Tangent Spectrum II X5 Active BT Review

Design

• Clean, modern look
• Larger than other desktop units
• Perhaps better on stands

Tangent is offering the Spectrum II X5 Active BT in two modern satin finishes, with black and white colour options. My sample shipped in the latter, and I’m a fan of how clean and minimalistic they look as a result – they integrate well on my sideboard, and the Scandi influence here is undoubtedly clear.

It’s opted for a somewhat exposed driver look, with no grilles provided in the box, although there is a small amount of mesh covering them. It’s a pleasant halfway house between either aesthetic.

The Spectrum II X5 Active BT is larger than competing units from Cambridge or KEF, meaning they can dominate smaller spaces, and are arguably better placed on stands than on my sideboard. Your mileage may vary, of course.

The satin finish presents a more grown-up look than a glossier finish you’ll find on competing units, while also making these Tangent speakers less susceptible to a rotten fingerprint sheen. This is pleasant if you’re someone who finds themselves moving your speakers around a lot and don’t want to keep wiping them every time you touch them to keep them in good nick.

Overall, these are some smart and clean active speakers, although you just need to have somewhere to put them, given the larger size.

Connectivity

• Immense wired connectivity
• Lots of options for connected devices
• No on-board streaming is a shame

Tangent has given the Spectrum II X5 Active BT a thoroughly modern amount of ports, with all of them contained on the rear of the left speaker. You get analog RCA line-in, plus digital optical and coaxial, an HDMI ARC port for TV audio and more besides.

For instance, there is a USB-C port for use with a laptop or desktop (supporting up to 24-bit/192KHz audio) and a subwoofer out if you want to add one. These speakers also have a moving magnet phono stage built in, with a dedicated line-in for hooking a turntable directly to them with no fuss. 

The Spectrum II X5 Active BT also support Bluetooth 5.3 with the aptX HD codec for wireless playback, although that’s the extent of any wireless powers. The lack of active streaming at this price is a bit of a shame, especially as the KEF LSX LT II have it, although it can be easily rectified with an affordable streamer if it’s that important to you, such as a WiiM Mini or FiiO SR11 to keep the total package under £600 or so.

The USB-C port also proves more useful than you’d expect, as it means these Tangent speakers can work plug-and-play with a laptop or provide more immersive and powerful audio than other desktop speakers with just one cable. You’ll of course just need to make sure your desk can fit these speakers on.

On the rear, you’ll also find an EQ toggle switch that either boosts or recedes the mid-range alongside a tactile dial that either acts as volume controls or an input toggle by pushing it in. A long push of the dial also enables Bluetooth pairing. There is a remote provided for volume and media playback, source selection and basic EQ controls.

My only nitpick here is that the inter-speaker connectivity for these Tangent speakers is handled with old-fashioned speaker wire. This is something I’ve seen before, with the Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT and Q Acoustics M20 HD speakers, although it is a little odd, especially as we’re seeing single cable links for active speakers with either a USB-C type cable or a locking mechanism that’s easier to manage, rather than thinner wire.

Sound Quality

• Rich overall sound
• Excellent clarity across a wide, precise soundstage
• Even-handed with powerful bass and a bright treble

The Spectrum II X5 Active BT comes equipped with a 25mm soft-dome tweeter and a 130mm cellulose-pulp mid/bass driver, and the speakers provide 50W of Class D amplification per channel. Tangent says this should result in a sound that’s “balanced, dynamic and natural”, with precise bass, expressive vocals and refined, transparent highs.

To my ears, I think those claims largely ring true. In the notoriously busy Luminol from Steven Wilson, I noticed the bass was tight and deep with good extension and texture, without it being overbearing or overtaking the rest of the frequency range. Likewise, in his mix of Phil Collins’ I Don’t Wanna Know, it was prominent without being too much.

The entire system provides a sound with good width and depth, as demonstrated with Luminol and Peter Gabriel’s That Voice Again in my testing. This particular cut from So features a pounding bass, rich vocals, and a lot of detailed cymbal work that can be lost with systems sometimes, which isn’t the case here or in that Phil Collins track.

I think Tangent has opted for a slightly more even-handed response as opposed to the energy and brute force of the Cambridge L/R S, although it still means these speakers excel across the frequency range. 

Moving over to James Taylor’s October Road, the Spectrum II X5 Active BT served up a rich mid-range, with his vocals and warm acoustic guitar up front with excellent body and presence, with the rest of the ensemble built around it in a multi-layered and wide approach.

A really tricky test for any audio kit that I like to use is a track from seventies jazz fusion band Brand X with Not Good Enough, See Me!. A good set of speakers or headphones will be precise in its organisation and provide enough room for the track’s individual elements, be it the persistent drum hits, percussion or the pounding bassline.

Listen on a less precise system and it can turn into a muddy mess. I felt there was good power with the track’s frenetic drum work, alongside excellent breathing room for the rest of the busy soundscape and a surprising amount of bite for the song’s cymbal work and treble elements.

On that note, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ Lock All The Doors supplemented this with treble that was more prominent than with other speakers I’ve tested, adding presence and bite with its cymbal and tambourine hits, while Steely Dan’s Do It Again and its competing percussion in the song’s introduction was bright and precise without being too fatiguing.

Should you buy it?