Kingfisher Audio Owners & Discussion Thread

[colinm1]

Great place to live and work,

What could I say other than 

the very best of luck,

and never compromise your very talented craftsmanship,

for any reason,

 

[Linus]

I first met Trevor through a mate called Bim and together with the lovely Sarah, they are the creative spirit behind the amazing Furniture/ Wood Gallery Tree -o (https://tree-o.com.au/) in Raleigh between Coffs Harbour and Bellingen. Trevor combines his many years of experience in furniture design with his son Myles passion and skills in speaker design and audio science to create Kingfisher speakers (https://www.kingfisheraudio.com.au/ ).

Every few months Tree O Gallery invite other local artists to display in the gallery – complimenting the amazing furniture and woodwork on display.  So, with each new exhibition I would wander around enjoying not only the fine art but also the music in the background and the very tasty speakers standing proud amongst it all. These speakers are definitely a work of art – so not out of place in this creative environment. And while the acoustics of the gallery may not be the best – the ambience certainly makes you notice the “look” of the speakers.

Needing a new pair of speakers, I started giving the A15 a more serious listen.  I spent some time with Trevor listening to both the A15 and the larger A16 in the gallery surrounded by the amazing artwork / wood creations – wow - I was very impressed with both pairs of speakers – great fullness of sound, plenty of depth (and feeling!) to the bass and a wonderful dynamic range.

Now I have them set up at home and am even more impressed – guess they are settling into their new environment. Been playing mostly vinyl and CDs plus streaming via tidal – jazz, world, classical, soul, gospel, blues, reggae whatever and it all sounds pretty darn good. So now rediscovering lots of music from my past and it’s sounding better than ever!!

I have been especially impressed listening to orchestras and larger ensembles such as Duke Ellington’s classic Afro-Eurasian Eclipse album and Beethoven’s 5^th, 6^th, and 9^th symphonies. There’s an even balance to the sound from high to low and a balance and nice clarity to all the different instruments.

I don’t have a large living area and the A15’ sound and look great in this space. My wife is also impressed as these speakers look fantastic.

 

 

These speakers tick a lot of boxes for me and more

   - Locally made

   – Ethically sourced native red cedar finish

   - Exceptional sound

   - Purchased straight from the source – no salesperson involved.

   - Individually Made

   - Very Stylish

 

Picking up my new babies ???

[PKay]

The woodwork  is stunning. Congratulations on your purchase. 

[StereoNET]

From Bellingen, the small eclectic town on the Mid-North Coast of NSW, known for its impressive cafés and its thriving music and arts scene, comes the tale of a new Australian loudspeaker brand Kingfisher Audio.

View the full article

[Chris Launder]

These guys look like they have a very interesting product !

 

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

 

Regards .

[cafe67]

New 3 way on their FB page 

[cafe67]

https://www.kingfisheraudio.com.au/ourspeakers/p/dacelos
 

 

[BLAH BLAH]

Beautiful locale Bellingen...north coast of NSW...God's own country! Can imagine good things coming out of there...  

[Kingfisher Audio]

Hello again everyone  Came here to let you all know about our newest model but it looks like I've been beaten to it! A bit of a departure from the dual 6inch narrow tower we set you up to expect but we're very glad we went the direction we did. 

The Dacelo's are a large 3-way utilising a formidable 10'' SB acoustics woofer, 6'' midrange and a ring radiator tweeter. The mid and tweeter are both from SB's top of the line 'Satori' range and we have been very impressed with their performance. The style is obviously a nod to some classic designs from previous decades and some more recent re-releases that I'm sure you're all aware of. We're no word smiths so we prefer to let the speakers do the talking but we have been particularly impressed with how the woofer-mid combo can recreate believable drums and percussion. They have a real tactile punch to them.  Lots more info and specs on our website for anyone who is interested. Boxes are very solid and well braced and of course make use of our salvaged Aussie hardwood veneers that we make in house. 

 https://www.kingfisheraudio.com.au/ourspeakers/p/dacelos

We now have all of our speakers ready to demo at Coffs Coast Audio. Gavin and Jarrod are great guys with a very nice shop and we would love for anyone in the area or passing through to drop in and have a listen. 

We've newly become StereoNet sponsors so you can follow us on StereoNet now over here: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/forum/442-kingfisher-audio/ . We'll update much more often now. We even have a few prototype pairs we might put up in the classifieds for a reduced price so keep you're eyes peeled

Here's a pic of the demo pair of Bloodwood Dacelos in my loungeroom before they went off to Coffs Coast Audio. 

Cheers,
Myles

[parrasaw]

I haven't seen your new speakers "in person" yet Myles - hopefully that will happen over Easter or straight afterwards.

 

They look terrific in the photos, and I look forward to hearing them, either at the factory, or at Coffs Coast Audio.

I agree - Gavin and Jarrod are terrific guys, who have both been in the audio game for decades. They are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects audio - both hifi and home-theatre., and have set up their listening rooms with thought, care, and good gear to drive the speakers which they stock and demo.

Having them feature and demo your products is a huge thumbs up, from two very knowledgeable people, about the quality of your products, and will only serve to get your products more widely known.

 

Great to see that Kingfisher Audio are now Commercial Sponsors on SNA - I look forward to your future posts in that section, and encourage other members to keep an open eye for when you post a few "specials" in the near future.

 

Let me publicly attest to the quality of all of your workmanship, and the "beauty" of the timber work that goes into your speakers.

That work is truly stunning when seen in person - little wonder that Gavin and Jarrod are happy to show your speakers.

 

Congratulations.  

[Kingfisher Audio]

Thanks Paul, means a lot! No Dacelo’s or A16’s up and running at the gallery at the moment unfortunately so CCA is your only option. 

 

Have a great Easter!
 

 

[StereoNET]

Australia's own Kingfisher Audio is deservedly making a name for itself in recent times, and its new flagship retro-styled 3-way loudspeaker is one you're going to want to hear.

View the full article

[Kingfisher Audio]

A recent customer who found us through Coffs Coast Audio wanted to share his thoughts with everyone here but didn't have a StereoNet account and couldn't quite figure out how to make one.  We agreed to share it this here at his request -
 

"In the 80’s I met and worked with Richard Priddle. A renowned acoustic engineer and architect. He introduced me to ‘recording studio quality speakers’ designed to present a true, pure unaltered sound . His speakers were an awakening to me of what audio quality could be.

Not since that time had I heard anything that matched those ideals and pure quality of sound until I met Myles and Trevor and their exquisitely crafted speakers. I now own a pair of A16 Kingfisher speakers. They are simply the most beautiful true to original sound I have heard in years. These speakers tuned to a Rotel system with Denon turntable with Ortofon magnetic cartridge give me the most enjoyable, punchy ,true sound quality. A delight. I can not recommend with more enthusiasm, these beautiful hand crafted art pieces. Very sincerely. Tony Lunn"

Some very kid words, we are honoured by the comparison!

There is also a professional review of the A16's by Craig Joyce in the works. Looking forward to what he has to say!

[cafe67]

So out of interest , who here actually own Kingfisher Speakers ? 

[cafe67]

Well, curiosity got the better of me and so Dacelos no.4 (A+B) are spending so time with me

 

Also it’s nice to support a local business. 

 

Myles at Kingfisher Audio was very good to deal with answering a lot of questions from me about the speakers, understanding the leap of faith it takes to  order speakers without being able to hear them first. 
 

delivery was completed painlessly via Pack & Send Coffs Harbour to Pack & Send Malaga. 
 

packing was very good and pretty comprehensive arriving in 3 boxes - 1 each for the speakers and 1 for the stands and grills. Took a while for me to get the speakers out of the boxes due to the amount of packaging. 
 

the build quality of the speakers is very good, sharp corners and the SB Acoustics drivers mounted firmly. Even little things like the wooden stands having proper metal inserts for the floor spikes , quality speaker terminals and quality of the grills including the hidden mounting magnets. At let’s not forget the stunning veneer Blackwood in this case. 

setting up I started at 50cm from the rear wall and 60cm from the side walls and no toe in , just to get them up and running and bearing in mind the rear mounted reflex port.  Immediate thoughts , plenty of bass (not excessive or boomy - but I wouldn’t want to go much closer to the rear wall ) which can be problematic ( more on this later) in my awkward shaped room. However the highs and mids were also very well integrated and no harshness for a speaker.        “ straight out of the box” . An immediate observation they sounded very good with voices - in this case the male voice with the first Thomas Feiner album. 

 

Nutmeg seemed to approve  

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by cafe67

[cafe67]

Next night , started to look at positioning at bit more throughly and moved the speakers back to 45cm from the rear wall and then swung/angled them so the outer rear corner is 55cm from the rear wall. 
 

much better with the toe in and the bass has also improved. I may move the speakers back out to 50cm point and them apply the same amount of toe in. At the moment from the sitting position , the sides of speaker are in minimal view. 
 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by cafe67

[crtexcnndrm99]

What a great new speaker day! The Blackwood veneer looks very nice

 

I’ll be interested to see how amplifier matching goes as well. 

[ICUToo]

I hope Kingfisher does well. They make beautiful-looking speakers!

[Steff]

14 minutes ago, ICUToo said:

I hope Kingfisher does well. They make beautiful-looking speakers!

 +1

I applaud a manufacturer who doesn't think they must represent their branding on the grills.

 

And thanks for the photos & review. In size and style they remind me of the Heresy IV (but those are horn tweeters) which are also ported-- nevertheless Klipsch advises to move close to the wall .

[Grizzly]

Goodonya Dave, great to see and hear your thoughts. Visually Kingfisher make a ripping speaker so it's good to hear that sonically they're up to the job as well!

[Mendes]

9 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Myles at Kingfisher Audio was very good to deal with answering a lot of questions from me about the speakers, understanding the leap of faith it takes to  order speakers without being able to hear them first. 

Good on you Dave, looks very exciting 

 

[cafe67]

 

3 hours ago, crtexcnndrm99 said:

What a great new speaker day! The Blackwood veneer looks very nice

 

I’ll be interested to see how amplifier matching goes as well. 

the michi x5 seems to drive them well, one thing I have noticed already they go loud but not harsh , I've turned them.up and the sound gets bigger, then you realise h ow much you have turned them.up. 

 

Theres alot of speaker here for the $$

1 hour ago, Steff said:

 +1

I applaud a manufacturer who doesn't think they must represent their branding on the grills.

 

And thanks for the photos & review. In size and style they remind me of the Heresy IV (but those are horn tweeters) which are also ported-- nevertheless Klipsch advises to move close to the wall .

 On.the stands they are 860cm high at the front and 835cm at the rear. 

 

They do seem to have that retro look courtesy of wharfedale, KLH , PSB and yes klispch , but imo they also manage to look modern. 

[cafe67]

More listening and thoughts 

 

it’s interesting to note that Myles sent me a list of songs to try -

 

Willow Tree - Slackwax, Dan Reeder

Blown Away - Sivert Hoyem, Anne lise frokedal 

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones 

Tumbleweed - Puscifer

 

which to me is one of best things about hifi and music - hearing new music, of the above tracks the only one I own is Cosmic Hippo and yes the Dacelos do an awesome version.

 

with a speaker like this , there’s always the urge to reach for the “ big guns” and to crack the volume to 11 and let’s see “ what these babies can do” 

 

but at the same time, can such a speaker do small and delicate, simple answer yes. As I type , I’m listening to Fifi Rong’ - “There is a funeral in my heart for every man I loved”  . Fifi Wong first came to my notice doing vocals on The last couple of Yello albums and also on a couple of Mark Reeder albums. 
 

As for there is a funeral , think of say a more electronic  but similar vocal style to Lana del ray ( without the angst) it a pretty mellow album vocals, instruments real and synths and some low bass in places. . But here the Dacelos show their grace and show her breathy vocal style. On track 6 “ beg for more” there are synth and guitars sounds playing to the rear of the rear of me - you don’t notice them at first then there they are with her voice and other instruments in front of you.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by cafe67

[cafe67]

Moving on , okay guilty pleasure time - Gregorian chants. While I’m not a big classical buff , I do like GC. 
 

so how do the Dacelos handle pretty vocals and not much else. My latest GC album - https://shop.2l.no/products/exaudiam-eum-consortium-vocale - track 8 Kyrie XVII , captures the “lead” singer starting of the song before the accompanying singers join in. The soundstage is nice and wide and the natural reverb is well captured. 
 

 

And just sticking to mellow for a moment - and another fav Keith Jarret -The Koln Concert. Pretty sure lots of people know this album, the Dacelos capture the venue and the piano sounds like a piano , odd thing to say, but I think the dynamic range of the speakers captures the sound of the piano and JK fast playing over the gentle melody as well. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by cafe67

[cafe67]

Picking up the pace a little - nusrat khan and Michael brook - night song album. I have 3 of their record and the later remix album ,but Nightsong is a reach for to try out new gear. There a lot of going on here from Khans quick fire vocals, MB guitar playing and the various and often very bassy percussion. 2 songs stand out and the Dacelos play 

 

play lament loud to catch that deep deep drum and the reverb before the vocals and the guitars come in. Dacelos go Loud and deep without any stress and the controlled in nicely controlled and never gets bloated. 
 

 

and a often demo track - sweet pain. Again the dacelos keep pace (and control) with that deep bass with the guitars over the top and then the quick drumming/percussion with Khan slow then fast vocals . Play loud