Review

Esoterix Complete Review - Audio Video Interiors - USA

01 Jun 1998

Listening to the elegantly crafted, well-tempered Esoterix loudspeakers from the Australian company Krix, I was reminded of choosing a vase or a table or an Oriental rug from among a myriad of options – only to bring the object home and realize it is even more beautiful when appraised apart from other, similar things.

The Krix Esoterix, 38-inch towers richly clad in Jarrah wood, caught my eye and then my ear at the 1998 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A brief audition was enough to convince me I wanted to get to know these speakers in my own studio. They did not disappoint.

At $3299.00 per pair, the Esoterix is destined to compete with a remarkably wide array of high performance speakers. That, in two words is no problem. Like its junior siblings, the little Equinox bookshelf speakers recently reviewed here, the Esoterix is uncommonly musical from top to bottom. Naturally, there is a good more to its bottom, though happily not at the expense of timbral balance.

One might say balance in all things is the Esoterix’s dominant feature. The 3-way scheme of drivers proved seamlessly integrated from the 1-inch textile tweeter down through the 5-inch midrange and 8-inch woofer. The woofer’s relatively small size and rated response of only 30Hz actually surprised me; its definition, power and presence suggested something more imposing.

Certainly the Esoterix gains some of its unexpected punch from dual ports on its back panel. And just in case your room configuration requires positioning the speakers – or even one of them – near a corner, where bass would get an external boost, Krix provides foam plugs for the ports.

The Esoterix is one of the few speakers I’ve seen that can be tri-amped as well as being bi-amped or driven by a single amplifier, which was my own choice. Powered by the Meridian 557 (200 watts per channel), Krix’s speakers also seemed more responsive than their rating of 88dB might suggest. Without being pushed very hard, they played quite loud, but they never lost their composure, even in music as complex, dense and revealing as Mahler’s Fifth Symphony – in the demonstration-quality recording by the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly (London).

I was also struck, early and often, by another aspect of the Esoterix’s balance: the unshakable solidity of its sound field. That laser-like imagery – and with it, vibrant presence – virtually translated a favorite reference recording, Celtic Women in Music & Song (Green Linnet), from studio session into a live concert. By the same token, the sound of a symphony orchestra gave the impression of exceeding the speakers’ physical boundaries.

The Esoterix are available in black ash, and I’m sure they would be just as satisfying in that demure dress. But I really can’t imagine not opting for the Jarrah wood at the same price. The lustrous finish hints of a cross between walnut and mahogany.

Although it’s a formidable structure, extending 18 inches deep, the Krix is a forgiving nine inches wide, with a black grille cloth covering most of its face. A pedestal accent also enhances the speaker’s visual appeal.

In this, the flagship of Krix’s line, the music all but resonates in the eye of the beholder. Until the speakers light up, and the ear sees the truth.

- Audio Video Interiors - USA , Lawrence B. Johnson

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