These days, most of the review pitches I receive aren’t accompanied by much in the way of editorializing. “Here’s a thing. Here’s how much it costs. Here’s when we can get it to you. Interested?” I’m paraphrasing, of course, but that’s the way it goes for the most part. The industry just assumes that a new product is worth reviewing because it’s a new product.
But the pitch I received for Starke Sound’s new Beta5 bookshelf speaker (US$499, CA$750 per pair) came with something of a boast: “Beta5 is probably one of the best bookshelf speakers under $500,” said the email.
Granted, that “under $500” is doing a lot of work for a speaker priced at US$499, but as I’ve said often, technically correct is the best form of correct. So I bit. And a few days later, a pair arrived on my doorstep.
Right off the bat, I couldn’t help noticing the “Starke Sound USA” sticker, which is still something of a source of pride for me despite the state of things at the moment. I might not have a whole lot of American pride coursing through my veins anymore, but I still believe in buying as locally as possible and supporting local businesses.
Of course, the Beta5 isn’t actually manufactured in the USA, because how could you produce a $500-per-pair speaker here that could conceivably be worth listening to? But I like the company’s transparency. The packaging states right up front, with no apologies, that the speaker is “Designed by Starke Sound. Made in China.” Hell, imagine how much more affordable these things could be if not for our current suicidal trade war.
I was a little nervous opening the packaging, because one assumes that a speaker that measures 11.9″H × 7.2″W × 13″D and sells for US$499 per pair is a product of some not-insignificant value engineering, and I expected to crack the top and immediately spot that crumbly, cheap, squeaky EPS foam y’all know I loathe so much. You can imagine my delight when I saw the more sustainable, softer, recyclable EPE instead, along with individual cloth bags for each of the speakers. Does that sort of thing matter to you? Should it? I dunno. But it does to me. First impressions matter. Presentation matters. Sustainability matters. But those are often the first babies thrown out with the bathwater in attempts to cut costs—understandably, you might argue.
Admittedly, I’m a little less thrilled by the bravado of the pack-in literature than I was with the review pitch. I’d like to see Starke Sound focus more on setup advice for first-time hi‑fi buyers than silly language such as “engaging musical detail,” whatever that means. For goodness’ sake, the customer has already bought the thing. Stop selling it. But if that’s the only nit I can pick here, I think that says something.
The box also contains some hardware, including screws for use with Starke Sound’s own speaker stands, as well as a warranty card . . .
Wait. Does that say “Guarantee for 8 Years”? What the actual hell? If that’s not the longest warranty I’ve seen for any product I’ve reviewed for Access, it has to be high in the running. Seriously, I’m impressed.
With the foam caps removed, you can see that the bags for the Beta5s are tied with ample twine and give the whole affair a much classier look than you’d expect for the price. Again, first impressions and all that.
With the Beta5s out of their protective wrapping and perched side-by-side, you can start to see some of the value engineering. But in my opinion, it’s exactly the right approach to cost savings. The finish isn’t real wood, of course, but rather a lovely textured vinyl that should be easy to keep clean. What’s more, rap your knucks on the top of the cabinet and you get a nice, dead “thunk” that points toward minimal cabinet resonance. The grilles are a basic gray cloth, but they’re certainly not unattractive, and the rounded corners are a nice touch. Overall, this is a lovely little speaker for US$500/pair.
Pull off the grilles, and you can see more cost savings in the form of pins instead of magnets. That’s A‑OK with me. What’s more, there’s a lot of visible hardware in the mounting of the tweeter. I’m totally good with that as long as the baffle is well laid out, proportions are right, and the distance between drivers makes sense—and it does. All in all, this looks like a well-engineered speaker. It makes me wish I’d even been aware of Starke Sound before a month ago, because now I want to check out more of the company’s offerings.
Here we have a closer look at the 29mm (1.15″) silk-dome tweeter, which crosses over with the woofer at 2200Hz. That’s a very sensible material for any price point, much less this one, and a very sensible crossover frequency for this driver configuration. So no red flags on either of those fronts.
The woofer, by the way, is a 5.25″ dry-carbon acoustic sandwich driver backed by HEMF (High-Efficiency Magnetic Field) technology, which contributes to the Beta5’s specified 45Hz low-frequency extension.
The speaker also features a lovely pair of binding posts. Seriously, I feel like I’m being pandered to here.
And here, as always, is a look at the Beta5 perched atop one of my Monoprice 42838 stands just for scale. No doubt it would look even better mounted to one of Starke Sound’s Stand 3S or Stand B offerings, both of which are absolutely striking, but which cost nearly as much as the Beta5 itself.
The real question, of course, is how a pair of Beta5s sound. Again, I have no prior history with Starke Sound, and I suppose I could DuckDuckGo around to figure out if the company has a house sound or a distinctive voice, neither of which would be my preference. But there’s one sure-fire way to find out, isn’t there? I’m eager to dig in, and I hope you’ll come back to read my full review when it publishes in a few weeks.
. . . Dennis Burger
dennisb@soundstagenetwork.com
