Review

Equinox Complete Review - Listener Magazine - USA

01 Oct 2000

Small speaker survey - How to buy True Happiness for $500.00-$750.00

Bruce:

Krix began as the proverbial garage speaker builder in 1974 and have become a significant manufacturer in Australia. In the 1980s, in parallel with their home stereo loudspeaker production, they began to take a special interest in the design and installation of high-quality sound systems for commercial cinemas; by 1999 they had completed more than 600 installations worldwide! Their nine-model music/home theater range runs from the Equinox up to big floorstanders priced at $2495.00 and $3299.00. Krix has been distributed in North America since 1997.

The Equinox is a fine two-channel speaker in its own right, but was planned from the start to be an integral part of the Krix home cinema range. The Jarrah wood used in the cabinets is a common building material in Australia and has a beautiful grain. The construction and appearance of the speakers is sturdy and straightforward rather than elegant - more BBC studio than drawing room. The baffle meets the cabinet sides at a sharp corner. These speakers put out an enormous amount of music - as do the Totem Mites - yet their tiny size should make them easy to place in most domestic settings.

The Equinoxes were pure fun: nimble and powerful, exhibiting lots of verve and forward motion. While other speakers may have bested them in one attribute or another, the Krixes were superbly well rounded at playing all kinds of music. I'd characterize them as good-natured, and would pay them the compliment that the Krix Equinoxes are like a great many Golden Retrievers I've known: friendly, enthusiastic, and easy to live with. The grilles are amazingly transparent and affect the sound so little, I had a hard time deciding whether to have them on or off - though in the end, I listened mostly with them off. Their music-making is direct, clean, and pure. I was impressed by the amount of air they were able to move when I was listening to Charlie Haden's double bass or symphonic music. They seemed at their best with any kind of high-spirited music, since they were so quick and full-blooded. Their sound was rich in fundamentals, but sometimes didn't seem to bring across as many harmonics as, say, the Reynaud Twins.

On some material, when pushed, the Krix Equinoxes could sound a touch hard, or could at times reproduce cymbals with too much brightness. Occasionally the bottom end of music seemed too ample and a tad confused. But these are quibbles: Most of the time I felt fully engaged while listening to them. They showed us a really good time while they were here, and I recommend them enthusiastically.

Steve:

I was very impressed by the diminutive Equinoxes. It's always surprising when a little bitty speaker can put out big sound. The first cut I played through these was Jimmy Buffet's "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (from the Boats, Bars, Beaches, Ballads collection), and they really nailed it. I have always thought this to be a very heartfelt, emotional song (as all sailors do, I suppose) and the Krix's presentation of this was just fine. I've pointed out in other reviews the powerful bass notes in the chorus, and in spite of their size, the Equinoxes played these with a notable bit of power. Buffet's voice was very natural.

I followed this up with Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" (Night and Day LP) and, yep, these things are for real. I can't listen to speakers that do bad things to a singer's voice. I said it before, and I mean it. Just don't mess around with vocals. Well, the Krixes don't mess around: They put an "as-is" sticker on the window and let you drive it away today. I still prefer the Alóns' (and, by default, the Reynauds) way with singers (try David Johansen and the Harry Smiths or Tom Waits' Small Change). The Krixes may be more neutral or a touch more accurate, but the Alóns are livelier and a little more exciting.

Little speakers are supposed to limit dynamics and scale, but I just finished listening to the Dorati Firebird through the Krixes, and they did no such thing. This was fine music making. By the way, for those who would question when I last "calibrated my ears with live un-amplified music" (as someone challenged at an audiophile club meeting once) it was three days ago (at the time I wrote this) at a Pacific Symphony Orchestra concert, 18 rows back, dead center. So there.

Once I was able to put aside the surprise of how big these sounded, I was ready to really appreciate just what they were doing. In addition to their exemplary sense of scale, they offered up fine level of detail. Even in fairly complex music it was easy to pick out a single instrument, or to really latch onto the interplay between a small ensemble.

But the important thing with these speakers isn't picking apart the music into individual instruments. No, here the important thing is just how musically whole everything sounded. Not up to the standard of the Reynaud - but this is one area where they did edge out their closest competitors in this survey. Whereas the Alóns tended to highlight vocals (through the quality of their reproduction, not due to any prominence or tonal thing), and the Totems tended to accentuate detail and excitement, the Krixes didn't really do this. They made music sound more complete, more together, more whole. If not for the fact that so much of my listening is to songs - and mostly female singers, at that - I would have clearly preferred these to the Alóns. Hey, in this price range there are still some compromises that have to be made.

Listening to "Sailors Tale" from King Crimson's Islands LP (my third favorite Crimson LP, after Lizard and Larks Tongues in Aspic), there's a part where Robert Fripp on guitar and Mel Collins on sax rip a furious, weaving, intertwining melody. Over the years (I've had this LP for over 25) I've heard so many systems garble this, or make it sound like just so much noise. The Krixes just sailed through it, and let me marvel at precision of the piece. They reminded me why the walls of my high school were often plastered with "Fripp is God" posters.

These are probably even better than I'm giving them credit for. Their virtues grow on you over time. A really fine pair of speakers.

- Listener Magazine - USA , Bruce Kennett & Steve Lefkowicz

Back to previous page