Review

Apex 3 Complete Review - Australian Hi-Fi Best Buys - Australia

01 Jun 2001

The Australian speaker maker, Krix, ought to be well known to cinema goers since its speakers are frequently affixed to the walls of Australian and foreign cinemas , especially the newer ones. But of course it also provides speakers for home use. The Apex 3 stereo speakers represent Krix’s least expensive floorstanding models designed for this purpose.

Equipment

The Apex 3 speakers actually come at three trim price points. The review pair were the middle set which feature a real veneer Jarrah finish and black metal grilles. When you clip these onto the sturdy stainless steel mounting posts, they curve out very attractively. You can also get this model in black. Ho hum. At the base is a black plinth which adds a touch of class to their looks, while the veneer finish was simply immaculate.

Or you can get the same acoustic unit but with a standard wooden grille for a saving of $100. Alternatively, spend $100 extra and get a beech veneer and stainless steel grille. As to the speakers themselves, they are two-driver two-way models standing 900mm tall on their spikes (which are supplied). At 200mm wide and 285mm deep, they conform to modern slim-line design standards. Construction is from 17mm MDF. Overall weight is a fairly solid 14 kilograms each.

The tweeter is a 25mm doped fabric dome unit, ferro fluid cooled to aid power handling. This is just as well because it is expected to carry quite a bit of the load since the crossover point is a fairly low 1.6kHz. It stands 810mm from the ground – a good ear height for the seated listener. The bass/midrange driver is a 165mm unit with a doped paper cone. This mounted into a fibre reinforced polymer basket. The voice coil is wound onto an aluminium former for low weight and good heat dispersion.

The bass driver is supported by a bass reflex design for the enclosure, with the port firing towards the rear. The port has a plastic grille over its interior end so there is no danger of rattling and irretrievable Lego pieces disturbing the listening pleasure of those with young relatives! The binding posts are gold-plated, but are not duplicated for bi-wiring.

Krix specifies a frequency range of 40-20000Hz without indicating decibel limits, an impedance of 8 ohms, a sensitivity of 87dB and recommends the use of a power amplifier rated up to 100 watts per channel.

Performance

We installed the Apex 3 speakers with a good quality 80 watt per channel home theatre receiver and started loading up CDs for extensive listening. The speakers seemed to like our positioning, which was a little over a metre forward of the rear wall, and angling them towards the listener provided good treble, without being overdone. Closer to the rear wall tended to over emphasise the bass.

The amount of bass produced by these speakers was quite extraordinary given the size of the drivers. Furthermore, it was not pumped up in the mid-bass, but flat and controlled down to well under 50Hz. Bass guitar lines were very easy to follow even in complex rock music, and the kick drum was quite satisfyingly rendered.

Best of all though, was the very even frequency balance across the audible spectrum (minus, of course, the very bottom octave). There was a remarkable neutrality and evenness of timbre that could quite easily render these speakers as ‘reference’ models. Treble was clean and reasonably extended, but neither forward nor recessed. Its level was just right.

We paid close attention to the midrange, given that the crossover point between the two drivers was bang in the middle at 1.6kHz, but the result was completely seamless and very smooth. The only real limitation with these speakers was that they are just a little limited in how loud they can go. With their sensitivity a touch below average and their power handling limited to 100 watts, this is understandable.

Conclusion

The extraordinary thing about these loudspeakers is the price. Except for the most extreme of headbangers, they do deliver pretty close to reference sound at an excellent price. Quick, get a pair before the word gets around.

- Australian Hi-Fi Best Buys - Australia , Greg Borrowman

Back to previous page