for critical listening when set up properly. Or basic living room TV watching, the quality of sound is there, and (again) the ease of use also is there to facilitate laymen use. On a side note, anyone even remotely considering getting a sound-bar should avoid them at all costs. Not really because they’re all terrible (compared to these, they pretty much are though), but the fact these exist at such a price – soundbars have almost no place in the living room provided you have a few feet of space to place these on the sides of a television.

One bonus is the easy grill on-and-off magnetic mechanism. Very useful for those times you want them to not stand out, but taking the grill off, and you’re greeted with a very attractive contemporary look. Oh and the remote control is perfect in my opinion. Feels nice and has all the controls I need right there (really good job with that).

The experience of these now makes me want to spring for their desktop Transparent Zero speakers to replace a bunch of useless desktop speakers from years ago.

I was on the hunt for a new set of computer speakers. I had the 5.1 THX Creative Lab speakers… They were nice, but I wanted something better for music. Something I could listen to while working, that could also be used for gaming. Something to give that awe factor where I would want to listen to higher quality recordings. I had a Sonos Play 5. I wanted more.

After reading a number of reviews online, I decided to try out the Transparent Zeros. They were amazing! Great bass and clarity for the size. I was blown away. I also loved the Bluetooth functionality. After researching more, I came across the next step up, the Transparent One Encores. I had read how a subwoofer was not needed. I bit the bullet, and I decided to upgrade.

After receiving the One Encores, I realized how right the reviews were. The sound coming out of these speakers are unreal, and Vanatoo outdid themselves again.

I listened for a good amount of time with the speakers by themselves, and just now added a subwoofer. Simply plug and play, the speakers detect the cable, and pass the lower frequency to the subwoofer. The speakers sound amazing with, and without the subwoofer (SVS SB-1000). In all honestly though, the subwoofer may go back. These speakers are that good without them.

Great job Vanatoo. What is included with this package is definitely worth more than the price you are selling them at. I even sold my Sonos Play 5. That was my old “main” speaker in the bedroom/office. These have taken over, and are so much better. Thank you for making these.

Because music listening enthusiast come from different backgrounds, I think it’s important to explain how I personally started. Going back to college I began with a pair of Logitech Z-2300 and these were a lot of fun for a couple of years, but when a roommate blew out the left satellite speaker i decided to try out a pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1. Now both of these respected 2.1 computer systems have already been reviewed numerous times and what is commonly said is 100% true. The Z-2300 8 inch subwoofer punches very hard but the satellite speakers left something to be desired. While the Klipsch were the complete opposite, in that the satellites were super bright and clear but the 6.5 inch subwoofer always felt lacking, which was unfortunate when it came to Saturday nights.

Fast forward a few years later and I’m living in a downtown apartment and decide to acquire a “surround sound system”. At the time, space was limited so I went with the Vizio SB4551. While it’s described as being a 5.1 it’s really a 3.1. A 45inch soundbar with two rear satellite speakers that plug directly into a flat 8 inch subwoofer that goes underneath the couch. While getting everything connected to the wifi was a pain in the butt, once completed i was very happy with the new set up. When it came to watching sports the Vizio’s did a great job of immersing you with the noise of the crowd, and action movies were even better when you get to sit directly on top of the sub. That being said, I always considered the musical performance of the Vizio’s as being just good, and that was only after extensively tweaking the settings on the Vizio smartcast app for weeks. I should also mention that by this time in my life I had friends with true Polk & Klipsch 5.1 systems and there was simply no denying the quality difference in sound, but as I already stated the space was not there.

Now in present day I’m living in a different city with a slightly bigger apartment but the itch for stereo quality speakers has finally consumed me.The good news for myself and anyone with a smaller living space is in 2018 powered bookshelf speakers that you could plug in and play started to become a more common offering. But after conducting a fair amount of research the remark I continued to see was that these speakers still needed a subwoofer to complete the overall sound. To be specific, I’m talking about the Kanto YU6, Audioengine A5+, and SVS Prime wireless. But come this past July/August i start to see reviews about the Vanatoo T1 Encore, and specifically noticed the comments about the unique passive radiator subwoofer design that was allowing for deep bass that had not been heard in this segment before. I continued to monitor the internet for the next several weeks and what I saw was everyone coming to the same conclusion. The Vanatoo T1 Encore can really do it all and so I ordered them with knowing there’s a 30 days return policy.

After they were delivered my very first impression was lifting the box and thinking dang these are heavy. Then when it came to the setup it was extremely easy and in about 10 minutes I connected the bluetooth to Spotify on my phone (Audiophiliac gasp as i’m not using Tidal or taking advantage of the usb or optical inputs ). But guess what? I’m not that guy and after the first week I could not be happier. My expectations have been exceeded and with the little space that these speakers occupy I’m amazed with the variety and level of sound that they can produce. When you read about speakers a lot of times you’ll see them referred to as either being flat (Elac) or bright (Klipsch). In my opinion the T1 Encores have figured out a way to do both. It’s hard to explain but listening to Fleetwood Mac or Tom Petty the acoustic guitar and vocals are super clear and neutral, but when you switch over to Drake or Travis Scott these speakers come alive with sound that you can actually feel.

Now my current listening space is a 9ft X 15ft family room with the speakers being 9.5ft from the couch and am thoroughly impressed with how even at lower volumes the T1 fill the room with clear instrumental sound. No lie, I believe if you were to blindfold a person and tell them they were listening to surround speakers they would believe you. Out of everything that this setup has to offer the soundstage is the most impressive part. For two speakers that are just under 11 inches they seriously make you wonder how is this possible? Which brings me to my next point, some mainstream audio reviewers are calling these desktop speakers, and the sweet spot is 3ft away but any further it’s not the same. I would have to disagree and say you’re grossly underselling these speakers to the average consumer. While I understand their footprint would give most people the impression they’re meant for a desk, these speakers will sound great in any small or medium size living room. Scouts honor.

Ultimately the reason why I felt compelled to write this review is because I believe there are a lot of other people like myself who are craving a better listening experience but if you go to a store they will either try to sell you a more expensive sound bar or tell you to purchase a receiver, tower speakers, subwoofer, etc. to get the desired performance. So what happens is we don’t do anything and continue to settle for what we have. I’m here to tell you that unless you don’t have the budget there is no longer a reason to settle. There’s not doubt in my mind that Vanatoo is going to upset a lot of Audiophalic purists because what Rich & Gary have created are speakers that are cheaper, easier, and sound just as good for a quarter of the price.

Okay, let me start with a disclaimer, I don’t profess to be a “audiophile” — but I know good music when I hear it and good equipment — like Transparent 1 Encore speakers in this instance — when I hear them. So I spent this past winter/spring researching; then purchasing, all the best equipment I could afford to set up a home recording studio for my pianist wife. I started from square one and spent around $9K, which I state only for the purpose of assuring you if I needed to spend more to get top notch “studio monitors” I would have done so. Yes, it was in my research for transparent studio monitors that I stumbled across Vanatoo, a company I’d never heard of. I’ve never shied away from purchasing sound system components directly from manufacturers (if comfortable they stand behind their products) as I’ve had great success in doing so throughout the years and would sooner pay the researcher/developer/manufacturer a premium (if necessary) than support a store front that needs to tack on all their sales & overhead costs. So I called Vanatoo a couple of times, and ended up speaking with Gary and Rick (the co-owners) answering their own phones each time — very impressive! With the assurance that these guys know and stand behind their products I had no issue with giving the speakers a whirl for their intended use as studio monitors, my greatest concern being the recording studio area being 24 ft. square and whether or not the Transparent One’s could fill it? With very little tweaking the speakers presented a fabulous sound stage and would have checked all the boxes for great studio monitors — the LAST equipment I intended to purchase. Unfortunately (for me) the Vanatoos not only filled the room with sound, they were way to MUSICAL not to wish to play my other recorded music (previously restricted to my home theater equipment/room) through as well:>) So back on the phone to Vanatoo requesting their suggestion for a sub-woofer that could keep up with the Transparent Ones. No only was their recommendation immediate, it was another company, RSL, I’d never heard of. I’ll save my glowing recommendation for the RSL Speedwoofer 10S (and that company’s top-notch owners) for their web site but suffice it to say these Vanatoo speakers and that Speedwoofer are a marriage made in heaven! If one were to put on Spyro Gyra’s ‘Heart Of The Night’ or ‘Breakfast At Igor’s’ (as mere examples) and remain in their seat, check your pulse, chances are you’ve passed!

I was looking for a sound bar for the TV in the family room plus I wanted to play music through it when the TV was off

I did a lot of research and came across the Vanatoo speakers so I started reading the reviews. The Transparent One Encore

are second generation speakers so I figured that if there were any bugs they would be worked out by now . I received the

speakers this last February and wanted to give them a good workout before writing a review. These speakers are awesome.

When watching a good action movie it puts you in the scene as if the sound is coming right at you.

Playing music through them is also a great experience. You can adjust the base and treble, plus a whole lot more, from the remote for your listening pleasure

if you are looking for great speakers that will fit anywhere in a room with great sound these are the ones. They have a subwoofer option

but you probably won’t need it

In October of 2018, I wanted to replace an old set of speakers and a receiver with a set of powered speakers. I found Vanatoo on the net. I sent an email inquiring about the purchase of the T1s. Rick Kernen replied that those were out of stock, but the T1Es would be available in the Spring of 2019. Based upon what I read about Vanatoo and their products, I preordered the T1E speakers. These speakers are very good. You will not find other speakers with the sound, build quality, and functionality at Vanatoo’s price. Thanks guys.

Well, after much anticipation I received these on 3/25. I didn’t have time earlier in the week to test them out but yesterday I did. After putting the T1E’s through their paces I’ve decided I made the right choice. My listening room is 15×12 so I wanted something to fill that. These do with ease. I set the treble and bass knobs up all the way with the main volume at roughly 10 o’clock. Started with the bluetooth option and played some tracks I thought would be good tests. The big, airy drum sound Neil Peart has on Animate by Rush had an almost concert hall-like feel. Angel by Massive Attack had the ribs thumping from the bass. One reason I picked these speakers as an upgrade from my Edifier 2.1 set was the hope that I wouldn’t need a separate subwoofer and to keep the tangle of cables to a minimum. These speakers check both of those boxes for me. Maybe in time I will add a sub but for now I think the bass is more than adequate. I switched over to the usb input to try some songs on my computer. At first I was unimpressed, it didn’t seem as loud as I imagined. But, after tinkering with some sound settings (PC owners – check the “loudness equalization” option, it makes a huge difference) I achieved the desired effect and was happy yet again. I’m sure these will last me a long time, the heft of the speakers even had the UPS guy saying he was going to send me his chiropractor bill. So congrats on a well made product, Vanatoo.

I needed another set of speakers last October, and choosing Vanatoo again was a no-brainer. The only downside was waiting 3 months for my pre-ordered T1Es to arrive. Now they are here, and — as I expected — it was worth the wait.

I now own 3 pairs of Vanatoos: 2 T1’s and now the T1E. Both models are fantastic speakers: audiophile quality in a compact format without the hassle or expense of separate components, expensive cables, etc. Other speaker systems, which are only so-so in audio quality, are marketed heavily for convenient streaming and will even sell you expensive special-purpose streaming boxes. But you don’t need that with Vanatoo: just plug your old laptop into it via USB and you’ve got an instant audiophile streaming home stereo!

Or drive the speakers right from your phone: the T1E now has built-in Bluetooth and an input-switching remote control — both things that were obviously lacking on the original T1. I sometimes watch movies on my laptop, with sound through the Vanatoos. The T1E hooked up through Bluetooth sounds great, and performs perfectly in audio/video sync tests on my MacBook. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucZl6vQ_8Uo . Again, this is a step up from the original T1s, where I used a long USB cable to watch movies because of unacceptable delay in the external Bluetooth.

Other than the new Bluetooth, the T1E also has a better and easier speaker wire connecting the two. That is nice, no need to fiddle with old-style connecters anymore, just plug it in and screw it down. I’m sure the T1Es sound better too; but I’m not counting, both sound excellent. My one nitpick is the T1E now has a built-in power cord, vs. the plug-in power cord of the T1; this is less flexible, for example, if you need a longer power cord or if the original is damaged. Overall, I am 110% satisfied; all the minor downsides of the original T1 have been fixed. Not to mention the solid and beautiful wooden cases. If you care about top-flight engineering and excellent sound quality, Vanatoo is the way to go.

These T1E speakers are phenomenal and while they were playing at full volume in the living room, I went into the bathroom and experienced the same visceral sensation I would get if I were in a bar bathroom while live music was being played 50 feet away. Listening to them is just short of a religious experience for me and although I didn’t see God, I think I heard applause from heaven when I was blasting the Old School tune “ Spirit in the Sky”. Once again Vanatoo has surprised me by improving upon a nearly perfect product and I can’t wait for my fourth set of speakers so hurry up guys. By the way, in my experience as a repeat customer, dealing with the guys at Vanatoo is always a pleasure, whether I needed technical advice or help when UPS lost my shipment, they did whatever it took to help me out and that is priceless.

Took a bit of a chance on the Vanatoo T1E speakers; they’re the nicest speakers I’ve ever purchased, but I’m completely satisfied. No regrets at all. I’m still going through my playlists and trialing speaker placement, but I’m so impressed with (as best I can describe it) the lifelike sound– something about the clarity, balance, and soundstage comes together to bring the musicians to the middle of in my room.

I don’t normally go out of my way to write reviews but for this product I feel compelled to. I had a few complications related to my order and Rick really went out of his way to ensure the best service possible. The speakers themselves are perfect for a desk setup, providing great sound and are jam packed with features. Given the price, these should be a no-brainer choice for speakers in this category.

I was shocked that these speakers sounded better than the Transparent Zeros. Yes, I expected a little more bass, but the Transparent One Encore is simply a more refined-sounding speaker. It produces a large sound with deeper and tighter bass and a more delicate top end. Don’t misread that last comment. It’s only the top end that is delicate; this speaker sounds big and bold.

Given their price, and all the negatives associated with Bluetooth technology, these speakers sounded shockingly good. The Transparent One Encore represented a big musical leap forward in terms of refinement, smoothness on top, and image size, but the little Transparent Zero did quite well on the satisfaction scale. Given the speaker’s extension and sound, and the fact that it produced bass without aid from a subwoofer (such as the one in the photo, which was not in use), Vanatoo earned my “Bargain Price Powered Loudspeaker of [AXPONA] Day One” Award.