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Kudos X2

Soon, very soon, I've got an ear ache the amount of calls I get with people wanting to hear these recently, a very busy time ahead with these new lil beauts.
 
Maxbertola said:
Any news on those new Kudos X2's, that made a sensation a few weeks ago in a HiFi show?
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LOL!:D Glad so many people enjoyed the sounds we made - Word seems to have got around.

Anyway, Derek from Kudos has assured me that most Kudos dealers in the UK should have a demo pair before Christmas.

For those who don't know what the Kudos X2 looks like........ Here you go, the walnut ones we had at the show: http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9748/p10608581.jpg

In the picture, it's sitting next to the well known C20 - Probably up until now, our most popular Kudos model. You maybe familiar with it, so you can work out how diminutive the X2 is. If not, the most similar floor standing speaker size-wise I can think of is the Neat Motive 2.

Available finishes as far as I know are Maple, Cherry, Rosenut, Walnut, Oak, Satin Black and White. I'm pretty sure Rosewood, Piano Black and White will be available to special order for a premium.

The cost of the standard finish X2s was projected to be £1299.00 last time I spoke to Derek and the grilles will be available, should people want them. (Most people I've spoken to so far wouldn't want to use them anyway!)

The idea was to keep the cost of the speaker as low as possible, so offering the grilles as an add on if people wanted them meant the X2s could stay below the very important £1300.00 price point IMHO

Hope this helps and do give your Kudos dealer a call to ensure you can have a listen when they arrive.

KR

Peter
 
Paul,

I haven’t made a direct comparison yet as my only experience if them was the two days at the show and briefly a couple of weeks ago here at the shop.

Neat have raised the bar recently too with the introduction of the Elite SX which at £1895.00 is considerably better than the old Se as you would imagine and it looks nicer too!

So how would a new Kudos X2 compare against the old Elite Se???? Obviously I can only make an educated guess from memory, as best I can for you....:

I think it would be a close run thing, but the X2s are so bl**dy good for their size and price, my gut feeling is they would pip the old Se's for sound quality. The X2s do have such an engaging sound, being so very musical and sounding like speakers twice their size at low through to normal and high-ish levels!:eek: Obviously being so small, eventually you would hear them reach their limits and I would think just before the Se's would, but this is considerably louder than say their main competition, the Neat Motive 2s would go. Both Motive 2s and Kudos X2s are really very small floor standing speaker and will have maximum WAF, which is often rather important!

For many then.... A speaker worthy of serious consideration!

Kind regards,

Peter
 
Thanks Peter, thanks Adam.
Some posters on Naim forum were really thrilled about them. I think they could turn out a great upgrade on the N-Sats for all those with a CD5X-NaitXS-FlatCap2X - like myself - not being completely sure about a N-Sub and in need of a little more body.

I must say that the addition of Powerlines has considerably enhanced my enjoyment of the Sats, but the fact is that a more fullrange speaker, with the same level of detail and smoothness, would be a real winner.

Kind Regards
Massimo
 
BTW - I auditioned a pair of C30 in Parma, where the Italian distributor has his headquarters (a very nice, ample canteen where he sells a huge choice of excellent wines/liquors and HiFi, a kind of adult males' heaven), and I have been very impressed. At a similar price point, though (for Italy at least), I still want to hear a pair of Ovators properly demo'ed.

Regards,
Massimo
 
Cymbiosis said:
LOL!:D Glad so many people enjoyed the sounds we made - Word seems to have got around.

Anyway, Derek from Kudos has assured me that most Kudos dealers in the UK should have a demo pair before Christmas.

For those who don't know what the Kudos X2 looks like........ Here you go, the walnut ones we had at the show: http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9748/p10608581.jpg

In the picture, it's sitting next to the well known C20 - Probably up until now, our most popular Kudos model. You maybe familiar with it, so you can work out how diminutive the X2 is. If not, the most similar floor standing speaker size-wise I can think of is the Neat Motive 2.

Available finishes as far as I know are Maple, Cherry, Rosenut, Walnut, Oak, Satin Black and White. I'm pretty sure Rosewood, Piano Black and White will be available to special order for a premium.

The cost of the standard finish X2s was projected to be £1299.00 last time I spoke to Derek and the grilles will be available, should people want them. (Most people I've spoken to so far wouldn't want to use them anyway!)

The idea was to keep the cost of the speaker as low as possible, so offering the grilles as an add on if people wanted them meant the X2s could stay below the very important £1300.00 price point IMHO

Hope this helps and do give your Kudos dealer a call to ensure you can have a listen when they arrive.

KR

Peter
Click to expand...

I think the neat motive 2 look better, and why is £1300 very important?
 
Robert M said:
I think the neat motive 2 look better, and why is £1300 very important?
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Believe its an invisible price point or budget many are prepared not to pay more for speakers no matter how good they are
Could be compared to $1999 Eur 2000 etc..
I think people have many price issues, some won't buy amplifiers more than £1K but be happy to shell out 2K for speakers and only peanuts for their source.

A really important issue for any dealer to promote a change in customers thinking - getting better results and keep sales going..
 
hifi_dave said:
The price of the X-2 has now been fixed at £1350.
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Hi Dave,

Yes, I received my pricelist earlier too.

The grille or no grille thing was considered confusing for customers, so the grilles are included as standard and no opt out as I'd hoped.

So £1350.00 it is!

FYI. So long as the VAT man doesn't ask for more than 17.5% come January 1st?????:confused: The £1350.00.00 price will stay and the VAT increase will be absorbed. So no rush decisions unless you can't resist them.

BTW. The Motive 2 is increasing in January to a suggested £1076.00 as the VAT hike and costs have forced Neat's hand here.

So anyone considering Neat? I advise that you do need to make your mind up! So it's just as well Kudos have confirmed they are now building X2s this week, so if all things go to plan, dealers will have them before Christmas, so you guys can grab a listen during your festive break!:rolleyes:

Me..... I'll just grab a mince pie when I can!:D

KR

Peter
 
I'm guessing most Kudos dealers will have received their stock of X2s today. We certainly have, although we ended up going to the local depot to collect both them and the Ovators (same carrier) because they are so far behind with their deliveries held up in the snow.

Anyway, happy to join the list of dealers falling over themselves to keep you abreast of this fact!

Happy Christmas!


Alastair
 
How much snow have you got up there in the wilds ? All our main roads are clear now, fortunately but the countryside looks beautifully wintery.

Not wishing to be left behind, I am getting my Osiris tomorrow.
 
Excellent news Dave! I'm sure you'll be pleased with it, although ours seemed to go 'off' quite noticeably for a few days as it settled down.

After a pretty rough Thursday / Friday, the conditions are not all that bad round here. The main roads are fine but a few rural ones still need some care. I'm a bit surprised to have found myself driving (it takes all of ten minutes) to collect stuff from a delivery depot who cannot get boxes moved to us.

More is due from Naim tomorrow and it will be interesting to see if they manage third time lucky.
 
Yes, how come the Postman manages to get here whatever the weather and the delivery people can't manage ? Just imagine what it will be like when the Government manage to dismantle the Post Office and we will all be collecting post from a depot, snow or not.
 
SignalsUK said:
Maybe we need the grumpy old men thread. But I do agree. Mind you, even the postman failed on Friday.
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LOL!:D Grumpy old men!!! Nah, just sit at home the pair of you and listen to your X2s, then you won't be grumpy anymore;)

Some of us retailers have to drive to work you know! :D Just as well I have AWD.

Happy Christmas gents! :D and get running in those X2s and Ovators - I have a feeling we're going to be very busy in the New Year.

Kind regards,

Peter
 
Blimey they are tiny. I love my C2s, how do these compare?

By the way David I got a Maestro Settanta amp recently and it pairs up very well with my Unico CDP and the Kudos. They just seem to be getting better and better.
 
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