Kii Three - my impressions and pro reviews

[input username here]

7 hours ago, phosphorein said:

I am not so enamored with audio over BT but an iOS or android app providing expanded control would be great.

 

Unlike many here, I'm actually really looking forward to audio over BT--for my PC for stuff like listening to YouTune videos and such.  My USB input is taken up with an UltraRendu, so I currently have to use a YellowTech USB2AES converter, a couple of lengths of cable, etc.  BT would reduce my cable clutter and box count for an audio input I don't consider high-quality anyway.  I think that's a worthwhile and useful convenience feature, though I agree that BT probably ought not be one's primary source.

 

A BT control app would be a nice touch too though, honestly, I am pretty okay with just using the hardwired CONTROL.  (I hate to nitpick, but I don't much care for the plastic volume/menu control however--it looks and feels cheap & it makes me wistfully think back to the wonderful over-sized, bearing-loaded volume control on my old TacT amp from way back in the day... yes, the nCore tech sounds better but, for me, spinning that dial was really a tactile thing of joy).

[baconbrain]

I am curious as to how placement tolerant the Kii’s really are. It is mentioned that they can be even placed in a corner and still perform well. Does anyone have the Kii’s actually in the corner of a room and if so, how far away from the two walls?

[Ralf11]

I'd like to about corner placement know also (esp. if they make a cheap version)...

[input username here]

6 hours ago, baconbrain said:

I am curious as to how placement tolerant the Kii’s really are. It is mentioned that they can be even placed in a corner and still perform well. Does anyone have the Kii’s actually in the corner of a room and if so, how far away from the two walls?

 

One of mine is slammed into a corner (the other's near the rear wall, but not in a corner) and they perform great.  No bass bloat, no over-hang, just outstanding.  That said, I don't get a great sense of soundstage depth or overall scale, but I listen in the extreme nearfield and so cannot say whether this is because of my placement relative to the speakers or the speakers placement relative to the walls.  I strongly suspect the former, though I cannot truly say from experience (I did listened to them, quite a while ago, in the midfield at the dealer, GTT Audio, but I cannot honestly remember their rendition of stage depth and scale from that session). 

 

[firedog]

They definitely work fine in a corner.

In my case (small room) I prefer them slightly out of the corners, as they are closer to me and sound louder that way - I sometimes play quite loud. 

But they definitely work in corners. 

[Ralf11]

ok!  I just need a price reduction to $700 now...

[baconbrain]

Thanks for the feedback. I basically have two options for placement. 

1) To place the left speaker in a tight corner

2) To place the left speaker on a wall mounted side board somewhat away from the corner

Since I am really not happy with either, I wonder which would be the worse of the two evils?

[phosphorein]

On December 11, 2017 at 4:41 PM, baconbrain said:

Thanks for the feedback. I basically have two options for placement. 

1) To place the left speaker in a tight corner

2) To place the left speaker on a wall mounted side board somewhat away from the corner

Since I am really not happy with either, I wonder which would be the worse of the two evils?

 

I would try the corner option, placing the speakers symmetrically in your room. Using the boundary control independently for each speaker, as well as the contour control for each, you should be able to optimize the response. These are really quite adaptable speakers, especially if you have the Kii Control.

[firedog]

I wouldn’t think putting one on a sideboard would get you the best results. But as noted, they are very adaptable.

[GUTB]

The price seems very steep. For that price you can get a used pair of Raidho D1.1s. Will these actually compete with high end standmounts?

[patagent]

4 hours ago, GUTB said:

The price seems very steep. For that price you can get a used pair of Raidho D1.1s. Will these actually compete with high end standmounts?

 

These sound like top notch floorstanders.  Absolutely worth the price IMO.  Haven’t heard the D1.1 but have heard D2.1.  Raidho have such unique sound signature so it’s hard to compare.  But I would probably take the Kii’s over the B&W 802D3.  The Kii’s are not for everyone.  My wife thought it sounded good but lacked “life” probably because she’s not used to flat FR and DSP.  

[firedog]

32 minutes ago, patagent said:

 

These sound like top notch floorstanders.  Absolutely worth the price IMO.  Haven’t heard the D1.1 but have heard D2.1.  Raidho have such unique sound signature so it’s hard to compare.  But I would probably take the Kii’s over the B&W 802D3.  The Kii’s are not for everyone.  My wife thought it sounded good but lacked “life” probably because she’s not used to flat FR and DSP.  

 

Quote

 

4 hours ago, GUTB said:

The price seems very steep. For that price you can get a used pair of Raidho D1.1s. Will these actually compete with high end standmounts?

 

 

The Kii's are "competitive" with anything, as Kal Rubinson said in his review. Whether you like them more or less than another speaker is a matter of taste.

 

I'm sure you can find $15-40K speakers you can add a sub, cabling, DAC, and amplification to that you might like better. I highly preferred the Kiis to a system consisting of the Magico standmounts amplified by Solution electronics. That amp and speakers (no DAC, without cables, no sub/no very low end bass) must have cost about 3 times what the Kii setup did. 

 

I'm certain some audiophiles would think I'm crazy. To each his own. 

[patagent]

One concern I have of the Kii is that certain recordings that I enjoy on lesser speakers were somewhat difficult to enjoy on the Kii (I've seen some owners echo this sentiment).  Audiophile recordings were spectacular.  I suspect that this has to do with the monitoring aspects of the Kii although my exposure to Kii is very limited.

[Kal Rubinson]

2 hours ago, patagent said:

One concern I have of the Kii is that certain recordings that I enjoy on lesser speakers were somewhat difficult to enjoy on the Kii (I've seen some owners echo this sentiment).  Audiophile recordings were spectacular.  I suspect that this has to do with the monitoring aspects of the Kii although my exposure to Kii is very limited.

You could set up an alternative EQ profile that is less neutral for such circumstances.

[simonp]

I've experienced that recordings which I thought they were less, turn out now to be very enjoyable. The quality of the streamer is of coarse also very important. The kii is sounding very natural...

[pippenainteasy]

I wonder how this system would compare to the Dynaudio 200 XD, or even the venerable NHT XD.

[Kelly]

On 12/13/2017 at 9:35 AM, patagent said:

One concern I have of the Kii is that certain recordings that I enjoy on lesser speakers were somewhat difficult to enjoy on the Kii (I've seen some owners echo this sentiment).  Audiophile recordings were spectacular.  I suspect that this has to do with the monitoring aspects of the Kii although my exposure to Kii is very limited.

 

On 12/13/2017 at 12:27 PM, simonp said:

I've experienced that recordings which I thought they were less, turn out now to be very enjoyable. The quality of the streamer is of coarse also very important. The kii is sounding very natural...

 

I understand the concern but I agree with simonp in this regard. Anytime you take a sizable step up in resolution and accuracy there is an adjustment period where you have to get used to the new information and things sounding different than you are used to. I have been listening to the Kii Three for about 6 months now, and I have to say that with the Kii you really get to hear the recording itself in total. The speaker can sound flat only when the recording sounds that way. I went on a Sam Cooke binge a few weekends ago and I just couldn't get over how fantastic those 50s and 60s recordings of his voice sounded. Obviously it was old, outdated technology, but his voice was just brilliantly captured on those recordings. When you switch from one recording to another with the Kii the differences are immediately clear. I can only liken it to getting a new prescription for my glasses and suddenly everything pops into focus: it is a higher resolution devic but everything is appropriate, there is nothing objectionable or unnatural about it. In fact things sound more natural than on any system I have had before.

 

[firedog]

10 hours ago, Kelly said:

 

 

I understand the concern but I agree with simonp in this regard. Anytime you take a sizable step up in resolution and accuracy there is an adjustment period where you have to get used to the new information and things sounding different than you are used to. I have been listening to the Kii Three for about 6 months now, and I have to say that with the Kii you really get to hear the recording itself in total. The speaker can sound flat only when the recording sounds that way. I went on a Sam Cooke binge a few weekends ago and I just couldn't get over how fantastic those 50s and 60s recordings of his voice sounded. Obviously it was old, outdated technology, but his voice was just brilliantly captured on those recordings. When you switch from one recording to another with the Kii the differences are immediately clear. I can only liken it to getting a new prescription for my glasses and suddenly everything pops into focus: it is a higher resolution devic but everything is appropriate, there is nothing objectionable or unnatural about it. In fact things sound more natural than on any system I have had before.

 

agree. haven't found the Kii lessens my enjoyment of any recordings

[baconbrain]

On 12/16/2017 at 9:24 AM, pippenainteasy said:

I wonder how this system would compare to the Dynaudio 200 XD, or even the venerable NHT XD.

 

I have been considering moving to an active setup for a few months now and had the opportunity to also listen to the 200 XD‘s. Given the circumstances (different locations, time span between listening session, etc.) the Kii‘s were clearly my preference.

 

I have also heard rumors that Santa‘s Sleigh might be langing on my roof this Weds with a pair of Kii‘s to place under the the tree. Really excited and looking forward to an excellent sounding xmas this year!

[firedog]

2 hours ago, baconbrain said:

 

I have also heard rumors that Santa‘s Sleigh might be langing on my roof this Weds with a pair of Kii‘s to place under the the tree. Really excited and looking forward to an excellent sounding xmas this year!

 

I feel sorry for Santa and the Reindeer- those Kiis and their stands are heavy!  Tell Santa to be careful not to put a hole in your roof. 

[Kelly]

On 12/16/2017 at 3:24 AM, pippenainteasy said:

I wonder how this system would compare to the Dynaudio 200 XD, or even the venerable NHT XD.

Comparison to the Dynaudio 60XD would be more approriate comparison. Three way, price over $10k, and both claim bass extension all the way down to 20Hz.

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 13.12.2017 at 8:57 AM, GUTB said:

The price seems very steep. For that price you can get a used pair of Raidho D1.1s. Will these actually compete with high end standmounts?

 

You can get Raidho speakers. But these are very different from Kii. And it'd be probably difficult to compare the two as Kii is a closed system. 

[baconbrain]

The sleigh has landed ...

 

 

[simonp]

Nice congratulations!

I received the kii control last week. Very happy with the better sq and possibilities.

[AMR/iFi audio]

22 minutes ago, baconbrain said:

The sleigh has landed ...

 

 

 

Enjoy these and do tell us how are they for you!