Summary: I just bought these after months of searching for my perfect speaker... I heard them yesterday, brought them home today. They are open, precise, and dynamic. I love them.
Strengths: Value, beauty, sonic near perfection. Minimalist sock grill that comes off easy and stores in a small space. Bi wirable. Quality in every component, brilliant attention to detail even in the back of the speakers.. They even printed the manual on really sweet paper. The quality is unmatched.
Weaknesses: My wife won't give me back the sweet spot.
Similar Products Used: Acoustic Energy, PSB, Thiel 1.3 (these absolutely KILL the Thiels.)
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Rating Reviewed by: Ken (Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date August 12, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Review 2 of 24
, from Sausalito
Price Paid:
$0.00
Summary: Checking in after approximately a year of listening, with the following system:
Kestrel Hot Rods
Creek 5350SE Integrated amp
Rotel 991AE CD player
Sony CD/DVD/SACD player
Tara Labs speaker cable
Vandenhul CS122 Hybrid interconnects
As I mentioned offline to several people who were posting here, it took quite some time for this system to settle down, almost 300 hours of burn-in.
Additionally, these speakers are extremely sensitive regarding room placement. It took a lot of tweaking of my listening space to figure out what was going on. These speakers need more space around them to function properly that I originally thought. I have them 4' from the back and 3' from the side walls, and this is in a 12' x 18' room.
Finally, the things that really makes 'em shine are the Vandenhul CS122 hybrid interconnects. Best $150 I ever spent on cables.
On to the music. I never thought I would get there, but the speakers sound awesome. Trademark Meadowlark sound. Accurate, relatively neutral (still a teeny midrange bloom) and the best soundstage I have ever heard on a sub $5K system. I mean, everyone talks about the speakers disappearing, but these speakers really do. I listen to a lot of trio/quartet jazz and vocals, so I don't need big power.
Beautiful stuff. If you can hack 6-9 months of waiting for the darn thing to kick and start delivering, these speakers may just be for you.
Strengths: Soundstage, neutral tone
Weaknesses: Can't go low without subwoofer
Similar Products Used: See my previous post.
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Summary: After a lengthy auditioning quest for great sound at the $2,000 and under price range, I went with the Meadowlark Kestrel Hot Rods and couldn't be more pleased. My system consists of a Jolida 502-A Integrated Amp and a Rega Planet 2000 CD Player. Meadowlark claims these speakers simply "disappear" when the music starts and once you hear the Kestrels you'll know what they mean. This is due to a unique design of the speaker cabinet that is beyond my expertise to describe. The soundstage is as open as can be and bass is quite full (but never punchy) for a speaker of this size. "Natural" is the best term to describe the way these speakers reproduce sound. I noticed no coloration nor brightness, yet the speakers are lively and full of detail. I'm not much of a Beach Boys fan, but a friend suggested I listen to their harmonies on the Kestrels. My jaw just dropped as I heard their voices layered in. It was unreal! They were there in the room with me. It was 1964 again! If you audition these speakers, bring lots of music and you'll listen for hours because they have a zero fatigue factor. These speakers have been around awhile and you'll rarely see them for sale on Audiogon or Ebay. There's a reason for that.............nobody wants to part with them! Of the other auditioned speakers listed below, the B&W 7NT would rank second in my opinion. It was a more expensive speaker though and the soundstage wasn't as large. It all comes down to what sounds best to you, but do audition these speakers if you're on a limited budget because they're awfully tough to beat. The Kestrel soars.
Summary: I noticed there were a couple of unfavorable reviews on this speaker. But to those people I say " You don't have a clue what a real speaker is " Most likely I would say the people that gave this speaker a poor rating are using something very bright such as a cheap JBL that is known to be " in your face " I also noticed that someone had the nerve to write that this speaker was " dull and lacked bass " Very untrue! This speaker is quite adequate if not GREAT with the right equipment. Perhaps Someone should bother to explain the difference between " real tonal bass " and the crap I hear coming out of these cars that rattle the whole neighborhood when they go down the road.
I find these speakers to have accurate mids and highs as well as an excellent " tonal " bass for the dollar! In fact with my system these speakers produce more than enough bass.! Damn good speakers!
Strengths: They do everything right!
Weaknesses: cheesy gril clothes that keep coming lose.
Similar Products Used: Vandersteen 2ce, PSB Silver-i speakers Quicksilver Silver 60 Quciksilver V4' amps. Arcam, Sonic Frontiers, and CAL Audiolabs cdp. Rogue 66, BAT VK3i preamps
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Ah! Tjeob 4000 Audio Refinement Complete int amp Kestrel Hot Rods (bi-wired) DH Labs wiring
I've had the Kestrels for just over a year now, and I must say I'm very pleased with them. My intent was to build a system that finds a balance between detail and musicality. The Kestrels fit very well into that design. Not overly analytical or dry, yet plenty of detail to keep me interested, yet at the same time conveying a good sense of the emotional quality of the music. A fine meeting of the heart and mind, in my humble opinion.
With this system I've lost all compulsion to run around all over the place trying to find that "right" piece of gear, aka audiophile nerosa. I'm eminently satisfied with what I've got, the journey has reached its end. Often the driven quest for perfection can of itself be in-perfect. In that light, I'm very please where I am.
Of course, audition the speakers yourself and see what you think, but keep in mind that there's no substitution for a home audition.
Also, the folks at www.goldmanaudio.com were very good to me, prompt, knowledgeable and fair service, I'd recommend them to anyone who doesn't have a Meadowlark dealer in their home area.
Also, Meadowlark itself is a great company, don't hesitate to contact them with any questions you may have, I've found them to be most friendly and informative. You not only get a great speaker, but a great company as well.
As Meadowlark says, It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing!
John
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5 of 5
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