Two of the most outrageous High End Vienna speakers we’ve ever seen have just been launched, and they sit at opposite ends of the scale

High End Vienna brings even more speakers
Kanto Tuk Grand brings premium, stand-mounted boxes in “burred” wood
Bowers & Wilkins goes for the formidable sci-fi look

I am convinced that there are two types of speakers, and all the pomp and ceremony of High End Vienna has not convinced me otherwise. Two recent high-profile announcements about high prices prove me right, too.

Type number 1: the box. Lots of speakers are essentially well-braced, driver-filled boxes that you put on your shelves or place on stands. There is nothing wrong with that; it’s a simple look, and today it’s Kanto Audio flying the sweet, ever-so-slightly wacky cubic flag with its new Grand Tuk.

This new $999.99 / £799.99 (approx. AU$1,600) pair of speakers will go on sale sometime this summer. Don’t worry, we’ll spend more time with Kanto Audio in a moment, but we have someone else to meet.

Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5

The Bowers & Wilkin 800 Series Diamond 801 D5 on orange background.

(Image credit: Bowers & Wilkin)

Let’s start with the large selection so I can share a picture of a Dalek to prove my point. The Diamond D5 series consists of the flagship, which, as already pointed out, does not have a price or release date, although this does not specifically mean that it will not be released; we are just waiting for details. Instead, you can buy a similar model, the 802 D5, which comes at “a more affordable price point”: $45,000 / £32,500 (about AU$66,000) for a pair.

Naturally, it’s a floor stand, just like the 803 D5 (MSRP $35,000 / £25,500, which converts to around AU$52,000) and the 804 D5 (MSRP $25,000 / £16,500, which converts to around AU$37,000).

Also showing up to the party, just without a leg to stand on, the 805 D5, $15,000 / £10,000 (roughly AU$10,000): a pair of speakers on a stand.

Rounding it off are two three-way center channels for home theaters: the $15,000 / £10,000 (same conversion as before) HTM81 D5 and the $12,000 / £8,000 (about AU$16,000) HDM82 D5. These are both designed to be used with the main products: the HTM81 works with the 801 and 802, while the cheaper model goes with the ‘cheaper’ speakers.

So why are these things so expensive? Well, the big selling point is the use of the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Dome tweeter, which is the little microphone-like flourish at the top. It is designed to provide reference quality sound at the higher ends.

They’ve all clearly been carefully designed too – which is why they look so unusual – and come with impressive (though varied) extra speakers. This is undoubtedly professional high-end audiophile kit, but there’s also something for the rest of us at High End…

Kanto Tuk Grand

Kanto Tuk Grand straddling a fireplace.

(Image credit: Kanto)

Let’s move on to everyone’s favorite Star Wars character: Kanto Tuk Grand. This new bookshelf speaker offering costs $999.99 / £799.99 (approx. AU$1,600) each. pair, and after Bowers & Wilkins it looks cheap.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s our more traditional example in this article, but there’s a reason audio companies are returning to this tried-and-true build. Kanto, the company says, has spent time refining this cabinet design, both to improve the sound and to “belong” to the room you put it in.

Specs-wise (because there’s only one product, we can actually talk about its specs without creating a massive list), you’ve got a 28mm x 35mm Air Motion Transformer tweeter and a 6-inch aluminum cone. It hits a frequency range of 40Hz-22kHz and an output power of 160W.

There is a good range of connectivity options here: you can connect them via 2x RCA cables or optical, as well as USB-C, and the latter two will bend allowing 24 bit/96kHz playback. You can also pair via Bluetooth 5.4, where the Tuk Grand supports atpX Adaptive, AAC and SBC.

In terms of design, it is relatively basic compared to the Diamond boys, but simplicity is understated (a lower price is not underrated, though I still wouldn’t call Kanto ‘cheap’).

The Kanto Tuk Grand was revealed alongside three second-generation speakers from Kanto Audio that will be released between summer and fall, but make no mistake: the Grand is the flagship product here.

Kanto Tuk Grand on the right, and Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5 on the left.