Starke Sound reached out and asked if I would like to check out their Beta5 speakers and the SW15 subwoofer, but more on that later. The Beta 5 is Starke Sounds entry level bookself speaker; part of the Brio line. A pair of Beta5 speakers will set you back just 499.00, meaning they are within reach of most consumers. The Beta5 is a 2-way design comprised of a 1.15″ tweeter and 5.25″ woofer to handle mids and bass, as well as a rear port. They are relatively small, coming in at about 12″ high, 7″ wide, and 13″ deep, so most people will be able to find a place to put them in their rooms. They do have some heft to them, though, being 15lbs a piece. So what does 500 bucks get you from Starke Sound? Let’s dive in and find out.

Setup

Once you unbox your speakers, which come nicely packaged so they should arrive safe and sound, you can get to setting them up in your system. When I first set them up, they were hooked up to the Arylic B50 to play the sound from Herc’s TV. We watched some movies, and he enjoyed them with his shows during the day. In his room, they placed on either side of the mantle about a foot out from the side walls and about 2 feet from the back wall. Later, I moved them into the main system with a similar placement to the walls. Being rear ported, I wanted to make sure they had room to breathe, though I do always test speakers in non-ideal conditions, as well as not everyone has the luxury of space. Connection is simple, as there is a single set of binding posts, so red to red and black to black from the amplifier. And just like that, we are off to the races.

Sound

First, we will talk about how they sounded with the Arylic B50, out in Herc’s room, as that’s where I had them set up initially. Out there, we didn’t listen to any music; instead, the Arylic powers his PSB speakers for his TV. Instead, we watched a few differnet movies and TV shows. I watched a few action movies, such as The Equalizer Trilogy, Lord of War, The Beekeeper, and Interstellar. The sound was great for the room, plenty of clarity in dialogue as well as punch during action scenes. I didn’t run the subwoofer out there as I don’t normally have one set up, so I wanted a more direct comparison. While I think that for really getting the most out of an action movie, you should have a subwoofer, I thought the overall sound was good, and I could be more than happy without one. The speakers reach decently low for their size, getting down to 45Hz. They did well to create a phantom center as well, which I was fairly impressed by. If you’re limited by space or budget or both to a 2-channel system for your TV, the Beta5 paired with a compact integrated amplifier like the B50 offers really good sound for the price and size. They also have pretty good dispersion and imaging, meaning they make great for a shared space where you want a wide sweet spot, guaranteeing everyone watching and listening gets the same level of enjoyment. They are also tonally balanced, so voices sound natural, which I think is very important for immersion into a movie.

When I moved them into the main system, I knew I would be able to really stretch their legs with some better electronics and sources. The Beta5s really opened up both a little more room to breathe, but also cleaner power behind them. I had them powered by my Onkyo M5140 as well as my McIntosh MC250. In this case, I preferred the more neutral Onkyo, which also has a bit more power at 105 watts per channel. It is worth mentioning that at 86dB sensitivity, they will benefit from more power. Certainly, 50 watts will have the Beta5 singing just fine, so don’t feel the need to run out and buy a new amplifier if you’re working with fewer watts at the moment.

As always, I played a load of different genres of music to see if the Beta5s had any weak points, and to my ears, I can’t say I found any chinks in their armor. They are fast enough for double bass kicks to sound clean, and they can also handle some slower songwriter tracks with a gentle hand. I will say at times they can sound small, and well, they are small compared to a floor-standing speaker. There are times when I thought they lacked a bit of presence, but I do keep in mind that I am used to much larger speakers with more drivers. I also have to keep in mind that I could buy 10 sets of these for the cost of my Sonus Faber. The goal here isn’t sonic perfection; it’s great sound for an accessible price, and they nail that. The more time I spent with the Beta5, the more certain I was that this would be my go-to recommendation for people getting into Hifi.

One of my favorite genres on the Beta5 was definitely singer-songwriter. I think that while there was nothing they sounded bad with, this is where they were able to really shine, at least to me. I played one of my favorite albums, “Preachers Daughter” by Ethel Cain, on vinyl. While the whole album is great front to back, there are two tracks in particular that have both have a powerful solo towards the end. The first is “Home in Nebraska”, the second being “Throughfare.” Both tracks sound wonderful on the Beta5s; imaging is superb, especially with them toed in just a bit. You get good channel separation when it’s called for, as well as a great phantom center for the vocals. The album also makes use of echoes and reverb, which creates a sense of depth, while these don’t have as deep a stage as my Sonetto Vs. I was very happy with how they sounded and recreated the more distant elements of the album. The vocals were detailed and natural sounding as well, which is so important, especially in singer-songwriter style music where much of the mastering emphasizes the vocals. During the guitar solo towards the end, the clarity was pretty good. There are some deep bass hits during the solo, for which I think you definitely want a subwoofer to fill in. Right at the end, the drums pan back and forth between channels, and the blend from channel to channel was smooth and glided from side to side as if there was an array of speakers between them.

Switching it up, quite a bit, I listened to Stick To Your Guns’ album – “Keep Planting Flowers”, which, if you’re into melodic metal, is a great album. My favorite track on the album is the title track, which is a great song, with a range of elements that keep you on your toes, from slower verses to the faster, heavier choruses. The Beta5 keeps up no problem, keeping the drums and guitar well separated and allowing the vocals to rise to the top. There are two ways speakers can get overwhelmed by fast and heavy tracks, but not the Beta5. Listening to this album made me want to try some music from Falling in Reverse, particularly Ronald, which can be brutal to systems not up to the task, and I have to say the Beta5s handled themselves very well. I do think I was pushing the envelope here, but I will say if you’re into metal loaded with double kicks and fast breakdowns, they will get the job done.

Pros and Cons

Specs:

Price: $499.00 Per Pair

Associated Equipment

• Marantz SR7009 Preamp
• VPI Avenger Phono
• VPI Prime with 10″ Unipivot arm on VTA base with Ortofon Quintet Red and Shyla Cartridges
• VPI Forever Model One with Fatboy 12″ with Shyla Cart
• McIntosh MB25 Bluetooth Transceiver
• Sonus Faber Sonetto V
• YG Cairn
• Paradigm Defiance V8 Sub
• Starke Sound SW-15
• MC Audiotech TL-8
• Mcintosh MC 250
• Onkyo M5140
• Synergistic Research Powercell 8 SX
• AVM PCM 3.3
• Synergistic Research Foundation SX cabling
• Synergistic Research Foundation Power Cables

Conclusion

What’s left to say? The Beta5 speakers are a master class in how to make a great-sounding, affordable speaker. For 500 bucks, you get a product that won’t leave you wanting for more, at least not for a while. The upgrade bug can be hard to keep at bay, but with these speakers, you should be able to be happy for quite some time. I would use these permanently in Herc’s room, no problem. These have become my reference for what an affordable speaker should be, in terms of sound, build quality, and appearance. The only thing I can hit them for is that they can sound small, but in comparison to floor-standing speakers, compared to my other bookshelves, they are very comparable in terms of scale. If you have a larger space, you may want to look at the Beta7 as it has a larger woofer that should help fill that space with sound. Overall, I can not complain about anything; they sound great, won’t break the bank, and will look good in any room. If you are looking to set up a new system and have a budget, the Starke Sound Beta5 is worth looking into to see if it is right for you.

For more information, click the link below:

Disclaimer:
Starke Sound provided Hifi Chicken with a pair of Beta5 Speakers for the purpose of this review. Starke Sound, nor any affiliate, paid in part or in full in exchange for this review.