Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommeliers Quarter Wave Speaker Wenge Wood with Black Trim (Pair)
Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommeliers Quarter Wave Speaker Wenge Wood with Black Trim (Pair)
- “Kvart & Bolge’s Sound Sommelier takes a decidedly fresh approach to high-end speaker design, at a price anyone can afford.” (Steve Guttenberg, CNET)
- “The sound is nothing short of astonishing” (Steve Guttenberg, CNET.)
- “I was pretty blown away by how deep the Sound Sommeliers could play on Grant Geissman’s “Cool Man Cool”: They didn’t seem to diminish any bass notes, and delivered a great sense of precision.”, (Brent Butterworth, About)
- “As I continued to listen long after the period required to write a review, there was something about the sound that made me come back again and again. I was falling in love with these speakers, and that’s rare for a guy who writes more than 100 reviews a year!” (Steve Guttenberg, CNET.)
- “I was blown away by the precision of the stereo imaging between the speakers, and impressed by the spaciousness of the sound.” (Brent Butterworth, About)
This is the Loudspeaker that “bowled over” the Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg on CNET. While new technologies have become available to make loudspeakers smaller and smaller, we have used these same technologies to make them better and better while still keeping them quite small. Small and elegant enough to be a beautiful design element in practically any living or working environment. Built with and around the ingeniously simple design of Danish / Norwegian audio expert Bjørn Johannesen whose no
List Price: $ 299.00
Price:
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Outstanding in so many ways: price, sound, looks and qualtity.,
About two weeks ago I began a search for floor speakers with a narrow footprint and an affordable price. I have a pair of Pioneer SP-FS51-LR speakers that I have been very happy with but was having problems with their footprint and placing them properly in a new narrow-lot house that we moved into last January. So, I began searching the internet for floor speakers with a smaller footprint than the Pioneer FS51’s have and that I could reasonably afford. When my searches kept turning up dead end after dead end, I tweaked my search parameters one more time and I landed on a pair of speakers by a manufacturer of which I had never heard: Sound Sommeliers Quarter Wave Loudspeakers by Kvart & Bolge.
I checked out their website (http://www.kvart-bolge.com) and also their listing on Amazon for more specifics on these speakers. I have always had a fondness for the vintage 70’s EPI and Advent speakers with limited crossover and limited coloration. And, my curiosity has always been piqued by the concept of omnidirectional sound. In my 5th year of college–switched majors–in 1974, the guys in the apartment next to mine purchased a pair of EPI 1000’s, which were seven foot behemoths that could shake the foundation, and yet I could stand in front of one and still be uncertain of the origin of the sounds coming from these giants.
From what I read, it seemed as if Kvart & Bolge might be embracing the concept of omnidirectional sound, and that they eschewed crossovers and coloration. I was also intrigued by their quarter wave concept and wondering how these speakers could produce much in the way of bass response with only a port at the bottom. or much else through that tiny speaker at the top. Nevertheless, the price was right and the footprint was perfect for my needs.
Spurred on by both necessity and curiosity, on October 28th I placed an order for these speakers in Wenge wood. During this process, I exchanged a couple of emails with Arved at Kvart & Bolge regarding my order and the arrival date of these speakers to which he always promptly, professionally and courteously responded. And, on Monday morning, November 10th the USPS delivered my speakers. The package was less than half the size of that of the Pioneer floor speakers and much lighter.
I wasted no time in opening the package and inspecting them for damage or defects. I moved them to their planned placements in the living room where they fit perfectly and looked great in their minimalist Wenge wood casing with black trim. Both of the Sound Sommeliers fit inside the footprint of a single SP-FS51LR with room to spare, and they felt stable and solidly placed. I connected them with banana plugs to the Onkyo TX-8211 receiver in the living room and powered on the amp.
The tuner was tuned to the local classical music station and I turned volume about 1/3rd of the way up. What I heard was something totally unlike the Pioneers; not unlike in a disappointing sense, but unlike as in unique and understated. So, I sat in an armchair, about six feet away from and in front of the left speaker, and listened. The sound was crisp and clear and the French horn appropriately brassy, yet mournful and mellow at the same time. I could hear all of the notes of the orchestra in a familiar yet hauntingly undefinable way. Yet, even when sitting six feet directly in front of the left speaker, the source of the music was still in question. It seemed to be coming from all over.
I surfed through the preset stations for jazz, classic rock, easy listening, new wave, and alternative rock and began listening and trying to put my finger on what was so familiar yet so foreign about the sound. I took a break and watched some TV for a while.
When I turned the receiver back on, Van Halen was playing their cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” And, that was where my finger finally landed and I knew what I was hearing was that the music sounded live. It sounded aesthetically as if I were listening to the music live. I could close my eyes and listen, and I was no longer listening to Van Halen on the radio, I was listening to Van Halen.
Van Halen is hardly one of my favorites, but what I was hearing was clean, clear and fresh, and they sounded great. I proceeded to listen through Tom Petty, Supertramp and U2. I then switched to a Marantz CD changer and sampled Etta James and Nancy Wilson, and the music still had that ring of purity and authenticity. Lastly I went to a Kenwood semi-automatic belt -rive turntable.
I started out with James Taylor’s “Gorilla” and its opening track of “Mexcio” with its acoustic introduction, high harmonies, and resonant marimba. It just got better from song to song. I threw on “Deep Purple’s “Fireball” with its dissonant and cacophonous beginning. “Fireball” for some odd reason has always been one of the songs I use to test the sound of a new piece of equipment, and the Sound…
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|Great Price, Good Looks, and Killer Sound – what else do you need in your speaker?,
I read what reviews I could find on the Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommeliers, some seemed to be a little too over the top and there were a lot of skeptics out there on the message boards.However, when you sort through it all, there are some fundamental speaker ideas that have been tried and true in the DIY world , which made it easier to step out of my comfort zone and try these speaker out.
I will stop for a second to note, I have been in a battle with my wife about speakers for over a year. I own a pair of B&W bookshelf speakers that were on stands in my study. Sheltered away from the world, there was not a problem with the general aesthetic of my stereo setup. However, when we wanted to move it to a more central part of the house, where the family could enjoy the vinyl collection, what things looked liked became an issue.
I have always opted for the sound and quality of a piece over its aesthetic. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but the price point can be a little steep or require a fair bit of vintage shopping luck. In our situation, neither was an expeditious resolution to our conundrum.
The first solution was to find a piece of furniture to conceal the audio elements while not in use. Unfortunately, finding an audio cabinet that met our needs did not come cheap. While reading Steve Guttenberg on CNET, the pictures of these speakers, which accompanied the article, caught my attention. The minimalist styling, coupled with endless color options, seemed to fit my wife’s aesthetic needs – but what about the sound? For around $250 (before shipping), I decided to take a chance with the limited information I had on the speakers.
When they arrived, I eagerly opened the box from Mexico. When I slid the first speaker from its protective sheath, I realized the heft of the speaker. The heavy metal base and elongated cabinet are well crafted. The assemblers obviously took time to ensure that the transitions between the different materials were seamless and properly fitted.
But what about the sound? I have a rather modest setup. A U-Turn table, NAD preamp, and a basic stereo receiver from Onkyo. I worked the speakers in slowly, low volume spins of The Supremes and Otis Redding. I moved up to mid level volumes with OK Computer. Finally, I cranked it to suitable rock levels for Led Zeppelin IV. Sitting on my couch and closing my eyes, the direction of the sound faded away and I felt immersed in the music. For the price, I could not believe the clarity of the highs, mids, and lows. The bass is not going to rattle the walls, but a sub should only be considered a welcome addition- not a vital necessity.
Each album that I played, the more thrilled I was with my purchase. When I got to side 2 of Jeff Buckley’s Grace, I was stunned at the definition and warmth that oozed out of the speakers with every note of Hallelujah. I would have been satisfied with these results with speakers twice the price, but the quality of the product coupled with the sound and aesthetic appeal of theses speakers, I have gone from thrilled to tickled pink.
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|Clean and open sound, better than they have any right to be at their price.,
One (and most impressive), amazingly open. The sound is like that of one of the older dipole speakers like the original Quad Electrostatic or three panel Magnaplanars. When you pull the speakers into your room a minimum of 18″ to 24″ from the walls, the speakers honestly disappear and you hear only the music. No localization. Simply wonderful sound from beyond the boundaries of the speakers in both the lateral as well as the front to back planes. This is most true on acoustic music and vocals, but also comes through well on electric music. Symphonic music is not handled quite as well (I don’t think). Have only listened to a few favorites here and the material was tough for any speaker.
Two, very good bass response down to about 50hz. I have not had the desire to connect any of two available sub-woofers to the setup which could extend the bass down to 20hz-25hz range. The bass is open and fast via the 3-1/2″ full range driver and I have seen the addition of a sub-woofer actually muddy the sound of some full range speakers. I plan to live with these units for a while (at least a year) prior to any decision to extend the bass. Besides, on most recording, there is very little output below 40hz anyway so unless you know you are looking for some extremely deep output, you probably won’t be missing much.
Three, articulate treble response. I am unfamiliar with the full range driver, but it is surprising that it has response that has such good midrange and upper midrange/lower treble response. At my age, I know I have little hearing above the 5khz-7khz range, so extended treble response is relatively unimportant. If someone in their twenties were to tell me these roll-off treble response, I can stand corrected on this. However, my wife’s hearing is still pretty good (according to hearing tests, not me) and she likes what she hears and doesn’t think the units are missing anything. She also likes that they don’t seem to get sibilant on voices, cymbals and other instruments that sometimes bother her.
Four, WAF. Yup, the good old Wife Acceptance Factor. These are so slight that they pass most WAF’s with flying colors. Not only that, easy to hide when not in use and if you want some background music, sound is acceptable up against a wall.
What’s not to like.
Received mine with one top end cap off. Cut myself attempting to get it back on. My bad. Should have sent it back but didn’t want to wait.
Wish they came with a stable base.
Absolute volume is not very loud without some distortion. Still loud enough to enjoy most music. If you are young and you still want to put on something and “CRANK IT UP”, you better look somewhere else.
Nice job K&B.
By the way, these are being used instead of Infinity Interlude IL-40’s matched with Infinity sub-woofers which are now officially in the closet (subs had been in the closet since sometime in 2012). No side-by-side comparison. K&B definitely more open. Definitely not as much detail and won’t play as loud. Playing loud is not a criteria at 63 years old.
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