Kii Three Studio Monitors are high-quality, professional-grade speakers designed specifically for studio and critical listening applications. They are known for their exceptional sound reproduction and accurate monitoring capabilities.
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Specs
Frequency response: Range of 20Hz to 25kHz
Amplification: Six amplifiers, totaling 700 watts
Maximum SPL: 125 dB
Dimensions (H×W×D): 400 ×200 ×400mm
Weight: 19kg/each
Pros
Superior sound quality
Compact and space-saving
Room integration
Versatility
Exceptional depth and stereo image
Cons
None
Kii Audio are a German-based start-up founded by some pretty high-profile audio industry names. In particular, the Chief Technology Officer is Bruno Putzeys. Putzeys’ main claim to audio fame is his development of the Hypex NCore Class-D amplifier technology now found in numerous high-end active speakers and amplifiers, but he was also the designer behind the extremely well-regarded Grimm Audio LS1 monitors. Bruno’s colleagues are all similarly experienced in pro audio, having variously spent time in senior roles with companies such as Digidesign, TC Electronic, Grimm Audio and SSL. So there is no shortage of pro-audio expertise among the people at Kii and, I suspect, if there was one thing their expertise told them about launching a new high-end nearfield monitor, it was that the monitor had to bring something innovative to the market. And the Kii Three definitely does that.
The Kii Three is not a particularly compact nearfield monitor, but it’s not enormous either. If any of its dimensions have the potential to cause a problem it will be the 40cm depth, which, when combined with the suggested positioning minimum of 8cm from a rear wall, means that if the monitors are to be shelf-mounted, said shelves need to be deep. They’ll need to be reasonably sturdy shelves too, because a Kii Three weighs in at 15kg. Installing the Kiis on the uber-shelves either side of my workstation was just about viable, but only just. Matching Kii Three floor stands are available for those that need them.
The enclosure is constructed in two halves from injection-moulded polyurethane structural ‘foam’ with integral internal bracing and fittings. The two halves are glued together and then painted, the drivers fitted, and finally the aluminium panels (to which the electronics modules are mounted) attached. The Kii Three has no power or standby button but switches on automatically in response to a signal. Switch-on was a little tardy and seemed to require too healthy an input level for my preference, but that probably falls into the nit-picking category.
Probably the most apparently conventional aspect of the Kii Three is its use of a 110mm-cone MF driver and 25mm-dome HF driver arranged vertically on the front panel. The drivers are framed by a brushed anodised-aluminium panel that also provides relief for the logo and indicator LEDs. Both front-mounted drivers are obscured behind grilles so their identity in terms of manufacturer or diaphragm material is not easy to establish.
Kii Three incorporates low-frequency overload limiting that works by ‘looking ahead’ and, if driver power-handling limits are likely to be reached, subtly adjusting the signal bandwidth (LF limiting is indicated by the front-panel LEDs). However, this being a universe in which effect follows cause, these features can only be implemented by adding latency to the system. In standard operating mode the latency is 90ms, which is of course far too long if the Kii Three is to be used as a tracking monitor.
A genuine innovation in speaker technology results in a truly exceptional and unusual monitor.
