Kii SEVEN

I reviewed the Kii THREE digital active loudspeaker in the September 2017 issue of Stereophile and was totally smitten.

- KAL RUBINSON

Despite their compact size, they sounded open and well-balanced. They were capable of convincing, lively reproduction of solo voice, full orchestra and chorus, and anything in between. They were cutting edge in supporting analog and digital sources, direct-wired and network connections, and streaming. They were a pioneering effort in controlling loudspeaker radiation patterns to minimize the influence of room acoustics on reproduced sound.

Now Kii is offering a newer, smaller, less expensive yet equally appealing alternative, the Kii SEVEN. The same design principles are applied. Indeed, the Kii SEVEN is the spitting image of its big brother but smaller, intended for those with tight spaces or a need to put several speakers in a room. The only feature not carried over from the THREE to the SEVEN is a way of connecting a subwoofer or Kii's BXT Extension Speaker Module.

The most significant concession to its smaller size is that the three-way SEVEN incorporates just four drivers per side; the THREE incorporates six. The SEVEN lacks the THREE's two rear-mounted woofers which combine with the side and front drivers to create the cardioid dispersion pattern necessary to minimize the excitation of room modes. (The SEVEN has a similar facility but achieves it differently; see the sidebar on p.98.) Otherwise, the driver complement is the same: same acoustic-lens-loaded tweeter, same 5" midrange driver, both located on the front panel. Each SEVEN has three power amps. As Kii explains, the midrange and tweeter are so efficient that their Purifi Eigentakt amplifiers are never pushed near their 200W limits; what limits the speaker's maximum output is the woofers, which reach maximum linear excursion at 600W and are guarded by a limiter.

Out of the box