Hi all.I am thinking of auditioning kudos super 20a with naim 252,300dr with chord signature tuned array cable and signature speaker cable.My source is a cds3 .Any opinions would be welcome,thanks paul
Hi Paul, may not be of much help as I only have an SN3 fed by an NDX2 and my chord cables are all epic as opposed to your more expensive ones.
However, I did a home trial of the Kudos in my listening room which is about 12 foot wide by 11 feet deep, open at both sides, with laminate tile covered concrete floor. The back of the speakers were approximately 6 inches from the rear wall. Listening was on a wide variety of music via tidal and Qobuz (minimum at cd quality) plus cd rips and hi-res files.
It was immediately apparent that there was a lot more detail present but the treble was lifted slightly by which I mean great clarity but just slightly more dominant than the mid range. The treble was never harsh or screechy even with volume up quite a bit.
The bass was lean but very clear - it made me realise that the bass I was used to could be considered as bass sounds whereas the Kudos played bass notes. The timbre of double bass was very articulate as was the definition on bass drums. The bass was deeper and cleaner than I was used to. It worked very well with most genres but reggae was probably slightly less enjoyable. This is taking reggae at its raw fun element which is deep rounded bass - the Kudos has a lighter touch but again notes were better articulated. I heard detail in bass that I never knew was there!
These speakers seem very forgiving of positioning and are certainly enjoyable. There is another thread discussing the effects of burn in on all things including cables but my own take is that you become more accustomed to the sound. With the Kudos I really enjoyed them but just had a little reservation about the slightly lifted treble. The real proof was when I swapped my Neat SX1s back in - they sounded flat, rounded and a lot less articulate than the Kudos. Also, my partner hated the look of the Kudos and their larger size.
In the end I have opted for Kudos Titan 606 speakers after a lengthy home trial. They have all the good characteristics of the super 20s plus deeper bass, better integration from top to bottom, even more position friendly and most importantly, despite being bigger than the super 20s were much more stylish and acceptable to my partner! She couldnât believe that I wanted to spend ÂŁ4,550 on the super 20s but accepted (reluctantly) that ÂŁ9,000 was OK on balance!
Not sure if this will be much use to you and it is only my findings, with my gear and my ears, in my surroundings.
I certainly think that a home demo would be worth the effort but do have a good listen at a dealers first.
Please keep us informed of your progress and good luck!
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Hi Paul,
Had my S20s for 3 years now. I doubt youâll be disappointed, they are very room friendly. That said your amplification would deserve something higher up the range e.g. Titan 505 or 606 but of course that comes at a price.
As for cabling I use Chord Odyssey but worth experimenting.
Good luck.
Lindsay
I love my Kudos C10s which have the Cardea series âhouse-soundâ of being transparent. Some find this fatiguing and âbrightâ but I appreciate this presentation and find other speaker brands neutral to the point of lacking energy and dynamism.
I have heard the Super 20s which are pretty similar in presentation but not the Titan series. I have a mind to end up with Titans but their looks are less appealing to my eye having the black front rather than veneerâŚ
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Sounds like a nicely balanced system Paul. I have heard Lindsayâs system at length, his is not too dissimilar to yours other than you have a 252/300 and Lindsay uses 282/250.
My only comment is, if you can stretch to it, audition a pair of 505âs, the difference, isnât small.
Kind regards
PB
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One of the greatest album covers ever made- brilliant
David
Also a great album wrt music!
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Not sure how this ended up in this thread, it should have been the âwha are you listening toâ thread, my apologies to the OP.
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PB - I thought it was new optional finish on the Titans!
Wouldnât it be cool if it was Lindsay?
No probs, PB, terrific album. Reminded me to play it⌠and loud.
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