CES 2014

Bryston's early speakers were boxy, pro-monitor-style creations, but its latest products are a lot sleeker and more home-friendly. They're also designed -- as one might expect from a Canadian audio company -- according to sound, decades-proven scientific principles. That's why the Middle T tower speaker delivered some of the best sound I heard at CES.

According to Bryston, the goals in designing the Middle T were: to not limit the music dynamically; to achieve a super-wide, plus/minus 75 degrees listening window; and to deliver a smooth power response (the total amount of energy a speaker radiates into a room). Maybe I'm just impressionable or susceptible to a good pitch, but I did indeed hear a gigantic (although not unnaturally exaggerated) soundstage and terrific dynamics in percussion, even in the mid and higher frequencies.

The Middle T has dual 8-inch woofers, a 5.25-inch midrange and a 1-inch dome tweeter, and it lists for $4,600/pair. The similar but smaller Mini T packs the same basic engineering into a stand-mounted three-way design for $2,695/pair.