At every trade show, the X3 has for now enjoyed my particular attention. Its appearance paired with an affordable price range completely unknown for Børresen to date simply has a strong appeal to me. The X3 offers anything but the impression of an entry-level speaker reduced to the bare essentials.

Børresen and the Audio Group Denmark in general are known for exaggeration. Usually, good isn’t good enough here; instead, they research, try out, and don't shy away from unconventional approaches until the end of the road has been reached. And when a new idea comes up that promises even a hint of a better performance quality, the Danes are not above simply adding another one. The effort and correspondingly the price then no longer play a role. A good example of this philosophy is the mid-woofer used in the M series. This driver is a fantastic miracle of technology. On the one hand, this quest for perfection is quite admirable, being exactly the propellant that drives also many of us high-end afficionados. On the other hand, I can as well understand when people think that our Danish audio neighbours are having their heads in the clouds, especially with regard to the price tags of their speakers and electronics. However, since they are still largely concerned with passion in addition to perfection, the X series and the new Axxess amplifiers are definitely offerings that are accessible to a broader group of buyers.

The X3 was the first model in the X series to see the light of day. Meanwhile, a larger X6 model is also available and a smaller version should, at least according to my information, join the portfolio sooner or later. As is typical for Børresen, the medium-sized X3 is designed as a two-and-a-half-way system with a mid-woofer, two woofers and the likewise typical magnetostatic tweeter. However, the positioning in the center of the portfolio should not hide the fact that the X3 is already a very large speaker with a height of almost 130 centimeters and a depth of considerable 60 centimeters.

The entire team at Børresen had assured me several times that the X3 would work even in my smaller-than-average listening room with a short, recording studio-like listening distance to the speakers. Each time I got to see the speakers at trade shows, my doubts in this regard simply could not be dispelled. Basically, I take the view that it is possible to make large loudspeakers sound good in small listening rooms and I claim that I have succeeded in doing so with my own loudspeakers. So far, at least all invited and sometimes, I would like to say, very qualified listeners were surprised how well my, compared to the X3 rather medium-sized, floor-standing speakers Magnat Quantum 807 work in my room. The DSP correction possibilities of the speakers within the roon software certainly plays a decisive role. The ability to have roon performing a convolution filtering was the main reason for me to switch to roon and roon-enabled devices. But the first priority still remains the acoustic treatment of the room with absorbers and diffusers. However, in my room it does make sense to run the speakers fairly close to the rear wall, so I use roon's Convolution feature to reduce superelevations caused by room modes. I have been working towards an ideal equalization over a longer period of time, taking care not to adulterate the natural character of the speakers. Therefore I correct both loudspeakers independently of each other. To measure and correct both speakers at the same time would only be a part of the story. There is a single very broadband cut at about four thousand hertz on the right speaker to perfectly smooth out the already very linear frequency response of both speakers when added together. All other correction parameters refer exclusively to the bass range up to a maximum of 130 hertz. The rest of the frequency response remains untouched. In principle, all these measures I would easily be able to apply to the X3 and in the meantime, due to the exact knowledge of my room, also implement in the shortest possible time with a similarly optimal result, but it was the sheer size of the speakers that kept worrying me. Due to my limited space, the number of reasonable setup options reduces as the size of the speakers increases. My doubts were again fuelled when the carrier unloaded the pallet with the two monstrous speaker crates in front of my door. What had I let myself in for? Having them initially arrived and unpacked in the kitchen, the full extent of my undertaking becomes apparent. In my small apartment, the X3s, which are quite large for a three-way loudspeaker, seem even more enormous than they used to at trade shows. At 55 kilograms, they are above all enormously heavy. But my fascination for the X3 remains undiminished: Design, workmanship and feel are still incredibly appealing and of high-quality for the tagged price of 10,000 euros. The backwardly curved enclosure with an unshakably massive plinth could just as well originate from a high-end series far beyond the 10,000 euros tag. The carbon inlays on the front and top of the cabinet matching the drivers then provide the final touch. However, they are hardly intended for weight reduction or stiffening, but rather as a design feature.