In this review, we will be comparing A500 and S400 MKII, two Bookshelf speakers by Buchardt The main difference between these two speakers is that the Buchardt A500 is a Powered speaker which means that it has a built-in amplifier inside the speaker body so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp whereas the Buchardt S400 MKII is a Passive speaker so has to be matched with an amplifier to get any sound from it. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that A500 is a 3-way design whereas the S400 MKII is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Buchardt A500 |
Buchardt S400 MKII |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.74-inch
|
0.74-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6-inch
|
1 x 6-inch
|
A500 features a 0.74" fine weave soft fabric textile aluminum waveguide Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 150Hz and 1800Hz. On the other hand, the S400 MKII features a 0.74" fine weave soft fabric textile aluminum waveguide Tweeter and 1 x 6" paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1800Hz.
Frequency Response
A500 has a frequency range of 25-40k Hz whereas S400 MKII has a frequency range of 33-40k HZ. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the A500 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the S400 MKII's min frequency of 33Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Buchardt A500's and Buchardt S400 MKII's external dimensions. Buchardt A500 has external dimensions of 365.0 x 180.0 x 280.0mm ( 14.4 x 7 x 11inch) whereas Buchardt S400 MKII has external dimensions of 365.0 x 180.0 x 280.0mm ( 14.4 x 7 x 11inch) .
In this case, we can see that Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII have the exact same height, width and thickness.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII in scale.
Comparison image of Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Buchardt A500 is approximately 504.0cm2 / 78.1inch2 and base area of the Buchardt S400 MKII is approximately 504.0cm2 / 78.1inch2.
Here is an another comparison that shows both speakers on a BDI Octave Media Cabinet, next to a standard size amplifier and turntable in scale:
Size Comparison image of Buchardt A500 and Buchardt S400 MKII on a Media Console