“I want the truth!” “You can’t handle the truth!” These lines from A Few Good Men should resonate as deeply with audiophiles as they do with fans of the 1992 film. The truth can prove highly inconvenient in today’s hyper-polarized political environment, and the same can be said for the truth’s effects on highly resolving audio systems. Some high-end systems are configured to flatter recordings, sweetening them up so that they deliver consistently pleasing sound—even if that means glossing over the details. Other systems present recordings in an unadulterated manner, resolving details and illuminating their inner workings, with results that can be musically blissful. But sometimes such truth is hard on the ears.
Norway-based Sigberg Audio says it aims to deliver “honest, no nonsense—yet awesome sounding products.” Since its founding in 2020, Sigberg Audio has developed active loudspeakers primarily intended for the professional studio market. Its first product was the Inkognito subwoofer; this was followed by the SBS.1 active system, which paired the Inkognito subwoofer with an active studio monitor, creating a full-range speaker system.
In 2025, Sigberg Audio released its first active floorstanding loudspeaker, the Saranna. Named after the grandmothers of company founder Thorbjørn Sigberg, Sara and Anna, the Saranna is intended to combine the transparency and transient accuracy of a studio monitor with the bass extension and dynamics of a full-range floorstanding loudspeaker.
Sigberg sells direct to consumers and lists its prices in Norwegian kroner. The Saranna sells for kr279,995 per pair, which is roughly equivalent to US$29,000, CA$40,000, £22,000, or €25,000. Prices include shipping and local duties and taxes. Sigberg offers a 60-day audition period, but charges for return shipping. The maximum charge for return shipping is US$500 or €500.
Design and features
The Saranna is a three-way active design with a front-mounted coaxial driver and two rear-mounted subwoofers. Inside each enclosure are three Hypex Ncore class-D amplifier modules with a total output of 600W, as well as a DSP that is used for crossover implementation, time alignment, EQ, and dynamic limiting.
The coaxial driver near the top of the front baffle is a custom-designed unit sourced from Sica Loudspeakers in Italy. It combines an 8″ midrange-woofer with a concentrically mounted, horn-loaded, high-frequency polyamide compression driver. The midrange-woofer, which is optimized for upper bass and lower midrange, hands off to the compression driver at 1500Hz. A radial phase plug increases the high-frequency driver’s power handling and lowers distortion. Sigberg says the coaxial driver, which employs neodymium magnets, acts as a point source for optimal soundstaging and imaging.
A distinctive feature of the Saranna is the two cardioid vents on each side of the enclosure, flanking the coaxial driver. These vents output audio that is out of phase with the direct output from the coaxial driver, resulting in a forward-focused radiation pattern that has the appearance of a heart—hence the term cardioid. Sigberg says the cardioid vents attenuate output to the sides and rear by 10 to 12dB between 130Hz and 1kHz, and by 12 to 16dB between 1 and 5kHz. The aim is to reduce the negative effects of room-boundary reflections and deliver more direct sound at the listening seat, resulting in greater clarity and dynamics with improved imaging and a more accurate soundstage.
On the rear panel are two 8″ subwoofers, each with 24mm peak-to-peak excursion capability, one near the top and the other near the bottom, just above the slot-shaped bass port. The subwoofers cross over to the coaxial driver’s midrange-woofer at 130Hz.
The two bass drivers are powered by a Hypex Ncore class-D amplifier rated at 250W. A second Ncore amp, also rated at 250W, powers the coaxial driver’s midrange-woofer, and the third Ncore module, this one rated at 100W, powers the high-frequency driver.
The cabinet is internally divided into two separate subenclosures: one for the coaxial driver with its cardioid vents, and the other for the subwoofers. The bass drivers are spaced in a manner that smooths their response. According to Sigberg Audio, the Saranna delivers in-room response down to 20Hz; specified anechoic response is 28Hz–20kHz, ±2.5dB. Maximum output per speaker is 116dB at 1m.
Between the two bass drivers is the panel for the electronics module that hosts the amplifiers and DSP. Each Saranna speaker can accept line-level analog audio via balanced (XLR female) or unbalanced (RCA) inputs. There are separate left- and right-channel RCA inputs that can be mixed for playing summed mono; for stereo analog applications, only one RCA cable needs to be connected. There is also a balanced through-output connector (XLR male) for daisy-chaining.
The Saranna can accept digital audio via AES/EBU (XLR female), coaxial S/PDIF (RCA), or optical S/PDIF (TosLink). Maximum resolution is 24‑bit/192kHz via AES/EBU and coaxial S/PDIF, and 24/96 via optical S/PDIF. The rear panel also has coaxial S/PDIF (RCA) and AES/EBU (male XLR) outputs, for routing digital audio to the speaker for the other channel. Finally, there’s a mini‑USB port that is used for firmware updates and EQ adjustments. The Saranna does not have adjustable volume, so if you’re using a digital source, it must have variable output.
Each speaker incorporates a software-adjustable nine-band parametric equalizer and comes with factory presets for 0dB (flat), +1.5dB, and +2dB bass-tilt adjustment for easy room integration and tweaking preferred bass balance, which can be enabled using the Select button on the upper-right of the electronics module’s panel. In addition, software can be downloaded from Sigberg Audio’s website, and, once installed on a computer that is connected to the Saranna via USB, it allows adjustment using shelf or parametric filters across the nine bands, with a range adjustment of ±16dB.
Build and finish
Saranna speakers are hand-built in Norway to order and sold as matched pairs, with one designated for left-channel operation and the other for right-channel use. Each speaker measures 43.3″H × 11.2″W × 13.4″D and weighs 97 pounds. With the supplied Egeland Acoustics viscoelastic isolation feet attached, the unit stands 44.8″ tall.
Two finishes are available for the front baffle, rear panel, base, and top surface: white satin (Shady White) and black satin (Fade to Black). The side panels are covered in reconstituted wood veneers from the Italian firm Alpi, in a complementary color.
Surfaces are smooth and continuous, with little ornamentation other than a discreet brand badge on the lower-center of the front baffle. Chamfered corners for the side panels and the base provide a slight softening of the cabinet’s lines. The overall impression is one of understated sophistication.
The speaker is raked back from bottom to top by approximately 4 degrees. The tilt isn’t just decorative; Thorbjørn Sigberg told me that the sloping design mitigates the diffraction effects of the concentric driver, thus smoothing response, and also makes response more consistent for different listener heights, so that the speakers can be enjoyed from standing and sitting positions.
My review pair had the Shady White finish and ash side panels. The painted front, top, and rear surfaces had a satin-like, furniture-quality finish, and they were nicely complemented by the Alpi side panels, which I found appealing to look at and to touch. White-finished speakers come with a magnetically attached light-gray grille that covers about three-quarters of the front panel. After confirming that they fit solidly and only mildly veiled the sound, I put them aside, preferring to gaze upon the open mouth of the black concentric driver and its cool-looking integrated metal horn.
The Saranna is covered by a five-year warranty. Thorbjørn Sigberg noted that the drivers and amps can be replaced without soldering, and all screw mounts use metal inserts to prevent damage to the cabinet from removal and replacement. Sigberg Audio will ship parts to a client’s location and cover onsite installation costs for any qualified warranty claims.
Setup
The Sarannas are shipped in a pair of double boxes, one per speaker. Firm foam fitments inside the boxes hold the speakers snugly and safely. Given their weight, it’s best to get someone to help unpack the speakers, but I managed to do it carefully on my own.
Along with the speaker itself, each carton contains a base plate and mounting screws, the magnetic grille, four viscoelastic screw-in isolation feet, a 78″ power cord, a mini-USB-to-USB-A cable for software updates and EQ adjustments, a quick-start guide, and unpacking/repacking instructions.
The Sarannas can be used with or without their base plates and with or without the viscoelastic isolation feet. The base plates provide added stability, and the isolation feet are a must on hard floors. I used the base plates without the feet on my thick pile carpet, which has a rubberized foam underlay and sits over concrete. I might have liked to try spikes but didn’t have any on hand with the same threads.
I used both the Sarannas’ digital and analog connections in my testing. For a digital source, I used a WiiM Ultra streaming preamp connected to the coaxial input on one of the Sarannas and daisy-chained to the other. As an analog source, I used my Bryston BR‑20 streaming preamplifier as well as a Rotel Michi P5 S2 preamp/DAC, both connected to the Sarannas in turn using Audio Sensibility Statement XLR interconnects. Music sources for digital were Qobuz and Tidal via Roon. The vinyl kit consisted of my Rega Planar 10 turntable and Rega Apheta 3 cartridge feeding my Gold Note PH‑10 phono stage with PSU‑10 power supply. I used the supplied power cables for the speakers.
Positioning the speakers took a little time in my treated listening room, which measures 7.5′H × 13′W × 18.5′D. Sigberg Audio provides positioning instructions online on the Saranna product page as well as in the PDF manual. The speakers should be between 4″ and 20″ from the front wall and at least 15″ from side walls. I ended up with them 28″ from the front wall and 18″ from the side walls to optimize their sound at my listening seat, which was 9′ away, forming an equilateral triangle with the two speakers.
To compensate for the distance from the wall behind, I evaluated the speakers primarily with the +2dB bass-boost EQ setting. During setup I also ran the downloadable software on my Acer laptop, and via the USB interface I implemented a +3dB bass boost on preset 3, which I used occasionally, but not for any of my formal evaluations. Sigberg Audio recommends toe-in of 0–10 degrees, and within my treated room I ended up with them having a slight toe-in of just under 10 degrees.
Listening I
For most of my listening I used my Bryston BR‑20, via XLR, and I started out with some vinyl. My copy of Van Morrison’s The Prophet Speaks (Exile/Caroline 7707173) is very quiet, with a warm tonal balance overall. On “Dimples,” the Saranna loudspeakers revealed a wonderful sense of delicacy on the cymbals. Their presentation was crisp yet unfailingly smooth, capturing the subtly jangling metallic shimmer of the brass without any exaggerated etch. The signature glow, resonance, and harmonic richness of the Hammond B3 on the track was delivered truthfully and without embellishment. The Sarannas also conveyed the electric guitar’s burnished character, while the saxophone emerged with a sweet, full-bodied richness that accentuated the track’s bluesy feel. Morrison’s voice, too, was rendered with clarity and a natural timbre, demonstrating the Sarannas’ ability to reproduce the male vocal range with ease and authenticity.
The following track, “Got to Go Where the Love Is,” clearly demonstrated the Sarannas’ imaging prowess. Here, the speakers precisely reproduced the spatial effect of the keyboard placed off to the right and slightly behind my listening position, creating the distinct impression of the listener being onstage, with the instrument positioned just over one’s shoulder. Whether one likes this artistic choice or not, the Sarannas’ honesty in revealing exactly what is on the record was something I particularly appreciated. The soundstage was sizable and the imaging detailed and coherent, with a clear sense of separation and space.
Miles Davis’s rendition of “Basin Street Blues” from Seven Steps to Heaven (Mobile Fidelity MFSV 1‑534) was another memorable listen. The Norwegian speakers beautifully rendered Davis’s dynamic shading, so that the woeful pinched cry of his muted horn created a solemn late-night mood. Frank Butler’s brushwork had a whispering quality, the microdynamics of the patter of brushes on skins enhancing the sense of realism. Cymbals had natural crispness and delicate sparkle, without exaggeration or thinness. Ron Carter’s double-bass notes were tuneful and textured; they felt clearly articulated while possessing natural weight. Again, the soundstage was generous in size, reaching to the outer edges of the speakers and just beyond my front wall, while not exaggerating the intimate setting captured on the recording. There was a tightness to the rhythm, demonstrating the Sarannas’ grip and control over the notes while still conveying the fluidity of this music.
Next, I switched from vinyl to digital, then, looking for something harder-edged, cued up the title track of Tool’s Fear Inoculum (24‑bit/96kHz FLAC, RCA Records / Tidal). The repeating, bell‑like synth chime in the track’s opening pulsated through a wide, transparent soundstage that was almost architectural in scale. The building rhythmic growl of the electric guitar, which combines a synthetic cello-like tone with the inherent raucous sound of the strings, was delivered with clarity and plenty of excitement, but stayed clear of offensive abrasion. The tabla sounded tight, tuneful, and energetic, with its timbre expressively portrayed, while the vocal was clearly differentiated from all these instruments. The Sarannas capably sorted out the plethora of sounds, allowing me to easily focus on individual elements while appreciating the sum of their parts.
Dialing things back a notch (but only a notch), I turned to “Anabasis” from Dead Can Dance’s Anastasis (24/44.1 FLAC, Dead Can Dance / Qobuz). The opening synthetic bird‑like chirps and steelpan‑toned percussion were precisely placed within an expansive soundstage. Here, the Sarannas pulled off a bit of a Houdini act, all but vanishing as the stage expanded beyond the physical boundaries of their cabinets. Floating completely free of the speakers, the operatic vocal lines were smooth, saturated, and delicately detailed, with an ethereal character that I found intoxicating. High frequencies were extended yet refined, sweet and airy without edge, and seamlessly integrated into the midrange, which sounded open, present, and texturally rich. From there, the mids segued effortlessly into the lower registers. Low-pitched instruments sounded dynamic and articulate. The handpan’s tactile pulses had natural timbre, while the kick-drum hits had weight and body, with a realistic portrayal of the mallet against the skin.
“Smouldering Ashes (Mickey Remix)” by Malia and Boris Blank (single, 16/44.1, Boutique / Qobuz) also showed off the Sarannas’ virtues. From the first beat, the sound was tight and impactful, the electric-drum hits concussive in their impact. The Saranna speakers sounded quick and nimble as they pounded out the beats in a wonderfully controlled manner. Cymbal sounds were crisp, defined, and revealing of their electronic character; however, their incisive attacks had no accompanying roughness. The synth bass sounded dense—solid and tight—while also showing texture and articulation. Malia’s vocals sounded clear, precise, and present. The Sarannas didn’t editorialize her sibilant sounds, yet stayed clear of representing them with harshness or forwardness.
The Sarannas’ divine portrayal of the acoustic guitar in the opening of Chris Isaak’s “Two Hearts” from Best of Chris Isaak (16/44.1, Chris Isaak / Tidal) nailed me to my seat. Everything about it was right: the tonal purity, the warmth and sweetness, the sustain of the strings, and the woody bloom of the soundbox. The larger-than-life presentation of Isaak’s close-miked voice was likewise entrancing, possessing clarity and openness, and avoiding any sense of congestion. Percussion was quick, clean, and defined.
Listening II
For my next round of listening, I used the WiiM Ultra with the Sarannas’ coaxial S/PDIF inputs. Here, the signal path was different than it was with the BR‑20. Of necessity, the Saranna speakers convert analog audio to digital before sending it to the DSP. So with the Bryston, digital audio was undergoing D-to-A conversion inside the preamp, followed by A-to-D conversion inside the speakers; this didn’t happen with the WiiM. On the other hand, the WiiM streamer was adjusting volume in the digital domain, which can involve a loss in resolution. I matched the output levels of the WiiM and Bryston sources.
One of my reference tracks for this exercise was Jennifer Warnes’s “Way Down Deep” from The Hunter (24/48, Porch Light LLC / Qobuz). The presentation from the WiiM Ultra was crisper and more chiselled than that of the Bryston, with an overall drier sound signature. The treble textures were less supple, and the midrange lacked some of the warmth and harmonic density that the BR‑20 imparted.
Bass performance with the WiiM was taut and well defined—tuneful, punchy, and conveying iron‑fisted control. Compared to the BR‑20, the bass was somewhat leaner, having less fullness and organic bloom. Guitars were reproduced with a faintly steely sheen through the WiiM, while the shaker took on a coarser texture than it did through the BR‑20.
It’s important to maintain some perspective. The WiiM Ultra, while an impressively capable digital source, occupies a very different price bracket than the Bryston BR‑20. I also briefly substituted the Rotel Michi P5 S2 for the BR‑20. The Michi presented the warmest tonal balance of the three, but it was also the least resolved, trading detail and low‑level nuance for richness.
Taken as a whole, these comparisons suggest that the Saranna’s internal DAC is highly transparent to the character of the upstream digital source and preamplification. It neither editorializes nor imposes a strong sonic signature of its own, yet it is clearly capable in absolute terms. This leaves the door wide open for listeners seeking a streamlined, high‑performance digital system: pair the Saranna with a high‑quality variable‑output digital source, and the results can be both musically satisfying and refreshingly uncomplicated.
Comparison
Staying with “Way Down Deep,” I compared the Sarannas with my Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature loudspeakers (discontinued, US$15,000/pair at the time of their review in 2012), with the BR‑20 feeding my Bryston 7B³ monoblocks.
The Sarannas presented the music with a more airy, open character, along with sharper and more explicitly defined imaging. Bass through the Sarannas was tighter and cleaner, though it carried a little less weight and authority than through the C2s. Vocals were highly detailed but less fluid than they were through the Dynaudio-Bryston setup. The shakers had a more apparent hiss component through the Sarannas, whereas the Dynaudio C2s rendered them with a seedier, more textured quality.
Overall, the Sarannas sounded more open, making the Dynaudio C2s’ presentation seem congested by comparison—if not slightly boxy. That said, the Confidence C2 Signatures projected a marginally wider, deeper, and taller soundstage, and they delivered slightly greater tonal variance and harmonic color. I would attribute this to the Sarannas’ more neutral, matter‑of‑fact balance, while the Dynaudio C2 Signatures provided a subtly more embellished presentation.
Bottom line
Sigberg Audio’s Saranna proved itself to be a very capable full-range active loudspeaker solution, with elegant Nordic styling and a practical size. With its built-in amplification, it presents an opportunity to simplify a high-end audio system without compromising performance.
Returning to the opening theme, the Sigberg Audio Saranna is a loudspeaker that does not shy away from the truth. It avoids sweetening or editorializing recordings, instead presenting music with clarity, control, and a strong sense of order that consistently reveals what is captured on each recording—for better or for worse. In doing so, it behaves like a studio‑bred design thoughtfully adapted for home listening.
Importantly, this honest presentation is not delivered in a cold or clinical manner, but rather with a “pinch of salt.” Throughout my listening, the Saranna pair delivered open, dynamically engaging, and spatially explicit sound with precise imaging, agile bass, and a neutral tonal balance that invited extended listening. For those who value transparency and fidelity to the source over embellishment, the Saranna delivers on its design intent with conviction. Its performance and honesty demonstrated that the truth need not be ruthless.
. . . George de Sa
george@soundstage.com
Associated Equipment:
- Analog source: Rega Planar 10 turntable, Rega Apheta 3 MC cartridge, Gold Note PH‑10 phono stage with PSU‑10 power supply
- Streaming preamplifiers: Bryston BR‑20, WiiM Ultra, Rotel Michi P5 S2
- Amplifiers: Bryston 7B³ monoblocks
- Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature
- Music server: Roon Core on Mac Mini 16GB/256GB, WD My Passport Ultra 1TB HDD
- Music services: Tidal HiFi and Qobuz
- Cables: Audio Sensibility Statement speaker cables, interconnects, and power cables; QED Supremus Zr 3.0m speaker cables; Pangea AC‑9 Mk 2 power cables; Zavfino 1877 Fusion balanced XLR interconnects; Van Damme XLR interconnects, Furutech ADL Alpha Line Plus 1.0m (RCA) interconnect; Furutech ADL Formula 2 USB cable
- Rack: Quadraspire SV3T
- Network: Netgear wireless modem
Sigberg Audio Saranna active loudspeaker
Price: NOK279,995 per pair (roughly equivalent to US$29,000, CA$40,000, £22,000, or €25,000), including shipping and local sales taxes and import duties
Warranty: Five years, parts, shipping, and onsite service
Sigberg Audio
Norway
Email: support@sigbergaudio.no
Website: www.sigbergaudio.com
US dealer:
DreamScapes A/V
Phone: (315) 308-1028
Website: dreamscapesav.com
