Kingfisher Audio Owners & Discussion Thread

[parrasaw]

In late November 2021, while my wife and I were out enjoying the countryside in the lovely area where we live (mid North Coast, NSW), we dropped in to Tree-O Furniture Gallery (Raleigh Industrial Estate, Urunga NSW ( https://tree-o.com.au ), to check out a wood exhibition about which we had heard good things.

The quality of the wooden furniture and artefacts which were on display was terrific, but for me, the unexpected star was two sets of beautifully made stand-mount speakers which were playing in the upstairs section of the Gallery.

 

The speakers are designed and made by Myles Oliver-King and his father Trevor. Trevor is a fine furniture maker, with some 40 years experience designing, teaching and manufacturing furniture. Myles and Trevor use their CNC machine to create the complex and strongly braced curved walls of the larger A 16 model, while their smaller SP 15 model has a rectangular box shape. 

All speakers are finished with beautiful veneers made from local timbers (in many cases using salvaged, often rare timbers which would otherwise be lost).

 

Myles has set up Kingfisher Audio ( www.kingfisheraudio.com.au ), to follow his passion for music and sound reproduction. He uses an active crossover setup to simulate various passive crossovers, with different slopes and crossover points, and then constructs the final crossovers himself using quality parts.

The speakers boxes are heavily braced, and the finish quality is exceptional.  Quality drivers from SB Acoustics are used in the two models which are being produced at this stage.

 

How do they sound?

The upper floor at the Gallery is far from an ideal listening space at present, but I heard enough to be confident that these beautifully made speakers have a sound quality which would make them well worth auditioning by anyone who is looking for quality stand-mount speakers.

At present, Kingfisher Audio is offering two options - a curved box model (the A 16), and the smaller rectangular SP 15 model. Both models can be inspected and auditioned at Tree-O Gallery.

 

Interested parties can find out more about Myles and Trevor and their speakers, by visiting the Kingfisher Audio website ( www.kingisheraudio.com.au ), which contains information (and photos) about the speakers, pricing details, and contact details.

 

During a second visit which I made a couple of weeks ago, some stunning SP 15s were nearing completion. They are finished in Australian Red Cedar, and are absolutely gorgeous. I have attached a few of photos which show:

1. Red Cedar SP 15 front view

2. Red Cedar SP 15 side view

3. Red Cedar SP 15 and completed SP15  in Cheese Tree veneer (stunning).

4. Trevor and Myles and various speaker finishes etc

5. An A 16 - Silky Oak veneer etc

6. A16 - rear view

7.  A 16 speaker boxes under construction.

 

So....a new, young, passionate, speaker manufacturer who is producing products which look gorgeous and which sound great too. 

 

Paul Parramore ("parrasaw" on Stereonet).

 

 

 

 

 

[metal beat]

 

https://www.kingfisheraudio.com.au/

 

 We understand ordering speakers online can seem like a gamble. For your peace of mind we are happy to offer a 15 day trial period in which orders may be returned in original condition for full refund.

[audiofeline]

They certainly look nice. 

[davewantsmoore]

nice

[Dolphy]

It's good to see another loacally based speaker manufacturer.

 

Hopefully someone on SNA buy a pair and does an in depth review. 

[speedgod66]

I must admit they look beautiful. The wife is going to allow these in the room. And these drivers are outstanding so hats off to Kingfisher

The finish on the A16 is gorgeous it makes a Klipsch heritage seem second rate - no wonder that sold out 

Edited January 9, 2022 by speedgod66
left out stuff

[speedgod66]

this finish here is just totally stunning ! Wow

[Ittaku]

That is a ruthless segment to be competing in, and I wish I had the balls to have done it myself. I wish them luck!

[rantan]

 

It is really nice to see people who dare to offer something that is not me too.

There is absolutely no reason why great speakers cannot also look great and if these sound even half as good as they look then they would be very good indeed.

 

Obviously, they are not short of competition at their respective price points, but I don't know of any alternatives where every example is unique.

 

I wish them every success.

[Kaynin]

I remember when Hulgich started and they announced themselves on SNA.  Small business hoping to make their mark.  Now, years later, they’re highly regarded.  You neve4 know who the next one is.  Also good luck to Kingfisher Audio, I hope I get to hear them one day.

[ICUToo]

Those speakers are totally gorgeous!!

[Whites]

The speakers on the website look fantastic with those veneers, definitely a high WAF and great to see another  locally made product.

[audiofeline]

There is something special about some of the Australian timber, it always makes our audio products look different and classy.

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by audiofeline

[Bradzino]

Wow this for me is the best part, the visually stunning piece of Australia that’s functional! I don’t understand the full gamete in regards to audio but I will say it’s a must to look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

 

great stuff and local makes it even better. 

[MattyW]

Those really are gorgeous speakers. Absolutely love the wood grain and finish. About time someone realised each speaker doesn't need perfectly matching wood grain 

 

I rather hope they get into floor standing speaker builds though totally understand if thats not an option. More expensive to ship etc.

Edited January 11, 2022 by MattyW

[RCADees]

Congratulations to father and son from King Fisher Audio for a great Australian family made product. Design, manufacturing and bringing it to market is never easy. They look like speakers  that are made with care and passion. Beautiful cabinets. We need more of this in the world right now.

Would be fantastic to get a chance to hear them at the next Hi-Fi show

 

[5L15]

20 hours ago, MattyW said:

Those really are gorgeous speakers. Absolutely love the wood grain and finish. About time someone realised each speaker doesn't need perfectly matching wood grain 

 

I rather hope they get into floor standing speaker builds though totally understand if thats not an option. More expensive to ship etc.

 

 

Maybe they do have a prototype in development @MattyW?

Well, I hope they do!  Hats off to ‘em I say!!

 

 

[Darryl]

Has anyone contacted Tree-O and made them aware of Stereonet and this thread?

 

Maybe they would like to join and provide some input?.

 

I'm happy to.

 

Update: I've sent them an email.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Darryl

[parrasaw]

2 hours ago, Darryl said:

Has anyone contacted Tree-O and made them aware of Stereonet and this thread?

 

Maybe they would like to join and provide some input?.

 

I'm happy to.

 

Update: I've sent them an email.

 

Hello Darryl (and fellow StereoNET members).

 

Myles is aware of the thread. Before posting, I took the photos, on one of my visits to Tree-O., with the objective of including them in the posting

I was (am ) very impressed with Myles.- he is a sincere, highly principled young man who, as I said in the original posting, is passionate about music and sound reproduction.  He has been researching the subject, and building speakers over quite a number of years. A short time before I first met him, after getting several speaker models to the point where he was happy with them,  he had already launched Kingfisher Audio, and he had sold some speaker sets to very satisfied customers.

 

I mentioned to him that, as a keen member of the StereoNET community, I would be more than happy to introduce him, his speakers and his business to other StereoNET members, as an avenue for his speakers to becoming more widely known. Given the quality of the workmanship I was very happy to do this, and it has been gratifying to see so many positive comments about the finish quality of his work, on the basis of the photos which were included.

My wife accurately commented about the Red Cedar finished speakers  - "They positively glow".

 

Myles is aware that a number of supportive comments have been made on StereoNET, and he too is gratified to know that his workmanship is appreciated by other audiophiles.

I would not be surprised if he joins StereoNET (I will certainly encourage him to do so), but until that happens he can be contacted via his business website.

 

Thank you for taking the time and trouble which you have taken to contact him - he will appreciate that.

He also appreciated Marc reaching out to him via Facebook to let him know about this year's Audio show in Melbourne, and the possibility of his attending as an exhibitor.

 

As others have noted, this is not an easy time for someone to dive into the speaker market as a new manufacturer, and it has been great to see support and appreciation for Myles's  decision, given to him by a lot of fellow members here on StereoNET. 

 

[rantan]

It would be really good if KA were able to participate in the upcoming show.

I think this would open hearts,minds and wallets, but I also accept that this may not be a walk in the park fora small and new manufacturer. 

 

The analogy with Hulgich speakers of a few years ago is a good one,going from relative obscurity to well earned respect .

No reason why these cannot do the same and I would dearly love to see some in real life. 

Certainly if KA can join SNA we would get some excellent insights into the speakers.

Edited January 12, 2022 by rantan
Typos

[miyouzaic]

I saw these Kingfisher Audio speakers in person yesterday at The Tree - O Gallery, and their finish and attention to detail is hard to beat.

 

They also had one of their A16 speaker crossovers assembled and out for all to see, with an explanation of a crossovers purpose for those not in the know, and I was glad to see it comprised of quality components,  including Jantzen Cross Caps and inductors.

 

What I heard within a few tracks of listening, was fast and clean.  As expected, bass was limited by the sheer size, layout and typical hard reflective surfaces of a gallery space.  I have no doubt these speakers will perform beautifully in a suitable sized room.

[mylesok]

Thank you all for your kind words and especially Paul for helping us get the word out! We’re very excited to finally be sharing after almost two years of design and development.

We feel very privileged to be able to access and work with these beautiful Australian timbers. Never get sick of seeing that first coat of finish go on! WAF has been a very important consideration of ours so thanks to those that pointed it out! I’m lucky to have an in-home WAF consultant.

Very aware that we are competing in a saturated market. Lots of great options out there, all with their own selling points. Our approach is to keep it simple, stay small scale and focus on quality over quantity.

Lots of hours have gone in to selecting the drivers we use. SB acoustics have made a name for themselves recently. Revel and Buchardt are examples of other great brands which use their drivers. Looks like Hulgich do too. We’ve done many hours of listening comparing cone/dome materials, crossover topologies and slopes to get to our final products. Very happy with what we have come up with and excited for some of you to have a chance to hear them one day! We hadn’t considered exhibiting at HiFi shows this early on but it’s definitely on the cards.

As for a floor-standing model, the image taken from Tree-O’s website is an old design from 3-4 years ago. We will be releasing a new model in the coming months which will feature a similar tweeter/mid combo but will replace the one 8’’ woofer with two 6’’ drivers to minimise baffle width. We’ll post updates on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. You can find links on our website if you would like to follow us

Great to hear someone has already had a chance to check out the speakers and Tree-O Gallery!

[vinilink]

Definitely KA is on my itinerary to check them out when I get a chance to drive up to Dorrigo to see a good friend of mine, who is an audiophile too. 

[PKay]

Beautiful work.  Next time I'm in the area I'll pop in - it's perfect since my wife loves a good gallery (as do I) and I get to listen to some speakers.

[Red MacKay]

I love that the 'structure' of their enclosures is made of plywood.  To my ears a far superior product than either MDF or HDF.

 

The final product sure does look something special!  A pleasure to have in anyone's music room and WAF is off the planet.  Even better than Sonus Fabers!

 

I wish you success lads.