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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Konus Audio Systems Essence Speakers by lastlongmile@aol.com

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REVIEW: Konus Audio Systems Essence Speakers

205.188.116.7


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Model: Essence
Category: Speakers
Suggested Retail Price: $3,500
Description: Single driver full-range floorstanders
Manufacturer URL: Konus Audio Systems
Manufacturer URL: Konus Audio Systems

Review by lastlongmile@aol.com ( A ) on April 15, 2007 at 07:32:04
IP Address: 205.188.116.7
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for the Essence


Sometimes i find my self just comtemplating these speakers too much. After two years of ownership they still inspire me. Often it is enough just to look and not listen. How can a driver shy of 4 inches deliver so much. They are truly Zen. They are simple. They are beautiful. Listening to them makes you feel like you've just entered a large party with easily the most beautiful girl on your arm. You cannot believe your luck, but you envy her as much as everyone else. You envy these speakers and in return theyare just so generous with themselves.

I have these small drivers strapped to 4 refurbished monoblock Dynaco MkIIIs. This is overkill and i find it hilarious in its conception. These speakers love horsepower but this much? LOL!. Mapletree octal 6A preamp. Interconnects from Bottlehead. McIntosh MVP851 audio/dvd player. The amps themselves sit upon a custom stand made built by Tyler Acoustics weighted with coarse sand. All other components sit on a VTI rack each deck with its own isolation points.Speaker cable from Audioquest. I've attempted various tweaks on this system including tube rolling to the shut down of every appliance in the house. Nothing more than a dime's worth of differnce is revealed to the sound of the Konus' and even that may be my imagination. Nuance is all in the crossovers of multi-drivers. The Jordan JX92 in these cabinets are just going to take you on one hell of a nantucket sleigh ride as a great whale would pull you through rough spray.

Rudy Van Gelder of Blue Note fame is busy remastering his catalog of classics. Some say his overmiking is just too "white" what ever that means?

The Konus' say "Bring it on!" Eric Dolphy was either the greatest jokester or genius in jazz. Perhaps both. I repeatedly have to listen to Hat and Beard from his recording entitled "Out to Lunch" Who knew music sans lyric could be this amusing? But this is so inventive too. Before multi tracking muddied the waters, the late "50s early '60s saw some of our best recording technology. Great mics critically placed to good musicians and analog tape can still years later, remastered, shock with its fidelity.

A great compilation disc entitled "Root of Acid Jazz" from Jimmy Smith does not give up much ground to a newer jazz organist such as John Medeski with his trio's marvelously sonic "Combustification." The Konus Essences just eat this stuff alive. It is all so lovely. Much has been said of Joni Mitchell's voice but even a singer i never quite got such as Diana Krall comes across with the Konus' Both these women are Canadian and now i understand that some of what i have always loved about Mitchell's phrasing can be atributed to a nortern tinged accent.These speaker are indeed so open the human voice can be entirely revealed. Trentmoeller's "The Last Resort" defies catagory or description. You owe it to yourself to hear this on any high end system. The Konus' will kick you out of the room on this one.

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Product Weakness: Do not like compressed, busy, poorly recorded music. Hey i love that stuff too but if it was meant to be played for radio so listen on a smaller system. Long break in but worth it.
Product Strengths: Tight organic bass. All Speed and Horsepower. Full range sonics when matched to strong tube amps.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Dynaco MkIII monblock
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Mapletree Octal 6A
Sources (CDP/Turntable): McIntosh MVP 851
Speakers: Konus Essence
Cables/Interconnects: audiio quest/bottlehead
Music Used (Genre/Selections): jazz, blues, classical, ambient
Room Size (LxWxH): 10 x 8 x 7
Room Comments/Treatments: close your eyes the room will enlarge
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 yrs
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Konus Audio Systems Essence Speakers - lastlongmile@aol.com 07:32:04 04/15/07 ( 2)