Kii Three - my impressions and pro reviews

[fpalm69]

Keep looking for a set a stands on the used market, I have seen them come up.  Anything other than the Kii Three stand will be second rate.  It will also increase the value when you sell them to have a complete set-up.  Be sure to position and fill them with sand and level them out before placing the speaker on top.  A small amount of blu-tac will make the speaker couple solidly to the stand.  I also used a 90 degree IEC adapter so the power cord attaches straight down instead of sticking out behind the speaker.

While you are at it if you have not done so yet get the Kii Three Control, a must have.

[fpalm69]

I too have had great support from Kii Audio.  My Kii Control stopped working so after a call to my US dealer and then to Kii in Germany they did a TeamView to remotely confirm my remote was faulty, which is was, and promptly shipped me a new one.

[fpalm69]

Don't overlook Supra cables - excellent value.  I have them on the Kii and after a lot of comparisons (USB, Ethernet & Power) I went with Supra on everything.  Best sound in my system yet.

[fpalm69]

Actually,  a friend bought over his Lush USB and we compared it to the Supra and both of us were surprised that we both preferred the Supra.  Of course, everything is system dependent.  I have the SOtM trio employed in my system.

[fpalm69]

You can run the NUC straight into the Kii Three Control but a good streamer will sound better.

Love my Kiis and yes you can tweak them with power cables, Ethernet cables, various front end configurations, different power supply options and they will all sound different since the Kii Three is so revealing of the source.

[fpalm69]

Has anyone successfully integrated a subwoofer(s) with the Kii Threes?   

[fpalm69]

Thanks for the quick response.

What about the 90ms delay that the Kii Three has in exact mode?  Can the Minidsp compensate for that delay?

[fpalm69]

No, the OPPO 205 does not have enough delay (distant setting) to compensate for 90ms.

[fpalm69]

Greetings Kal,

 

I have not looked at JRiver is awhile since using Roon with Tidal and Quboz integrated.  I kinda left JRiver collecting dust.  Guess I'm due for for an update and re-acquaintance.

 

Thanks for the tip.....Frank

[fpalm69]

Kal,

 

OK,  that will get me in the ballpark of 90ms delay.  I will revisit my JRiver and see what I can manage with subwoofer delays to match the Kii Three.

 

Thanks again for the suggestion.....Frank

[fpalm69]

The Kii Three has DSP that results in a 90ms delay.  It can be turned off but it will not be phase and time aligned.

[fpalm69]

I tried an Isotek Polaris power strip and that did not work out.  Lost dynamics...plugged them back in the wall...much better.  I do have Supra power cables that I made with pure copper plugs and floated the screen (Faraday Cage) and that seems to help a tiny bit compared to the stock cables.  These were the newer silver/copper Supra power cables.

I tried a couple of large balanced transformers (Equitec)  but that did not seem to help either.  Maybe the Kii is somewhat immune to line noise by design or has a built-in filter?  My other Hypex amps do not seem to respond to line filtering/conditioning either.

[fpalm69]

2 minutes ago, firedog said:

Why? Just because common audiophile wisdom says SMPS are noisy doesn’t mean it’s necessarily  true. There is zero problem with the technology. The problem is only with inexpensive, not particularly well made ones. No reason to assume the PS’s are particularly noisy or that some other type of PS would necessarily be quieter. 

firedog,  did you use the iFi AC iPurifiers on the Kii's?  Did it sound better?  I have two in my Amazon cart.

[fpalm69]

Also consider moving your listening spot....you may be sitting in a bass null.  Just a foot or so forward or backwards can make a difference in the bass response at that spot in your room.

[fpalm69]

How do I get the playlist into Roon?

[fpalm69]

Supra cable work well for me - excellent quality, fast shipping with returns allowed and very reasonably priced. Supras on the Ethernet on the speakers and network, USB to the Kii Control, and power cables to the Kiis.  Noticed a slight increase in SQ for each cable I added in the system.

Affirmative on the Sonore gear.... had the opticalModule + opticalRendu and was so impress I just ordered the Signature Rendu SE optical.  That's coming from an Auralic Aries G2 and the SOtM trio.

The Kiis are so transparent you will hear any upstream change.

[fpalm69]

Sonore Signature Rendu SE optical with opticalModule is the best so far.  OpticalRendu was so good I upgraded to the Signature.

Very curious to try the Innous.

Previously had the SOtM trio, very nice but not comparable to the Rendu optical.

Straight from the Roon Nucleus is OK but you really need a DDC to get the best SQ.

I find the Kii system to be very responsive to upstream changes or cable swaps.  This includes power conditioners and cables.  Have not found a pwr conditioner that improved the SQ.  

I use Supra USB, Ethernet and power cables.  Great value for the performance.

[fpalm69]

20 hours ago, KunterK said:

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...

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?

[fpalm69]

6 minutes ago, KunterK said:

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.

I am using Supra Ethernet from the Kii Control to the master and another one to the slave speaker.  Noticed a slight improvement over the stock cable.  I use Supra throughout my system.  Power cables I made myself.

[fpalm69]

6 minutes ago, TheStupidOne said:

Analogue xlr to subs and AES/IBU digital to Kii:)

So, you are running the Kii full range and independent of the subs?

 

[fpalm69]

7 minutes ago, Blade1001 said:

 

Interesting feedback. So do you run a subwoofer or subwoofers yourself for music? 

 

How is everyone that is using subwoofers running them? As left and right subs, or in mono to produce smoother bass frequency response?

 

Can I also ask everyone, what height have you found the Kii’s sound best installed at - tweeter at ear level, midrange at ear level, or somewhere in between?

 

 

Also,  how do you adjust the subs for the 90 ms delay from the Kii dsp in exact mode?

[fpalm69]

The bottom painted finish is susceptible to damage when placing the speaker on the metal stand in the original version.  I simply put some clear packing tape on the metal edge to fix that issue.  I also use Blu-tack or poster tack reusable adhesive between the stand and speaker bottom.  This makes it stick to the stand and less chance to tipple over along with good dampening.  Placing my foot on the stand base I can easily wiggle and un-stick the speaker from the stand when needed.

 

I also use a 90 degree IEC adapter so my custom power cables hang straight down instead of sticking out the back.

 

If you are making your own stands, design it so you can easily fill the void with sand.

 

Another mod to consider is a through bolt design for the spiked feet so you can adjust the height of each spike by turning a knob on top of the base plate.  In the original design you must tilt the stand over to adjust the height, set it down, hoping it is correct and if not repeat the process for each spike.  A through bolt would make this task much simpler and safer and you could leave the speakers on the stands while doing the adjustment.

[fpalm69]

FWIW:  Tonight while navigating the Roon page I heard a clicking/thumping sound and realized it was my mouse pointer making a sound when it hovered over certain headings on the page.  I went into my Windows Control Panel under mouse pointer and made sure sounds were turned off.  That took care of it.  The above mentioned click may be something different as mine was not while playing music, just a paused screen.

[fpalm69]

So, no problem with the IR remote sensor being blocked with the Kii Control inside the book holder stand?

[fpalm69]

Dropped Tidal for Qobuz two months ago.  Hope to see some Qobuz playlists soon.