Review
Apex 3 Complete Review - Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia
01 Jan 2000
Communication is a somewhat problematic concept for manufacturers of audiovisual equipment; it should be one of the core functions of such products. I have listened to several new audio formats and auditioned some radical new video recoding mediums lately, and the one overwhelming question clouded my enthusiasm for these formats – are companies developing technology for technologies’ sake? Or are they simply developing technology to actually improve what we already have, from a purely consumer point of view?
I am not saying developing new technology is not important. The digital revolution is extraordinary and the enormous strides made by the industry in the areas of home theatre are to be given the highest praise. DVD is certainly the successor to VHS but at present it hasn’t replaced it. Why develop a replacement format if the new technology will not do the job as well as the existing one? Super-VHS’ failure on the consumer front can be attributed to the lack of communication between the companies promoting the format and the general public.
If we were to forget the home theatre ‘circus’ for a moment – don’t worry, it’ll return shortly – pure high fidelity equipment should be designed to communicate music to the listener. Of all the different categories within this field it is reassuring to know that the loudspeaker manufacturing industry is still in the game to design products that better communicate music rather than for the continual development of new audio formats. To paraphrase one company’s marketing slogan – music is very important and it matters. Technology matters, too, but not at the expense of the music.
Krix Loudspeakers has been in the business for 27 years now. One of the most well-known and long-established of Australian speaker companies, Krix has been supplying cinemas worldwide with loudspeaker systems. The products are well-built, reliable and designed with cutting-edge technology and marketed in the middle to high-end ranges overseas. The number of industry awards bestowed upon the company for its products – both from local magazines, including Audio & Video Lifestyle, and foreign press – is impressive and really separates the brand from other highly regarded local competitors. Krix is serious about quality, not just price.
The new Krix Apex Mk3 loudspeakers are one of the least expensive models in the current range, sitting above the well-reviewed Equinox mini monitors and below the floorstanding Lyrix model. Company literature labels the intriguingly named Apex as a ‘slim tower designed for stereo listening, whilst lending itself to home theatre applications’. It is reassuring to see the emphasis on stereo listening (or ‘normal’ listening as I’ve seen it described) before home theatre applications. Music first – as it should be!
The Apex Mk3’s arrive in much larger boxes than you would expect for their size; they are fairly compact floorstanding speakers at 885mm (H) x 200mm (W) x 285mm (D). Weighing in at 14kgs each, however, the speakers are quite heavy for their dimensions and build quality appears very high.
Looks will definitely be a matter of taste. I will give Krix high marks for originality but its choice of Beech coloured veneer cabinets with a curved, transparent metal grille, unattached in the centre, would not be mine. However, other, more traditional options are available including Black Ash or Jarrah veneer with the choice of the standard flat or curved black grille (the latter as illustrated).
Removing the grilles allows for an examination of the neatly arranged 165mm bass driver and 25mm doped fabric dome tweeter. The bass driver features a fibre reinforced moulded polymer basket with a doped paper cone; voice coil is wound on high powered aluminium former. The tweeter is ferro fluid cooled, double magnet shielded. These speakers are not bi-wired, which is disappointing, but the terminals are of a high-grade. The build quality of the Apex Mk3 is excellent with no cause for complaints; the black feet give the speakers a sturdy stance and look great.
The Apex Mk3 speakers are easy to drive (87dB sensitivity for 2.83 volts at 1 metre) with a power handling of 100 watts RMS from the amplifier. For normal stereo listening most users will not drive these speakers to anywhere near their capacity.
Nor should they, as Krix literature goes to considerable length to point out (highlighting the dangers of ‘clipping’ – distortion experienced when the volume is turned up too much).
A reasonably high-end amplifier with an output of 60 watts RMS is sufficient to drive the Apex Mk3’s to satisfying levels with minimal distortion. These speakers like a quality amplifier, so make sure your amplifier is of a high pedigree not just an amp with a high power rating. Although these speakers will flatter less expensive amps and source components it’s not recommended and you won’t be getting your money’s worth.
On the other hand, a ridiculously expensive pre/power amp combination also proved suitable with the Apex Mk3’s, so experiment…the speakers deliver a performance that will certainly please the masses. They can handle any genre of music with a degree of class and effortlessness well beyond their price tag, and more so. I have reviewed some fine loudspeakers this year, and the Apex Mk3’s are amongst the best. Music should be an emotional, engaging and rewarding experience and these loudspeakers communicate that beautifully.
Classical music is handled with great sensitivity and also a pleasing awareness of timing and speed. I really like the delivery of large-scale orchestrl works such as my favourite, Symphony from The New World; the performance is stunning with just the right amount of insight, detail and urgency. Much of this can be accredited to the stereo imaging and open soundstage which is involving on all levels. Members of the orchestra are conveyed well with a clearly focused and accurate separation of members of the string section. Wind and brass also come across well but it’s with stringed instruments that these speakers shine.
As a 7th Grade AMEB violinist, it’s particularly pleasing to find a pair of loudspeakers that make the violin sound so realistic and not like an overly bright viola. Whether it’s Vivaldi’s Four Seasons or Stephane Grappelli’s performance of Tiger Rag from his I Got Rythum CD the speakers sound spot-on.
The all-round performance carries through to popular chart music of all varieties. Female vocals such as Dido when singing the wonderful Here With Me track (the title theme to the hit science fiction show Roswell) sound tuneful and suitable ponderous. Dido’s beautiful voice requires a sensitive midrange and the Apex Mk3’s come through with no brightness in the upper-midrange. It’s a very pleasant, easy-going sound which would be enjoyable to live with in the long-term.
Bass performance is good but not thunderous. It’s a controlled and accurate low-end sound that is more cultured than one might like, especially with tracks like Snoop Dogg’s Tha Eastsidaz, but also less loose and woolly than some. While not immediately a loveable bass, it does grow on you and proves that less really is more. With groups such as the New Radicals playing hits such as You Get What You Give and Someday We’ll Know (yes, that Samson and Delilah song) the backing is strong and the bass response consistent.
Returning to home theatre – as said we would – the Krix Apex Ml3 loudspeakers are equally talented. The cinema soundfield benefits from the upfront, accurate nature of these speakers and the high degree of listener involvement. As a pair of front, main, left and right speakers the sound quality will not let you down. The sound is big, intense and revealing. Use anything less than a DVD player as a source and you will be disappointed, not by the speakers but by your source material; every hiss, audio drop-out and crackle in some of my beloved sell-through VHS tapes, such as Aliens box-set, are painful to endure but the pivotal action scenes on the other hand make me want to cheer.
My own source material benchmark of Starship Troopers on DVD does not disappoint. Basil Poledouris’ stirring thematic score for this film is superbly conveyed by the Apex Mk3’s. Once again they prove dynamite with large-scale orchestral works.
Krix Loudspeakers is a most remarkable company. It has been building quality products for longer than I have been alive, is committed to the improvement of loudspeaker design that benefits the consumer as well as the industry and markets loudspeakers that feature technology that actually contributes to the reproduction of music. The Apex Mk3’s are fine all-round loudspeakers that know exactly how to communicate the music to the listener. I am most impressed.
Rating:
Performance - * * * * ½
Build Quality - * * * *
Compatibility - * * * * ½
Value for Money - * * * * ½
- Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia , Sian O'Neale
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