It was immediately obvious that the KSB 1.1s were intent on surrounding me with a bright, forward sound quality. The effect provided a great sense of presence while robbing his vocals of some intimacy and warmth, and it also subjectively yielded a sound that seemed smaller than it should be. Moreover, that kind of sonic ambition does not agree with my own preference for warm, dark speakers. The KSB s midrange voicing wasn t exactly harsh, but it was a little too edgy for my taste. On the other hand, I liked its lower-midrange punch.
Some small speakers sound pretty mushy on transients from tom-toms and other percussion.
I also thought the new tweeter design worked quite well. Not only was the high-frequency limit smoother than with many dome tweeters, but the lower frequency range was also fuller. In this case, the tweeter did just that, and I was extremely pleased by its sonic performance. The KSW 10 subwoofer also did a good job. The KSW managed to stay musical down to 30 Hz or so.