By T+A is a German company that has a history dating back nearly 50 years. There aren’t many brands that have that type of staying power. Brands that survive that long do so because they build great products, offer true value and take care of their customers. While T+A is best known as an electronics manufacturer in the United States, they started out as a loudspeaker manufacturer. Outside of the U.S., their speakers are well known and compete with the top audiophile brands. In the North American market, however, their loudspeakers fly completely under the radar. T+A is working hard to change that.
The Criterion S240 that I am reviewing falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of T+A speakers. On the ultra-high end, T&A produces the Solitaire line of loudspeakers, culminating in the $76,900 S540, which uses seven elliptical mid-range drivers and an 34-inch-long magnetostatic high-frequency driver that uses 64 individual magnets. Cutting-edge technology indeed. The T+A Criterion S240 utilizes a more traditional complement of five round drivers in a transmission line enclosure. It would be a mistake to assume that less care was given to the design of the lower-cost sibling. T+A packs a lot of unique technology into all their products.
What Makes the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers So Special?
- The T+A Criterion S240 uses a transmission line configuration, which improves bass performance. The speaker enclosure is carefully built so that standing waves are created from the bass drivers, maximizing sound pressure at low frequencies. The transmission line output port is on the front of the speaker, which reduces interaction with walls behind the speaker. T+A includes a foam plug that can tune the bass performance to your liking.
- The T+A Criterion S240 loudspeakers utilize symmetric directivity, which incorporates several techniques to improve imaging and soundstage. It starts with a pair of 150-mm midrange drivers, rather than the typical single midrange. This spreads the load across a larger area and results in reduced distortion. Between the two midranges is a 25-mm magnesium tweeter. The interaction of all three drivers by the FSR (Fast Signal Response) crossover focuses energy to the center of the room. This improves image depth and also reduces reflections from ceiling and floor, which can introduce interference and time delays.
- The T+A team uses something they call Organic Baffles. The baffles are secured from inside the speaker enclosure, eliminating things like screws and edges that interact with the wave launch and can create a host of problems, which detract from the purity of the signal.
- The drivers in the T+A Criterion S240 loudspeakers are proprietary and designed for maximum performance. The midrange and woofers start with a high-performance membrane cone material, which is then combined with amorphous wood fibers for additional stiffness. Imprinted into the lightweight cone is a unique StarStabilizer design, which reduces vibrations and standing waves.
- The T+A Criterion S240 cabinet has significant internal bracing and inertness. Beyond the traditional cabinet construction techniques, the transmission line chamber structure adds additional rigidity. A strong and inert cabinet doesn’t vibrate or ring, thereby improving sonic purity.
Why Should You Care About the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers?
T+A has been designing and building transmission line speakers for nearly 50 years, and does it well. A transmission line is complex to design properly, in comparison to a standard sealed or ported enclosure. The concept of the transmission line is to send the rear wave of a driver down a long pathway and eventually exit the front of the enclosure through a port. When designed correctly, the wave exiting the port is in phase with the wave leaving the front of the driver. As you would expect, this increases bass performance with very few drawbacks. The wave that exits the port is one full cycle delayed from the front wave but the ear, at least in my case, cannot detect that. The T+A literature states the Criterion S240 plays down to 26 Hz and, based on my experience, I have no reason to doubt that specification. That’s seriously low for a pair of 8.6-inch drivers. The Criterion S240 is ideal for those who want a loudspeaker that has excellent deep bass output without taking up massive amounts of space.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers
- Audiophile speaker aesthetics are very personal and depending on your tastes you may love the minimalistic appearance of the S240s, or you may find them a little utilitarian-looking. Some speaker manufacturers are known for outlandish, almost comical, designs. T+A is not one of them. The T+A S240s are designed in an Art Deco style, which is understated and minimalistic. These speakers will almost disappear in your listening room, which many spouses appreciate.
- There are only four color options for the T+A Criterion S240. My review samples were classic black. Silver and white are available if you want a more modern look, and traditional wood grain can also be had. If you want an exotic custom color, you will have to look elsewhere.
Listening to the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers …
My reference system includes the CH Precision L1/X1 Preamp preamplifier, CH Precision M1.1power amplifier, Wattson Madison streamer/DAC and Rockport Avior II loudspeakers. The T+A Criterion S240s were placed where my Rockport Avior IIs typically go and, after a little tweaking, they were pretty well dialed in.
As previously mentioned, the T+A Criterions transmission line output is adjustable with the provided rectangular foam plug. Leave the port open for more bass, close it completely for less, or angle the rectangular plug on its side, filling some of the port to fine-tune the output. At first, I tried the speakers with no plug, and I was somewhat stunned with the low-frequency output from the S240s. Even in my relatively large room (22 x 22 x 13 W-L-H) the bass was deep, powerful, and a touch overpowering, to be honest. If you remember pressing the “loud” button on your old receiver or car stereo, that is what it sounded like. I then tried the port fully closed, which reduced the output but not the depth and articulation of the bass. I could have happily lived with it like this but ended up settling on the middle ground, where the foam plug was covering about half of the port. Just right for me.
“Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads is a track that I often use to test the low-frequency performance of really good audiophile speakers. It’s a nonstop assault of kick drums and bass guitar underpinning classic Talking Heads punk weirdness. It’s an amazing track. The T+A Criterion S240s had no problem whatsoever keeping up with Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz on bass and drums, respectively, on this iconic 1980s rock-pop track. The bottom end was punchy and deep. Every kick was felt as much as it was heard. By the end of the track, you needed a break, as it was intense. David Byrne’s vocals were not overpowered by the low frequencies; they were still there, along with the synthesizer and other accompanying effects in the midrange. The symmetric directivity, which I first thought was a bit of marketing trickery, made itself known while listening. What I heard was a presentation that was more focused than I am accustomed to. The term “dense” keeps coming to mind, but that’s the best I can do to describe it. Musical information was highly concentrated between the speakers front and back, and at ear level. If I stood up, the magic somewhat disappeared but, while seated in my listening position, very cool things happened. Right and left channel information was presented in a way that is difficult to describe but reminded me of listening to a song through headphones. I imagine this is from the reduction of room reflections, which symmetric directivity is designed to minimize. My ears told me they were onto something.
Staying in the early ‘80s, I spun up “Overkill” by Men at Work. I heard the same tight and tuneful bass that I heard with “Burning Down the House.” Once again, the transmission line design was an overachiever in the bass department. My sense is that the dual midrange drivers were needed to play low enough to pick up the top end of the transmission line. They did. Higher-frequency percussion, such as a snare drum, had punch and weight where most loudspeakers fall short. The saxophone, one of Men at Work’s trademark elements, was pure and textured without being aggressive. The soundstage extended beyond the speakers, but the majority of the image was packed between the speakers. It’s really something you have to hear for yourself.
Jumping ahead to the early 2000s to “Trains” by Porcupine Tree, I was struck by the power and cohesiveness of the music. The intro guitar and vocals were believable in my room. They were clear and laser-etched while still sounding natural, not an easy task. When the rhythm section joined in, the room instantly pressurized and everything came at the listener in a unified wave of sound. This track begged to have the volume turned up and, when I did, the T+A Criterion S240s rewarded me with more of everything. Nothing smeared together as I’ve heard with many other loudspeakers at higher volumes. The Criterion S240s just stayed utterly composed.
Will the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers Hold Their Value?
T+A is very well-known for their electronics. However, their loudspeakers fly under the radar. It’s too bad, as these highly-engineered speakers sound great, but it costs a fortune to market speakers in the U.S. audiophile market, and T+A is an engineering-first company.
Resale value when it comes to loudspeakers is a tricky topic, because a lot more than sound quality goes into determining their value. As I have found, shipping and proximity rule when shopping for loudspeakers. Most people will default to speakers that are close by, rather than shipping a pair across the country, even if those farther away are more desirable. With that caveat out of the way, the T+A Criterion S240s check all the audiophile boxes that will make owners smile. They may not have the name recognition of some of the other brands that compete at this price point, but they likely outperform those others. Yes, they will hold their value.
What is the Competition for the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers?
There are lots and lots of speaker manufacturers fighting for your money around the $20,000 mark.
The recently reviewed $23,500 Stenheim Alumine Two.Five (read the review) seems to be an Internet darling, receiving lots of praise, including from our own publisher, Jerry Del Colliano. The Stenheim’s cabinet is fully aluminum, using a pair of 6.5-inch drivers with a one-inch soft dome tweeter. The ultra-stiff cabinet structure helps those drivers reveal detail that many other speakers miss but only play to 35 Hz, so a subwoofer may be something you want to consider with them.
The $16,000 Bowers and Wilkins 804 D4 is another speaker I would also consider at this price category. It shares technology from the iconic 800 series speakers in a package that’s more conventional-looking and takes up less space than the chunkier siblings. The Bowers & Wilkins uses conventional wood for the enclosure material with the trademark one-inch diamond tweeter on top. Driver complement includes a five-inch midrange and a pair of 6.5-inch woofers. Low-frequency response from the bottom ported speaker is rated to 24 Hz, which is impressive, considering the small drivers.
Final Thoughts on the T+A Criterion S240 Loudspeakers …
T+A is a manufacturer with a long history of building excellent audiophile products. The Criterion S240 loudspeakers draw on the experience that the T+A engineers have developed over that long history of loudspeaker design. They have some very special technologies that actually deliver on their promise.
For example, the T+A transmission line performance is a little difficult to believe. Low bass is absolutely effortless and impactful in a way standard ported or sealed enclosures struggle to achieve. Somehow T+A designed it so that it integrates perfectly with the midrange drivers for a fully cohesive presentation.
All the pieces of the symmetric directivity system work in harmony and create a soundstage that is extremely dense yet focused. It draws you into the music with a midrange that, to my ear, leans a touch warm, which I like. The top end is smooth and grain-free, letting one listen for hours without a hint of fatigue. These are not polite or dry-sounding speakers, which tend to be associated with British manufacturers. These are quite the opposite, muscular, powerful, and highly listenable.
Build quality is excellent and you can rest easy investing in a T+A product, knowing it was designed by some of the best in the business who will stand behind it. I simply can’t think of a speaker in this price range that is as balanced from top to bottom as the Criterion S240, or as much fun to hear.
