Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommelier tower speakers - Opinions?

Saw a review by Steve Guttenberg on these new speakers, and he seemed very impressed with them. With his background, I'd think that his opinion would hold some weight, and these might be worth checking out. With only a single speaker, could these possibly sound as good as he implies? I don't know anything about Quarter Wave technology, but maybe there is something to it, or not. What does everyone think?

Here's a link to his review.

http://www.cnet.com/news/these-room...bowled-over-the-audiophiliac/#ftag=CADf328eec

 

I read his review but I would need to hear these before I could state something definite. Bass bottoms out a 55Hz so a sub will be required for some users. I can't imagine they would play very loud and he indicates this with his comparison to the Pioneers. Its an interesting design perhaps best suited for an urban micro sized apartment where the realities dictate low volumes and tiny system footprint; an alternative to a stand mounted monitor?

 

I'd love to hear 'em. At the price, if they're half as good as Steve G. says, they're a bargain! As Ntotrar surmises, I'm also guessing they're for most ideal for small-space inhabitants; and those all about the midrange (chamber works, acoustic music, jazz, folk etc.) rather than metalheads or such.

I'm already a few pairs of speakers in surplus, else I'd be on Amazon right now …

 

I'd need to hear them. Look interesting though.

 

I also have a few sets of speakers currently without assignment! I also have little kids, largish dog and three cats and my RS3 are tippy enough (but in their own secure room)!

 

Just looked at their listings on Amazon; some of the finishes they come in are wild. See 'Acuarela'
…

Cannot be accused of being just another boring speaker…!

 

No lower end and very poor efficiency for a single driver speaker. I'm suprised he would say 5 watts could drive them to more than a quiet conversation level. Pretty cheap though...

 

Never heard of this company before. I read their blog entries and it all sounds quite interesting--seems to be Danish design, US headquarters, Mexican manufacturing.

 

This person (hopefully not a shill) posted a long, extremely positive review on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B00NUA9012/R1EBHT6HKXXMFJ

This other person's brief review noted that the speakers sound great with their companion Bluetooth amp but could sound "tinny" with the person's home system:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B00N85Z518/R30R4R01Q7M7FF

 

I read those reviews and the first one is a bit much.

 

The name alone sounds alarm bells.

 

I got so intrigued that I pulled the trigger and ordered a pair with the digital amp. It seems I will have to wait about 30 days. Will let you know my comments then.

 

Hi Guys. Arved here. We make these. Nice to see you guys so involved in what we do. No, we don´t make the loudest loudspeakers and no, they are not the ones that punch the biggest bass. What we do is a cool form factor, musical basses (no one tone booming) and sufficient loudness for most people to want to turn it down just a bit in the average living room. The laws of physics also apply to what we do and no miracles here. We just got another more technology based review from Brent Butterworts, that I´d thought I´d share with you.

http://stereos.about.com/od/floorst...nd-Sommeliers-Speaker-Review.htm#step-heading

Thanks Felixa for pulling the trigger. Not sure who you are on our order list, your nickname doesn´t show.

 

A.D., nice to see another industry insider here on SHTV. I'm interested in your loudspeakers; care to share some details?

 

Sure, Ntotrar. Never considered myself an industry insider. This is just a pet project that´s grown on me. The real brain behind our speakers is my business partner Bjorn Johannesen, who has been primarily involved in the do it yourself community on diyaudio and elsewhere for decades now. He has been incredibly giving with helping people building better loudspeakers using his ideas. Let me know what details you are interested in and I´d be happy to talk about it.

 

I wrote the first review on Amazon that "is as bit much" and "Nemesis" is grandfathered in from long ago, and I cannot seem to get rid of it; also, that nickname has a little to do with the fact that I have a greater regard for honesty and principle than in bowing to convention and public opinion . I am neither a "shill" nor have I any financial or pecuniary interest in K&B. I am a very rank amateur with a limited budget that happens to enjoy music. I wrote what I wrote because I was thrilled with my purchase, and my observations were entirely my own and purely a response to a pure stroke of blind luck.

My review, while no doubt overly verbose, was a reflection of how I found the speakers and what my observations regarding them were. I am still trying new recordings, turntables and cartridges, and stereo receivers with them and I am still amazed at the sound. I did put my Pioneer SP FS51 speakers up for sale on eBay and sold them, which leaves me with the Sound Sommeliers as the only speakers in my living room. I also other speakers and I have Bose 301 Series V speakers in our home computer room, but I consider the Sommeliers my main speakers.

I have no idea as to how many pairs of speakers Kvart & Bolge sold prior to my purchase, but I do know that there were no reviews written up to that point and when I purchased them and I had absolutely no point of reference, rather they were a purchase of need dictated by a very small living room. I took a risk and it was well rewarded.

So far, the speakers have been used with a Kenwood KD-2000, a JVC QL-F4 and a Denon DP-45F turntable using a variety of budget cartridges; an Onkyo TX-8211, an Onkyo TX-8255, a JVC R-S77, and a Sony STR-6800SD receiver; a Marantz CC-47 CD changer,; and, a Kenwood KX-3030 dual cassette deck. I have a Kenwood KR-4070 receiver on its way, and I just ordered a U-Turn Audio Orbit Plus turntable. My equipment is utilitarian and I would suspect far less than impressive to avowed audiophiles.

I have a wide range of musical interests--that don't include rap, hip hop, country or head-banging metal--and most recently I have been enjoying vinyl copies of Pet Sounds, Surrealistic Pillow, Kind of Blue, Hot Rocks, Lofty Fake Anagram, Captured Angel, Happy Trails, Brain Salad Surgery, Inner Mounting Flame , Heavy, and Alone/Or Never Alone to name a few. I did concert reviews for the college newspaper in the early Seventies, and my spouse and I go to symphonies, operas and ballet on a regular basis. And, I find that these speakers are incredibly well-suited to my listening and financial needs.

 

Interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing a few more reviews and perhaps have the opportunity to listen as well. Thanks for your review. Interesting Miss Amelia found us after Arved, not that I believe in coincidence.

 

Actually, I found this because I was researching new budget manual turntables, and I was looking up Steve Guttenberg's recommendations and trying to remember if he mentioned the Orbit in his review of the Sound Sommeliers, which he did not, he only mentioned amps. I had been laboring over which 'budget' turntable I wanted--the Rega RP1, the Pro-ject Debut Carbon, the Music Hall MMF 2.2, or the U-Turn Audio Orbit Plus--and somehow I found myself here being suspected of who knows what all nefarious deeds.

Chronologically, I found the speakers before I found Arved and I made it clear in the Amazon posting that I had corresponded with Arved, the truth being that he contacted me first with the following message on October 28th:

"Order ID 103-4672764-8161068:
1 of Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommeliers Quarter Wave Speaker Wenge Wood with Black Trim (Each) [ASIN: B00NUA9012]
------------- Begin message -------------
Michelle, thank you so much for ordering our Sound Sommeliers Quarter Wave Speaker. I just want to check in with you to point out that you have ordered one speaker and these are usually sold in pairs. Can you confirm? Also can you confirm that you have an amplifier to use these with, as you have not ordered a set.
Thanks so much, looking forward to hear from you.
Arved"

Quite suspect, huh? It seems that I had only ordered a single speaker and not a pair, which resulted in my response:

"Hi Arved,
Thank you for the email. No, I didn't realize that I had only ordered one (1) speaker, but before I order a second speaker, I need to know the full specs on these speakers. I have a collection of vinyl LPs--in addition to cassettes, CDs, & even 8-tracks, and I have several amplifier, receiver/tuners, speakers, CD players, cassette decks, and turntables (Kenwood, Marantz, Pioneer, Bose, Sony, Panasonic, TEAC, JVC...) so I am not in need of an amplifier.
I need towers such as yours that have a minimal footprint for my living room and yet have listenable sound quality; therefore, I am very willing to purchase your speakers. I do not play music at maximum power and volume and have no need of an "11" on my equipment. I am not wealthy, so the speakers should be affordable. And, I think your speakers might be a great fit for my needs.
I noticed on http://www.kvart-bolge.com/#!buy/c1ll2 that buyers can have any color or design, so I have attached two files to see if you could produce speakers in these colors or patterns.
I look forward to your reply and hopefully I will be ordering a pair of speakers.
Kind regards,
Michelle R_____"

I am retired now and live in Portland, Oregon. My last field of employment was in IT where I had progressed from system operations, to system administration, to operating system and application security, and finally to system engineering and consulting on IBM's iSeries (formerly the AS/400). I am anything but a stereo component manufacturing insider or shill; however, if any of you can convince Arved or anyone at K&B to give me free equipment or put me on their payroll, they will have my undying gratitude. No one at K&B had any idea that I was going to write a post that long-winded running commentary on Amazon.

Now, getting back to what led me to here, after hours of research and rumination of turntables, I placed an order for a white Rega RP1 today. Prior to that, I listed my JVC QL-F4 on eBay, which leaves me with two Denon DP-45F's that I am in the process of rejuvenating. I do woodworking, and build and repurpose furniture as a hobby, and it is my intention to build a custom laminated plywood plinth for one of the Denon's and eventually for the Rega.

After recently parting ways with a Sony STR-6800SD and an Onkyo TX-8215, I currently have an Onkyo TX-8255 receiver and an immaculate JVC R-S77 receiver that I am using, and I have a Kenwood KR-4070 on the way.

As far as speakers go, I have my Sound Sommeliers in my living room and Bose 301 Series V's and 141's in my computer room/office. I also have an assortment of lesser Sony, Panasonic and Realistic/RCA speakers that are not being used. When I sold the Pioneer SP FS-51's, I also sold a pair of Pioneer SP BS-21's.

As far as coincidence goes, there is Steven Wright's, "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it." Or better yet, there is Vonnegut's. ""All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental, and should not be construed." Oh, and if anyone wonders about "Miss Amelia" it comes from Carson McCullers.

 

I'm truly glad you have found joy in your selection. And I have no notion of changing your opinion. Please note I haven had your experience, and until and if that comes to pass I remain a sceptic devoted to your experience. As I have not had the opportunity to evaluate the transducers in question my opinion has no bearing on the subject.

 

I would not expect you or anyone else to form an opinion on this matter based solely on my opinion. I am a firm believer in the old saw about opinions and everybody having one, and I can also appreciate and value skepticism. I am fond of saying, in regards to my own views and opinions, that I may be on the road to perdition, but I'm not taking on passengers.

More than anything, I was objecting to being suspected of being a shill or having my integrity or scruples questioned. I've been trying to be polite and respectful in that regard, and not go for the jugular as I usually do.

Ironically, I happened upon these innuendos while doing turntable research at sights like this, Audio Karma, Vinyl Engine, and the other usual suspects where people post reviews and comments about both vintage and new hardware. I'm one of those people that like to learn as much as they can in order to make an informed opinion. And, even now I would have appreciated feedback on component upgrades as part of that process. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been inspired enough to post any comments and when I have done so, it has always been with great reluctance and trepidation as I don't hold my own opinions to be sacred and inviolable. In closing, I will paraphrase Mark Twain and inquire as to what kind of weather some folks are having, up their way. --30--