Aretai Contra in Media

Before going further with the design basics, I need to say something about the speaker’s esthetic elegance. You don’t see a screw, a bolt, a seam, nothing! … Also extremely well done is how the waveguide integrates into the speaker. It's a work of art in and of itself. … 
Eyes closed, the image was so wide, tall and well dispersed you could have almost fooled me into thinking I was listening to the big (Wilson Audio) XVXes, and that's not hyperbole. I was expecting to have to make peace with a seriously diminished listening experience but I didn't. I shouldn't have been surprised.

— Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle

The Contra is the perfect small monitor for those with fairly small rooms who still want an extra helping of fire and visceral joy in their musical delivery system. A compact 2.5 way speaker that can hit 30 Hz with some ease? Count me in.

— Marc Phillips, PTA Reviewers Choice Award,
Part-Time Audiophile

The form of the Aretai Contra speaker series reflects its technical qualities in an exemplary manner. In terms of design and sound, the focus is on clarity and precision.

— Statement by the Jury,
Red Dot Design Award Winner 2022

I have always been really impressed with the Aretai loudspeakers and love what they do with their very different horn loaded tweeter arrangement – it’s unusual but it works very well.

— Linette and Stuart Smith, HiFi Pig

Comparing the Aretai with an admittedly more affordable pair of speakers was a bit like contrasting an oil painting with a cartoon. There is a depth of detail that is very agreeable and this is apparent with pretty well any type of music.

— Jason Kennedy, HiFi+ magazine, 
Highly Commended Product of the Year 2022

Such performance from a small stand-mount speaker set doesn’t happen every other day. It rendered the Aretai a very potent big-bore type capable of pushing copious amounts of air my way and in general highly entertaining stunts its modest cabinets honestly shouldn’t do. I truly hadn’t seen all that coming.

— Dawid Grzyb, HiFi Knights

However you characterize the sound of the Latvian-made loudspeaker, it comes with prodigious bass down to 30 Hz, thanks to a rear-firing six-inch woofer that complements its front-firing twin. The novel waveguide for the neodymium tweeter extends response to beyond 25 kHz but importantly replicates a deep, wide soundstage.

— Best Stand-Mount Loudspeakers,
Robb Report Audio Awards 2024

The waveguide widens the sweet spot in width and height (above and below)—so your pets can also enjoy the music, Zvirgzdiņš told me with a grin. A pair of 6" woofers, one on front, the other offset on back, pumped out pretty impressive bass. … I heard plenty of punch and energy from those small speakers, too.

— Julie Mullins, Stereophile

I found the sound remarkably smooth and clean overall, even though I was seated well away from the center position. Of course, the bass sounded remarkably deep for a standmounted design.

— Doug Schneider, SoundStage! Global

The Aretai Contra 200F loudspeakers are such a complete and impressive design, and US audiophiles should be seeking them out for a listen.

— Marc Phillips, Part-Time Audiophile

The Contra 100S will reward you with exceptional sound that literally transcends all genres and delivers the high-end goods. These speakers compete right alongside other high-end bookshelf offerings from bigger and more established brands. They offer solid build quality, crystal-clear midrange, beautiful extended highs, and more usable bass output than any similarly sized passive bookshelf speaker I have yet to hear. From classical to electronic, the Aretai Contra 100S will truly deliver the goods.

— Don Dunn, Audioholics

The Contra 100S while a small, stand-mounted speaker delivers bass far beyond its size and the bass is tight, well controlled, and articulate. Impressive.

— K. E. Heartsong, Audiokey Reviews

What a nice little speaker this is! Aretai has created a distinctive product with the Contra 100S. The finish is sublime and the rhythmic character is compelling. This made us very happy. …
It is a special product. And also something different!

— Jaap Veenstra, Alpha Audio

Aretai in Video

Interview with Aretai founders at CEATEC 2024 in Tokyo, Japan 

— Stereo Sound ONLINE magazine, Japan

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