StereoTimes Interview with Duke LeJeune/Audiokines

Can't think of anyone in the business who deserves more recognition than Duke. Very nice interview.

The toe-in that Duke recommends works extremely well to provide both the sense of an extremely wide soundstage and a smoothness to the highs that I've rarely encountered in any dynamic driver.

Duke has stated many times that his inspiration for his speakers was the wonderful SoundLab. I owned the A-1PX previously, and can confirm that he certainly hit his target - with one minor exception. The physical height of my Planetarium Betas is, of course, somewhat less than that of the SoundLabs. As delivered, the illusion of height is not quite the equal of the A-1PX. There is a very simple solution, however. I placed the main speakers on a pair of 4" spiked, extremely dense lyptus wood amp stands that I had available, and was fairly well amazed at the difference they made. Since the main units are only handling frequencies down to about 65 Hz or so, there are no deleterious effects that I can discern. The stands can be seen in my system photos if anyone cares to have a look.

I think it's a shame that Duke's speakers are not more well known amongst the audio press. After 35 years of this mad hobby, I've found few if any products that provide so much value for money.