Hard membranes have a rep for stiff edgy sound. Already the Børresen 01 proved how that needn't be the case. The M1 did so again. It sounded particularly brilliant on bass challenges where immediacy, impact, ripped outlines and control were in high demand. Like the 01 it also showed very developed textural and muscular aspects. Even during very loud passages the newcomer slammed without skipping a beat or showing hints of compression whilst pleasing tone and control didn't falter. The M1's profile of image outlines, snap, elasticity and horsepower served up casually as though its sporty gearing was part of a much bigger picture rather than key attraction. This applied to the ranges above the bass, too. The thin-foil tweeter produced the most refined treble I've heard yet. It was exceptionally informative, remarkably smooth, nuanced, delicate, admirably extended and very sweet. Although backdrop blackness can result in slightly hooded sound, the M1's tweeters effortlessly served up loads of planktonic detail so the view remained tonally even and not at all dimmed.
To encapsulate the 01's psych profile I'd written that “it's as complex as it's contradictory. Fierce bass response with loads of energy and textural heft across the board, top-shelf overall pronunciation and timing, grand staging and treble way up there with the best in the biz. All in all a highly unrealistic product especially considering its small footprint and 2-way topology." This applies to the M1 as well. It too leaves the impression of suffering no obvious sonic downsides. However, after hearing this monster in three different rooms, mine was actually too small to fully tap all of its spatial potential with the shove it had flaunted at its creators' HQ. This speaker really thrives in large spaces which to me is the most polarizing nearly bizarre thing about it. Typically floorstanders are easy picks for 50-100m² rooms. It's hardly a shocker that their owners won't even consider a compact stand-mount. It wouldn't make sense… unless you're without financial limits and lust after a petite but luxo 2-way groomed to shock and awe in such rooms not collapse. The Børresen M1 is exactly that. It probably also exists because a few wealthy clients expressed interest in that sort of product. The M1 is not meant for 99.99% of audio enthusiasts. It's for the final 0.01% who may in fact feel thrilled with such an acquisition.
The M1 naturally had to battle my sound|kaos Vox 3afw monitors just as any other speaker loaner sent my way. Some background about the latter's earlier tussle against the Børresen 01 is in order. The Vox was leaner, more contoured and sunny. The Dane had played it more grounded and darker yet as articulate. Its treble had been finer and a fair bit better. The Swiss retaliated with lower bass reach, the Børresen with control, speed and muscularity to become the more fearless, massive and spatially larger. The Vox put expressiveness, meticulousness and intimacy on the pedestal to emphasize image outlines, directness and tangibility. The 01 projected a bit more distant, dreamy, dense and more uniform from left to right. During that comparison I also wrote that the Vox's boutique widebander promotes on-stage presence and charms off limits to any other transducer type including Børresen's. The latter however was the one to beat on ripped dynamics and contrast, slamming potency, guts and resolution. Since I'm a sucker for the Vox's aural staging bubble that's quite frankly irreplaceable to me, everything the 01 did hadn't been enough for me to develop a crush. The M1 was a different story.
Although the M1 isn't a widebander, it had its own spatial ace up its sleeve. In a larger room where its enclosures enjoy more breathing space, it would grant me access to the same intimate bubble I like so much. I already had a taste of this in Aalborg so know it's attainable. At my place the newcomer positioned by Jacek already staged images right in front of me and to the sides in present, juicy and intense fashion. Had I met the wider spacing criteria, things would have expanded still more. Most importantly, the M1 struck me as more developed than its sibling on spatial intimacy, presence and suchness which was a wholly positive meaningful change. It also proved to be a more advanced speaker than the Vox on all the fronts already won by the 01 and then some. As much as I adore the Swiss and as highly articulate, precise, resolved and illuminated it already is, against the M1 it was still fluffier, rounder, cloudier, lazier and not quite as gifted on finest treble shimmer and decay. It took me a while to find a compact passive speaker set I could safely put above my sound|kaos. The nearly eight times costlier M1 now sits on that pinnacle. Hence my award.
The automotive industry's halo cars are often one-off concepts meant to showcase innovative tech and visualize a possible future. These vehicles set trends, determine the path their makers hope to pursue and of course set off intense debates. When I look at the Børresen M1, I see an audio equivalent of such a car. The only difference is that you can actually own it. Although recommending it to anyone seems out of touch so pointless, it doesn't erase the fact that this is the best passive compact of my acquaintance. Now I know what €94'000 transformed into a small monitor sound like. Now you know that this curiosity exists. The rest is up to millionaires and their commensurably deep wallets.
Series xover enhanced with active noise-combating parts and square Tesla coils.
