Vanatoo - One Encore Plus Clear Black Electric Speakers - Bluetooth Speakers - AUX, USB, Optical, Analog, PC Speakers for Computer and Home Theater (Black)

I don't usually post reviews, but I felt compelled to write one for this product. I bought this during the Prime Day sale after shortlisting it from the Spinorama website/database. It was between this set of speakers and the Kali LP v-6. I went with this pair since it was more compact. The clarity and imaging of these speakers in outstanding. Even with mid-field and far-field use, the level of detail that comes through is amazing - it's almost like using headphones. Despite the size, the bass is substantial. I don't feel the need to add a sub-woofer. Highly recommended! Plus you'd be supporting a small company that's focused on engineering rather than marketing.

These are great values for audiophiles. If you are fine with listening to 128 Kbps MP3s or only need to hear voices in teleconferences, these are not for you. Save your money and get something cheaper. This version of the speaker is relatively new (about 2 or 3 months old as of 11/24/23, if I understood the manufacturer correctly) and has a revised amp. I have never heard speakers handle the bass as well as these do in such a relatively tiny box volume! Treble gives and midrange are also acceptable with good resolution. The Vanatoos were purchased for near field use on my desk and needed to be compact. The 5.25” aluminum cones are powered by 100-water digital amps (class-D) and the 1” aluminum dome tweeters are powered by 20-watt digital amps. Each speaker also has a 5.25” long throw passive radiator. Still, these speakers could be used to fill a big room with music under certain circumstances (such as after the addition of a sub, or listening to certain music genres at certain volume levels). I put the Vanatoos on the Suptek wall mounts and used blue tack to secure them. This allowed me to get the speakers off my desk and allowed tilt and swivel of the speakers. I attached my computer to them with a coax digital cable (the only connection cable not included). I listened to 24-96 Flacs of various genres. After a short while listening, I attached an extra sub that I had, the Funk Audio 18.1. This sub has an 18” driver with 98db/1watt supplied by an 800-watt (at 1% THD) amp. The sub is huge, very loud, and sounds good with a big port and a beautiful cabinet. I didn’t have freedom to place the sub in the optimal position for music in my office, so I used the REW (Room Equalizer Wizard) and the Room Equalizer APO. I am roughly 40-inches from the Vanatoo speakers. These speakers, even without the sub, are musical and do a good job – a great job considering their size and price. Voices and instruments are very close to accurate. It does best with small ensembles rather than large orchestra. The sub makes things better. With the Funk Audio sub, the speakers could easily fill a large room with loud music. (If my budget for a sub was only $500, I’d give the SVS SB-1000 Pro Sealed Subwoofer an audition.) I liked how compact the Vanatoo speakers are. I don’t need to get an amp and find space for that. A DAC is not required for these as it uses digital amps. These are relatively small (10” H x 6 1/2” W x 8 1/8” D). It isn’t wireless, but I am fine with that. Wireless technology often has less sound quality than wired – besides it is nearfield. The wire connecting the active and passive speakers is proprietary (not just speaker wire). The build quality is what I would expect at this price. I liked the magnetic grills that cover the bright aluminum drivers. Mine was in a black – not high gloss glaring. It has a three-year warranty. I did not use any of the other inputs, but there are several: USB, Toslink Optical, Coax (I used), Bluetooth and 3.5mm Analog Inputs with auto-input selection. It includes a nice remote that I have hardly used at all. Other professional reviews are available for older versions of this speaker from Stereophile and others. Comparisons: If you just want something for teleconference and background ambience, get the Creative Pebble. It’s small, cheap, and clear. I tried the Edifier R1280Ts, and these were a huge disappointment to me. I considered them only useful for teleconferences, and for that purpose, the Pebbles were smaller and with a clearer voice. If price and size isn’t a consideration, then these speakers are certainly not the best speakers for audiophiles. My Focals on stands powered by Musical Fidelity sound much better in every regard. The two places that are of most concern to me is that the large Focals sound bigger (a larger soundscape) and secondly the midrange is more prominent. With the Vanatoos, the midrange (vocals) sound a bit more recessed than is my preference. This is in comparison to my favorite speakers in their price range – which considering speakers, stands, and amplifier is roughly five times the cost of the Vanatoos. And, of course, even my beloved Focals aren’t the best. I have heard speakers costing $10,000 or so that were clearly better. I am saying this just to reinforce that my rating for the speaker is for the price range and not over all speakers. Not only do the Focals cost more, the system is much bigger. Summary: If you are looking for small musical speakers at a relatively low price (for audiophiles), I recommend that you give the Vanatoo One Encore Plus a listen! You get a 30-day trial period from Vanatoo.

After considerable research, I wanted to go with stereo two speaker setup. Not just for television use, but also for listening to music in general. My taste in music varies from jazz to classical to R&B and hip/hop. My first impressions, wow! Just beautiful sounding speakers right out of the box. I have yet to break them in, so I’m looking forward to them sounding even better. Sound imaging, detail, the clarity was astonishing. There is clearly a big difference from listening with headphones versus good quality speakers. For the 10 inch size, these speakers are well built, a bit heavy but aesthetically pleasing. I have them under my tv, and they look gorgeous. For movie experience it does not disappoint. The bass is more than sufficient, in fact, I had to turn down the bass it was just too loud at times. But for action sequences, explosion and dialogue, no issues. Just clean sound even at high levels. For music, I had it connected via digital optical cable with my LG tv. Luckily my tv had the Apple Music app, which was more than ideal. I thought I had to buy a separate streaming deck, but this worked perfectly. Couldn’t be more please with my setup. I have the speakers for movies if I so desire, and I have access to my Apple Music library without using my phone’s Bluetooth. The speakers were a bit pricey for me, but I think it’s worth the investment. It exceeded my expectations. (One year review) Still a great speaker. My initial review still holds up, for certain types of music, sound stage is good but now wide, imaging is apparent but subtle, and good bass if volume is mid to low levels. Overall, if you’re looking for a good soundbar replacement for watching movies and listening to music at an affordable price, I still highly recommend Vanatoo. My friend bought a soundbar from a reputable brand that costs more, but my speakers are balanced with offer more fidelity and tighter bass. His sounds muddy and slow. As mentioned, certain music will play well with Vanatoo where it almost sounds magical. These are namely music that highlight vocals whether in jazz, blues, acoustic and R&B. If you’re looking for full classical symphony, hard rock, rap, or hip-hop, well they may disappoint. These are not full speakers. At higher volumes, the mid-range can be a bit thin and the bass can sound distorted if push. Sorry, that’s just physics. Again, if playing low to mid-levels, you’re fine. Since I live in a townhome with neighbor near me, my levels are just right for me. Occasionally, you want to push these, and unfortunately, they are not meant to be pushed. However, I did add some upgrades to make them sound better at higher volumes. Yes, I added a subwoofer. Specifically, the REL TZero MKIII. The sub was a perfect pairing with my Vanatoos. If subs are hooked up, the integrated amp will automatically add a digital crossover, making the speakers a high/mid + sub arrangement. It’s seamless. Adding a sub just makes it sound rich and full. Next upgrade I moved to a separate DAC, specifically Topping E30 II. From my sound source to DAC to Vanatoo. Okay, it made a big difference. The midrange is more defined, and the highs a bit brighter. Soundstage is also wider. I now use the Topping for all my listening whether movies and music. However, this setup will make the speakers more neutral and transparent, meaning the crappiest of recording will be amplified. I’m enjoying these speakers, and the upgrades were just a natural evolution. Vanatoos speakers are the gateway to high fidelity, and I just caught the bug!

tldr: These are the best speakers for under $2000 budget that I tried. I got into budget audiophile world a year ago and over the last 12 months I tried the following speakers: JBL Stage A130, Kanto YU4(both active and passive), KEF Q150, Sony SS-CS5, iLoud micro monitors, and bunch of Edifiers. All passive speakers were powered by Audiolab M-One amp. The only two pairs that I haven't returned are the KEFs and iLouds. I like KEF Q150 for their clarity of highs and mids, however KEF + Amp worth more than $2000 and these Vanatoo speakers are on same level of clarity but have much better bass response while being much smaller, cheaper and having better build quality. If you low on space try either Vanatoo T0 or iLoud micromonitors, I've tried iLouds and they are awesome as well

Excellent Sound, Smart Input Switching, and Incredible with a Subwoofer The Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Plus speakers have been outstanding. The sound is clean, precise, and very well balanced. They have great clarity without harshness, even during long listening sessions. One of my favorite features is how smart the input switching is. The speakers automatically switch inputs without any issues. I can simply say, “Alexa, play music,” and they switch instantly from whatever input they were using. No button pressing, no frustration. I mainly use them as computer speakers connected via USB, and they’ve been rock solid. I also use them with my iPad via Bluetooth for music and video, and they handle everything flawlessly. I have them paired with the RSL Speedwoofer 10E, and together they really sing. The integration is excellent, adding deep, clean bass that takes the whole system to another level. Fantastic sound quality, excellent reliability, and incredibly easy to live with. Highly recommended.