Borresen Acoustics Børresen X3
The Børresen X3 makes a persuasive case for high-end floorstanding sound with holographic imaging, ribbon-tweeter finesse and unexpectedly forceful, articulate bass. hi-fi+ heard deep detail and room-filling dynamics, while The Ear admired its smooth, low-noise resolution. Its carbon-reinforced cabinet and expansive scale deliver a polished, revealing musical experience built for serious listening.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
91/100
Build Quality
94/100
Value for Money
95/100
Pros
Expansive, precisely focused soundstage with exceptional image scale and instrument separation.
Refined, detailed ribbon treble remains smooth and free of glare at high listening levels.
Powerful, fast and articulate bass performance for its compact driver complement.
Exceptional fit, finish and cabinet engineering support a low-noise, clean presentation.
Cons
Careful room placement and toe-in are important; rear-port bass can become bloomy when positioned too close to a wall.
Dynamics are more convincing at elevated levels than during quiet listening.
One measurement-led review identified a recessed midrange and bass resonance that may compromise tonal neutrality for some listeners.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 91/100
The X3 is widely praised for combining unusually expansive, precise spatial presentation with a clean, highly resolved and engaging character. Its punchy, articulate low end and refined ribbon treble earn especially strong notices, though one measurement-led review identifies a recessed midrange and bass resonance that can affect tonal neutrality.
Bass
92/100
Several reviewers found the bass remarkably powerful, deep and quick for the driver complement, with articulate double bass, strong impact and convincing extension into the low 30Hz region in sympathetic rooms. Erin's Audio Corner heard excellent kick around 70-90Hz but less output below 50Hz and lingering resonance, so room interaction and placement remain important.
Mid
88/100
Part Time Audiophile found the midrange close to magical, citing realistic instrumental timbre, rich vocal body and unusually vivid textural detail. This is tempered by Erin's Audio Corner's repeated observation of a notable midrange and upper-midrange recession, while 6 Moons described a warmer, thicker and softer presentation than its reference.
Treble
93/100
The ribbon tweeter receives consistently enthusiastic praise for open, delicate detail, sparkle and transient speed without glare or fatigue. The Ear specifically found no hardness on bright instruments, though 6 Moons considered it less airy and sparkling than its dipole reference setup.
Soundstage Imaging
96/100
Spatial performance is a major strength: reviewers describe the cabinets disappearing into a large, deep and precisely organised stage, with unusually clear separation and a low-noise, black-background effect. Audiophiliac called the imaging remarkable and holographic, although both it and Part Time Audiophile note that setup can influence depth, focus and image proportions.
Dynamics
89/100
At suitable levels, the X3 is commended for powerful crescendos, quick low-frequency impact and convincing macrodynamic scale despite its compact drivers. It is less persuasive at low volume and can be taxed by demanding material; reviewers note that its dynamics come more fully alive when played louder.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
94/100
Reviews describe a notably sophisticated cabinet, with heavy bracing, non-parallel shaping, carbon-fibre reinforcement and a substantial multi-layer plinth. The piano lacquer finish is singled out as excellent, and reviewers also praise the carefully executed drivers, crossover parts and overall fit and finish.
Value for Money
95/100
At approximately $11,000 or £11,000 per pair, the X3 is unquestionably a major purchase, and Erin's Audio Corner characterises it as a luxury choice. However, several other reviewers explicitly call it exceptional value, saying its sound and construction compete with substantially more expensive speakers and that it brings high-end technology to a more accessible level.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
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Specifications
- H x W x D
- 129 x 34,5 x 60,7 cm
- H x W x D
- 50,8 x 13,6 x 23,9 Inches
- Weight
- 55 kg
- Weight
- 121 lbs
- Frequency response
- 35Hz – 50KHz
- Sensitivity
- 88 dB /1W
- Impedance
- 4 Ohm
- Recommended Amplifier
- 50W
- 1 x Tweeter
- Børresen RP89 Ribbon Planar Tweeter
- 1 x Bass/Midrange
- Børresen DCC5 driver
- 2 x Bass
- Børresen DCC5 driver
- Finish
- Black or white piano lacquer
Manufacturer's Description — Borresen Acoustics
A revolution in quality, performance and price
Børresen has developed a new entry-level speaker at an affordable price, making the Børresen speaker universe accessible to even more people. The Børresen X3 loudspeaker has been designed on the solid foundation of Børresen Acoustics’ development traditions, design philosophy and technological know-how.
Technologies and Components
The Børresen X series loudspeakers are not only a new entry-level into the Børresen universe, but also represents a real revolution in quality and performance in its price range. These speakers are created based on all the knowledge collected in the process of the creation of the M, 0 and Z-series. You´ll find components from these exclusive series in this Børresen X series loudspeakers – for instance the brand new Spread-tow carbon membrane, the highly praised Børresen ribbon tweeter and the use of copper caps in the magnetic motor system.
X series membrane – Bass/midrange
Børresen DCC5 driver
This membrane is designed to achieve maximum stiffness with minimum noise. The technological requirements for this unrivaled high-end membrane performance made it necessary to design, develop and assemble all components in-house.
The X-series membrane that consists of three skins laminated into a single unit: two layers of spread carbon fiber, with a layer of aramid honeycomb spacers in between.
The combination of these materials gives this membrane its unique properties. The spread-tow carbon fiber was designed to provide a skin with optimal stiffness. This unique feature of the membrane reduces sound-disturbing vibrations and resonances to unprecedented levels. The aramid honeycomb also has the best stiffness-to-weight ratio in the vertical direction. A flat response membrane in terms of resonances paved the way to build a very transparent loudspeaker with a reduced size of the magnetic motor system to optimize costs.
X series magnet system – Bass/midrange
Børresen DCC5 driver
In the X-series magnet motor system, we use double copper caps on the pole rings to achieve high flux and low inductance. The use of copper caps has been adopted from the Børresen Z-series. Copper produces a response to flux changes – the better the counter-effect of these copper rings, the flatter the inductance curve, and the lower the electro-magnetic resonance. In addition, lower inductance also means fewer spikes in the impedance curve. Both result in a lower load on the amplifier. To ensure high efficiency, the X-series has two pole rings. This causes the loss of some flux, which reduces efficiency, but this is compensated for by a larger magnet.
X series Børresen tweeter
Børresen RP89 Ribbon Planar Tweeter
The tweeter chosen for the Børresen X-series has the same design used in all other Børresen loudspeaker series. However, there is a reduction in magnet and iron mass. This is possible due to the extremely high efficiency of the original tweeter design. As a result, the efficiency has dropped only slightly from the exceptional 94 dB to 89 dB, but this is still an amazing efficiency for a tweeter.
The tweeter operates from about 2.5 kHz upwards. The moving mass is extremely low at 0.01 grams. The fully concealed tweeter can operate at an impressive speed. The high robustness of this tweeter allows it to handle very high transients without causing any deafening dips.
X series cross over
The Børresen X-series is equipped with a parallel crossover built with the same high-quality components from the Z Series. This makes for a very mechanically stable crossover that minimizes its self-resonance.
X series cabinet
The surface of the cabinet is finished in black or white piano lacquer and reinforced with carbon fiber inserts. The cabinet is made of a heavily braced wood composite material that has the property of eliminating sound distortion. The material used for the cabinet also reduces mechanical influences, especially hysteresis. The sonic result is clearly audible. The X-series is equipped with bass reflex ports. The tweeter is vented to compensate for the air pressure that builds up. The bass section consists of tuned ports calibrated for musically relevant frequencies.
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Authorized dealers for Borresen Acoustics Børresen X3
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- ARK Audio — online and in-store — Borensberg, Östergötlands län, Sweden (website)
- Audio Absolute — in-store — Tambon Bang Khun Kong, Chang Wat Nonthaburi, Thailand (website)
- Audio Gallery — online and in-store — Las Rozas de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Maestro — in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- Audio Salon — in-store — Boca Raton, Florida, United States (website)
- AudioMagic.pl — online and in-store — Warszawa, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
and 40 more verified dealers