I have the Kii Threes, which I’m currently using with Sonore’s optical streamer (Signature Rendu). I don’t know if this will be helpful to you, but here are a few things you might consider as you do your research.
–Factor your listening room into the decision
My current listening room is suboptimal by acoustic standards. (All the common domestic issues: small, square shape, and both speakers and listening position are relatively close to walls.) In this environment, the Kiis (and other DSPd systems, presumably) rise toward the top of the rankings. That’s because passive or non-DSPd active speakers would have such striking problems with low frequency control. My previous system was Wilson / PS Audio, and in my current room, the Kiis are better (for less money).
If your room is more optimal, and you have more flexibility in listening position / speaker placement, then the Kiis’ advantage diminishes. My Wilsons may well have bested them in a different room. Darko compared the Kiis to a KEF/Hegel system of similar cost, and preferred the latter.
–Factor in service and support
…especially if you’re thinking of a complex all-in-one system like Kii or D&D. These are new, relatively untested systems full of proprietary technology that likely can only be repaired by the companies that made them. I would consider what you will do if something breaks – how hard will it be to get it fixed? Will you have to ship it halfway around the world, at your expense? I don’t know where you live, but if support/repair would be difficult or costly, personally, that would push me away from an all-in-one system like Kii; I would lean toward a more traditional active or passive system, ideally one with a local dealer or repair center. Also, personally, I would not buy an all-in-one system without a warranty, for the same reason.
I hope that helps as you consider your options. This is a constantly-changing product category, obviously, so if you don’t like the current options, there’s a good chance something else will come along soon. That being said, as always, if you’re ready to buy, don’t wait too long for vaporware.
Need to thank everyone for chiming in, super interesting and eye opening for me. But this post of yours is exactly what I was looking for -call it confirmation bias or whatever, but it does steer me in the direction of maybe ‘waiting for a more mature product’ adressing the 2-3 doubts I currently have.
I have interacted with Chris R. at Kii and he is great indeed. But with the plan of maybe setting these up in our future office (in Uruguay in the middle of nowhere!) a lot of what you described would indeed come into play. I was thinking maybe: a Lumin X1, Roon and sth like the Threes but… it might not be so simple or tick all the boxes. I think we will wait for a new iteration or a more mature competitor, and see if that could make my second setup in the future.
You’re welcome. People have helped me on forums many times in the past, so it’s my pleasure to be able to contribute, if only in a small way.
In my opinion, in discussions about equipment, people sometimes put too much emphasis on technical stats and hearsay about how a piece performs. Your listening room / speaker position are not “sexy,” but they have a much larger impact on the sound you hear than, say, whether something downsamples to 48/24 – and therefore should play a larger role in your decision process. Similarly, having painless access to service / support for a product (and a manufacturer that’s still around to provide it) isn’t sexy either, but it can make the difference between a purchase that brings you years of enjoyment, and one you regret. A glowing review from The Absolute Sound won’t help you if a product stops working and you can’t get it fixed. And this stuff is not cheap, as you know.
Although pure audiophiles tend to regard Bang & Olufsen as a lifestyle brand, the Beolab 90s are awesome and striking speakers, and were given an appropriately generous review by Stereophile magazine when they first came out a few years back. You can connect a Roon Nucleus directly to them via USB, but probably better to run through through a high end DAC first, and connect that via XLR to the speakers.
The OP has a budget of 20k Euros. The Beolab 90s make even those lovely Meridians look good value! The 90s have a baby version, though (Beolab 50) but even that is about 25k Euros per speaker.
EDIT - I see that they have quite a range of Beolabs models, so some of the smaller ones may be worth a look if they can be serviced locally. If local servicing is the most important issue, this should drive the search.
Agreed. I have a friend with SCM40 P’s and he loves them. I had a pair of SCM50A’s which were similar but with more bass and more refinement. Traded them in last year for a pair of used active SCM150 anniversaries. Now in heaven. Although large they don’t overwhelm my medium sized listening room with bass. They are far more musical than you would expect a studio monitor to be if you’ve not heard them
It is possible that a mk II will come, but I think it will take a few years… D&D just presented the 8 Studio, built with MDF instead of oak. Sounds the same as the 8C they say. If that is correct it’s quite impressive. Oak fibre board and MDF has very different propeties. The nice thing is that MDF is much easier to shape. Cheaper to buy too.
MDF is also much more stable under living room conditions. There have been some reports of the oak cases cracking, requiring replacement. If you are going to get an all black model, it doesn’t matter what the case is made from.
The 8 Studio has a steel shell doesn’t it? If so it’s actually more resilient than the 8C. As you say, if black is your choice, why not? 8 Studio lacks the streaming capabilities, but I’d probably want a Mutec MC-3 in front anyway so the AES/EBU input is good.
Steel shell? Where did you hear that? I recall you mentioning that over on the 8C thread, but I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else. MDF case fitted with mounting inserts for a bracket to be attached, instead of an Oak case.
John do they have the latest ATC tweeter? If not plan the tweeter upgrade, transformational plus they can service the amps at same time all for sensible money
Burchardt has promised the A500s will be Roon Ready, the hub that transfers sound from source to the speakers, since December 2020. They are not so as of today. Mads Buchardt now claims whether the A500’s hub becomes Roon Ready is in the hands of Hansong, the maker of the hub that is integral to the A500s. I am very troubled by Buchardt’s unqualified statements that their A500s would be Roon Ready soon, or Roon Ready certification was in the hands of Roon Labs, and he later walks this back and parses Roon Ready certification to whether the hub for the A500s becomes Roon Ready certified.
On January 29, 2021 Buchardt stated on its Facebook page:
“Platin Hub updates and new features.
We have been aware that some customers have struggled with the stability of the Platin hub. The Platin team recently released a large update that your hub downloads automatically if it’s connected to the internet. This fixed a lot of issues, but they are still working on some HDMI bugs which should be fixed very soon.
Coming features to the hub are the new BIG app release that would include the advanced EQ, app based remote and more room correction features along with a WiSA setup that would be more used for the multichannel WiSA users.
Roon Ready. This is all on Roon labs, they have had the hub for some time and said between 1-4 weeks until we could expect proper Roon Ready support.
Tidal Connect. This would be coming in the second quarter of 2021.”
Comment: Four weeks from 1/29/21 is roughly 3/2/21. We all know that the hub Buchardt sold as the control center of the A500 and A700 is not “Roon Ready” nor is it “Roon Tested” as of May 1, 2021. So roughly eight weeks after Buchardt represented the hub it sells for the A500 and A700 would be Roon Ready, it is NOT.
Saying something you don’t know to be true, but is in fact false, is not effectively differently than making an knowing false statement. Make your own judgment, but I cancelled my order for A500s based on the behavior described and the lack of transparency from Buchardt. Profile - Mads_Buchardt - Roon Labs Community
