My new Kismet speakers

Jeff01 · « **on:** 26 Jan 2009, 04:17 am »

I owe Klaus a post about my new Kismet speakers!

Three years ago I got my first serious audio system, and it was from Klaus. Khartago monos, Etesian preamp, and Nightengale speakers. It was a beautiful system to listen to (and to look at), and my wife and I have enjoyed it immensely. A few months ago, my wife and I were invited to sing with the symphony chorus for a production of Beethoven's Ninth. It was a wonderful experience. I also noticed a marked difference between the sound of the string basses on stage with us and the string basses played through my system on my CD of the Ninth (Abbado 1994, remastered). I called Klaus to ask if there was a sub I should pair with the Nightengales to bring orchestral pieces to life, and he laughed and suggested we talk about a Tempest pre and Kismet speakers instead.

I got them late Saturday night -- Klaus drove to meet me partway. He had two tires that had to be replaced; my furnace died as we were getting ready to head out the door, and the wind chills here in Michigan were sub-zero. It was a long night (and we were barely able to fit the boxed Kismets into my SUV!) Klaus -- thanks again for making that trip!

Klaus says these speakers need to break in, but I wouldn't have guessed on my own. I pulled them out of the car at 11:00 at night and hooked everything up. From the instant I turned the music on, the improvement was shockingly apparent. I put the CD of the Ninth on, and the string basses do indeed have the guts and sound that I heard from the live instruments on stage with me. My wife sat down next to me and asked for one of her favorite recordings. 30 seconds in, she smiled and said, "That sounds like his real voice!"

Last month I bought Jim Smith's new book "Get Better Sound." Jim contends that the goal of home audio should be experience the kind of emotional impact in our homes that we experience after attending an excellent concert. I know I have a lot of break-in, room voicing, etc. still ahead of me, but I listened to favorite recordings today and experienced an emotional impact that has not been there in the past. I don't have the words to describe the nuances of the difference. The effect, though, is this: I am enjoying the music, not the system.

Thank you, Klaus!

laserboi · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Jan 2009, 05:24 am »

Jeff,

Great to hear about the emotion that Klaus' products have provided you and continue to provide you. Klaus and company, you're level of customer service and bang! for the buck continue to amaze me. Keep it up, you give those who don't have bottomless pockets a chance at real audio nirvana. Thanks again.

-Pete

2gumby2 · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Jan 2009, 02:01 pm »

Jeff, what is your opinion of the Get Better Sound book? I've been considering it, but haven't heard much about it.

Jeff01 · « **Reply #3 on:** 26 Jan 2009, 11:39 pm »

Hmm. I don't have a long history with audio as a hobby, so I'm not the most qualified person to answer. I really appreciated the book, in particular the tremendous amount of space dedicated to how to voice a system to a room. My listening room is probably the most horrific configuration possible: a great room under a cathedral ceiling with an open stairway, open hallway, flowing into the dining room and kitchen with no fewer than 11 different walls owing to various bumpouts in the layout. Nevertheless, I believe I will be able to follow the step by step instructions in the book for getting things set as ideally as the room will allow. There's actually about 5 pages at the end of the book where he describes voicing a room with a specific disc, telling what he listens for minute by minute in each track and how he corrects if he doesn't hear the sound he expects. I don't think I'll run out to buy the cd and replicate his voicing process, but the step-by-step for locating the listening position and then adjusting speaker position and toe-in should be very doable.

Above all, I appreciated his working thesis that most people can experience dramatic improvements in the sound of the equipment they already own if they're willing to put in the time to work on their listening environment, as well as the idea that the point of the system is to evoke the emotional response that would be present when attending a live concert.

So I'm very glad to have the book. I hope that helps; I'd love to hear Klaus's thoughts if he ever has a chance to read it.

--Jeff

satfrat · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Feb 2009, 08:50 pm »

So how's things working out for you Jeff? I hope you placed your loudspeakers well out into the room so they can breathe? Being rear ported, they need good spacing from both the front wall and the side walls inorder to establish a deep wide sound stage with solid center imaging. Very little toe-in is required. I hope you will follow up on this thread that you started as I'm curious on how you are progressing,,,, hopefully as well as I have with my Lorelei's.

Cheers,
Robin

Biscuit · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 12:00 am »

Pictures????

Just kidding but I'd love to see them. Post pix when you have a chance.

Thanks!

Jeff01 · « **Reply #6 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 02:54 am »

Quick update: two weeks and a few hundred hours in on the speakers. It's weird -- they sounded so amazingly good out of the box that I'm not sure what I'm listening for as the break-in period progresses. It's not like I've heard any weakness or deficiency in their performance that I'm hoping time will correct. I love love love listening to this system!

satfrat · « **Reply #7 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 03:25 am »

Here's a tip for improving the performance of your loudspeakers Jeff, your sound stage depth will improve substantially if you post pictures of them.

The higher the resolution, the more depth will be realized.

Cheers,
Robin

Biscuit · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 12:18 am »

Quote from: satfrat on 9 Feb 2009, 03:25 am

Here's a tip for improving the performance of your loudspeakers Jeff, your sound stage depth will improve substantially if you post pictures of them. The higher the resolution, the more depth will be realized.

Cheers,
Robin

Finally a voice of reason!!!

Rapt · « **Reply #9 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 09:16 pm »

in for pix!

Biscuit · « **Reply #10 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 11:37 pm »

Quote from: Rapt on 10 Feb 2009, 09:16 pm

in for pix!

See Robin, I win! More votes for Pix!!! Why the secracy?

satfrat · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 Feb 2009, 12:48 am »

Quote from: Biscuit on 12 Feb 2009, 11:37 pm

Quote from: Rapt on 10 Feb 2009, 09:16 pm
in for pix!

See Robin, I win! More votes for Pix!!! Why the secracy?

What secrecy(try using spell check

) is it that you speak of Mr Biscuit?

Cheers,
Robin

Jeff01 · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 Feb 2009, 01:05 pm »

I am still waiting on the bases and cones for my Kismets. I figured I should at least have them look the part before I start posting pictures of them

At the moment they look an awful lot like Lorelei speakers in natural cherry sitting directly on carpeting...

djbnh · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 Feb 2009, 02:30 pm »

Quote from: satfrat on 9 Feb 2009, 03:25 am

Here's a tip for improving the performance of your loudspeakers Jeff, your sound stage depth will improve substantially if you post pictures of them. The higher the resolution, the more depth will be realized.

Cheers,
Robin

Wicked funny. Cheers, Robin!

Biscuit · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Feb 2009, 04:32 pm »

Spellcheck? What's dat? Anyway, I was just kidding!

hmen · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Feb 2009, 04:42 pm »

Quote from: 2gumby2 on 26 Jan 2009, 02:01 pm

Jeff, what is your opinion of the Get Better Sound book? I've been considering it, but haven't heard much about it.

I received the book yesterday. It's definitely worth the money. I casually tried some of the tips on speaker placement without actually measuring distances and angles and I already hear a big improvement.

Howard

Rapt · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Feb 2009, 02:45 am »

Quote from: Jeff01 on 13 Feb 2009, 01:05 pm

I am still waiting on the bases and cones for my Kismets. I figured I should at least have them look the part before I start posting pictures of them At the moment they look an awful lot like Lorelei speakers in natural cherry sitting directly on carpeting...

Thanks for that Jeff... I'll be waiting

satfrat · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Feb 2009, 03:03 am »

Quote from: Rapt on 14 Feb 2009, 02:45 am

Quote from: Jeff01 on 13 Feb 2009, 01:05 pm
I am still waiting on the bases and cones for my Kismets. I figured I should at least have them look the part before I start posting pictures of them At the moment they look an awful lot like Lorelei speakers in natural cherry sitting directly on carpeting...

Thanks for that Jeff... I'll be waiting

Likewise,,, even tho I have 2 pair of Lorelei's, they're in oak, not cherry.

machinehead · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 Feb 2010, 01:43 am »

What are the differences between the Lorelei's and the Kismets?

Also what is the price difference?

adamaley · « **Reply #19 on:** 17 Feb 2010, 03:42 am »

This thread is useless without pictures. Let's see them beauties.