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This review first appeared in the February 2014 issue of hi-end hifi magazine fairaudio.de of Germany. You can also read this review of Highland Audio in its original German version. We publish its English translation in a mutual syndication arrangement with the publishers. As is customary for our own reviews, the writer's signature at review's end shows an e-mail address should you have questions or wish to send feedback. All images contained in this review are the property of fairaudio or Highland Audio - Ed.

Reviewer: Martin Mertens
Sources: Thorens TD 160 HD w. TP250 arm & Benz Micro MC Gold; Antelope Zodiac+, Creek CD 43 MkII, Logitech Transporter
Amplification: Lehmann Black Cube SE II, Exposure 2010 S, Musical Fidelity AMS 35i
Loudspeakers: Gaithain ME150
Cables: Vampire CC, Fast Audio Compact 6M biwire
Power delivery: Audioplan FineFilter S, PowerStar S, PowerPlant S, PowerCord
HiFi-Rack: BassoContinuo
Review component retail in Europe: €900/pr

Highland Audio? Whuzzat? Dílis 4405. Come again? Chill. Check it out. Cough. Faking up kewl when you're from the Rheinland doesn't sound right. Would speakers under the Highland Audio flag made in France but carrying the Gaelic name Dílis? We'll get to that. Highland Audio and Dílis do tango. Dílis is Gaelic for with love and this tongue is spoken not just in Ireland but also in parts of the Scottish Highlands. And €900/pr for an attractive full-size floorstander takes another nod at the frugal Northerners if hopefully not for sonics. But this Celtic-sounding brand actually belongs to the French consumer electronics group av|industry who are headquartered near Paris. Is there this much love lost between the French and Scots? If so, I'd not gotten the memo. If you got it, ring me up.

Enough salad, let's get to the meat some of you will think already. With pleasure as Bond assured the new M. But review intros are supposed to be about noteworthy stuff on company and product alike plus dish on bits about involved tech. And here it gets frugal again. Whatever I managed to scare up about the company you've already read. On the good stuff beneath the sheets both maker and German importer play it mum as a clam. The lit talks of 89dB sensitivity and response of 38Hz–22kHz. Then it goes silent. Which leaves us to just mention the obvious.

The Dílis 4405 is an elegant floorstander 7" deep, 10" wide and 40" high. The uncut inches perhaps betray Scottish roots. For Europeans on the other side of the water, it's 17.8 x 25.4 x 101.6cm. Once we add the black glass plinth to which the box bolts for stability, you're talking a 30.5. x 35.5cm footprint and profile of 104.5cm. The enclosure skins are either high-gloss black or white.

The twin mid/woofers are 5-inchers (135mm Ø) and inverted domes sans the usual dust caps. Their diaphragms are apparently paper. The bracketed 1-inch/25mm tweeter is a textile dome. Driver baskets hide behind a black sub baffle. A rubber ring decouples between them. The overall construction made a good first impression. The business end shows a sizeable bass reflex port and solid biwire terminal plate. If desired each 'way' of this 2-way may be amplified separately. The waveguide for a more seamless transition between tweeter and mid/woofers and the generous vent with rounded edges to eliminate chuffing suggest that our highlanders aren't first-timers. They get to happily practice British understatement when it comes to tooting their own horn.