btrvalik

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This review is for the K.5MkII. I originally bought these for a HT setup based on the praise the received in Absolute Sound (golden ear award) and Perfect Vision. While my HT room is under contraction I've been using these in my CJ based 2 channel system. I've been looking for replacements when the room is complete. My favorites during in-store demos are the B&W 805 sig, Dynaudio S1.4, Joseph Audio Rm7si II,Dali Helicon 300. I have not done an in-house demo of any of these or an in-store side-by-side with the Snells but each time I get home after listening to one of these I'm amazed at how good the Snells sound in comparison. The are so good that I'm now planning to use the in-wall version for HT and keeping them as my main speaker. I use these with a Velodyne HGS-10-II. A side-by-side compare with some of the above speakers will be the true test but at this point they seem to hang in there with speakers costing 1.5-2.5 times the price

Strengths:
dead quiet cabinets ruler flat tonal balance works great with tubes (50 watts)

Weaknesses:
nothing major, they would look nicer of the back was also covered in cherry

Similar Products Used:
Proac Tabletts

Price Paid:  $900.00

Summary:
It has been a little more than a year since I brought home a pair of the Snell K.5s. I have resisted writing this review earlier because I really wanted to get a clear impression of the speaker.

This is a two-way, shielded monitor. Dimensions: 18 x 8-1/2 x 12", 26 lbs. Cross over adheres to an "in-phase" or Linkwitz Reilly design. Bass driver is 6-1/2" (165mm) unit. Tweeter is a 1" (24mm) black-anodized aluminum dome. Product literature indicates that frequency is 48-20,000Hz (±3dB.

This is a very well-designed and made speaker. It is equipped with a heat sink, baffle, as well as a placement switch for selecting different equalization for free space and near-boundary location. The speaker grill consists of a perforated metal cover. The speaker is bi-amping/wiring capable.

I use these speakers exclusively for music. I wasn't too happy with the speakers when I first brought them home. They almost seemed muffled--although that is probably too strong a word. After about a month, they sounded better. And I happy to say that I am very satisfied with how they sound now, and am especially pleased by the bass. They took awhile to break in--about a month. I have also moved them away from the back walls and corners (I didn't want to use the placement switch).

The best and the worst thing I can say about these speakers is that they are very neutral. You can definitely tell the good recordings from the bad ones. They are very unforgiving of bad recordings. I believe the speakers are at their best when played loud. At normal listening volume, they may seem a little restrained--I certainly wouldn't characterize them as dynamic.

In summary, these speakers are what I believe "monitors" should be: they don't embellish. They tell it like it is, for better or worse. They also handle the low, mid-range, and high very well and are engaging at louder volumes. I certainly recommend them at the list price. I would highly recommend them if you can find them at a discount. In either case, if it is possible, take them home for a demo. Also, demo them with good and bad recordings to see how neutral they can be.

Associated equipment:
> Parasound mono amps
> Creek pre-amp
> Technics CD player
> AudioQuest Slate speaker wires

Strengths:
neutral, bass, well built

Weaknesses:
restrained, unforgiving of bad recordings

Similar Products Used:
B&W CDM1-SE, Vandersteen 1C, Rega Jura

Price Paid:  $800.00

Summary:
The little Snells are my front channel speakers in a home theater set-up. It pays to invest in a good set of speaker stands to isolate the speakers from the rest of the room, and get them out away from wall surfaces!

The most pleasing aspect of these speakers is their accuracy; I think they present the music the way the artist and engineer intended for it to sound. The sound may be a little dark for some tastes, so you should audition them for yourself to determine if you like the speakers 'character'.

On the down-side the Snells are not very efficient; make sure you have a high quality power source capable of delivering a minimum of 100 watts per channel continuosly. The speakers can produce adequate base down to 40 hz or so, and sound great paired with the matching subwoofer (model PS 10).

Strengths:
Accuracy

Weaknesses:
Somewhat dark sounding, require adequate power

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Genesis Home Technologies

Summary:
I have reviewed almost every speaker made, and can say that I have yet to find another speaker that can match the Snell's in terms of sound quality overall on many different types of music, build quality and looks and price. They have been an absolute joy to listen too and are always enjoyable even for long lengths of time. The Snell is the first speaker that my wife and I agreed on, besides the Stratus Mini from PSB, too both really really enjoy. As far as the reviewer above (hobbes) he needs to get a life and not use this forum for pranks and/or propaganda. I have been listening to the Snells through a variety of equipment from Marantz, to NAD (regular and Silver series) and Krell. They will play nice through all of the above, but really open up and shine with better equipment and they especially love having lots of power. Coudl not recommend them higher

Strengths:
Very clean midrange, highs, tight bass, cabinet design and looks, solid feel and well 8built and constructed

Weaknesses:
Nothing really, a tad more Bass, but would be hard without trading off the musicallity of the speaker.

Similar Products Used:
TRIAD, PSB, PARADIGM, ENERGY, B&W, M&K, MONITOR, WHARFEDALE, JAMO, KEF, NHT, etc

Price Paid:  $1080.00 from Acoustic Architecture

Summary:
I purchased the new version (k.5 mark II).This speakers are very accurate and ideal for jazz and classical and some pop rock. They are perfect for a typical apartment living room.
They are very neutral and some people will find them laid-back, however, they are never fatiguing to listen to, in fact, the listening experience is very pleasant. Speaker selection is always a matter of personal taste but I would recommend Snell without hesitating.

Strengths:
Very accurate speaker, neutral, very revealing, quality of construction

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
B&WCDM 1NT