Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Meadowlark Audio Kestrel 2 Speakers by jonbee

Model:	Kestrel 2
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1995
Description:	2 way floorstander
Manufacturer URL:	Meadowlark Audio

Review by jonbee on February 19, 2009 at 11:28:25
IP Address: 146.129.249.194 Add Your Review
for the Kestrel 2

Meadowlark, sadly, is no more. They had a relatively brief run, converted a fair number of enthusiasts, and slipped under the waves.
After getting my pair of curly maple K2s, I think I see why.
The cabinets, which are the costliest part of most high end speakers, are truly beautiful examples of woodcraft. The baffle and top are inch-thick machined solid hardwood slabs, and the finish is very nice.
Additionally, rather than just drivers in a box, these are true transmission line designs, which adds much more complexity and expense to cabinet design and construction.
I know of no $2000 speaker, including the Chinese makers, that display this level of craft and intricacy for the $. These cabinets were costly to make, and I don't think the price asked gave them much margin to work with.

They use good drivers: Peerless HDS series 850439 triple layer woofers (a Linkwitz lab fave), and the nice Vifa XT ring radiator tweeters, with quality 6 db/octave xovers and a slanted baffle for time and phase compensation. This is a well thought out design that is much more expensive than typical drivers in a veneered box.

That said, this is a somewhat difficult speaker to review. Most audiophile speakers are rated for their "accuracy". When a speaker designer seems to deliberately voice his speakers differently, matchups and personal taste come even more to the front. The reviews of these speakers range from the ecstatic to the disappointed, and after hearing them I can understand both reactions.

I first put them into my main rig, which usually employs VMPS RM30 planar/ribbon hybrids and ACI Force subs. I have dialed this system meticulously over the years to produce a very high degree of accuracy while avoiding sterility or edginess.
My first reaction to the K2s was that the whole midrange really sounded beautiful and engaging. It jumped into the room more than the RM30s. The vocal range really floated in the room. Palpable presence, indeed. Violins sounded like burnished wood. Very nice indeed. After more careful listening, it seemed that part of the midrange magic was created by "pushing" the mids forward. Not "accurate" perhaps, but effective in giving the presentation some real body.
The next thing I noticed was that the treble range was very clean, smooth, and quite detailed, but recessed, with the very top mostly MIA.
I would have preferred it if the tweeter had a couple db more output overall, but I think the designer had a point of view on this.
The bass was nice and deep, with good definition, but a bit soft.
The sound was coherent and the soundstage, while not as precisely chiseled or deep as many very good speakers, was wide and uniform.
Note that these attributes were in comparison to a carefully tuned speaker system 4x the price.
I then moved the speakers into my bedroom system, which is what I bought them for. My goal here wasn't to get the kind of incisiveness that my big rig has, but to get a musical, engaging, relaxing listen that syncs with the room.
The story there was different. The highs in the bedroom came up in the mix, and although the very top was still lacking, the balance was much better overall. The sidewalls are closer to the speakers in that room, compared to my main room, and I think the sidewall reflections lifted the high end noticeably.
Nevertheless the logic of voicing of the speaker became clear: the divergences from "accuracy" were dialed in as a group to provide a smooth, palpable, and highly listenable experience. Less than stellar recording were rendered better sounding, and the overall sound was not incisive, but more burnished. The usual 'phile qualities of detail, soundstaging, depth, dynamics were all acceptable, even quite good, but the sum of the parts make music an enjoyable, relaxing experience.
Net, I'm not sure these are speakers designed to appeal to audiophiles, but more to music lovers who also appreciate fine cabinetry.
These now sell for a fraction of the original price, well under $1k. If one has a need for a highly musical, if not squeaky accurate view of the recordings, they are a steal on the used market.
I should add that my amps are all "digital". Many have found that the K2s work particularly well with tubes, and it wouldn't surprise me if tubes took these to another level.
All in all, while these are not up to my standards for my big system, for my second system they meet my goals on the nose. My wife LOVES the cabinets, so they are going to stay right where they are.

Product Weakness:	Smooths over microdynamic details, very top end is recessed. Bass is a little soft, but not boomy at all.
Product Strengths:	Very good imaging, no noxious colorations, gorgeous mids, great cabinets. A somewhat euphonic view. Good bass response. No listener fatigue at all. Forgiving of poor recording.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: PS Audio GCC-250
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): none
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Modwright/Sony 9100 Platinum Sig Truth
Speakers: vmps rm30C
Cables/Interconnects: all silver
Music Used (Genre/Selections): lots
Room Size (LxWxH): 19 x 16 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments: Difficult to get good bass loading- 2 walls of glass
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): PS Audio Quintet
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	PS Audio GCC-250
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Modwright/Sony 9100 Platinum Sig Truth
Speakers:	vmps rm30C
Cables/Interconnects:	all silver
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	lots
Room Size (LxWxH):	19 x 16 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Difficult to get good bass loading- 2 walls of glass
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	PS Audio Quintet
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner