On Saturday I was playing around with a Miller & Kreisel (or MK) Xenon system on the end of a really rather nice Arcam surround sound system. I must say I was very impressed with the speaker system. I know the electronics well and this was definitely one of the most exciting systems I've played with, if not cheap at around £10000 ($18000) all in. The reason I've started the thread is I note that MK have speaker systems starting from around £1000 to several thousand and yet I have seen virtually no mention of MK on this forum. Any reason why?
Thanks and Regards, Frank.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
MK's distibution is very limited. It would not be uncommon for someone outside a larger metropolitan area to never see a MK product. Even in those markets, the line is sold to one retailer. MK do a good job of working with dealers that have been loyal to their brand. They do little advertising and hence name recognition is low unless you've been around audio for a while. The HT market has broadened MK's reach, but it is still far from the household name among audiophiles that Klipsch or JBL would be considered.
Were you listening to a full MK speaker system or just a sub?
The whole 7.1 shebang. Xenon satellites at the front, K-series tripoles at surround and rear, MK twin 8" sub (20hz is one helluva rumble). Not cheap but very very impressive, both in surround and surprisingly with music too. Music is usually the achilles heel of sub/sat systems, but this was tight fast and very well integrated.
Frank.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I have no access to the Xenon system. MK has always had a slightly tilted upper mid to top end and a fairly dry sound. Not the preferred balance for someone who prefers McIntosh tubes. Are these different or have you not heard the MK line before?
M&K as a company is better known for their subwoofers. My first sub back in the late 80's was a M&K. Jan is correct, their speakers systems were dry sounding, and on the forward/bright side.
This is the first time I heard an MK solution in a system and location I know well. I probably prefer a drier presentation. However, I wouldn't have said that the system I played with on Saturday was dry. In fact I was complaining that the bass was a bit too big for my taste - not overblown or boomy, just a bit too much of it for my taste. That said, i like things like Naim systems which are definitely on the lean side. None of that rosy hued warmth you get from tubes, so I think Jan's and my preferences differ quite substantially in that respect.
The thing that really got me was that this was a sub/sat system that was so tight and fast and also integrated perfectly. I've never really had a completely integrated system like this before. The satellites only go down to 120hz and yet the bass could not be located. Normally I can 'spot' a subwoofer easily in a system where it has to work into that region. Quite a surprise.