Review

Apex 4 Complete Review - Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia

01 Jan 2007

Not so many years ago, if you were after a pair of stereo loudspeakers for a thousand bucks the choice was ample, but it wasn’t vast. Today, $1,000 for a pair of speakers is quite a lot in a lot of people’s eyes; after all, the same money will buy you a complete AV speaker system and still leave some change.

People’s perceptions of what they ‘have’ to spend as opposed to what they ‘should’ spend are two entirely different things, as was borne out to me at a friend’s house-warming party recently. He’d busily renovated (on a tight budget) and downstairs was a great space that had been pre-wired for an AV system. Seeking my advice about what sort of equipment he should buy, I asked the usual questions. What sort of system was he after, Plasma, LCD or projector, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 channels, etc. etc? His reply had me stumped. He wanted a complete AV system including projector, screen, receiver, DVD player and all the relevant loudspeakers for only $2,000! Now, I know AV hardware’s become more affordable, but this meager budget is stretching the possibilities. Needless to say, he wasn’t too happy when I suggested he considered spending a bit more than just a couple of grand! Okay, so he could have gone for an inexpensive projector and home theatre in-a-box system, but I know he’d have been disappointed with such a compromise. As I told him, ‘in this game, you get what you pay for.’

So, with prices tumbling due to the low costs of overseas manufacturing, where does that leave the local stereo loudspeaker market? Quite healthy, in fact. It’s fair to say, the traditional loudspeaker manufacturers have been doing it a bit tough lately, but with an upturn in the 2-channel business, stereo’s not been this lively or healthy for a long time. So, once again, if you’re after a pair of stereo speakers for a grand, the choice is great. Even better is the locally-made choice. Your $1,000 will go a long way buying Australian-made and one brand that would have to be on anyone’s shortlist is Australia’s oldest loudspeaker manufacturer, Krix.

Known for both its domestic and commercial loudspeakers, you’re just as likely to be listening to Krix at your local Hoyts cinema as you can in your own home theatre system. And if you’re simply into stereo, then there are a number of Krix designs that are all about the music. One of its more popular over the past few years is the Apex model, which has just undergone a redesign and is now in it’s forth incarnation.

The original Apex was conceived in 1993 and Krix’s Grant Badesso did a bit of research on my behalf, searching through some old files to determine the date. A footnote from a member of the final assembly team at the time described them as ‘hoot’n little speaker.’ 13 years on is this still the case? That’s what I’m about to find out.

Krix has a new designer onboard and it was given to Andrew Bennett ot look at the Krix range and improve some specific models, including the Apex. The previous Apex 3 pairing was certainly a successful model for Krix, so improving them and continuing their popularity was in the hands (and mind) of the designer. Visually, the new Apex has changed, but it’s not all just to do with aesthetics. Sporting a new front grille, it’s been designed to soften speakers’ appearance and at the same time be more acoustically transparent, especially along the edges. The twin drive units have been brought closer together, with the woofer and tweeter overlapping. It looks better, but also broadens the vertical polar response which means the stereo image is maintained better if you’re listening out of the ‘sweet spot.’ Both drive units have also been moved closer towards the top of the cabinets and more in line with your seated ear level. For a floorstander, the Apex are quite small, standing around 850mm tall without their spikes, but this does make them unobtrusive and they’re the sort of floorstander that would be more acceptable to the fairer sex.

The 6½-inch (165mm) woofer is the same driver used in the Lyrix Golds, while the tweeter is a completely new 28mm soft dome device. Both are said to have low distortion performance and with genuine 8 ohm impedance the load is amplifier-friendly. Equally amplifier amicable, sensitivity’s rated at 86dB and power handling tops out at 100 watts RMS. These are similar to the earlier models, although the Apex 3 was 6 ohm nominal impedance. All told, the Apex Mk.IV will suit a wide variety of amplifiers and appear to be system-friendly. The new designs have had a lot of attention paid to the crossover network, the most crucial element in any loudspeaker the designer feels, as do many others. Essentially the crossover splits the audio signal into separate frequency bands which can be handled by the individual drivers which are designed to handle those bands – in this case, a 2-way configuration. To this end the Apex 4’s use a 6dB Butterworth type and quality components such as low distortion polypropylene capacitors.

The cabinet plays a big role too and acoustically most of it happens on the inside. The rear of the bass driver radiates a certain amount of acoustic energy whichif allowed to, creates what’s known as standing waves. These are bad. So, in a conventional parallel surfaced enclosure such as this you have to do something to minimize this effect. In the Apex’s case it’s two angled MDF cross braces and dampening material that do this. The braces also tackle another problem of panels flexing and resonating, which is also to be avoided.

So that’s the theory, but what’s it like when put into practice? Well, as per usual I gave the Apex 4s a few days of gentle use and running in before really taking heed of their sound. My initial impression was immediate – these compact floorstanders produce a ton of bass, which was something I certainly wasn’t expecting. Being a rear-firing bass reflex design helps the bass’s cause and I found myself moving the Apex further out into the room away from the rear wall. In space that prodigious bass is still there, but it’s much better behaved. Getting over my initial (and bags of bass always makes for a pleasant) surprise, there is plenty more to these speakers than just the low stuff. Next up the scale, the midband is also particularly impressive, especially for a loudspeaker of this size, configuration and price. Here, they possess a candidness that relays vocal and instrumental timbres with plenty of class. Play Beck’s Guess I’m Doing Fine from the Seachange album and his voice comes across with vivid naturalness, the midband having everything you could ask for at this price: detail, dynamics and expression. The design work put into the integration of bass driver and tweeter seems to have paid off with the result that the midband sounds effortlessly natural and unforced. It’s a tricky balance to achieve with a 2-way design, but in this case it works a treat.

Higher up the frequency scale, the treble is no slouch either, delivering ample bite but remaining refined and informative; it doesn’t get nasty with poor recordings either. All this adds up to a sprightly nature that’s just the thing with rock and pop and combined with that big bass they don’t mind in the slightest rocking out with power tunes such as Senser’s Age Of Panic. There’s an impressive degree of attack and enthusiasm generated by the Apex with a tuneful and articulate bottom end that lends ample weight to the track and there’s no shortage of speed or resolution either.

There’s a lot to like about the sound quality of these new Apex speakers and the build quality is also up to Krix’s usual high standards.

Price per pair depends on the finish and Krix will do any custom finish you like. With vinyl finishes available in black, silver or white, or the real wood veneers of Black Ash, Atlantic Jarrah and Beech. Coupled with a decent CD player, such as Cambridge Audio’s Azur 540C and a cracking little amp like the Creek EVO, you’ll have an absolute belter of an affordable, yet super high quality music-making 2-channel system.

So, in this day and age of the inexpensive mass-produced and foreign-built loudspeakers, it’s good to know that home-grown products still cut it. These new Krix Apex’s are still great value and even more of a hoot’n little speaker than ever before.

Rating:

Performance - * * * * *
Build Quality - * * * *
Compatibility - * * * *
Value for Money - * * * * *

- Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia , Nic Tatham

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