KLH Kendall Floorstanding Speakers - Pair

So this past month or so I spent a while both reading and auditioning Speakers and Amps, as I wanted to build a 2 Channel System for the primary use of listening to music...like I did "BACK IN THE DAY"!!! In doing so, I discovered just how far streaming music capabilities have come and was thoroughly impressed with the sound quality available over the air. With so many of the Tower Type Speakers I was liking, costing 3 grand or more, I was not optimistic wanting a 4 Driver, 3 way system. Initially, the Blue PowerNode, made for a no-brainer of a choice for an amp and streamer, with an included HDMI input for my Roku Device. So after reading and hearing simply raving reviews about the sound of the KLH Kendall Towers at $1299 a pair, I purchased the PowerNode at my Local Dealer, and ordered a pair of the KLF Kendalls. Ordered via Amazon, shipped from World Wide. Setting up the Black Oak finished Towers was pretty easy, screwing the rubber feet on and using Banana Plug connectors to12 gauge speaker wire, connected to the PowerNode. Even at first use, before any break in period, it was apparent that these speakers were a bargain at $1299 a pair!! The PowerNode offers a very clean and un-"colored" feed and for an entry level pairing, the duo sounded quite good....very good in fact. I had all tone controls off on the PowerNode, and the music just dripped through the KLH Kendalls. But there was something missing in the "presence" of the music using the PowerNode. Rated at 60watts, I just felt like more was needed as I had auditioned many amps driving speakers before my purchase. So I had seen the reviews about Yamaha's newest line of Amplifiers and the one that stood out was the A-S801. At $900, it was going to fit well in to my budget, with room for a Media Streaming device to replace the PowerNode as it had no "Pre-out" to connect to another Amplifier. So.....in cutting to the chase, all I can say is Holy Freaking Shat!!! I decided to purchase the Blue Node2i, since I had become familiar with its operation and was very happy with its uncolored sound quality, and in combination, for under three grand, I challenge you to spend double that and find a system that sounds as good as this!! Really....as a life long lover of great music and the equipment its re-created on, this system is as good as anything you can listen to, when it comes to the simplicity of being satisfied....thoroughly!!! The Kendall's are made like a brick as the internal MDF internal driver chambers make for a speaker that weighs every bit of 50 pounds, and giving way to zero cabinet resonance. The Cabinets "knuckle test" passes with a 100!! Rated as getting as low as 25htz, lower than most towers...you can believe me when I say, adding a Subwoofer would be completely unnecessary!! The bass is so tight and controlled...and the midrange....ohhh the midrange!!! Simply "liquid"!! Playing anything from Adelle to Bob James to Earth Wind and Fire, the music just takes on a life of its own as the speakers disappear with a soundstage that reaches far beyond their placement. And let's talk movies for a minute....ok! I wasn't sure if this system would be the most enjoyable for watching movies, but damn!!! I played the film "1912" through my OPPO BDP-83, with the connection scheme involving the Opposing HDMI to the Sony 55 TV, and the Optical Output from the Sony to the Yamaha A-S801. Again, no Sub needed!! It was an amazing experience as sound moved across the screen and behind me at times, engulfing me into every moment of the film! One last thing...DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME BI-AMPING these speakers. Seriously...it creates an overpowered and much more annoying BASS field. It muddied up the Mid Range significantly, and proved to be...well... as I said, a waste of time...but good for you to know right?? The Yamaha A-S801 is not a Bells and Whistle, Light Flashing Amplifier. Its remote is very useful, but with small buttons the you have to learn to braille over! There is no indicator light on the Volume knob either, so its always best to turn it down first if you aren't sure when powering up. But guess what, these few short comings I could give a shat about, you know why...because this amp is truly in a class by itself musically!! I keep the Music Direct button on 99% of the time and its just a fantastic pairing with a set of Speakers that are as uncolored and as musical as it is! You'd have to spend a lot more to equal the sound the KLH Kendalls and the Yamaha A-S801 create. But if you are on a budget, or a true Audiophile who just wants to enjoy the music...this duo may end up being a "cult" pair, even for those owing multiple systems!! "Yeah I've got a Kendall/801 set up!!" It is simply that freaking good.

I love them

SPEAKERS

I have the speakers in the living room for 2 channel music listening. They have an excellent sound stage and can dig deeper than most speakers this size. My wife even commented on how good they sound.

I’d like to start off by stating that I just recently found world wide stereo, and I’m glad that I did! My product specialist was Andrew and his knowledge and expertise was greatly appreciated, as I was thinking of purchasing from the renewed KLH brand, I had heard of them years ago, but was unaware the brand was being relaunched under new leadership, Andrew put to rest any reservations I may of been having about making a possible purchase, as his intellect about audio gear was second to none. I had zeroed in on the KLH audio Kendall model, tower speaker, as it has some pretty remarkable specifications, that seemed rather optimistic due to its size. Andrew assured me they had complete accuracy within their specifications, as he had prior listening experience with the KLH Kendall’s at World Wide Stereo. I was coming from 10 plus years of Klipsch ownership and was looking for a different sound signature, as Klipsch has a sound of its own with their horn loaded tweeter design. Klipsch is a great brand, but I longed to have a different listening experience. I had a few follow up phone calls with Andrew and he had eased my reservations and I decided to make the KLH Kendall purchase.

Timely delivery of my speakers, they arrived un-damaged from any shipping errors that could have occurred, and arrived within a week.
As I began carefully unpacking my speakers I was impressed by the packing that KLH had provided, it was sturdy, solid, and speakers was firmly in place within the carton.
Upon first inspection, I was impressed with the appearance of the cabinetry, real wood veneer finish, I selected Black Oak, the grain looks stunning! I really like the plinth, with the available spike or rubber feet application, to reduce sound reflections and for decoupling purposes. KLH offers, on the Kendall, port tuning, to your preference due to room acoustics or speaker placement, via a foam plug that you may elect to use in place of one of the two rear firing ports. I have chosen not to use the port plug, my
room acoustics don’t warrant the need to do so.

From the minute I hooked up the Kendall’s I immediately noticed a depth to my sound stage, not previously noticed with the Klipsch. The Kendall’s are one foot from rear wall, seven and a half feet spaced from one another, and my listening chair is eleven and a half feet from the Kendall’s. Kendall’s are toed in approximately 20 degrees towards my listening position. My first impression was like I stated, more depth to sound stage, but also of other notable factors as well. The center image was notably wider than with my previous speakers, ie: both on and off axis I noticed immediate wider center image. Further listening also revealed that right out of box, these will need a few hours on them before they really open up, some say speaker break in to be a myth, pseudo science (placebo), but I know what I heard and I conclude it wasn’t in my head, I’d say after about 3 hours of listening to various media, CD, vinyl primarily, various genres, I noticed the Kendall’s to be producing sound a little less effortlessly, not as restrained (muffled), but more transparent and spacious, wide open sound stage was producing nuances in songs that I’d heard several times, now revealing bits of material never once heard before. Kendall’s seem to be quite revealing. The three way design is a feature not found in my previous speaker, so to have that bit of extra depth is nice, rich full sound. Kendall’s produce a nice dynamic sound, from the subtle high hat, chimes, bells and other instruments of various nature, to the low bottom end, scratching the surface of sub 30 Hz cycles, these can really dig, and sing on the high end of the spectrum. Kendall’s have a nice neutral, natural sound signature.

Other key notable feature include: magnetic grilles, bi-wire, bi-amp capable from the dual binding posts, 96 dB efficiency for a wide array of amplification choices, Kevlar drivers with Butyl rubber surrounds, frequency response of 25 Hz-23kHz,
and a TEN YEAR WARRANTY, that’s unheard of in the audio industry!

In closing I’d like to add, I’ve owned the Kendall’s nearly 2 weeks now, I’ve concluded the Kendall’s articulate all of my music spanning over a vast array of genres in a way that surpasses my expectations! You’re not limited by what gear you use either, with their 96 dB efficiently most anyone can appreciate what the Kendall’s have to offer, rather it be from an AVR, 2 channel stereo receiver, or high powered amplifier, you’re sure to find them quite pleasing. I’d also like to thank Patrick from KLH audio, who was also instrumental with this purchase, his knowledge was greatly appreciated and he was supportive by both phone and email, KLH stands behind their products! I highly recommend the Kendall loudspeakers!

I have this and have used them for music as well as for movies [with KLH Story as Center, and Windsor as subwoofer]. It truly shines and have more clarity, punch and power handling compared to the Polk signature series set I have. They truly are a great value at this price point. The speaker is packaged really well and came with spikes if you're placing them on a carpeted room. It does came with base if you want to use the spikes on wood or flat floor. also came with foam plug if you want to plug one of the ports [it has 2!]. The built quality, nice touches like the magnetic grill cover, the heaviness of the entire cabinet, the great feel when you touch it, makes the experience better.

Overall I highly recommend this speaker. Try them out at World Wide Stereo and you can hear the difference. It does rival some of the more expensive speakers and this one is not as expensive.