Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Integrated Loudspeaker

The all-in-one powered-speaker space feels really exciting. It’s both a response to and a repudiation of current mass-market trends. On the one hand, it very much embraces digital and streaming, but on the other, it refuses to compromise on sound. The Vanatoo Transparent One Encore (T1E) loudspeaker is a good example, and has the added benefit of costing only $599 per pair. This speaker hints at what I imagine the future of hi-fi might be, at least at the entry-level. In design, the T1E isn’t exactly breaking new ground aesthetically. My review pair are sleek glossy black boxes (cherry finish …