Lots of K. The products engineered by this Italian firm have already appeared in the pages of ISP on several occasions, and I'm inclined to think this won't be the last, since every time they launch a new product or line on the market, one can't help being, at the very least, astonished. So much so that K-Array's products are being endorsed in some way by none other than Sennheiser itself, a brand utterly recognized and acclaimed since time immemorial by all of us who work in professional sound at every level; so there you go… In this new installment, I tell you about the listening tests I carried out on three new electroacoustic "K-gems." On the one hand, the Kobra KK50 units, which, although not (strictly speaking) K-Array's latest, had never been tested before; and on the other, we analyze the Tornado and Vyper units (these really are newer).

Drawing the parallel between these models, I'll tell you that in all three cases we are dealing with passive, single-way designs; that is, with no built-in amplification and no added internal filter. In all cases, a pair of KKS50 bass enclosures were used as ideal companions (especially for the KK50, given their similar design) to extend the audible spectrum into the low range, since that frequency band is out of reach for the products under test (although four of them were mounted in line, only two were used for this test). Which leads me to say that, in reality, four K products were tested. I should also mention that for all the tests, only one K 10-10 power amp was used for amplification, handling both the amplification and the active filtering via its built-in DSP. So the configuration used in each of the systems under analysis was active bi-amplification.

The KOBRA KK50
Thanks to their design and wide range of configuration possibilities (as well as their sublime sound), these Kobras caught my attention in a big way. The KK50 are column speakers (with arrayed drivers) with the typical sleekness evident in some of K-Array's other designs (you know, ultra-narrow and slim), and they are also smaller than all the previously discussed designs from this Italian firm.

The main reason I describe them as having extensive configuration possibilities is the fact that the KK50 offer high load impedances (by the standards of what is considered normal for a loudspeaker cabinet); I use the plural here because these beauties can operate at either 64 or 16 Ohms, dual impedance levels selected with a switch provided for that purpose on the rear panel. This means that if, for example, we run a pair of them in parallel on each channel at 16 Ohms, we get the familiar 8 Ohms as the load impedance, with room for 300 W RMS per channel, since each KK50 handles 150 W RMS (AES method) with a maximum of 300 W (EIAJ method). If we switch the KK50 to operate at 64 Ohms, then, to get a load impedance equivalent to those 8 Ohms, we would need to parallel eight units 1/[1/(64 x 8)], giving us a load power capacity equivalent to 1.2 kW RMS per channel. Needless to say, if our aim is to operate at 4 Ohms, the system we would put together would have exactly twice the units and power of the examples given.

Bear in mind in all cases that adding the appropriate subwoofer or subwoofers is essential for full-range operation, which will always mean that the electrical power (I'm referring here to what the speakers actually consume, not mains power) would end up being clearly higher. As you can see, between these two configuration extremes, the range of possibilities becomes more than wide, enormous; which is why these KK50 are highly recommendable for absolutely all kinds of events or functions (except for large-scale sound reinforcement), and especially for fixed installations, thanks to their advanced design, which allows these sound arrays to be easily built into walls or furniture and therefore made practically invisible. Since the KK50 are small, the aiming possibilities an array of them offers are equally extensive.

In short, their most notable features are:
- Columns with true line array projection and three-dimensional (3D) radiation.
- Multiple high-excursion mini speakers.
- Extremely small size-to-weight ratio.
- Exceptionally flat frequency response.
- High impedance that makes paralleling with all KOBRA models easy.
- Electronically protected.
- Ultra-slim structure for forming invisible arrays.
- Ability to create vertical or horizontal column arrays.

KK50 sound
Four units (two channels in parallel at 8 Ohms) were set up for the listening tests to which these Ks were subjected in Rent Music's demo area: two at the front (FL & FR) and two at the rear (RL & RR), supported (as I said) by a pair of KKS50, all powered by a K 10-10 power amp fed by the corresponding mixing console. The music program used ran in full stereo, and finally (to be precise), Sade's music played; and how it played.

From the very moment these KK50 began radiating, their sound completely surrounded me. Positioned roughly in the center of the scene, I could perceive each of the four sound columns with crystal clarity, and yet I couldn't make out exactly the direction the audio was coming from, due to these Ks' intrinsic 3D dispersion characteristic (the same thing happened to me while listening to the Vyper). For this reason, to be sure which column was playing (since the front columns were on the same tripod on which the KK 50, the Tornado and the Vyper were all mounted), I literally had to put my ear right up against it.

As for their sound quality, apart from their 3D radiation characteristic, since the three models analyzed today use the same driver design (just one in the case of the Tornado), and these are also the drivers used in the KR200 described in ISP No. 107, what was said about the latter simply applies to the rest, except for each one's coverage angles and power handling, nothing more. This tells us that a sound design combining the models described would be consistently optimal.

As for the KKS50 bass emitter (Ultra Compact Bass Speaker) mentioned several times, I'll tell you that using it with the three products under test is ideal. Not for nothing, its design and sonic character complement them perfectly.

The KKS50 is also a line array system, just 50 cm wide and of minimal height, which makes it possible, for example, to build it into the steps of a staircase, ensuring total visual discretion. That's why the advantage of including a KK50 + KKS50 system on TV sets will be obvious. If your line of work is acoustic (or rather electroacoustic) design for television, if I were you I wouldn't fail to check out (where applicable) what I'm describing in these pages; highly recommendable. On the K-Array website you can see a good handful of photos (of real applications), among which, with regard to what I've just said, I'd highlight one showing a KK 50 built horizontally into the presenters' desk on a TV set.

Some virtues of the KKS50 sub:
- Vertical or horizontal arrays possible.
- A size/weight/power/quality ratio unique of its kind.
- Multiple 4-inch high-excursion speakers (Line Array Bass Speaker).
- Frequency response from 65 to 300 Hz.
- A perfect complement for the KK50, Vyper and Tornado.
- Special design for invisible installations.

The KV50 Vyper
Since the Vyper's qualities (even when listening) are practically the same as those of the KK50 described so far, I won't go into much detail describing this KV50. Although its design really differs from that of the KK50 (it's even smaller), I'd say its sound quality is, for practical purposes, identical. The construction differences between the KK50 and this KV50 are reflected in the attached comparison table, where they can be clearly seen. Note, above all, that the Vyper uses an array of exclusive one-inch speakers.

The KT20 Tornado, baby of the K family
I would describe the Tornado as a truly point source, or sonic micro-point: a spectacular minimalist design (only in terms of its size) mainly geared toward installed sound for spaces, what we know as distributed sound systems. With a totally cutting-edge design, the KT20 will be recommended for use in, for example, conference rooms, museums, background music in all kinds of rooms or venues, music/paging systems in restaurants, or any other type of venue and similar applications.

Needless to say, being so small, visual discretion is 100% guaranteed. So much so that you could easily place a few Tornado units on top of a conference table or speaker's lectern with minimal interference in the field of view. Some of its best qualities are:

- Unmatched size/weight ratio.
- Very rigid, strong aluminum enclosure.
- A single 2-inch high-excursion speaker.
- Wide dynamic range and high intelligibility.
- Fully suitable for music applications.

Since the KT20 uses the now-familiar transducer, its sound is the typical K sound, or should I say OK.

And… what about acoustic physics?
Microbars certainly move, there certainly is piston motion, and all the electromagnetic laws and so on are obeyed, but…

Somehow, it really does seem as if the products K-Array has on the market are fighting against the established rules; it gives you food for thought. There certainly are professional sound systems that sound the way these Ks do; but of course not with single-way speakers, and such tiny ones at that, nor with such cutting-edge designs and such architectural openness; at least, I don't know of any.

As if all this weren't enough, the ability of all K loudspeaker cabinets (this time I say cabinets just to put it somehow) to keep delivering (within our own physiological limits) high-definition sound even at low levels, that is, with almost no signal or power applied, is rather astonishing; and what's even more remarkable, the firm's top model, the KH4/KS4, behaved the same way, of which a single channel (12 kW) had been set up as a sample in this demo area: this really is unheard of, anything but common.

These are the reasons why it seems as though K is going against the laws of physics, at least as we understand them today. I know it's very bold to say something like that (not that I've actually claimed it); I'm only putting it this way so you understand that I'm not talking about something ordinary or run-of-the-mill. I've already said that these products are far from being the typical church column speakers (as some people believe); in fact, the comparison doesn't even apply.