I’ve said it before. Sometimes you walk into a room and you instantly know that this sound is correct.
This was one of those times. I was listening to Sphinx Audio Engineering’s Element 5 speaker, which was being shown as a nearly finished prototype, along with a smaller model, the Element 3.
The room was hosted by International Audio Holdings, whose brands include Siltech, Crystal Cable, HMS Elektronik, and now Sphinx Audio Engineering. Sphinx is a newly resuscitated brand that Siltech owned back in the 1980s before either became part of IAH. IAH will now be using the Sphinx name to brand their new speakers and future electronics.
I’d already visited this room on the first day of High End 2025, and yes, I’d been instantly impressed. I sat through several songs and liked what I heard. I had planned to return the next morning to get some alone time with the Element 5s.
Bright and early on Friday morning, I walked into the IAH room and grabbed a seat. A showgoer had already chosen a track and it was playing as I entered. It was some sort of sophisticated techno, with lots of effects and little flourishes. Turns out it was “Peyote Canyon” by a group called Liquid Bloom. I’ve added it to my Tidal favorites.
So yes, I was instantly captivated. The Element 5s chugged out rich, tight, well-defined bass, far more and far snappier than I expected, given the (relatively) small size of the cabinets, and the (definitely) small size of the drivers.
More techno from the first guy’s buddy—“Deep Waters” by Merkaba, full of drippy water effects and walloping bass that enveloped the room. Another addition to my library. The Element 5s had that uncanny ability to wrap those effects around and behind me. If I had to guess, I was experiencing extremely low distortion coupled with excellent off-axis response.
Something different now. Solo male vocals, a barbershop quartet blended with traditional gospel. Now I experienced a crisp, well-defined soundstage, with realistically sized images. The highs were grainless, soft yet precise. Well-behaved highs these were.
As I said, the Element 5 was being shown as a prototype, not quite ready for production. But still, it’s a very handsome speaker, elegant and room-friendly, with a graceful side profile. Manufactured from a synthetic marble on the outside and wood on the inside, the Zero Gravity internal construction is extremely complicated, with many channels and cavities designed to disperse and control the midrange right through the bass. You can think of it as a transmission-line type of design, but with unique tweaks.
Despite the lack of large bass drivers (there are only two small side-mounted woofers per Element 5), Sphinx claims low-frequency extension down to 19Hz, which I don’t find unreasonable after hearing the speakers. Of note is the quantity and quality of the bass, with both attributes well attended to.
Perhaps the most unique feature of the Element 5 is the crossover, which is a semi-active design described by Sphinx as “passive-active, true balanced.” The tech was pioneered in sister-brand Siltech’s statement Symphony loudspeaker. Yes, that means the Element 5 needs to be plugged into the wall in addition to being supplied with power from a separate amplifier.
The Element 5 is a handsome speaker. Its sculpted and radiused sides lead the eye to the narrowing neck, and then up further to the crowning midrange. The gold-and-black design touches work well together, providing a sophisticated silhouette.
The smaller Element 3 was on static display, and I liked its appearance more than its larger brother’s. Sculpted out of a similar synthetic stone, the Element 3 is an alabaster color, with caramel veins throughout. It looks like something you’d see in the Egyptian section of the British Museum. It also evoked an image from the movie The Fifth Element, where Leeloo gets the lightning bolt dropped on her from above as she looks upward.
The preamplifier and amplifier in this system were the SAGA models from sister-brand Siltech, which is part of IAH. The streamer was courtesy of Grimm Audio, and the turntable was from SME. All cables in this system were from sister-brand Crystal Cable.
Prices have not yet been set, but a representative indicated that the Element 5 will retail for around €70,000 per pair, and the smaller Element 3 is forecast to fall in the €40,000-per-pair range. Based on what I heard and saw, these prices seem very reasonable.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
