SSI 2010

King Sound's Prince II

Robert Deutsch  |  Mar 28, 2010

As a fan of electrostatics—I used to own KLH Nines and original Quad 57s—I was intrigued by the favorable reports of the King Sound Prince II full-range electrostatics in both the 2010 CES and the Axpona show reportss, and was pleased to find out King Sound listed on the list of exhibitors at SSI 2010. It was one of the few exhibits that I actually sought out rather than just allowing myself to find it in the course of walking the show floor. And I was most impressed. The sound—with electronics from McAlister, a company that I'll be writing about in a separate blog entry—had the clarity and lack of "speaker" coloration that reminded me of the KLH Nines and Quads, but the speaker seemed to be able to play louder than than these classic 'static designs. The retail price of $6500/pair seems very reasonable. I think I've found my next speaker to review. Or maybe the King II, which is just being introduced—but it may be too big for my room.

COMMENTS
Nick's picture
Submitted by Nick (not verified) on March 29, 2010 - 9:37am

One of the best sounding rooms and proves you don't have to fork over a king's ransom for spectacular sound. I really enjoyed the gear and the speakers.

Bill's picture
Submitted by Bill (not verified) on March 29, 2010 - 2:23pm

I second Nick's feelings. I was mighty impressed by this room. There was nothing in the way of the music. So transparent! I've had old Quads and the new 2905's and these are in another league with regards to transparency and dynamics. I kept going back to make sure I was right, but more so to get another taste of some great sound.

Bob D. Stuckiewz's picture
Submitted by Bob D. Stuckiewz (not verified) on March 29, 2010 - 5:03pm

Great thing about building products in a country with no labor, environmental or similar restrictions is that you can offer products for half the cost of a similar product built in the EU, the US or Canada. Also, no need to honor patents or license agreements.Rock on.

Panel Guy's picture
Submitted by Panel Guy (not verified) on April 2, 2010 - 7:42am

Referring to Bob D,Criticizing Chinese gears sounds like double standard to me:Nobody forced the US to move 99% of their goods' production to China or to send them, like Canada, containers of waste (no environmental regard, right?). One cannot eat his cake and have it too.What patent did King Sound Breach?What other panel is using a line array of small panel surfaces coated with Nanotechnology-applied sounding membrane?You sound like a disgruntled competitor. Last time you referred to Prince II in CES you wrote:"Posted Mon Feb 8,2010, 7:57 PM — By Bob D. StuckiezCrappy Chinese product made by slave labor. Good luck getting these repaired in 5 years."Seems like a trend don't you think?Usually people who write things like that sound like they feel that they have something to lose.

Cleo's picture
Submitted by Cleo (not verified) on April 13, 2010 - 5:49am

The high cost of low prices. Why does Chinese music sound like banging pots and pans if they know how to make audio stuff? How toxic are the parts in the products?

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