Over the past few months, I’ve been working remotely—thanks to Stéphane RÉGIS of Musicadomia—through both the design phases and the finalization of the Anti-Matter speakers from a brand-new Greek company called Matter. This isn’t exactly a debut in the world of high-end hi-fi, since the brand’s founder and owner is none other than Fanis LAGKADINOS, who co-founded Ypsilon Electronics alongside Demitris BAKLAVAS. That heritage matters, because the Ypsilon ethos carries over into Matter: customized specifications, a relentless pursuit of excellence, the use of silver in the cabling, and above all, a commitment to delivering a truly unique experience to each customer. For more information and photos, see Joël CHEVASSUS’s article on 6Moons (in English).
The Anti-Matter speakers draw on the experience of the original Ypsilon Erato models but, unlike them, are built on an open-baffle (dipole) principle. This approach was adopted by the designer to eliminate the constraints of box-based architectures (sealed or bass-reflex), particularly when it comes to controlling rear-wave reflections. The woofer and midrange drivers are SB Acoustics units, expertly integrated and angled. Since no tweeter on the market could achieve the required performance—and given that the tweeter is a critical component around which “everything else” must align—Fanis ultimately designed and manufactured this ribbon tweeter himself. You can find further details in Joël’s write-up. The bass and midrange drivers, as well as the tweeter, can all be adjusted to match the listener’s preferences, their audio system, or room acoustics—and this is where much of the magic happens.
The Anti-Matter speakers feature stunning oak finishes as well as a full palette of lacquered colors. Their dual binding posts are WBT Nextgen units fitted with silver wiring (4N: 99.99% purity). For floor decoupling, the Anti-Matter sit on Artesania stands. In terms of technical specifications, they offer a sensitivity of 90 dB and an impedance of around 8 Ω between 120 Hz and 20 kHz, with a minimum impedance of 2.4 Ω at 53 Hz.
After debuting at the Athens HES HXOS show on November 11, 2024, the Anti-Matter speakers made their global unveiling at High End Munich 2025, paired with Ypsilon electronics (Phaethon SE, Aelius, PST-100 preamplifier, VPS100 phono preamp) in both analog and digital configurations. Following that event, Musicadomia delivered the Anti-Matter speakers—along with a Ypsilon Phaethon SE and matching cables—to Hi-Fi Lausanne. It was there, and I’d like to thank them for their warm welcome, that I spent time auditioning these speakers. During my listening session, the Anti-Matter speakers had already been fine-tuned by Musicadomia, and I did not make any further adjustments. If you’d like, I can help craft this into a full-length review or suggest ways to highlight specific moments from your listening session.
Before I first encountered these speakers in person—beyond the few photos shared by Joël and Musicadomia—I’d pictured something towering and imposing. In reality, in the listening room their 1.31 m height and 47 cm depth never felt overwhelming, and I quickly acclimated to their presence. Weighing 37 kg apiece, they strike a balance between substantiality and manageable handling. They’re delivered in sturdy wooden crates that protect them perfectly. Even better, the crates can be fully disassembled for flat storage—a clever, space-saving design.
The Hi-Fi Lausanne setup is arranged in a domestic environment with minimal passive treatment. It also incorporates active room correction from PSI (PSI AVAAC214). Listening took place across the width of a combined living/dining room in a near-field position (about 3 m from the speakers). There’s only an 80 cm gap between each speaker’s baffle and the wall behind it, and a bay window sits both behind and to one side of the listening spot. This layout is therefore quite different from the one Joël used in his review.
Here’s the setup :
- Speakers : Anti-Matter, adjusted by Musicadomia
- Amplifier : Ypsilon Phaethon SE (Silver Edition)
- Source : dCS Varese streaming Qobuz via the Mosaic Actus app
- Interconnects : Ypsilon RCA cables and a Ypsilon power cable for the amplifier. I didn’t note the power or interconnect cables used on the Varese. The speaker cables are Nordost Valhalla
THE LISTENING SESSIONS
Below are some of the tracks we listened to :
- Tamino : Indigo Night – Live at Ancienne Belgique)
- Yosi Horikawa : Bubbles – Wandering
- Yosi Horikawa : Fluid – Spaces
- Hans Zimmer : Day One – Interstellar
- Nils Landgren : Fragile – Fragile at Schloss Elmar
- Abdullah Ibrahim : In the evening – Senzo
- Geoff Castellucci : The Sound of Silence
- Mathias Duplessy : Brothers in Arms – Brothers of String
I had little experience with this type of speaker and didn’t really know what to expect. I began with many preconceptions—especially about the kind of room needed to deploy these speakers. Given their dimensions and design, a large (and tall) space seemed necessary for them to perform at their best. Those were my expectations when I started listening sessions with Christophe from Hi-Fi Lausanne. Paired with the Ypsilon Phaethon SE (with its 6HP6 tubes), which I know well, what strikes you immediately is the transparency and level of detail of the system—and especially of these speakers. I rediscovered familiar tracks in terms of both information and immersion. For example, on Nils Landgren Live, the live rendition of “Fragile” is full of finesse and emotion. On Tamino’s live album, the hall’s atmosphere and the interpretation of “Indigo Night” are superbly conveyed, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the performance. It’s remarkable that this level of engagement is possible in a near-field setup within a lived-in environment. Across all the tracks I heard, the bass was very well controlled, and every register blended perfectly—thanks not only to the tweaks by Musicadomia but also to the meticulous development of each driver, particularly the ribbon tweeter. Although I’m accustomed to ribbon tweeters in Raidho and Børresen speakers, it’s clear that in the Anti-Matter models, the tweeter is a cornerstone: delivering immediacy, immersion, and detail without ever compromising the overall musical message or the integrity of the recording.
In terms of bass, it’s impeccably controlled and well articulated. Crank up the volume and play a track like Geoff Castellucci’s, and you’ll appreciate even more how much the low end contributes—and how seamlessly it integrates: an iron fist in a velvet glove. This cohesion across all registers helps create an exceptionally realistic soundstage in the listening environment described above.
To conclude, what can I say about these three hours of listening… Well, my preconceptions didn’t hold up for long against the richness of timbre, the details elevated by uncompromising design, and the total immersion in the performances. All of this took place in a domestic environment where the acoustic negatives certainly outnumber the positives. Christophe fully embraces this acoustic choice, and it’s clear that in this setup—and likely in others—it works perfectly. Could it be even better and more impactful in a larger, acoustically treated room? Of course. But the demonstration is clear: these speakers can also excel in the environment described above, and contrary to my initial assumptions, they integrate beautifully, quickly making you forget their dimensions. The pairing with the Ypsilon Phaethon SE delivers incredible transparency and vitality—though given the speakers’ DNA, that should come as no surprise. There’s no doubt that, thanks to their versatility, other electronics will work just as well. To experience it for yourself, don’t hesitate to call Stéphane at Musicadomia and arrange an in-situ listening session with his dealer.
Once again, a huge thank you to Stéphane (Musicadomia) and Christophe (Hi-Fi Lausanne) for making this listening session, this discovery, and my reassessment of preconceived notions possible. Please note that Hi-Fi Lausanne is the official Matter and Ypsilon dealer for southern Switzerland.
You can find them on Matter’s website, in Joël’s article, and via the following links :
Follow-up discussion on the forum here.
