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Kii Three - my impressions and pro reviews


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22 hours ago, Bernstein said:

What are using as feet for the stands? I have hardfloor and looking for protective but good sounding solution. 

I use IsoAcoustics Gaia II. Strongly recommended. Some reviews on YouTube, and I conquer with all of them as to how good they are.

 

KK

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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5 minutes ago, Bernstein said:

 

Thanks! The height increases a little, but everyone is impressed...

stromtank in the background?

Yes. Stromtank 2500. I had it for my previous frontend but now Kii's are feeding from it. 

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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Answer I received from Kii upon my question:

 

The net weights are:
single speaker:             19.2 kg
single speakerstand      21.1kg

 

I have not filled in with sand yet. I can still add another 10 kilos or so sand.

 

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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On 7/12/2019 at 8:43 PM, Bernstein said:

 

The specs in the manual are wrong yours are right! 

Did you test them A/B with the feet? Over 600€ is quiet an investment...

Yes. I used them without initially. And the improvement is really good. But is it worth 600usd is another question. Yes for me. 

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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On 7/13/2019 at 3:29 AM, fas42 said:

How are the speakers locked into place on the stands? If I had these, one of the first things I would do is experiment with various ways of coupling the cabinets to the stands - to see what that told me.

This is what I use to a great effect. 

 

https://herbiesaudiolab.com/collections/loudspeaker-rack-decoupling-and-isolation

 

Actually these made a bigger jump in sound quality than the feet. 

 

I use 3 thin fat dots under each speaker. 

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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  • 3 weeks later...

Last night I replaced the ethernet cable between Kii Three's with a 5.5m SOTM CAT7. Soundstage is now much more precise, wider, and higher. The whole sonic picture just grew bigger. Also the timbre and detail is at another level. 

 

Try to put the best cable you can over there...

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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18 hours ago, fpalm69 said:

I assume you are using the Kii Control?  What about the Ethernet cable from the Control to the master Kii speaker. did you replace that one also?

I started writing my answer as follows:

 

"Nope. I am using Control just for control purposes, volume control etc. I am using AES as input. So changing the control ethernet cable should not make a difference in my case".

 

Then, I went ahead and changed the long ethernet cable (which came with the Kii's) with others, including a CAT7 SOTM. There definitely is a noticeable difference between cables. Sotm more silent, the original cable more lively. I found best balance in the following Vandesail cable I bought couple of weeks back to try between the speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PPQXY6/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_A8DqDb86FMVRE

these performed quite good in between the speakers too.

 

Easy to try and see... 

 

I guess the difference should be more profound if one is using the Control unit as input.

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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  • 2 months later...
On 10/2/2019 at 6:11 AM, input username here said:

 

I wonder about performance a little....  I put my CONTROL *and* my ultraRendu on a grip of Black Ravioli (BR) isolation and the improvement in sound was substantial.   (I don't want to oversell it, the differences weren't night and day, it was just what it was before, only noticeably better in virtually all sonically relevant dimensions--though, especially, soundstage depth.)   So I worry about it when people put their CONTROLS on little, fidgety stands and wonder how that might affect performance.  

 

Reasons to doubt the generalizability of my results: 

1. I de-coupled the CONTROL and the ultraRendu (and LPS1 PSU) all at the same time.  So it's not really possible to tell which these unit's isolation had the largest impact on the perceived sound quality--maybe it wasn't the CONTROL at all, but the rendu or the PSU.  I'm so happy with the improvement, I have very little interest in experimenting with them one at a time at the moment (maybe at some time in the future... when I'm very bored).

 

2. Unlike the Amazon stand which sits on what appears to be a very substantial rack, my CONTROL sat on the top of my glass-topped desk, which rings like a bell.  If I had to bet, whatever the benefits of the BR, I suspect that the biggest improvement was just getting the gear off the desk; it's likely that there would be less perceived improvement in your situation. 

 

3. Since the CONTROL is (still) on my desk, sitting on the BR less than two feet from my right hand, I can see the display very easily at all times.  It's possible that the desire to see the display from across the room might, in your case, outweigh any benefits you might get by better isolating the CONTROL.

 

But, all that said, as the CONTROL is the conduit for all of your digital inputs, I would imagine that isolating it (with BR, Stillpoints,  Iso-Acoustics, or whatever your prefered solution might be) would potentially be a worthwhile improvement to SQ.

 

Just a thought.  Oh, and I freakin' love the red.

I don't use the controller as input but just as volume control (aes input directly to Kii from dCS NB) however, reading your post I experimented with where it sits and hey, even in this scenario it makes a difference. Currently there is a sorbothane footer found lying around between the controller and the coffee table which is metal. No cost to try :)

 

and yes red is beautiful...

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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  • 2 weeks later...

What is the experience with AES digital cables who use that setup?

 

I have a dCS Network Bridge connected via AES, in my case quite favorably with a 12 ft Studio grade Mogami Gold AES Digital/Analog XLR Microphone Cable I bought from Amazon. At 76 USD, very good performance for the money. Any other recommendations? I would need a long length, minimum 2 meters or more, since the master speaker and the equipment rack stand apart.

 

Cheers

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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4 hours ago, Blade1001 said:


Mogami make good cables, you’re unlikely to get any real performance difference with a different brand. Don’t fall into the trap of believing any audiophile alternative will offer anything better.

 

One thing to note though is AES cables are supposed to be 110ohm whereas analogue cables are usually 75ohm.

 

You could try getting a dedicated 110ohm cable, though again, given the distances involved there may not be any audible difference.

Thanks.

This particular Mogami AES says it is 110 Ohm. And at this price range strongly recommended.

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dear Fellow BXT owners.

 

Try providing a second power cable to the Kii Three instead of the jumper cable connecting BXT to Three. I just used the standard cables that came with the Kii's (second set borrowed from a Kii friend) for a good bit of sq improvement. I think the main reason for improvement is, now there is no power cable hovering very closely to the ethernet cables connecting BXT and Three together. The jumper even makes a nice semicircle, I am sure creating all kinds of electromagnetic waves just over the data cables.

 

Also, for the believer in heart, providing better ethernet cables as jumpers  proved to be beneficial but YMMV on this one.

 

Just my 2c.

 

Cheers

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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  • 3 months later...

Based on the views here, I started experimenting on the remote's usb input as opposed to the XLR digital. Sounds promising. Anyone experienced burn-in on the remote USB? Should I expect change in sound in the times to come?

 

Feeding directly from the USB output of Nucleus.

 

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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I am already at version 2 (first night it was out 2 months ago. Managed to upgrade after a very long session with hands on support from Thomas, as initially things did not go as planned, hence the delay in final software release I guess). 

 

I understand there is another polishing release expected this weekend so I will wait a bit more to jump to the final version. Maybe next week?

 

Cheers

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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