Download the full review here. - Kudos Audio

52
Loudspeaker Floorstander
Because of their dwarfi sh size
they are often loved by women
and smiled at by audiophiles.
Nevertheless, one should not
be deceived: The X 2 made
by British manufacturer Kudos
manages to keep up with measurably
bigger sized speakers
when it comes to sound quality.
Tiny
Ones

54
Loudspeaker Floorstander passive
by Dalibor Beric
For a female spouse to spontaneously
appreciate a new pair of speakers
is a rather rare event to members of
the HiFi community. But not this time
around: My wife thought of them as „adorable“,
the moment I introduced the
Kudos X 2 to our private living room.
With their 78 cm of height they embody
the typical British fl oorstander, not designed
to serve the grand halls, but to
cater to sitting room standards.The reason
for the exceptional successes of Kudos,
the relativly young company owned
by Derek Gilligan as of 2005, is not just
their product line of rather petite loudspeakers,
but the fact that they do
sound more than decent to say the
least.
It should, however, be pointed out
that the X 2, while being Kudos‘ most
affordable model, is not the smallest. At
€ 1650 a set Gilligan wanted to create a
fl oorstanding speaker containing all of
the virtues which make Kudos more than
just an insider tip in the UK.
One of those virtues being Kudos‘
recommendation about positioning the
speaker close to the wall. Because, in
all honesty: Is it not often the case, even
in Germany, that most speakers - although
they may not serve that purpose
- are bound to stand near the wall because
the owner just happens not to live
in a 70 m2 loft ? It is therefore a more
intelligent decision, made by the manufacturer,
to incorporate this knowledge
into the product design.
Another maxim would be the enclosure
fabrication in Europe. Made in Denmark
at Hornslet Cabinets, the excellent
quality of the veneered MDF-body with
18 mm of wall thickness does not come
as suprise. The bracing on the inside, in
order to lessen the amount of resonance,
With the X 2 the bass
refl ex port is pointed at
the MDF base. As a result
the effect is quite similar,
even different listening
rooms, due to the air volume,
which is affected by
the refl ex tube, remaining
constant.
is part of Kudos‘ recipe for the best tonal
quality possible. Similar to the drivers
manufactured by Seas, while being tailored
to Gilligan‘s specifi cities, the X 2
is equipped with a tweeter equipped
with a rayon diaphragm and a coated 15
cm mid-bass unit with a one-inch voice
coil. Seeing that all of these components
harmonize very well, low-order crossover
fi lters are suffi cient for the X 2 - this
being Kudos‘ philosophy. However, the
low-pass fi lter for the mid-bass driver
offers a slope of 6 dB per octave while
the one for the tweeter is adjusted to 12
db. The crossover network being
constructed out of high quality components
(such as the Clarity-Caps condensers
designed for Kudos, inductors
made by Volt as well as resistors by
Mundorf), demonstrates additional benefi
ts that are easily overlooked.
Even in terms of wiring no expense
was spared, according to the jointers of
The height towards the
base can be adjusted
by using different sized
plastic columns. The X 2 is
of course equipped with
height-adjustable spikes.
This is advantageous, because
in terms of sound a
lot can be gained, provided
the Kudos X 2 is set
up in a stable position.
British cable specialists Chord Company.
The downward pointed bass-refl ex is
a distinctive feature of the X 2. This leads
to a constant air cushion, with which the
bass-refl ex port works and is in turn less
likely to be infl uenced by the air volume
of the room. For anyone looking to >
The drivers for Kudos‘ products are custom-made
by Seas. The mid-bass unit has a coated paper cone,
while the tweeter diaphragm consists of rayon.

56
Loudspeaker Floorstander passive
experiment, there are different sized
spacer sleeves fi tting the MDF baseplate,
so that the bass range can be tuned subtly.
The X 2 is most defi nitely recommendable
because it soothes one‘s ears with
an impressive bass sound even in different
rooms. The song „Easy Lee“ by
Ricardo Villalobos („Alcachofa“/Playhouse)
is a good example, because the
X 2 manages not just to hint at or simulate
the low-pitched bass notes, but to
immerse the listener in waves of low frequencies.
This was also confi rmed
through tests conducted by AUDIOphile
with a cut-off frequency of 36 Hz. But
the X 2 doesn‘t just maintain a high level
Derek Gilligan, chief executive
„A thrilling and
enthralling musicality
is our number one priority.
For that reason
we still mainly rely
on auditory tuning,
despite the technical
approach.“
The X 2 impresses
with
its excellent
cabinet quality
and consistent
appearance.
within the bass range, but also creates a
clear distinction. Bassdrums sound dry
as usual, while deep sounding bleeps
succeed in making the walls tremble.
This leads us to the measurement of
the maximum SPL, which seems as if the
X 2 is more appropriate for low levels.
That is not necessarily the case. Obviously
Derek Gilligan can not rise above
the laws of physics and with its two 15
cm woofers the X 2 could not possibly
work in a nightclub. But put in a room
the size of up to 30 m2 the X 2 easily can
raise the levels loud enough to get the
owner evicted. This is, if nothing else,
due to the ability of maintaining a smooth
sound without any distortions, even at
high volume levels.
It is a common stereotype that English
speakers are typically rather restrained
in the high frequency range. Suprisingly,
the X 2 amazes with an open tonality,
both delicious and precise without losing
any of its brilliance. Its sound never seems
inclined to appearing particulary sharp
and string sections thus sound wonderfully
natural and resinous. Listening to
the Allegro Molto Vivace of the „Sym-
Kudos
X 2
List price: €1,650
Warranty period: 10 years
Dimensions: length x width x
height (cm) 16.6 x 78 x 20.4
Weight: 12 kg (unit)
Housing: ash black, cherry,
walnut, Banksia, maple light,
acorn light
Connection possibilities:
Single-Wiring
Distribution:
Beat Audio GmbH
Hainbuchenweg 12
D-21224 Rosengarten
Germany
Phone: 04105 / 67 50 50 0
Internet: www.kudosaudio.com
phonie Pathétique“ by Tschaikowsky with
Leonard Bernstein and the New York
Philharmonic (Columbia MS 6689) was
absolutely delightful. For one thing the
X 2 makes the pizzicato strings sound
vivid and clearly displays the background
melody. Meanwhile the necessary foundation
is given to make the bass growl
pleasantly. The sound image also stays
intact in the forte passages, if the X 2 is
set up correctly. The height-adjustable
spikes turn out to be a blessing, because
the absolutely shake-free position enabled
the Kudos to focus more sharply on the
individual instruments in the orchestra,
making the contours in the forte distinctly
less blurred. The X 2 therefore continuously
sounds greater than suggested
by its 78 cm. Even long after having listened
to it multiple times with my eyes
closed, I was still baffl ed to open them
to a relatively small sized box made of
bonsai.
Because of the overall impedance
being uncritical and thanks to a decent
effi ciency, such a high quality of sound
can also be achieved with smaller amplifi
ers, not just expensive ones.
The diagram: The diagram:
Frequency response Distortion&Compression
Very balanced frequency response
with a deep bass. The slight increase
in high frequencies is contingent
upon the speakers being set up
parallel (blue graph). The seat height
should be taken into account, seeing
that less is more here. A slight tilt
may help matters. Very uncritical
minimum of impedance around 5.7
The Naim Nait XS and also the Creek
Destiny 2 were therefore capable of making
the Kudos X 2 display some of its
abilities. One of them being the immense
immediacy with which it refl ects recordings.
Lightnin‘ Hopkins‘ smoky, creaking
voice for example seems realistic
enough on „Black Cadillac“ one could
think the Blues legend might as well just
have entered my living room. Additionaly
the drums rumble on beat and the
guitar sounds just slighlty jumpy enough.
Having said that the X 2 does not require
fi rst class equipment does not,
however, mean that it doesn‘t show the
difference in quality pertaining to the
particular amplifi er being used. A higher
quality source does in fact make in the
X 2 shine. So it‘s time to lean back and
relax while eagerly awaiting your guests,
who pity the cute, little X 2 at fi rst but
are sure to have their minds blown, only
immediatly to go through your record
collection to fi nd any possible stumbling
blocks. Having said that, I guarantee they
won‘t fi nd any.
Kudos X 2 Pegel- & Klirrverlauf
110 dB
85 dB 90 dB 95 dB 100 dB
100 dB
90 dB
80 dB
70 dB
60 dB
50 dB
20 Hz 50 Hz 100 Hz 200 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 5 kHz
Ohm. At 95 db distortion within the
low frequencies increases rapidly,
due to the low bass combined with
a relatively small diaphragm surface
(blue graph) - after all, the laws of
physics can‘t be outwitted. At a
lower level THD is, while not close to
nonexistent, good and independent
from frequency range
>
Test-LP
Lightnin‘ Hopkins:
Walkin‘ This Road
By Myself
The immediacy of the recordings
perfectly fi ts the handmade music by
Houston‘s Blues legend. Personal tipp:
„Black Cadillac“, which almost sounds
as if the band is playing in your living
room.
AUDIOphile Character
Effortlessly
spacious and
soft
Neutral and
authentic
The author
Dalibor
Beric
The trained information electronics
technician started to work for Stereoplay
as an editor in 2000, after he had already
gotten the opportunity to combine
his personal interests with his career by
previously working in high end retail.
Main emphasis: everything analog,
interesting accessories and good, but
exceptional speakers.
AUDIOphile Potential
Recommendation
Grippingly
emotional and
dynamic
Immediacy
high resolution
The speaker fi ts into most rooms
and covers everything except for
high SPL. Tips for a good set up:
Close and parallel to the wall,
2-2.5 m wide base, wobble free
stance is mandatory.