Kudos S20s

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Okay - these speakers tick all the boxes.  In light oak on order

Thanks for all comments and contributions guys. Much appreciated  

Regards,

Lindsay 

Good choice (biased opinion of course).  Bear with your new ones until you put a few hours on them and then enjoy.  If I thought I could get management approval I would have demoed the original Titans by now out of curiosity.  As the Isobaric was always the "super Kan" I imagine the Titans have a similar relationship to the S20's.

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Okay - these speakers tick all the boxes.  In light oak on order

Thanks for all comments and contributions guys. Much appreciated  

Regards,

Lindsay 

Congratulations,  time to sit back, gloat for abit, ( I think that's allowed ), stop analysing, and enjoy the music...

David Hendon posted:

Huge posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

...I would have gone for the S20s (did I get my 3rd conditional right here???)

Yes!

It's often said that foreign English speakers use the language better than native English speakers!

And what's more, unlike most native English speakers, you actually know it's called a 3rd conditional!

best

David

I know - it's somewhat embarrassing!

...and to keep in line with the topic, hopefully my S20's (and S10's) will be with me shortly. I love my Titans but they are just a tad - erm - "large" for my current room so they'll be replaced with S20's (and the Titans stored away for now) with S10's going in as rears and centre.

Phil

I'll be more than happy to look after your Titans for a while 

Congratulations Lindsay.

I have just returned from a listen to a pair of S20s at my dealers on the end of CD555/555PS/552DR/300DR. Blimey they are impressive! I would need to listen to them in my system as it doesn't match up to the one I heard today. I am sure much of the quality I heard today was down to the electronics, particularly the 552, but it shows the S20s are up to the demands of top of the range Classic sources and amplification.

If I can just sort out the logistics at home, I may just go for a home demo of the S20s. My kind dealer said I could have them over the Xmas hols. Very tempting. My dealer knows me too well me thinks.

Enjoy your new speakers, Lindsay.

nigelb posted:

Congratulations Lindsay.

I have just returned from a listen to a pair of S20s at my dealers on the end of CD555/555PS/552DR/300DR. Blimey they are impressive! I would need to listen to them in my system as it doesn't match up to the one I heard today. I am sure much of the quality I heard today was down to the electronics, particularly the 552, but it shows the S20s are up to the demands of top of the range Classic sources and amplification.

If I can just sort out the logistics at home, I may just go for a home demo of the S20s. My kind dealer said I could have them over the Xmas hols. Very tempting. My dealer knows me too well me thinks.

Enjoy your new speakers, Lindsay.

Nigel - you will really, really like them with your system!

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Okay - these speakers tick all the boxes.  In light oak on order

Thanks for all comments and contributions guys. Much appreciated  

Regards,

Lindsay 

Well thats a shocker 

Well done Lindsay and after Saturday, I am really not surprised, they really did sound superb. Its nice to know from Nigel B's comments that they are future proof as well. They are certainly good enough to be used with top flight equipment if you ever feel the need to go further up the chain.

Polarbear posted:

Karen and I had the pleasure of visiting Lindsay last night and having a good listen to the Kudos in situ. 

...  Kudos can be a little harsh and brittle   when they are not set up right but there were no signs of this, in fact they had a warm cosy feel to them.  ...

PB,

I have heard this on systems (not my own).  What can be changed in the setup to eliminate the harshness?  Is it speaker/floor interface?  Bass/treble balance with room placement?  

Charlie

Congratulations Lindsay, a wonderful choice after a sound purchasing process. May they bring you many years of wonderful music.

Best regards, FT

CharlieP posted:

Polarbear posted:

Karen and I had the pleasure of visiting Lindsay last night and having a good listen to the Kudos in situ. 

...  Kudos can be a little harsh and brittle   when they are not set up right but there were no signs of this, in fact they had a warm cosy feel to them.  ...

PB,

I have heard this on systems (not my own).  What can be changed in the setup to eliminate the harshness?  Is it speaker/floor interface?  Bass/treble balance with room placement?  

Charlie

Could be many things Charlie, poorly matched equipment, cables etc, poor placement, harsh room environment, floors, windows etc.

Lindsays speakers are either side of the mantelpiece with plenty of damping around them with a well matched system. Plenty and time and thought have been put into his system and set up and it shows 

To reinforce what Nigel has stated, my previous Naim dealer used to say that in his experience, 'busy' rooms tend to produce the best sounds. i.e. rooms with plenty in them to absorb and thus, focus the sound. Rooms which are too reflective can time-smear the sound and make it harsh.

Derek Gilligan of Kudos chooses to run fairly 'hot' tweeters in his designs. That translates into a transparent mid-band and clarity in the bass too. The design sonic-signature works very well for me, but I have a fairly small room which is well-damped. Just personal taste and room matching, as ever.

Congratulations on finding a design which works well for you Lindsay.

John.

My listening area is surrounded by large soft furniture.    The image just seems so beautifully focussed.  

Yes, I would describe the S20s as brightly lit with more information in the upper frequencies than I am used to but they never became bright or hard/harsh when I was listening to them at my dealer. I suspect much of this is due to the wonderful tweeter in the S20s but I can imagine that in certain systems in certain rooms they could sound a little bright. Lindsay certainly commented on the treble exuberance at the start of his home demo but much of this could have been down to the fact that these S20s are relatively new and would benefit from some run in. Certainly this did not stand in his way of making the decision to buy.

Anyway, I very much like the character and how the S20s go about portraying music. I just need to listen at length in my own system in my own room.

They must pretty good because the previous owner of my speakers swapped to them. A really nice thing about the S20 and the C20 is that they are so small and inoffensive, just a thin column with two understated drivers. They'll never draw attention to themselves visually and just fit into the room. Less very often really is more. 

When they first arrived they were literally straight out of the box but tonight listening to the Goldberg variations and the treble is a delight. 

Sounds great. I would love to hear them on Sudbin's wonderful recording of Scarlatti Sonatas, one of my favourite discs of 2016.

best

David

Is. that another one I should buy David. 

Nigel (HH) yes absolutely the only thing they draw attention to is the music.  Clearly all the clever stuff is inside.  

Lindsay,

It is good to see this thread comes to a happy ending.  Congratulations on a successful conclusion to your adventure.

sorr for the slight thread diversion, but I could not resist opportunity to learn from experienced forum members.  PB and J.N. thanks for you comments.

Charlie

Congratulations with finding an amazing pair of speakers. Also went for then after auditioning 8 in a room of similar size to yours. So engaging and musical - enjoy! And indeed they are very friendly visually. Had many complementing them, which is unusual in todays times of small systems. Have fun, Lars

Well done Lindsay - I couldn't agree more with the decision. Very nice colour 

Klout10 posted:

I'll be more than happy to look after your Titans for a while 

Strange you should say that - I've had the same offer from a couple of my own friends - I am touched by their (and your) generosity.

Phil

A pair of Super 20 replaced my Ovator 600 while I was waiting for a pair of Titans 808. To my surprise Super 20 was clearly better, in my system, in my room. 

Titans is of course another story, a modern DBL to those ears. 

//Jonas

Hi Lindsay,

thanks for sharing your thoughts and impressions. Can you and possibly other S20 owners  tell me/us others a little more about your preferred placement (i. e. how far/close to the wall, toe-in...).

Mine are 7" from the back wall and just under 4 feet apart, almost firing straight ahead.

There are constraints in positioning but mine seem very happy where they are.

Richard

About 10" from back wall slightly towed in, about 7' apart with loads of space either side but surrounded by soft furnishings.

I'll post a picture when the real thing arrives - hopefully next week.

Regards,

Lindsay