Comments on: Kendall 5.1 System

By: Crutchfield customer from Hays, KS

Crutchfield customer from Hays, KS — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Well made and sounds great.

By: Unwokeandproudofit

Unwokeandproudofit — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Incredible speakers,,,, surreal sound My best friend got a pair of the Walnut finished Kendalls and I got to hear them at low, intermediate and at EXTREMELY high levels listening to everything from old Traffic and Led Zep to Motorhead to Mother Love Bone and Nirvana. My opinion? If I died and got into heaven there would be a listening room just for me set up with a pair of these speakers and perhaps a Denon receiver of significant power and I would spend eternity having my hair (one has a full head of hair again in Heaven), blown back. Clear, incredibly sensitive and these speakers re-create the actual experience better than any speakers at even 3 times their price that I have EVER heard. My goodness these are incredible speakers and worth every penny and minute of your bank account and allotted time.

By: Greg From Philadelphia area

Greg From Philadelphia area — Mon, 24 May 2021 00:20:00 +0000

For what it’s worth!!! I have been looking for a set of tower speakers to replace the ADS L1090 towers, that I have owned for the past 40yrs. I didn’t have a set purchase price in mind when shopping, do to the fact I will probably never buy another pair of towers again in my life time. I am not a professional reviewer, however I have read quite a few reviews, trying to get my bearings on the huge selection speakers available on the market to day. You can stop reading now, if you like, because my recommendation is simple go buy a pair of KLH Kendall’s… you may ask why, ok, let’s forget about the price for minute. The Kendall’s boste all of the features you would expect from a modern speaker build. The highlights for me are cast aluminum baskets, over sized magnets, kevlar woven wolfers and a cross over that keeps sound right at all sound pressures. I have owned these guys for about two months and honestly the more I listened to them the better they sound. I say, don’t overthink this, just order them now and you will want to bring your friends over right away for a listen. My background in music is as follows: I love to listening to a lot of different types of music, and do so quite often. I am a bass player since 1980 and still play in a band today. If you have ever been in a band, then you know that getting the right sound isn’t always easy. One way or another you could spend a lot of money on your equipment, but before you make possibly make a big mistake buy the Kendall’s. One final note, the sound is fantastic as part on my home theater. Well, I hope this helps all of you out there especially, if your on the fence.

By: Crutchfield customer from Cortland, NY

Crutchfield customer from Cortland, NY — Sun, 23 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It’s tough making a decision on speakers without a live audition, and it took me forever, but Crutchfield’s Speaker Compare feature was invaluable and after endless listening and comparing, I landed on the KLH Kendall. WOW! I can’t speak highly enough about them. First, the shipping was immediate (like Crutchfield always does) and the packaging was bullet-proof. Their handsome physical appearance is really very classy and they fit in our room space beautifully. Extremely well-made, heavy, and solid. They look terrific both with and without the grill cover. But the sound is the thing. At this price, they’re not the priciest speakers by any means, but the sound is just stunning, and you’d think they cost much much more. It’s the clarity that stands out to me – just clean, clear, crisp, transparent music reproduction without being the least bit harsh. We have pretty eclectic tastes – classical, jazz, blues, maybe a little R&B, soul. Chris Botti, Nina Simone, Diana Krall, Bruckner’s 4th, Walter Trout, Mark Knopfler, Joey Bonnamassa, and of course Ray Charles – everything sounds just fantastic! We’ve gone well past the standard 60-hour break-in period and they’ve definitely gotten better and better as time goes by. Zero listening fatigue – we frequently have them on for hours and actually hate shutting things down at days end. Matter of fact, I think I’ll wrap this up and go fire them back up now! Henry Kloss would be proud!

By: Yamaha2021

Yamaha2021 — Sat, 08 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I was very skeptical on purchasing the Klh Kendall’s in years past Klh has been middle of the Road type of speaker I own 4 advents from 1978 a pair of Klh model six which sounds awesome. Also own Klipsch RF 7 and 3 the Klh Kendall’s are Amazing deep bridge base the mid range does not stand out has a great mix with a Twitter great sound stage I am very impressed with this product I will buy others.

By: RJ

RJ — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Just got these speakers and so far they sound amazing one came with a damaged tweeter the seller Listenup made the exchange nice and easy ¬†

By: David

David — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

They are beautiful- Product is totally awesome

By: ProPhotog

ProPhotog — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Yes the hype is real!! A True Audiophile Speaker System that won‚Äôt break the Bank! The KLH Kendall Speaker system is so good that it begs to be paired with an Amp that compliments its ability to reproduce simply great sound from top to bottom! I’ll come back to that in a minute… First thing that was apparent when the first speaker arrived was just how solid/rigid the cabinet is. And it’s deeper than you might think as well by a few inches. Its conventional box design with its beautiful real wood finish and magnetically detachable grill, tells you that no money was wasted on trying to make this system a visual standout. Yet with the grille off, it is impressive!! I won’t get into the packaging as it is top notch. Rubber feet and Spikes with plates are included but I used the rubber feet and here is a trick….I screwed two of the Nuts from the Spikes on each of the front rubber feet to get a good tilt up!! Really helps create a higher soundstage. Soooo… lets talk about that soundstage!! These speakers are as good as any towers I have ever heard under 5 Thousand Dollars….seriously. I’ve listen to Martin Logan’s, Monitor Audio, Def Tech’, B&W and many other speaker systems, and this system is on par with all of them. No matter what you play through the KLH Kendalls, I cant find anything to criticize!! And do these speakers get as low as the advertised 25Hz….YES… in the most controlled and tightest way I’ve ever heard!! There is simply no need for a subwoofer at all! And I do watch movies on these as well, although I built this system for listening to Music. So, lets take a step back to what must be considered for understanding how good these speakers are. I originally had the BlueSound PowerNode2i, rated at 60 Watts via Class D amplification. The all-in-one streaming device more than did its job and very well! But there was still, from experience listening to many sound systems, something missing in the deep mid and low end. SOooo…. I researched for an integrated Amp as I wanted to stay within my budget, and what stood out was the YAMAHA A-S801. Rated at a clean high amperage of 100wats per channel @ 8ohms, via Class A-B Amplification, I can tell you that there is no better Speaker/Amp combination for the money!! This Integrated Amplifier simply allows the KLH Kendalls to compete with $10,000 systems…seriously…I am not exaggerating. I have an OPPO Blu-Ray player I purchased used for 2-Channel Playback of my CD collection, and when the Amp is operating in its CD Direct mode as well as its “Pure Direct” mode for streaming music from the non-powered BlueSound Node2i, which replaced the PowerNode, the music is as uncolored and pristine as anything you can hear for anywhere near this price!! My Reference CD is the Thom Rotella Band on the DMP label, where years ago they recorded the Band live to disc in a all digital environment. The music reproduced is simply sublime as cymbals and bass kicks and guitar plucks grace a soundstage that exceeds far beyond the cabinets of the KLH Kendalls. And here is a piece of advice that will save you the effort….DO NOT BI-AMP THESE SPEAKERS using the Yamaha A-S801!! BASS becomes…well, uncontrolled and overwhelming. While the Amp has no HDMI, I run an optical link from the Sony 55in TV, fed from the OPPO Blu-ray Player and my ROKU Streaming Device via HDMI, and the sound is very, very good for watching Live TV and Movies. I purchased the Black finish as I like my equipment to disappear when I listen to music at night or watch a movie, and the Black Walnut finish is all but non reflective. I simply can’t express how the Yamaha A-S801, with its build quality and just like KLH, its decision to focus on what’s inside and not on the outside with a minimalistic design, is an AMP that sonically punches more than “well” above its price range. There is a reason why this Speaker System is the “Amazon Choice”…it is that good!! But paired with the Yamaha A-S801…..you will be simply “open mouthed” at what you will be listening to!!! Added April 13,2021: One more thing that needs to stressed when ‚Äútweeking‚Äù these speakers in achieving the optimal sound is the importance of the KLH Kendall speaker system is its ‚ÄúDual Port‚Äù design and the included Port Plug that is included. Most often times when heavier gauge cables, Silver instead of Gold connectors are used, a bump in conductivity will result in a boost in the Bass and lower Midrange frequencies….And it‚Äôs sonically noticeable!! When I switched out my gold plated banana plugs for some AudioQuest Silver Banana plugs the bass was immediately ‚Äúpunchier‚Äù….in fact it was a bit too much, but the Midrange was much richer and fuller! Solution….use the included port plug on the bottom Port!! Not only was the Bass tighter and more controlled, the soundstage became much more focused and cleaner sounding. These included plugs are priceless….keep them close and when the come out of the box they are a bit compressed and mis-shaped, but in about a week or two they will be a perfect circle. The KLH Kendall Loudspeker system will one day be one of those cult Audiophile Items as it represents a true “BARGAIN” in Audio Equipment. But at any price, the sound quality is one of the most pleasing you could experience!!¬†

By: Craig S

Craig S — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

KLH YAMAHA = Match made in Audio Heaven!! So this past month or so I spent a while both reading and auditioning Speakers and Amps, as I wanted to build a 2 Channel System for the primary use of listening to music…like I did “BACK IN THE DAY”!!! In doing so, I discovered just how far streaming music capabilities have come and was thoroughly impressed with the sound quality available over the air. With so many of the Tower Type Speakers I was liking, costing 3 grand or more, I was not optimistic wanting a 4 Driver, 3 way system. Initially, the Blue PowerNode, made for a no-brainer of a choice for an amp and streamer, with an included HDMI input for my Roku Device. So after reading and hearing simply raving reviews about the sound of the KLH Kendall Towers at $1299 a pair, I purchased the PowerNode at my Local Dealer, and ordered a pair of the KLF Kendalls. Ordered via Amazon, shipped from World Wide. Setting up the Black Oak finished Towers was pretty easy, screwing the rubber feet on and using Banana Plug connectors to12 gauge speaker wire, connected to the PowerNode. Even at first use, before any break in period, it was apparent that these speakers were a bargain at $1299 a pair!! The PowerNode offers a very clean and un-“colored” feed and for an entry level pairing, the duo sounded quite good….very good in fact. I had all tone controls off on the PowerNode, and the music just dripped through the KLH Kendalls. But there was something missing in the “presence” of the music using the PowerNode. Rated at 60watts, I just felt like more was needed as I had auditioned many amps driving speakers before my purchase. So I had seen the reviews about Yamaha’s newest line of Amplifiers and the one that stood out was the A-S801. At $900, it was going to fit well in to my budget, with room for a Media Streaming device to replace the PowerNode as it had no “Pre-out” to connect to another Amplifier. So…..in cutting to the chase, all I can say is Holy Freaking Shat!!! I decided to purchase the Blue Node2i, since I had become familiar with its operation and was very happy with its uncolored sound quality, and in combination, for under three grand, I challenge you to spend double that and find a system that sounds as good as this!! Really….as a life long lover of great music and the equipment its re-created on, this system is as good as anything you can listen to, when it comes to the simplicity of being satisfied….thoroughly!!! The Kendall’s are made like a brick as the internal MDF internal driver chambers make for a speaker that weighs every bit of 50 pounds, and giving way to zero cabinet resonance. The Cabinets “knuckle test” passes with a 100!! Rated as getting as low as 25htz, lower than most towers…you can believe me when I say, adding a Subwoofer would be completely unnecessary!! The bass is so tight and controlled…and the midrange….ohhh the midrange!!! Simply “liquid”!! Playing anything from Adelle to Bob James to Earth Wind and Fire, the music just takes on a life of its own as the speakers disappear with a soundstage that reaches far beyond their placement. And let’s talk movies for a minute….ok! I wasn’t sure if this system would be the most enjoyable for watching movies, but damn!!! I played the film “1912” through my OPPO BDP-83, with the connection scheme involving the Opposing HDMI to the Sony 55 TV, and the Optical Output from the Sony to the Yamaha A-S801. Again, no Sub needed!! It was an amazing experience as sound moved across the screen and behind me at times, engulfing me into every moment of the film! One last thing…DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME BI-AMPING these speakers. Seriously…it creates an overpowered and much more annoying BASS field. It muddied up the Mid Range significantly, and proved to be…well… as I said, a waste of time…but good for you to know right?? The Yamaha A-S801 is not a Bells and Whistle, Light Flashing Amplifier. Its remote is very useful, but with small buttons the you have to learn to braille over! There is no indicator light on the Volume knob either, so its always best to turn it down first if you aren’t sure when powering up. But guess what, these few short comings I could give a shat about, you know why…because this amp is truly in a class by itself musically!! I keep the Music Direct button on 99% of the time and its just a fantastic pairing with a set of Speakers that are as uncolored and as musical as it is! You’d have to spend a lot more to equal the sound the KLH Kendalls and the Yamaha A-S801 create. But if you are on a budget, or a true Audiophile who just wants to enjoy the music…this duo may end up being a “cult” pair, even for those owing multiple systems!! “Yeah I’ve got a Kendall/801 set up!!” It is simply that freaking good.¬†

By: BW

BW — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Sound is clean without speaker coloration Sound reproduction is clear, clean and without superfluous coloration especially for acoustic and vocal content. It is a a real pleasure to hear each instrumental voice in a symphony with superb separation.¬†