Audience ClairAudient 2+2 - Upgraded with V2 Drivers & SX Wiring, Birdseye Maple

Price is for speakers only . . . but I'll throw in the stands for a local sale.

Original owner. Audience installed improved V2 drivers (A3S2-16) and upgraded the internal wiring to Au24-SX (cost of upgrades was $1200). Those upgrades yielded significantly improved sonics, which is saying a lot given that the 2+2s had already received multiple rave reviews in their original configuration. I've never heard a more pure, open, natural sounding speaker!

Veneer was upgraded to beautiful, hand selected, heavy birdseye maple with satin finish. The cabinets are constructed of a 13-layer Baltic birch ply, with heavy internal bracing and shaping to ensure there are no parallel surfaces inside the speaker. The front and rear baffles are CNC-machined from a 3/8"-thick slab of aircraft-grade aluminum, then damped using a proprietary combination of surface finish and coating.

Dick Olsher’s review in The Absolute Sound concludes: “The ClairAudient 2+2 is by far the most enjoyable, musically compelling mini-monitor I’ve auditioned to date. It crushes other mini-monitors at their own game, yet can play louder with lower distortion and power compression. There is little to complain about and much to rave about. A sonic gem that demands a serious audition. Highly recommended!” 

Brian Damkroger’s review in Stereophile concludes: “Don't seriously audition unless you're equally serious about buying new speakers. Once you've gotten used to not hearing the distortions created by crossovers and multiple, different drivers, it's awfully hard to go back. Very highly recommended.” 

Andre Marc’s review in Audio Video Revolution concludes: “I believe after spending well over 500 hours listening to the Audience ClairAudient 2 + 2 monitors that it’s a breakthrough product. Using them with three amplifiers, tube and solid state, various cables, and in two different rooms confirmed that that the 2 + 2's provide a natural, coherent, and seamless sound . . . They remind me very much of my days listening to my father's Quad ESL's when I was a teenager, except the 2 + 2 can handle lots of power and have plenty of bass . . . I really believe those shopping for a top class monitor should find a way to hear these. Besides their sonic beauty, they are also beautiful to look at, and will integrate into any decor. The 2 + 2's are extremely well made and are hand crafted at Audience's factory in Southern California . . . Highly recommended.”  

If a local buyer is interested in the stands, they are modified Sanus 3-post stands that were their top of the line at the time I purchased them. Modifications include: 1) replaced stock spikes with premium Track Audio spikes, 2) filled posts with lead shot and Star Sound Micro-Bearing Conductive Steel Fill (bottom half) and lead shot/sand (top half), and 3) added solid maple platforms with solid birdseye maple (not veneer) picture frame edges, custom made by Andy of HHG stands.