The Raidho X-5 and XT-5 (pictured) floorstanding loudspeakers had their world premiere at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest last autumn, both models are now arriving on UK shores.

“We like to think of the new X-5 and XT-5 as quintessentially Danish,” say Raidho, referring to the Danes’ historical reputation as explorers and adventurers. “And when we describe the X-5 and XT-5 as our new flagship designs, for us it’s about much more than just price.”

At the heart of all Raidho speakers lie the brand’s own driver designs. The X-5 and XT-5 pair the Raidho ribbon tweeter with no fewer than six of the company’s ‘X’ Ceramix mid and bass drive units. More important, both models feature the latest developments of both types of driver. “But we wanted to take things further,” explain Raidho. “The experience we gained while creating our incredible (and incredibly costly) diamond drivers was directing us towards some interesting possibilities. The goal became to approach or even match the performance of our D-Series diamond drivers – but at a far more affordable price.”

The result was the ‘XT’ driver, a further refinement of the ‘X’ in which the ‘T’ denotes the combination of titanium and titanium nitride particles that are added to the existing three-layer aluminium/ceramic sandwich, creating a seven-layer membrane. “In terms of price and performance, engineering and execution, this makes the XT-5 the most complete speaker we’ve ever made,” says the brand’s design team. “It’s not the most expensive speaker we make but it is the pinnacle of our current thinking.”

“Sure, we could talk about the resulting increase in resolution and micro-dynamic definition, the deeper and more natural bass response, or the drop in system noise floor. But we’d prefer you to listen. We’d like you to hear the dramatic increase in clarity and musical impact. We’d love you to experience the emphatic dynamics and natural, expressive range. But most of all we want to take you on a breathtaking musical adventure through the presence and immediacy of great recordings; the excitement and power of the live event; the raw emotion of the greatest players and singers. As we Danes like to say, we want you to enjoy the ride!”

X-5 (piano black)                                        £25,000

X-5 (birdseye maple burl)                           £30,000

XT-5 (piano black)                                      £34,000

XT-5 (birdseye maple burl)                         £39,000

READ MORE HIFI NEWS WITH HIFI PIG