Kan mk 2 set-up help please..

Are you using these in conjunction with the B&W's (i.e., surround sound or quadrafonic).

Good lord, I hope not.

The kan II's require carefull setup to sound there best. I find that they work best when right up against the wall (no bass otherwise). ideally you would want to cut out some foam there.

My concern that a wall covered in foam will dilute the bass that these are otherwise able to make.

jdud

Steve-

As noted in a variety of threads, the Kans NEED the appropriate Linn stands to sound correct. Those stands should be rock solid once you have positioned them, and for best results, the Kans will go right up to the wall. Unlike the B&W's, they want to face straight out, with no toe in at all. If you bought Kan I's, single wired NACA 5 would be best. If Kan II's, single wired NACA 5, with a custom terminated "biwire" loop so you can avoid the use of the Linn jumpers will be best. They can be positioned fairly wide in a room, but should not have any large furniture between them if you can avoid it. Well set up, they will be faster and tighter than the B&W's, but won't offer that B&W mid range...Life is full of trade offs.
A final note, if you end up preferring the B&W sound, I would try to get a Sound Anchor N 804 base stand shipped into your area if possible. <www.soundanchors.com>
Good luck.

I'd be suprised if flat foam (even a foot thick) would affect bass frequencies EXCEPT by physically reducing the room size.
The only effect of thin foam sheeting would be on the high frequencies. How low absorbtion reached in the frequency spectrum. Dependant on thickness and how open the structure is. Plus whatever effect the wall behind has. Whether solid brick or plasterboard/ panel on studs. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Push the wall (acoustically) and it pushes back. If it "gives" you've lost some energy in the wall. Bare brick is probably best for 'hair shirt' Kan listening. Average sized rooms are ideally a mixture of hardness and absorbtion on all six surfaces. Rugs, curtains, paintings, furniture. Neither fitted carpets or walls covered in foam. Unless you are desperate for high frequency attenuation due to a hard or strident sound. With Mk1 Kans I suggest you keep the foam until you hear them properly over many listening hours. Kans are system dependant to a fault. If you can still smile after a few hours at high volume. Then you might start stripping patches of foam. Until you find that you've started gritting your teeth. Then stop stripping and put a bigger rug on the floor. To bring you back to where you were before the pain set in.

Nime

Everyone has the right to be wrong.

Steve,

If at all possible, dump the foam. Try to use as little absorption as you can get away with and try and replace it with diffusive surfaces. I.E. bookcases, shelves, plants, purpose built diffusors, etc.

In my room (almost identical to yours from your previous posts) I need a single rug on one wall to reduce flutter echoes but I have diffusors all over the place. Too much absorption and your room will sound flat and lifeless. The wall with my Kans on is almost completely clean of absorptive/diffusive material apart from a narrow strip (18") of curtain material in each corner.

Allan

Side diffusor (With my other speakers - ES11s)

Ceiling diffusor:

Front:

Note the diffusor against the glass surface. (Apologies for the width).

I don't have any shots of the rear wall unfortunately but it contains the listening sofa, two 6.5ft tall bookcases with a 'pidgeon-hole' arrangement of shelves for CD's and the rug I mentioned earlier which is deliberately positioned off to one side so as not to be directly behind my head.

Hope this has given you a few ideas.

Allan

Do you have Mk1 or MkII Kans? You seem to have started both a Mk1 and a MkII thread!

If they are Mk1s then, judging by my experience, you might find they sound most musical at about 7 cm from the rear wall. This is what I have found wherever I have tried mine. I could never get them to sound good when they were right against a wall (either on KanII stands or on wall brackets) not even when I had a bass-light LP12/Basik Plus/K9/NAIT.

MkII Kans seem more suited to placement right against the wall in more rooms/systems but I have never tried a pair in my own system.

--J

Thanks Guys !
OK, to clear matters up, JeremyD, I have Kans mk 1 and mk2 stands...
Allan - thanks for your repeated advice - the foam was used to make the room listenable, but I'll try taking it off bit by bit as the hours go by - it makes a huge improvement to my concrete box, and the rear wall is not completely covered...
Justin - No, and again No - the B+W's will be out and up for sale if all goes well, but before that I will look into the Sound anchor base's - thanks bdnyc !
Nime - as you say, everyone has the right to be wrong - in my room, seems like I was wrong choosing the B+W's, but they did it for me in the demo..!
And, to help you all feel better about how cold it is wherever you live - it is freezing in Spain, and we cannot warm the house, no matter how high the heaqting is set - the house is just not built to retain heat..still, when the sun shines, it is lovely outside..

Steve

Just to say, my experience is very difference to Jeremy's. In my room, my Kans need to be right up against the wall. I recently went from NACA4, teminated with banana plugs, to A5, terminated with Naim connectors. I can't say whether it was the change in cable, or the reduced distance from the wall that the new connectors afforded, but the Kans are doing a much better job now.

Steve - there are no real rules on distance from the wall except 'close'. It's room dependant. Bear in mind that if you move the stands they will take at least a day to settle and can sound very poor as they do so.

Kans need a solid hard surface behind them, ditch the foam on the entire wall if you are serious about using kans. You will then have to re-apply in places by experimentation. In my room the problem area is between but well above the kans. I have a 2 foot square (ish) absorbent panel hung on the wall to sort it (search on RFOS effect). The foam tratment you need will most likely be different for different speakers.

If you really want to improve the performance of Kans buy a good record player. A CDX is not really good enough for them.

Regards
Steve

Kan-man - I forgot to say I also have a gyrodec with origen live arm(don't know the nimber - costs about £600) and a rega super elys going into a dino phono amp(with upgrade power supply) - next purchase will be a better cartridge(£300-500 - any ideas ?)
Another question - if Kans seem to lack bass, has anyone tried them with a sub-woofer, and if so, what and how did it all work out ?
Whatever, I am looking forward to trying the Kans once I get home - looks like my excess baggage will be costly - last time I went home I had a supercap and 150cd's in my suitcase...
Steve

Cartridges - Be wary of any advice here since what works in one arm/deck/room may not work with another. I use a DV17D2(mk2) in a full monty Naimed LP12 and love it. Classical fans might not though.

Some people have reported good results using a sub woofer with Kans and they may well be happy but I doubt they have the same priorities as me... Speed and timing are what Kans are all about. If you want fat bloaty disco bass I feel it would be better to buy some bigger speakers.

I am getting as much bass as I need (similar to a nice SBL systemI heard recently) but this is in a small room with a big investment in source and amps. My Kans used to be bass light many years ago but not with the current kit and setup.

Bear in mind that you will need to put some effort in to get the Kans sounding as they should. They are ruthlessly revealing and although not as difficult to get right as Isobariks, a good deal of time patience and experience is needed.

Btw I'm serious about the foam, you need to start from a clear wall - squidgy stuff on the wall behind or near them will kill the music.

Regards
Steve