The final award for the Best of HF&MS in 2022 his week goes to the fabulous Kudos Cardea Super 20A loudspeakers. Having delighted at the standmounted Kudos Cardea C10s, HF&MS had the opportunity of trying the floorstanding Super 20A in 2022 for an extended loan. They were reviewed with joy in both passive and then active configurations in association with Exposure’s electronics and Vertere’s cabling. In the active loudspeaker version of the review, and in the Youtube video made to celebrate the Super 20As, we said:
These Kudos Cardea Super 20A loudspeakers have the capability to offer a heightened music listening experience, beyond that normally available. In this external active crossover setup, they are at their peak; articulate, accurate, sparkling and urgently alive.
The configuration of the active crossover is described in detail in the HF&MS article here.
In a passive setup, the Super 20As were simply exceptional, in that separate review we said:
…the Kudos Super 20A have the nuance to show what is possible with their exceptional loudspeaker design.
The Kudos Cardea Super 20A were the standout loudspeakers of 2022, the sibling Kudos Titan 505s arrived last week. Until the Titans are reviewed, and without pre-judging them (!), the Super 20As retain their preeminence here at HF&MS.
Congratulations to Kudos for their Cardea range, in particular the Super 20A loudspeaker, and on an HF&MS Best of 2022 award.