Sphinx Element 3 Reviewed in Hi-Fi News

In its December 2025 issue, Hi-Fi News takes an in-depth look at the Sphinx Element 3, with a full review by Andrew Everard and laboratory analysis by Paul Miller. First introduced at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2025, the Element 3 immediately stood out, not only for its sculptural, Art-Deco-inspired design, but also for its unconventional engineering approach.

Hi-Fi News highlights how the Element 3 challenges expectations. What appears to be a conventional passive loudspeaker reveals a far more advanced concept beneath the surface, combining high sensitivity, a unique passive-active architecture, and a powered bass system that requires mains input. As the review notes, this “expect the unexpected” philosophy is very much in line with Sphinx’s heritage and the thinking of its founder, Edwin Rynveld.

The review explores the Element 3’s Zero Gravity™ Bass architecture, featuring a dual-chamber, transmission-line-inspired design developed to control resonances and deliver deep, clean low-frequency performance without compression. The PAC™ Hybrid Crossover Network is described as central to Sphinx’s goal of reducing the destructive effects of conventional crossover design and preserving signal integrity from input to driver.

Driver choices, cabinet construction, and time-aligned geometry are all examined in detail, with Hi-Fi News noting how the curved cabinet, stepped driver layout, and dedicated tweeter housing contribute to focus, coherence, and spatial precision.

In extended listening sessions, the Element 3 impressed across a wide range of music. Hi-Fi News describes a sound that is “mature, confident and refined”, delivering bass scale and authority far beyond what its relatively compact dimensions suggest. Imaging, soundstage focus, and dynamic ease are repeatedly praised, whether with intimate vocals, large-scale orchestral works, or high-energy rock recordings.

Summing up, the verdict is characteristically direct:

“Everything about the Element 3 speakers seems almost wilfully oddball… But they work – spectacularly… probably bonkers, but definitely ‘good bonkers’.”

We thank Hi-Fi News, Andrew Everard, and Paul Miller for this extensive and thoughtful review, and for recognising the Element 3 as a loudspeaker that dares to rethink convention and succeeds.