Buchardt Audio P300

Is the P300 the right one for you?

The goal was to create a speaker that captures the design philosophy of the beloved S400, but where we really do everything possible to cut the price dramatically down. Doing this without sacrificing performance (in comparison to the S400 MKII) is impossible, but the speakers have surpassed even our own expectations, which is why we truly believe this is a gem between speakers in its price range!

What is it?

A compact, elegant and powerful speaker with low-end that doesn't necessarily call for a subwoofer. A speaker that has Controlled Directivity that makes it work better in rooms that are not 100% acoustically ideal.

In comparison to the S400 MKII, there are 3 parts we have changed: Woofer, Crossover and Binding Post. By reusing parts such as the cabinet waveguide and packaging, we can save costs on production, tools and development time. This optimization process has been a big part of us being able to sell at such a low price point.

The Woofer

This new custom-made paper cone woofer is something we are rather proud of. It's built with a more regular proportioned motor and a shorter stroke design, compared to the driver used in its big brother, the S400 MKII. It still carries the strong aluminum chassis of its big brother for low compression, instead of the typically found in drivers at this price point. In direct comparison to the big brother, you lose a tiny bit SPL capability, sensitivity and deep bass. But in return you get tighter bass and improved transient response, which makes them less sensitive to room placement.

The Crossover

Let's face it, the quality of parts are not near what we have put into the S400 MKII. But the quality of the parts used in the crossover are no joke either, and still superior to what you will typically find in other speakers in this price range. Like with the S400 MKII, we teamed up with the high-end manufacturer Jantzen Audio Denmark to get crossover parts both custom designed, but also using some of their well known existing parts. Still no cheap sand cast resistors! We use Jantzen MOX resistors, which is a foil based audio resistor. For inductors, we use Jantzen's baked air core inductors where it's most important, mixed with their iron core inductors as well. The capacitors are a mix of metallized polyester film capacitor for the tweeter, and Jantzen's own "eleCap" is used for the woofer, which is a low tolerance aluminum electrolytic capacitor that is of much higher quality than your standard electrolytic capacitor you often see used.

The Binding Post

Not much to say about them. It's a standard 5 way binding post that is easy to use. A practical solution that would last and is cost friendly to hit our target.

Sound Characteristics

It is a super well-rounded speaker. It's overall neutral, with a little extra emphasis on a warm and powerful bass compared to the more neutral S400 MKII. The bass from such a small speaker is shockingly deep and powerful, yet agile and tight that makes note to note distinction in the bass region very clear if they get the room to breath in room placement. Midrange is clear and full, with a hint of warmth thanks to the paper cone woofer. The soundstage is the king of the show here. It is designed to be projected a bit laid back, with a ton of depth and spaciness (3d), that give you a real sense of "air" between instruments in the mix. This makes it a breeze to isolate each musician in the music and is a very different experience from the typical forward flat wall of sound in front of the speakers you most likely come from today. This is a style of design that many S400 MKII users have really come to appreciate, which is also present!

For high SPL levels, the S400 MKII is a better option, but these can play loud enough to damage your ears, if you choose to go there. And despite the relatively low price, they scale incredible well with higher end gear to drive it, but do like to be paired with a powerful amp!

Many would be left with the question, are they as good as the S400 MKII? Of course not! But if the S400 MKII is over your budget, these do bring you all the same aspect that made the S400 so popular in the first place. And between many speakers in this price range, these are designed, tuned and built like a proper high-end speaker that would last you a lifetime!