Active speakers keep getting smarter, and Tangent’s Spectrum II X5 Active BT wants to be the box that swallows your entire setup. The Danish brand unveiled the powered pair on 18th June 2026, pitching them as a do-it-all system that ditches the separate amplifier without sacrificing the kind of “balanced, dynamic and natural soundstage” Tangent likes to promise.
Under the hood, each pair runs on 2 x 50W of Class D amplification, feeding a 130mm cellulose-pulp mid-bass driver paired with a 25mm soft-dome tweeter. The quoted frequency response stretches from 60Hz to 20kHz — not earth-shaking on the low end, but that’s exactly why Tangent built in a subwoofer output for anyone who wants to add some weight downstairs.
Where the X5 really earns its keep is connectivity. This is the part that lets it replace a whole shelf of gear:
- Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD for high-quality wireless streaming
- A built-in moving magnet phono input — plug a turntable straight in, no separate preamp required
- HDMI ARC, so it doubles as a tidy TV sound upgrade
- Optical and coaxial digital inputs
- A hi-res USB Audio input for laptops and computer-based libraries
That spread is unusually generous for a compact active pair. Turntable owners in particular tend to get short-changed by all-in-one speakers; baking in a moving magnet phono stage means a record deck and a TV can both live on the same two boxes. Add the HDMI ARC handshake and you’ve got a system that handles vinyl, streaming and movie night without a single piece of standalone electronics in sight.
Tangent describes the Spectrum II line as a refinement rather than a reinvention, citing improvements across design, features, build and performance over the outgoing generation. The Active BT tag signals the headline change: the X5 carries its own amplification and Bluetooth on board, so the right speaker drives the left and the whole thing powers up from a single mains lead and your source of choice.
Pricing lands at £499 per pair (roughly US$660), or €549 in Europe. For a self-contained system that covers vinyl, TV, optical, coaxial and hi-res USB — with a sub output left over for expansion — that’s a sensible spot in the market, undercutting the cost of buying speakers, an amp, a phono stage and a Bluetooth receiver separately.
The Spectrum II X5 Active BT is available now. If you’re after a clutter-free hi-fi that still keeps the door open for upgrades, Tangent’s latest makes a strong case for going active.
