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Kii....the future??

It's not a proper hobby if you don't have crap everywhere and lots of stuff to fiddle with...this is a bit like telling the guy with multiple outbuildings full of parts and several classic bikes in various states of rebuild after their most recent breakdowns, that he could buy a new Yamaha and have just as much fun on the road! It might be true, but it misses the point!

It depends on your hobby. If you enjoy fiddling with stuff then have at it. If you just want to listen to music, the Kii Three is a terrific option.
 
KEF Wireless LS50 speakers will also do a similar job for £2K. You only need add a working internet and a smartphone.

If I am ever forced to downsize - that is where I will be going.

Not really. "Similar in this instance means "really not as good". You don't understand what the Kiis are about till you've heard the clarity and coherence of them. You'd probably need 2 subs and full scale DRC (including timing of the drivers), and room treatments to add to the KEFs to do what the Kiis are doing. So add in 5K at least and you still haven't gotten rid of all the wires and boxes.
Are the Kefs good? Sure. But they aren't the Kiis.
 
10k for active speakers will never be the future for the mass

what we need is good fullrange speakers under 3k. something like the Tekton DI, ect are the future

They aren't supposed to be for the masses. Just like all high end audio. For the masses there are already very good active systems starting at a few hundred.
Added performance in high end audio is always expensive. There's a very steep curve of diminishing returns once you get past a moderate investment.

Every person has to decide how far along that curve he/she is willing to go. Some people are willing to pay a lot for a relatively small improvement. Others aren't.
 
The Kiis and Dutch&Dutch aren’t cheap, but they are a complete system in themselves you just add the source/s of your choice, preamp,poweramps, DACs,adcs are all built in, nothing else is required.
Keith
 
With the Kiis or Dutch & Dutch you could save £10k just on pre-power interconnects and speaker wire - e.g. Chord music or Naim SL.
 
With the Kiis or Dutch & Dutch you could save £10k just on pre-power interconnects and speaker wire - e.g. Chord music or Naim SL.

That’s true of any active speaker. And of any passive system. Most people with active systems just use modestly priced XLR cables and would get change from £100. You just don’t have to spend stupid money on stupid cables, irrespective of system. And there’s nothing stopping someone stupid from spending stupid money on some CAT6 for a Kii system .. say £5k for this Audioquest cable. Gets you further into the future. And if you buy your Kiis from Simply Stereo he could also sell you some Tellurium Silver Power Cables for a mere £1900 per 2m. Alas, the future will slither around in just as much snake oil as the past.
 
The Kii’s were ultra clean in my room with decent power but no match to twin Parasound JC1’s, Chord Hugo TT, Fathom F113 - not even close
 
He doesn't sell Kii anymore, you don't need to insult him.

He's mentioned this a few times already, so istm safe to presume pfm already knows.
Anyway, far from convinced stating this matter of fact is an insult.
I've had enough of Kieth's stock hyperbolic sales pitch, but ymmv.

The Kiis and Dutch&Dutch aren’t cheap, but they are a complete system in themselves you just add the source/s of your choice, preamp,poweramps, DACs,adcs are all built in, nothing else is required.
Keith

Apart from stands. Anything else?
 
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The Kii’s were ultra clean in my room with decent power but no match to twin Parasound JC1’s, Chord Hugo TT, Fathom F113 - not even close
Could you post a frequency plot of your system, it would be interesting to ‘see’ the sound you are enjoying at the moment.
Keith
 
Ive heard the Kii's and they, or something like them, are indeed in my future.

When I have retired, my ears are shot, and I have to put up with a small listening space, something like them may be on the cards.

For now I will listen to my full-scale, full-range system which gives relaxed but life-like impact and doesn't sound nervous by trying to squeeze a quart from a pint-pot.
In addition, companies like Kii, Devialet etc.. are too flaky (for now) to throw a lot of money at, and the long-term repairability of their gear is open to question.
 
Could you post a frequency plot of your system, it would be interesting to ‘see’ the sound you are enjoying at the moment.
Keith

I do not have that particular system now sadly.. so im unable to start plotting graphs

What I do know is that the Parasound system had virtually unlimited headroom - bass you can feel together with a pure emotional experience playing music - sadly the Kii’s did not possess these qualities for me

not sure if emotions and pleasure are convertible into plots, but there you go - a home is not a mastering studio

Exactly
 
I suspect these new products are a step forward and I am quite sure DSP in (presumably active) loudspeakers is a going to a part of the future. The problem today is what seems to be over-assertion of DSP's importance relative to other design issues because (Meridian's longstanding DSP 'speakers notwithstanding) it is getting recent attention from new entrants into the market who naturally promote it as a USP.

The design of any loudspeaker remains a set of compromises, according to my reading around the issue. DSP adds another very interesting tool to help ameliorate such compromises. I am sure it makes important improvements but I don't yet see it as a"magic bullet". I have seen too many assertions of major breakthroughs in audio equipment since I became interested, that have proved to be much more modest in practice.

I think it is fair to believe that it is moderate application of DSP to loudspeakers of already good fundamental design that will produce good results.
 
I do not have that particular system now sadly.. so im unable to start plotting graphs

What I do know is that the Parasound system had virtually unlimited headroom - bass you can feel together with a pure emotional experience playing music - sadly the Kii’s did not possess these qualities for me

We did take some measurements of the Kii Three in your living room though. I appreciate that they might not have provided the room shaking bass that you are after, but you have to agree they do everything that Kii claims, including reproducing the entire frequency range in the correct proportions. Using the built-in EQ or your own outboard EQ, you can push the bass well beyond neutral, if you wish.
 
I suspect these new products are a step forward and I am quite sure DSP in (presumably active) loudspeakers is a going to a part of the future. The problem today is what seems to be over-assertion of DSP's importance relative to other design issues because (Meridian's longstanding DSP 'speakers notwithstanding) it is getting recent attention from new entrants into the market who naturally promote it as a USP.

The design of any loudspeaker remains a set of compromises, according to my reading around the issue. DSP adds another very interesting tool to help ameliorate such compromises. I am sure it makes important improvements but I don't yet see it as a"magic bullet". I have seen too many assertions of major breakthroughs in audio equipment since I became interested, that have proved to be much more modest in practice.

I think it is fair to believe that it is moderate application of DSP to loudspeakers of already good fundamental design that will produce good results.

Agreed. DSP is not a "magic bullet". It is an enabling technology. What matters is how you apply it.
 


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