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We recently reviewed Teufel's System 9 THX Ultra 2 speaker system, which delivers extraordinary sound quality but at over £3k it's one for serious (and seriously rich) audiophiles only. So we thought it was worth finding out what the company is capable of at a price that mere mortals can afford, and as a result we got our hands on the Motiv 3 system (for a UK exclusive review, no less). This 5.1 speaker package will set you back under £500 but hopefully Teufel (pronounced Toy-full) can retain some of the superb sound quality we heard from the System 9.

In the box you get five MO 3 FCR satellite speakers and the A 300 SW powered subwoofer, which measures a mere 258 x 265 x 320mm (W x H x D) and is styled in an alluring gloss-black finish. But the MO 3 FCR satellites are the real star of the show - their spherical shape and black finish makes them look the business, supplying the sort of cutting-edge cuteness that's guaranteed to draw admiring looks from anyone in their presence.

What's more, their build quality is also superb, with the sheet steel cabinets giving them a sturdy and robust feel - always an encouraging sign as far as sound quality is concerned - while their petite size lets you easily integrate them into a small room.

The satellites can be mounted on the wall or on top of the optional M 50 P stands, but for tabletop placement you get some ingenious magnetic bases in the box, which snap onto the bottom of each speaker and let you position them at the desired angle. It also makes them effortless to install, with nary a screwdriver nor Allen key in sight.

Each MO 3 FCR features an 80m full-range driver, flared cellulose cone and a low distortion neodymium magnet, which enables them to reproduce frequencies from 120 to 20,000Hz. The spherical cabinet also has the advantage of minimising diffraction and delivering even radiation. Around the back of each satellite are sturdy binding posts for the speaker cables.

The cubic subwoofer features a closed 10-litre cabinet that houses a ‘long-stroke' bass driver, 200mm cone and low-loss suspension - all driven by a 150W amplifier. Around the back is a mono phono input, a volume control and a phase control switch. The on/off switch also has an Auto setting which enables the sub to fire into life when it detects a signal.

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