Kii Three vs. actives with analog crossover

It sounds like you are trapped in marketing spiel, none of which will get you to happy.

Remember that no matter what the technology chosen, it is the designer’s ear and how the speaker integrates into the room and your other components that matter. You can’t be an arm-chair speaker designer and attempt to guess which is going to sound better by reading the lit. There are pros and cons to each of the points you make in the OP.

I would read the Stereophile review of the Kii, not to believe the reviewer, you should not, but read the points he makes, and see if you hear the same things when evaluating each speaker, and whether those points matter to you:


https://www.stereophile.com/content/kii-audio-three-loudspeaker-page-2

I will say that in general, being able to EQ the bass response of a speaker can really enhance the experience. Whether this happens in your streamer (like Roon) or the speakers, in the digital or analog domain is another story.

Best,


E

@erik_squires , correct me if I’m wrong but there advantages to the crossover being handled in the digital domain correct?
I would also look at Dutch and Dutch 8c and the new Buchardts A700 look pretty cool too!


https://www.buchardtaudio.com/products/a700-white


https://dutchdutch.com/8c/

@b_limo
You can argue that there are pro’s but also cons. Don’t get me wrong, DSP processing of audio is fabulously flexible, and I rely on it for my living room in both Roon and to EQ my sub.

The main argument against a DSP crossover really is the quality of the ADC/DAC combination. You buy a nice Berkeley, Mytek or whatever brand DAC, and you feed.... dsp based speakers? To me that makes no sense as the DSP must:

1 - Convert the analog to digital using an ADC
2 - Process it
3 - Convert the digital into analog

Now, if you can do this all in the digital domain before the signal hits the system, like with say a digital preamp, or Roon, then no problem.

An active/analog XO still has potential drawbacks, including the quality of the components and the additional analog stages that must be put in line, which will introduce flavors, distortion and noise of their own.


In either case, you’ll need more amps.


With a passive, speaker level crossover you ALSO introduce a number of issues, like reduced efficiency (due to voltage square vs. power) and the need to spend WAY too much to get great components, but you only buy a stereo amp for 2 speakers. :)


This is why to me, at the end of the day the whole package/end result is what matters most. I have to say though that the idea of having say, a digital pre amp that feeds the speakers a digital signal, and no additional amps is pretty damn sweet sounding. :) Meridian sure was ahead of their time here.

I have had the pleasure of meeting and listening with the designers of the Kii III on several occasions. Each listening session has been a revelation. I have been amazed and left scratching my head each time while checking my bank balance. Go and demo with your own music and source if possible. If you have any doubts about how they will perform in your system ask for an in home trial before committing. Move them around in the room to see how well they image regardless of room acoustics thank to the DSP processing.

So I meant to say this, above:
One of the main reasons I would not go with a fully active speaker system is I love the sound of my electronics, and speakers. I love how my DAC and amp sound. I’ve had ICEpower Class D amps and it was very good, but not this good. Barring a lottery win I'm on my last amp.

nCore/Bruno make fine gear, they really do, but if you go that route you buy the package, and god knows with so much stuff I should get rid of here maybe I should too. :)

I think if they accomplish the room acoustic integration, along with good sounding EQ and tuning, it's surely going to be a great speaker system.


Best,
E