Snell Type K
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I had a pair a few years ago, but gave them to my brother-in-law to use. Very nice, simple design, and fairly efficient at around 90db. I believe many of the new Audionote speakers are based on the original Snell designs. Not the most attractive speaker but overall it is a great speaker for its price.
I found out some tidbits of info about this model. It was one of the last speakers that Peter Snell designed before he passed. As with all Snells, they are factory matched to within 1/2 dB of each other. As mentioned above, the smallest Audio Note is based on this design, which has become a favorite among SET lovers.
http://www.snellacoustics.com/History.asp
http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/378snell/index4.html
http://www.audionote.co.uk/products/speakers/an-k_01.shtml
There is now a Snell section at Classic Speaker pages, btw.
They arrived today, unscathed. Piss poor packing job by the seller. He simply wrapped them in plastic and placed them in a large box with peanuts and some bubble wrap here and there. I am amazed they didn't arrive with crushed corners. Whew!
They aren't in pristine condition, but presentable. I had a chance to pop the freshly foamed woofers out this afternoon to take a peek inside. The cabinets are even veneered inside! Vifa drivers, a nice looking hand-built crossover (cheap looking caps, though) and plenty of polyfill. They pass the knuckle rap test. Very solidly built and weigh about 25 lbs apiece. Having dual binding posts, they are bi-wireable/bi-ampable. They have grills, which are in good shape, but are brown and ugly. I'll have to soon replace the cloth with black.
How do they sound? Little usable bass below around 60 to 70 Hz is my guess. With my setup they need a sub. Pushing them with my little Almarro A205A 5 Wpc SEP amp, they have great transient response with a deep and wide stage. Imaging is excellent. Highs are nicely extended without sizzle, and the mid-bass has a nice attack. Very fast woofers. The midrange sounds just right. They are more dynamic than any other bookshelf I have tried with this amp, and I have tried many. I am able to turn down the volume about a third from where I had been using it. They are the most inefficient speakers I have used with this amp, rated at 90 dB. I was also quite surprised at how good they sound off-axis.
I am pleased.
Thanks to the members who recommended this speaker. I figure I am getting a good taste of Audio Note at an affordable price, and they're vintage.
Regards,
Ken
http://www.snellacoustics.com/History.asp
http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/378snell/index4.html
http://www.audionote.co.uk/products/speakers/an-k_01.shtml
There is now a Snell section at Classic Speaker pages, btw.
They arrived today, unscathed. Piss poor packing job by the seller. He simply wrapped them in plastic and placed them in a large box with peanuts and some bubble wrap here and there. I am amazed they didn't arrive with crushed corners. Whew!
They aren't in pristine condition, but presentable. I had a chance to pop the freshly foamed woofers out this afternoon to take a peek inside. The cabinets are even veneered inside! Vifa drivers, a nice looking hand-built crossover (cheap looking caps, though) and plenty of polyfill. They pass the knuckle rap test. Very solidly built and weigh about 25 lbs apiece. Having dual binding posts, they are bi-wireable/bi-ampable. They have grills, which are in good shape, but are brown and ugly. I'll have to soon replace the cloth with black.
How do they sound? Little usable bass below around 60 to 70 Hz is my guess. With my setup they need a sub. Pushing them with my little Almarro A205A 5 Wpc SEP amp, they have great transient response with a deep and wide stage. Imaging is excellent. Highs are nicely extended without sizzle, and the mid-bass has a nice attack. Very fast woofers. The midrange sounds just right. They are more dynamic than any other bookshelf I have tried with this amp, and I have tried many. I am able to turn down the volume about a third from where I had been using it. They are the most inefficient speakers I have used with this amp, rated at 90 dB. I was also quite surprised at how good they sound off-axis.
I am pleased.
Thanks to the members who recommended this speaker. I figure I am getting a good taste of Audio Note at an affordable price, and they're vintage.
Regards,
Ken
Last edited:
brainsmasher
Mid-Fi Madman
I just bought a pair of K II's this afternoon. very nice sounding pair of speakers. These could be a solid contender for the office system. The drivers look a little different but everything else is close to the same.
Robert Hartley raved over the IIs in 1991, if that means anything.
http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/191snell/
http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/191snell/
ictwoody
I like vintage gear — my preamp is from 2007.
I had the K's for awhile and really liked them. So much so I sold them to move up a level to the J's. Same drivers bigger cabinet thus more and better bass. The stands you have the K's on are to high. You will need a lower stand about 18-20". Then you will get bass reinforcement from the floor and they will go lower. The K's and J's were not designed for such a high stands....
I don't have any advice, but I did own a own a pair of these years ago. Great speakers.
It's been a while, but I have heard both. I'd describe the Snells as more precise, but they don't have (to me) quite the magical midrange of the A25s. Both are very nice speakers (I use A25s in one of my systems here).
I found out some tidbits of info about this model. It was one of the last speakers that Peter Snell designed before he passed. As with all Snells, they are factory matched to within 1/2 dB of each other. As mentioned above, the smallest Audio Note is based on this design, which has become a favorite among SET lovers.
http://www.snellacoustics.com/History.asp
http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/378snell/index4.html
http://www.audionote.co.uk/products/speakers/an-k_01.shtml
There is now a Snell section at Classic Speaker pages, btw.
They arrived today, unscathed. Piss poor packing job by the seller. He simply wrapped them in plastic and placed them in a large box with peanuts and some bubble wrap here and there. I am amazed they didn't arrive with crushed corners. Whew!
They aren't in pristine condition, but presentable. I had a chance to pop the freshly foamed woofers out this afternoon to take a peek inside. The cabinets are even veneered inside! Vifa drivers, a nice looking hand-built crossover (cheap looking caps, though) and plenty of polyfill. They pass the knuckle rap test. Very solidly built and weigh about 25 lbs apiece. Having dual binding posts, they are bi-wireable/bi-ampable. They have grills, which are in good shape, but are brown and ugly. I'll have to soon replace the cloth with black.
How do they sound? Little usable bass below around 60 to 70 Hz is my guess. With my setup they need a sub. Pushing them with my little Almarro A205A 5 Wpc SEP amp, they have great transient response with a deep and wide stage. Imaging is excellent. Highs are nicely extended without sizzle, and the mid-bass has a nice attack. Very fast woofers. The midrange sounds just right. They are more dynamic than any other bookshelf I have tried with this amp, and I have tried many. I am able to turn down the volume about a third from where I had been using it. They are the most inefficient speakers I have used with this amp, rated at 90 dB. I was also quite surprised at how good they sound off-axis.
I am pleased.
Thanks to the members who recommended this speaker. I figure I am getting a good taste of Audio Note at an affordable price, and they're vintage.
Regards,
Ken
If you can find out more about the new surrounds, it will tell you if your speakers are at their full potential. Lots of times people just re foam the surrounds and don't use the correct ones. Audio Note surrounds are best, since they match the woofer movement the best. You will also get your best bass with the correct surrounds. I own 3 sets of Snells, and love them all. When right, they blow away anything out there in their size and price range. IMHO
