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The Plinius SA-103 had a similar effect on the King Sounds as I imagine an infusion of nitrous oxide has into a drag racer. Returning to "Rimshot" the King IIIs weren't exactly blowing holes in the walls but neither were they firing blanks. Through my home theatre's Revel F30 mains in stereo mode powered by 150wpc of Onkyo Integra designed by Victor Khomenko of B.A.T, virtually every track of Baduism results in rhythmic rumblings from both the living room doors and anything not nailed to the wall or floors. The excursion of their bass drivers getting down to their spec'd 33Hz is a wonder to behold. By comparison at a level that tripped the SA-103's protection circuitry after a couple of minutes, any movement of the King III's bass diaphragms was barely perceptible yet the depths reached were subjectively near equal to the Revels and in fact King Sound spec the King IIIs at 32Hz. Their KS-10 model even claims 28Hz yet make no mistake, the King IIIs will impress with both the depth and quality of bass Moreover, in the upper lower and mid bass the Kings are capable of real majesty, revealing the intricacies and individualities of instruments and their players.


Now I remembered those crappy brass jumpers were still in circuit. They were promptly discarded and replaced by a second pair of Kimber Select KS-1035. Emmylou Harris had already enabled me to tick the 'seductive flat panel midrange' box some days ago. When it comes to female vocalists of such quality it really is impossible to have too much so a recently acquired CD found its way into the CD-77 tray. Immediately it was obvious that with greater resolution and focus the Kings responded very well to bi-wiring. Any review I'd write of Woman Child by Cecile McLorin Salvant would simply say wow. Salvant won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. I can only have sympathy for anyone who found themselves pitted against such a poised articulate sensual performer.

The title track begins with double bass then a touch of high hat before piano and Salvant's vocals begin to caress the listener's ears and massage the auditory nerve centre. "Le Front Cach Sur Tes Genoux" had me wishing for French language skills. The King IIIs were loving Salvant almost as much as I was. This was the quintessential planar experience of a magical midrange providing an enveloping immersive listening session. Over the months I had these speakers, their resolving power of ancillary components and recording quality of CDs became obvious. Differences between cables, between copper and silver Music First TVC versions were exposed as starkly as any speaker I'd heard in my system though I'd suggest bi-wiring is a must.

Hugh Laurie's Let Them Talk [Warner Brothers] was purchased on a whim after watching Laurie's interview on the Inside the Actor's Studio program where he talked about his passion for Jazz before displaying his own vocal and ivory tinkling talents. The album proved to be a pleasant surprise both for its musical content and audio quality. Laurie's duet with Irma Thomas on "John Henry" wouldn't be out of place in some back-alley Jazz bar and the King IIIs virtually evaporated into smoky indistinct sources of left/right channels replaced by a wall of sound which is of course to my mind the signature and prerequisite of any high-end speaker system. Yet here we have twenty drivers spread across two door-size panels. Other guest vocalists on this album are Dr John and the peerless Sir Tom Jones, neither of whom would contribute to any album they suspected would be a puppy. Their good judgment is vindicated here.


Despite the aforementioned aesthetic and construction criticisms, the King IIIs seem worth the asking price for pure sound quality. With the grills on they do look quite smart and virtually every visitor to my house seemed very taken with the appearance. For me their 83dB sensitivity is actually the only reason why I wouldn't consider them wedded as I am to flat-chested SETs. If it wasn't for my SETs' inability to drive these and if I didn't already own the AN-E Silver Sigs, the King IIIs would be at the very top of my Santa Christmas list.
Re-usability of packing: Multiple use.
Quality of owner's manual: No manual provided with review pair.
Website comments: Basic information, some features appear to not work such as the 'compare speakers' link.
Warranty: No mention of any warranty on the website I can find, probably more a reflection of the website.
Pricing: $12,000 a pair.

Kingsound website