Thanks for the straight talk @Adam.Meredith
Seems like Kans are almost always romanticized but I don’t recall seeing these difficulties aired in such a frank way!
I agree with @anon4489532 that I’m probably better off looking elsewhere e.g. Tab 10s or Sigs
The nSats are good, but really do need the nSub to give an open sound. I’ve owned Kans, nSats and not the ProAcs, and the latter are just so much better than either of the others. In my opinion of course.
I’m running n-SATs and i’m finding they are more open and dynamic than my Motive SX2s ever were. However, i do find they lack a little deep bass at very low volumes (with certain genres of music), of course i don’t find this to be the case once the wick is turned up to a certain level, in which case i’d probably turn the sub off (if i was using one), as it’s then no longer required i feel…
Looking at the specs: n-SATs go down even lower than the ProAcs, not by much though.
My brother runs my original Kans with my old Nait; they sound good still even with a digital source. Ten years ago I tracked a pair down and I run them with a Unitiqute in a bedroom. They rarely go above 1/4 volume, they are on the floor at mezzanine height facing into a double height room, and I enjoy their sound.
They fit very nicely in my Kans on the end of NACA4. I believe they are the later Mk. 1 with flush sockets as opposed to “sticky out” ones.
Subjectively the most enjoyed system you’ve owned HH?
Musical memory is of course unreliable, but my LP12, Nait, Kans was a marvel on the music I was listening to in 1985. Wonderful.
I gave the Nait and Kans to a friend with limited finances, but with great musical tastes and gifts who I knew would appreciate them when I upgraded. He’s still very happily running them today without issues.
I’d say so, yes. My diet of post punk and indie sounded so good on that system - Violent Femmes, 400 Blows, The Passage, and of course the mighty Smiths. It was a good system for a 24 year old, and it took a lot of hours working in the University bar to pay for it. Not only did the bar fund my stereo, I met my wonderful wife there too. The system is long gone but luckily for me, she is still with me.
A furniture maker could template from existing cabinets for new. You could then redesign the cloth cover mounting to make it portable and to make soldering more accessible.
Kans were a mighty little legend. I had my Mark 2’s from the mid 80s until about 2012, when one of the tweeters failed (I found out later - thought it was my slightly duff ear!) Replaced by ProAc Response SC 1’s, which were pretty fine too.
I look back on my Kan years with great fondness; coupled with the 32/SNAPS/250, they were simply delightful. And they sure rocked. At a party we gave once, all the guys gathered round the 250 and then the Kans in sheer disbelief.
Exactly my experience with my Kans ||, though initially I thought something was wrong with my Linn mc Arkiv cartridge, I replaced them by the SBLs. The SBLs were good, but not at the same league as the Kans ||, the Kans are that good.
I think there’s a typo - now?
A few times a year I would pop the grilles to retighten the screws. I would press a pair of wide, flexible putty knives into the gap between grille and cabinet, the inner one to lever the grille off, the outer to protect the cabinet from damage. Worked a treat, and no problem getting the grilles back in.
This thread is tempting me to resurrect my Kan Is along with their matching stands. Though I’m sure they’d sound great with a full Monty LP12 / 552 / 250 up them, I don’t think my current room (no available wall other than a shallow bay) would do them any favours.
I replaced my Kans with IBLs’ and preferred the slightly deeper bass and still have them 30 yrs later. Apparently easier to work on too!
I went from original Kans to Royd Doublets - which were pointed at me as being Kan-like but a bit more… refined ?? - and with more bass ooomph… Correct on both.
I recently swapped the Doublets out for Kudos X3’s… similar again… but newer/more modern…
The Kans and Doublets were within a mm or so of each other, in all dims, with Kans on Mk2 stands. The X3’s are a bit bigger - but not much…
Your enthusiasm is very likeable but, please, I do not want to be reading that thirty year old Kans are preferable to your ATC SCM7s!
I have just bought a refurbed pair of Kans with replacement tweeters [Hiquphons] and new/old Kef driver. I have connected them to a 500 system with ND555. They were simply fantastic. Yes, they are short on very low frequencies but bass had accuracy and punch. They are now with a Nova but I haven’t had much time with them. So far, my appraisal is they sound great. I bought them from a well-known site for used gear. Their condition was totally unmarked. Just keep looking and you should find a pair in good condition. I bought another pair of Kans on the same site and they work well and are totally unblemished. Many people who own them really take care of them. Good hunting!
I would be interested in the Tabs but would only want to buy a used pair. Are the Signatures significantly better than the previous incarnation[s]? What should I expect to pay [hoping this is not a breach of forum rules]. They would be fed by a Nova
I’ve not heard the standard ones so can’t really comment. The a new pair of Signatures costs £1,500. I’d imagine that at two years old you could get some for £900 to £1,000. It’s best to look on eBay and see.
Derek was certainly still there a few years ago when he came and set up my system when I moved house. A truly genuine music enthusiast with tens of thousands of LP’s and an encyclopaedic knowledge of music of many genres. A great chap with brilliant knowledge of the LP12 too.
can you help me with the various names of the Tabs? I have read of “anniversary” edition and “signature”. are they the same thing?