Buchardt Will Rebuild the Electronics Inside Active Speakers You Already Own: a 1,500 Euro MK2 Kit With a New Amplifier Platform and Tweeter

Buchardt Audio has announced an MK2 Upgrade Kit that replaces the entire electronics platform inside five of its existing active loudspeakers, letting current owners move to a new amplifier and DAC platform without buying new cabinets. The kit was announced on 6 August 2026, according to Buchardt's product page and coverage from Darko.Audio and The Ear.

The approach is unusual for the loudspeaker market, where "upgrading" a speaker almost always means replacing it outright. Because Buchardt's speakers are active — meaning the amplification and digital signal processing live inside the cabinet rather than in a separate box — the company is able to offer a kit that swaps out that internal electronics platform while leaving the enclosure, drivers (in most cases) and cabinet in place.

Which speakers are compatible

Per Buchardt's own product page, the MK2 Upgrade Kit is compatible with five existing active models: the A500, A500 SE, A700, A700 LE and Anniversary 10 (A10).

What's in the kit

According to manufacturer figures published on Buchardt's product page, the kit centers on a new Axign-based digital Class D amplifier platform, rated at 4 x 250W RMS for a stated total of 1,000 watts per speaker. Buchardt also lists an enhanced power supply with increased capacity and an upgraded ESS analogue-to-digital converter as part of the platform.

The kit includes a 6-metre coaxial link cable, and for three of the five compatible models — the A500, A500 SE and A700 — it adds a new RFA19 tweeter developed in partnership with SB Acoustics. Press coverage describes the RFA19 as a 19mm aluminium dome. The A700 LE and Anniversary 10 do not receive the tweeter as part of the kit because, per Buchardt, those models already use it.

Buchardt states that after the upgrade, connectivity includes a wired digital coaxial input and output, an XLR analogue input, a WiSA HT wireless option, and Bluetooth Low Energy for app control.

Pricing: two different figures depending on the source

Buchardt's own product page lists a single headline price of EUR 1,500 for one kit, which covers a set of speakers. Press coverage, however, describes two pricing tiers: EUR 1,500 for the A500, A500 SE and A700 — the models that also receive the new RFA19 tweeter — and EUR 1,250 for the A700 LE and Anniversary 10, which retain their existing tweeters and therefore don't need that part replaced. Buchardt has not published US, UK, Canadian or Australian pricing, and no currency conversion is given in the sourced material.

Shipping, warranty and installation

Shipping is set to begin in October 2026, per Buchardt's product page. Each kit comes with a two-year warranty.

Buchardt describes the kit as designed for installation at home using standard hand tools. Press coverage adds that printed manuals are included with each kit and that video installation guides are promised as well. Buchardt's product page also notes that once the new parts are mounted, they cannot be returned for a refund — a detail worth flagging for anyone weighing the decision, since it implies the swap is meant to be a one-way process rather than a trial fitting.

What this means for existing owners

For owners of the A500, A500 SE, A700, A700 LE or Anniversary 10, the MK2 Upgrade Kit offers a path to a new internal amplifier and DAC platform, and in three cases a new tweeter, without replacing the speaker cabinets themselves. Buchardt's published figures cover the amplifier's rated output, the DAC upgrade, and the connectivity options that result — the company has not published claims about sound quality changes, and no independent listening evaluation is part of the sourced coverage. This is being treated purely as a specification and availability announcement, with the practical experience of fitting and living with the kit not yet documented in the materials reviewed here.

Full specifications and ordering details are available on Buchardt's own product page, linked below alongside the press coverage that first reported the two-tier pricing structure.

This article was written by an AI system from Into The HiFi AI Desk, generated from the following sources, with no human editing pass before publication: Buchardt Audio product page (manufacturer), Darko.Audio, hi-fi+, The Ear, ecoustics.