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Comparisons
In this section we will compare the Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 to other speakers currently available on the market. This chapter aims to give you a better understanding of how the Clarity 6.2 sounds compared to other bookshelf speakers you might already know.
We will find out how they fare up against another popular passive radiator design, a high performing three-way bookshelf that won multiple awards, including our Best Speaker of 2024, and a speaker of their sister company.
I cannot compare them to anything I haven’t heard in my own living space.
GoldenEar BRX
The GoldenEar BRX is a similar design, using two passive radiators rather than a bass reflex port on the back of the speakers. Both pairs are very compact in their size, but the design of the Radiant Acoustics is much nicer to me. The Clarity 6.2 will set you back more than double of what the GoldenEar (€1.599 Euro) goes for. Both speakers are two-way designs that use an AMT tweeter.
Their sound signature is noticeably different though. The BRX appears bass-light in comparison to the Clarity 6.2, it doesn’t have the same extension or weight in the lower regions. This makes the GoldenEar sound lighter, more transparent and brighter as a whole to me.
Bass on the Clarity is more dynamic, faster, thicker and possesses higher levels of resolution and realism. The BRX sounds hollow in direct comparison. Where the Radiant Acoustics speaker also leaves the GoldenEar in its rear-view mirror is in the overall portrayal of the lows, where the BRX sounds like the bass is trapped between the speakers, the Clarity throws it more in your direction. Which comes across as more involving.
The Clarity 6.2 sounds richer across the board, which is especially obvious in the midrange, where every instrument has a warmer and denser sound compared to the super transparent BRX. The musicians have more body and warmth in them. But also sound more precise and sharper in imaging. On the Clarity 6.2 everything has better highlighting and body.
Technicalities all go to Radiant Acoustics. The stage is taller, wider and deeper than the BRX’s, while it also has more precision in imaging and rendering and stays more in control during heavy passages. The Clarity also fills the room with better presence and body.
In the treble the BRX has a faster, more energetic sound, which also comes across as brighter and sharper edged than the Clarity 6.2’s.
KEF R3 Meta
The KEF R3 Meta is a three-way bookshelf speaker, that also uses a 6.5” woofer for the lows. Though the KEF’s is made of aluminum. KEF’s R3 Meta is considerably bigger in appearance, while the Radiant is more compact. You have to reach almost double as deep in your pockets for the Clarity 6.2 though, as the KEF can be yours for €2.200 Euro.
Sonically, the KEF and the Radiant Acoustics share some similarities. Most notably, in its bass response. Both speakers go exemplarily deep with great authority. However, the Clarity 6.2 does so with a tighter and more dynamic sound. It also has higher resolution in the low-end than the KEF and does reach deeper into the sub-bas regions. Both have wonderful texture down-low, but the KEF to me sounds a tad more vibrant and thicker. Especially in the mid-bass it’s the KEF that sounds weightier to me in comparison.
In the mids, the Clarity 6.2 sounds richer and more polished than the KEF. The R3 Meta has a drier and more transparent sound to me. Instruments have more weight and bigger body on the Radiant speaker, which also has a grander appearance. It fills the room with a bigger presence. The Clarity 6.2 has a slightly warmer sounding midrange than the KEF to me, which makes the overall signature lean more towards an organic tuning and makes way for a more enjoyable experience. The R3 Meta also has a more upfront upper midrange, which some might perceive as more shouty.
Both speakers offer top levels of technicalities, and in terms of stage size they deliver a tough fight. Both create a nicely wide and deep stage, but the height on the Clarity appears a touch taller to me. That’s not by a big margin, but it enables them to fill the room with a grander sound overall.
The Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 has a more precise and sharper image than the KEF, which appears a slight bit fuzzy in comparison. It highlights instruments and musicians better and gives me a more accurate image. The Clarity 6.2 also has a bit more air around the instruments, which gives them slightly more space to walk through.
The treble extends further up top with the Radiant Acoustics speaker to me. KEF’s R3 Meta has a brighter and sharper sounding top-end, which can be a bit aggressive for some listeners. The Clarity 6.2 is softer and more accessible in that area in direct comparison.
The KEF R3 Meta just won our Best Speaker of 2024 award a couple of weeks ago. Would that have been different if the Clarity 6.2 were already with me in time? Probably.
DALI Epikore 3
Now things become very interesting. The Epikore 3 is one of DALI’s latest bookshelf speakers. It is a three-way design using a hybrid tweeter setup. It uses a planar-magnetic and a soft dome tweeter together with a 7” mid/low driver. You will have to shed out a good amount of more greens though, as the Epikore 3 costs €9.998 Euro per pair.
The DALI speaker has a fuller, warmer and richer sound throughout. It sounds a bit more analogue if you will. While the Clarity 6.2 has a cleaner and more polished signature in comparison. The Epikore goes deeper into the lows, delivering a fuller body in its bass. Radiant Acoustics’ speaker has a denser and tighter bass, with maybe even a touch more impact than the Epikore.
Vocals sound a bit tighter on the Clarity 6.2 than on the Epikore 3, which sounds grander and fuller. It also has a higher emotional presence than the Clarity. An area where the Radiant Acoustics really shines is definitely in its sheer resolution and imaging. Here they truly put up a fight with the Epikore. Though the DALI still edges the Radiant out in micro detailing, the instrumental positioning and separation are done exemplarily well on both.
However, the Epikore has higher precision and highlights instruments even better. DALI’s Epikore creates a larger scale sound stage, where especially depth and height are superior to the Radiant Acoustics speaker. Layering on the Epikore is also done in a finer manner.
Both speakers are masters when it comes to emotions and vocal clarity. It’s hard to pick out a clear winner in that regard to me, as both speakers achieve impressive levels.
DALI’s Epikore creates a sound that somehow rolls at you, a sound that wraps you in and takes you with it. The Epikore also fills the room with a more visceral physical presence, where music sounds bigger and fuller.
All in all, I think the Clarity 6.2 doesn’t have to hide away in a comparison against the Epikore 3. For a speaker that costs 6,000€ less, it sure delivers a whole lot!
Conclusion
For their size and price, the Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 delivers highly impressive sound with astonishing detail and low-end extension. It’s powerful, energetic and precise, coupled with an organic midrange and delicate treble. The Clarity 6.2 is excellent for any genre, but I clearly enjoyed them most with complex music, where detail and precision matter most. Its clean and polished sound just made those tracks even more fascinating.
However, the Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 masters anything I throw at it and does so without ever breaking a sweat, or worse, distorting at any frequency. It’s pure, clean, dynamic and fun at all times. And you can crank them up if you really want to go full throttle. These will never leave the impression of raising their own stress-level. The Clarity 6.2 just keeps going strong.
For me, the Clarity 6.2 serves as my personal gatekeeper for speakers of up to €6.000 Euro. Yes, they punch at least into this territory, if not higher. The Clarity 6.2 is the defining speaker to beat in its category and has very quickly become one of my favorite bookshelf speakers available. It is a new Recommended Buy Award winner, and the Clarity 6.2 is now featured on our Best Speaker List!
Chapeau Radiant Acoustics!
Summary
Pros:
Impressive low-end
Excellent layering and imaging
Very high resolution
Precise midrange
Mind-bobbling polished sound
Build quality
Beautiful wooden finish
No compromise approach
Wonderful Price to Performance ratio
Cons:
No grills included
GordM
I would love to audition this product