Kingsound King II vs King

I have heard them both. The King II is more diffuse especially in the highs - the panel is like the Prince II. If you like Quads then you'll likely love it. The King is like an ultra-wide two way with superb coherence tipped on its side. If you like Maggies you will have no issues with it's sound.

I wrote up the King on Dagogo.com and own it.

What gear will you use with it?

This highly professional (unpaid professional) review is worth reading, if you have not already - King Sound King

Yes, thank you, I've read both Ralph's and Doug's reviews of the King. Both are very informative, although I would like to think that the problems Ralph found were due to failing amp synergy, humidity or a uncommon defect. I've also read the previous Audiogon thread that both Ralph and Doug contributed to.

By the way, Ralph if you're reading - I would love to hear how you're getting on with the Prince II (and even the King II?). It doesn't look like you've written anything up yet?

Doug - can you tell me a bit more? I haven't heard Quads or Maggies but have gone straight for the Kingsounds because they have been described as having much more satisfactory bass. I heard the Prince II but this is a harder load than the King and I think it was limited by our amps being inadequate - the King was a huge improvement. I was assuming that the King II would have much the same character as the King but would perhaps be slightly "improved" in particular areas. Are you saying the differences are more fundamental?

My amps are M2 dual monoblocks made by Avondale, a small company in Chesterfield, UK. The nominal power rating is low (approx 90W) but they have large C-core transformers and two boards and sets of outputs in each unit, so they effectively bi-amp. They sounded sufficient for the Kings (but not the Prince II) in a evening demo, although I accept it often takes longer than that to get a full picture. We tried other pre/power valve amps but they sounded much too soft for my liking and I also think lacked sufficient power. My existing speakers are Dynaudio Confidence 5, which are also a notoriously difficult load but with the Avondale M2s they sound superb. Going back to the Dyns after the Kings, my main finding was that although the detail was still there, and they are definitely more attacking/punchy, they simply don't sound as real.

Mark

Mark, a very nice summary of your experiences. The Magneplanar 20.1 also has good low end, but one must determine if they like the magnetic planar sound or the ESL sound - they are distinct. I find that in general I am sensitive to the larger driver panels, whether magnetic planar or ESL, whether Maggie or Martin Logan. I prefer what's happening in the King, an array of smaller panels. That produces what to my ears is a tighter, more precise sound. Quad also uses this concept of segmented panels, however they have what I consider a serious weakness in the lack of low end, which the King has addressed.

The differences between the King and King II, if the King II prototype I saw at CES is close to the final product, are fundamental. The panel of the King II is like the Prince II. This would likely yield an absolute improvement in detail, however also as I said likely more diffuse sound. That is, the treble, mid, bass seemed to radiate across the face of the speaker versus from a localized source. This is a nuance, but if one had not heard both then it likely would not occur to the listener.

The power amp makes a huge difference in the performance of the speaker, as does the power supply of the speaker. If the King II is as tough to drive as the Prince II, then it could be quite challenging for your amps. You will want to ask questions of King's Audio about that particular aspect prior to purchase, or else you may find yourself looking at a power amp mismatch. If you like the King in a demo with the stock wall wart power supplies, you'll like them even more with upgraded P.S. You can tweak the sound of the power supplies with aftermarket cables. You'll get different sound with silver ofc vs. copper power cords.

Doug, thank you very much for the additional info.

It's interesting that the key difference you found was a different panel construction, whereas Kings Audio emphasised to me that the crossover electronics are now separated off from the speaker in a separate box (each speaker has its own box that has two sets of speaker binding posts, the dc supply input and a switch).

I wonder also if there is any improvement in construction durability, although the feedback I've had from a UK distributor is of no serious problems with the King in the last 5 years but 1 in 10 needing their screws tightening.

You mention that the King II may be harder to drive now it is more similar to the Prince II, but perhaps the Prince II is harder just because it is smaller? We also found the Prince II didn't go as loud as the King.