I am not sure I'm sold on their looks but they have a pretty cool modern appearance that could grow on me. From the midrange up they sounded smooth as butter. Down below it's hard to judge in a Tweeter; the room and placement have so much to do with these things.
What amp do you run yours with? |
Thanks for all the replies. I'll check into the Dali and JM Labs lines. Someone here in Chicago must have them. I like the Kestrels a lot but worry that they and the Totem's might be too small for the space. It's really a system for lower level background listening but the room could swallow up a small system. |
Thanks for your opinion. When I mean 'getting lost' it isn't all about soundstage size although that is part of it. Mostly, it is the speaker's ability to energize the room and not sound like it is is whispering.
It's been a long standing practice of mine to match speakers to the room they are in. For my den (12x12) I would probably go no larger than Kestrels size. A speaker like a Spendor S8 would likely overpower the room. And, the drivers might not integrate well at too close a distance. In a large room I want something that will be able to provide a solid foundation. It needn't go down to 20hz but it has to have enough drive that it doesn't sound lightweight, or lost in a room that is close to 4000 ft3.
I hope this makes sense.
Wayne |
I realize that with a 35" or so maximum height my requirements won't be easily met. That's why I asked for ideas from the crowd here whose combined experience is much greater than my own. In the past I've seen some transmission line speakers do well with smaller cabinets so I'm a little surprised PMC hasn't been mentioned. I've seen used ones go in the $1k range.
The saving grace is that these need not blow out windows or recreate concert level SPL's. It will be mostly used for background music. |
So today I heard the JM Labs 816 and the Polk LSi15. Although the Polk are larger than my stated criteria I will get another audition at (gasp) Tweeter and if they pass the WAF it's likely I am leaning towards them. They do have nice cabinetry and a good form factor. And, there is something very right about their voicing.
The JM had a more etched quality and accentuated the room acoustics in the recording. The Polk just sounded natural and did not have the sibilant emphasis I heard on the JM Labs. More auditioning is needed but I've found an early front runner in the sweepstakes. |
I showed the LSi15's photo to the wife and she was not thrilled. Sine the den has my HT and it is everything I wanted the decor of the LR has been ceded to her.
I'll still get her in front of the the LSi's but she wants something the size of the Kestrels/ B&W CM4 (35" max, the height of a side cabinet)or else minis on stands. The latter would require a sub (Sunfire Jr)and will blow the budget but you only live once.
So, will a Kestrel HR or the like fill the 15 x 28 x 9 room as well as a good mini (Proac Tablette, Silverline 15, Totem 1 Signature) plus a sub? |
Good point that the sub won't add fullness, just more low bass. I've only heard Kestrels once but was very impressed by the smoothness and listenability without loss of detail. And the web buzz is still very strong even though they're no longer sold.
In this room I need the Kestrel's kind of tonality with the many hard surfaces and little sound absorption available. As I recall they are also an easy drive as well so a Nait could work with them which would not be the case with some mini's like the Dynaudio's. The next questions are version 1 or 2 and HR or no HR? |
Thanks for the detail on the 2. It sounds like a better way to go. It is a nice looking speaker but the pics I've seen so far of the 2 show it with light to medium finishes only. I need either a rosewood type stain (preferred) or else ebony. Light cherry or similar won't work in the room. Also, I've found that the 1 is 36" tall but haven't yet found a spec for the 2.
The more I think about it, the more sense this makes. A mini needs stands and a sub which would drive the cost way up whereas these could stand on their own and be run with a Nait 5i or Jolida 302/502. Simple and painless. |
Thanks for all of the suggestions. From the looks of it, stand mounts may become necessary after all and in any case they will need to be placed close to a wall. I don't know of a place in Chicago that carries Neat or Reference 3A but I have tracked down Totem, Proac, Dynaudio and Quad so far.
Funny how some brands have their distribution scattered. You would think the 3rd largest US market would have everything. |
Right you are. It's a little like New York that way but when I looked for a Neat retailer Nebraska and West Virginia are my nearest options. Go figure. |
Haven't given up on floor standers and I agree that small boxes on stands are more likely to get knocked over. It's all about WAF. OTOH, once she sees the Target stands I will want for mini's she might change her mind. She rules the living room which is OK since the den (and kitchen) are 100% mine.
The #1 spouse choice is a pair of 4" round Gallo's but that won't cut it. |
Yes, she is Italian and a beauty ;-) My den is exactly what I wanted - THX 2 ultra, plasma, black leather, breuer tables, etc. Ultra modern. And the kitchen has all the Wustoff and Calphalon I want but when it comes to the public areas it's a different story. She rules that with the fervor of a true zealot.
The main issue is that the speakers are supposed to be invisible. Since the sideboard the speakers will flank is only 35" tall and all the wood in the room is stained dark my choices are limited. I might end up with S3/5's, small Dyn's or Tablette's and a Sunfire sub. But I'm afraid they will get lost in a 15 x 28 room. Not that it will play Mahler's 5th at staggering levels. Mostly it's for background and entertaining.
OK< now should I go commando? |
Veroman,
I'm taking the wife to look at a few speakers today - small floorstanders and stand mounts. Yesterday she started talking in-walls so the urgency level has been raised... She objects to beefy stands so maybe a floor stander will win after all. That would eliminate the need for a sub.
Speaking of which, I've had a Sunfire True for 8 years and love it. You're right it should be crossed over low. The only really bad match was with a pair of NHT super zero's. The hole in the upper bass was huge. Anyway, I've ruled out getting something I'm not thrilled with just to be WAF compliant. Whatever it is, I have to love it.
Wayne |
Exactly - immediate action required. That's why we're heading out today and missing the first half of the Bear's game. |
It is not an SP1/2e, I'll check what it is when I pull it from storage. I like the speaker but its large rectangular box form factor just doesn't work in the living room. |
I think it was just a matching thing... the Zeros couldn't go low enough/ the Sunfire couldn't go high enough. |
Yesterday was a success. The in-walls are off the plate and the on-walls she didn't go for. Trouble is, what she liked best were a $5k pair of Martin Logan's which are not an option. The good news is a floor stander and mini are about equally desirable to her.
I wish the Kestrel's were still being sold. I only heard them once locally and really liked them but that was 5 years ago. The same shop carries Proac so I'll check those out, the Spendor's once more and choose between them, the Kestrel HR's and the long shot B&W CM4's.
And yes, Old Style is in style here - especially at the ball games and nobody beats a Chicago dog. They're the best. |
Yeah, go figure. The ML's are semi-transparent and the most expensive pair had the shortest bass cabinet so there you have it!
Do K2's come with a grille cloth? Every pic I've seen shows raw drivers which I don't think will pass the test. |
I'll try looking but will have to wait til I get home. The firewall here will definitely ban that url. |
That is a screaming deal! I know the urge to buy something you can't use - there's a Rotel RMB1095 and pair of Spendor SP1/2's sitting in my storage as we speak.
Right now a scuffed pair of Kestrels is available for $500 (reduced from $600). I think with a little patience a nice pair should be available at a great price. One thing that impresses me is how satisfied Kestrel owners appear to be both here and on Audioreview. |
I've only been to a few on this round of shopping - Glenn Poor's, Saturday Audio Exchange and two local Tweeter's. Of all the local shops Audio Consultants in Evanston is my favorite. Pro Musica generally has very well matched systems and depending on who you get can be great or not so great.
So far, my preference from these visits is: Martin Logan Clarity (but they're $2800 new), the Polk LSi15, then Spendor S3e. The Spendor S5e was out of stock and the setup on the Spendor S3e was substandard so another trip to Saturday Audio is required. I will check out Totems at Van L Speakerworks (John is a great guy) and head to Pro Musica for the Proacs. Then I think I'll be ready to decide.
What have you found that you like? |
Oh, and I'm a little sentimental about the Spendor SP1/2a's that I own. Also, they're in offsite storage so pulling them out, photographing and listing them doesn't appeal to me right now. |
I understand your feeling on that one. |
