New Trenner & Friedl ART Monitors!

A few months ago, maybe a year, I found out that Austrian speaker manufacturer Trenner & Friedl was going to update my beloved ART monitors. I've wanted to put this news into my blog for a long time now, but I kept forgetting. I first received my ARTs way back in April of 2011, when I was still living in Texas. Since then they've been one of my most consistent references, and I love everything about these loudspeakers.

The photo above is the new version, which still have the same dimensions but different drivers, different materials and many improvements on the inside. That is not a stock photo of the new ART, however--yes, a pair just showed up at my door thanks to my friend Bob Clarke at Profundo, the US distributor! I'm about 30 minutes into listening to them right now, and I won't say anything until they have settled in--let's just say I'm smiling.

The new ARTs will be my first official equipment review for Part-Time Audiophile, and of course I will be comparing them directly to my older version. I don't believe in direct comparisons between two products, but as you can imagine this will be quite different. We Trenner & Friedl ART owners in the US are few but proud, and we know this monitor is one of the best-kept secrets in audio. All of my ART buddies are dying to know what the differences are, and I am in the unique position of being able to do that thanks to Bob, Peter Trenner and Andreas Friedl.

Very, very excited.

A New Review of the Trenner & Friedl ART Loudspeaker

Positive Feedback, a high-end audio publication that occasionally publishes my articles, made me smile today by reprinting a wonderful review of the Trenner & Friedl ART monitors by Marek Dyba. I usually praise these speakers to the skies without concern for conflict of interest--they are the loudspeakers I've used in my own personal system for several years, and I'll gladly recommend them to anyone who wants a high-performance premium two-way monitor that offers a huge sound from a little box. Plus, they are absolutely beautiful--they are built by hand in Austria using the finest materials and exemplary craftsmanship. I am proud to own these.

I guess I'm excited about this review because the ARTs haven't had many reviews...other than mine, of course. It blows my mind that everyone isn't familiar with the ARTs and what they can do. Over the last few years, I've met a handful of fellow ART owners within the US, and we tend to act like one of those guys who discover a great band in a small club, conflicted and hesitant to spread the word because we don't want everyone to come along and make them popular, making us feel less special. Actually, we should be doing the opposite--telling every audiophile we know that they need to sit down and audition a pair before they die.

In Texas, I hosted a few audiophiles at my house--audiophiles who just wanted to hear the ARTs. At least one of those audiophiles wound up buying a pair, and another keeps telling me he's saving up. So this review is most welcome--not because audio journalism can make or break a product as much in 2015 as in 2005, but because this speaker deserves the buzz.

You can view the review right here.