Kii Three

[AaronG]

I'm talking about a system that likely has some affinities with the one under discussion. And I'm wondering whether maybe it takes a while to get used to it. But it may just not live up to the hype.

This is really interesting. I just switched from using a pair of German Physics as my primary speakers to a pair of Grimm LS1s. The Grimms are obviously quite different from the KII's but they share a designer, amplifiers and from the looks of it a tweeter. When I started listening to the Grimms I was both amazed by the amount of detail and horrified by the fact that some of the recordings that sounded so immersive on the GPs sounded so comparatively cold. I realized that what I was responding to was partly the ambient room reflection and midrange forwardness. Listening to really flat speakers is a very different experience. But the reward is that different music, and differently recorded music, sounds very different. With ambient room reflection it all sounds great but it all sort of sounds the same great. There are lots of classical recordings that didn't draw me in before but now are totally captivating because the dynamics and tone color is accurate. And what sounded clinical to me initially now doesn't sound that way at all, but I feel what is emotionally engaging is not a homogenizing artifact of the reproduction system. The KII's may just not be good, but if they are like the Grimms then you have to get used to listening to them on a wide range of music over a period of time. They don't have an immediate wow factor like my Harbeths did, or the GPs, or a whole bunch of other speakers I have listened to. But they are a different league of non-hi fi better (for me).

And you are talking now about a system > 25000 euro or what?

[sleach]

I listen to studio monitors on my main system: Geithain rl930k. These are regarded as fairly "musical" monitors. Previously I've used Adams which did sound a bit lean compared to most domestic hifi. But like any decent system, you can get accustomed to the sound and usually there is something to really appreciate (or else it is time to sell and move on!)


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[mobaer]

In a week I will have the chance to directly compare my system (Mac Mini -> Mutec MC 3+ USB -> Devialet 800 -> Gauder Akustik Cassiano) with the Kii Three (Mac Mini -> Mutec MC 3+ USB -> Kii Three). I'm convinced, that active DSP controlled speakers have an advantage over passive speakers in terms of neutral reproduction of music as a matter of principle. However, the Kii Three are in a different price class than my speakers (much cheaper). I'm really curious how they will perform in the comparison. Last week I got a first impression of the Kii Three. I must say, I was really impressed, especially by the bass performance...

[hk6230]

Excitedly waiting for your review on Kii 3.