Z-92 Floorstanding Speakers are BG Radia’s Best

BG Radia is back and focused on the custom and specialty audio markets. One of the first products of this refocus is the Z-92 floorstanding loudspeaker.

Throughout the company's history, BG Radia has been known as a proponent of planar ribbon drivers. With the introduction of the Z-92, the company has created a new way to implement this technology.

Aside from its overall performance, what makes the Z-92 a standout is its reasonable price and the fact that it can be used in a home theater or two-channel system.

Slim-Profile Features Neo3PDR Ribbon Tweeter

The Z-92 is a fairly tall floorstanding speaker (slightly over 44 inches tall) with a width of just over 71⁄2 inches and a depth of 14 inches.

The slim-profile speaker's front baffle incorporates the company's Neo3PDR ribbon tweeter. It is coaxially mounted in front of BG Radia's 10-inch by 5-inch Neo 10 midrange planar driver.

Finishing off the Z-92's driver array are a pair of aluminum-cone woofers that are designed to fill in the speaker's bottom end without losing the clarity of the planar midrange and tweeter.

A complex crossover network controls these drivers. All of these technologies are housed in an attractive enclosure, offered in a choice of light maple or black ash.

Room Placement Forgives Thanks to Wide Dispersion

The Z-92s unpacked and installed pretty easily.

Because of their wide dispersion characteristics, the speakers are forgiving in terms of room placement. Knowing the room modes of my 13-foot by 23-foot listening room, I positioned the speakers and adjusted their toe-in for a few minutes before settling on their ultimate location.

Finally, I connected a set of Transparent Music Link Super cables terminated with spade lugs.

I added the companion Z-62 center channel to complete a full LCR combination so that I could hear how cohesive the package sounds together.

Detail and Resolution Shine Through

Per my standard reviewing procedure, I listened to the speakers for about 30 minutes prior to their break-in to get a sense of baseline performance.

Starting with some music from Staind, Incubus and the Dave Matthews Band, I found that the Z-92s displayed an impressive upper midrange and lower treble region and a depth of image that was highlighted by an accurate and fast response.

One standout element of the speakers was the level of detail and resolution they offered.

For instance, on Incubus's "Nice to Know You," I could hear a phase effect oscillating on the song's bridge chords played by guitarist Mike Einziger and a chorusing effect on singer Brandon Boyd's vocals.

In the lower frequency regions, items like the kick drum on "#41" from the Dave Matthews Band were firm. In higher frequencies, the snare drums had plenty of snap.

After running a break-in period of about 50 hours, I used the speakers to enjoy televised broadcasts of Boston Bruins hockey games, music from Black Label Society, Sara Evans and Keith Urban and movies like "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

I found that some of the initial midrange "forwardness" I noticed pre-break-in had disappeared and the low end tightened up.

Speakers are Top-Performing, BG Radia's Best

As a general rule, I try to keep in mind that we work in a fun industry that provides an outlet of entertainment for consumers.

With that as the basis for my approach in reviewing this product, I could find absolutely nothing to point to as a weakness.

The speakers are top-performers. They offer all of the attributes an audiophile looks for: basic neutrality, solid imaging, a wide soundstage and good transient response.

Some may desire a little more "warmth" in their sound, but I think that can be solved through the careful selection of electronics. In my review, I ran Bryston amps, Cary source components and Transparent cabling -- it was a killer combination.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to listen to a good portion of BG Radia's product line and despite the fact that the Z-92s reside in the middle of the company's pricing list, they are BG Radia's best speakers.

MSRP
Z-92: $2,500 per pair.
Z-62: $1,000 each.