Franco Serblin Ktema Speakers Any opinion ?

I gave these a listen at CES this year, paired with Accuphase. You could definitely hear the classic Sonus Faber sound coming through.
 
Seems they have come down in price. Production is still limited to 50 pairs a year I am told.
 
Steve said:
Kev...Now I am curious about that table in your pic....How does the Reed perform? I don't really know anything about Reed tables to be frank...but it looks a beauty!
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.. Steve, I haven't heard the Reed Muse 3C yet, but it certainly has my interest. Everything I like about tt design is there
 
Steve said:
Kev...Yes I have an opinion.

I think the Franco Serblin Ktemas are beautiful loudspeakers with a typical old Sonus Faber voice and finish. They have a wonderful holographic midrange and go down really low thanks to their 9" internal woofers and side vented ports.

The last time I listened to these speakers, I was not overly captivated because they sounded disconnected. I blame the initial setup and source material for this. The speakers themselves were not broken in and neither were the electronics. Plus the wiring could have been better. I listened to some music I knew and I know from past experience the Ktema can do magic when setup correctly.

Nevertheless, the demo here you present would be a good buy. They are new but they already demonstrate the classic Sonus Faber sound with bass to boot.

Yes, they are akin to the Stradivari with more bass in the Ktema arsenal. If I were to choose between these and Stradivari, I would choose these. If I were to choose between these and Lilium, I would choose Ktema because I think Lilium are an engineering mistake. I have not yet heard the new Sonus Faber positioned below the Lilium which would correspond to the SRRP overseas price point of the Ktema.

These are a loudspeaker that you can have for life but placement is important. Given that McIntosh and Sonus Faber are a great match, Ktema would probably be even better.

My rig easily outperformed this demo rig but that is an unfair conclusion on the day. Ktema potential was heard and I have heard their magic perform exceptionally well in Europe.

They are not as tall as I remembered either.

Pic of my most recent demo:


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I cannot agree more. It is obvious you know your Ktemas and its nuances. I have had mine since 2013. Had the same experience when I listened to the Ktemas for the first time. I went to San Bennendeto in Italy to listen to the Strads and fell in love with the Ktemas instead. I knew they were magical despite the thin sound due to poor equipment and setup choice. Never knew how good they truly could sound until I moved to Japan and matched them with a Class A amp. Now it is truly mesmerizing.

Great write up.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1457705749.174427.jpg


Harris4crna. Accuphase A-70 class a amp and C-3850 preamp. Franco Serblin Ktema speakers. VPI Classic 1 TT with Simaudio 810LP phono stage and VPI SDS. Transparent Reference Speaker cable and IC. Quadraspire racks and much more.
 
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1457705939.654219.jpg

More recent pic


Harris4crna. Accuphase A-70 class a amp and C-3850 preamp. Franco Serblin Ktema speakers. VPI Classic 1 TT with Simaudio 810LP phono stage and VPI SDS. Transparent Reference Speaker cable and IC. Quadraspire racks and much more.
 
The color definitely goes well with Accuphase for sure. 50 per year huh, had no idea.


Harris4crna. Accuphase A-70 class a amp and C-3850 preamp. Franco Serblin Ktema speakers. VPI Classic 1 TT with Simaudio 810LP phono stage and VPI SDS. Transparent Reference Speaker cable and IC. Quadraspire racks and much more.
 
Have not heard them, but wow they sure look beautiful. A classical look for a contemporary space. Or the other way around! Lovely.
 
Man, those look beautiful! I first heard of Franco Serblin speakers a couple of months back when I was on a search for high-end monitors. The California dealer(Coda Audio Video) that I bought my Raidho speakers from also represented Franco Serblin so he introduced me to the brand but, unfortunately, he didn't have any Franco speakers to demo back then so I didn't get to listen to them. I needed speakers at the time and impulsively bought the Raidhos. Would be interesting to see how the Francos' compare.
 
lechrunch said:
Man, those look beautiful! I first heard of Franco Serblin speakers a couple of months back when I was on a search for high-end monitors. The California dealer(Coda Audio Video) that I bought my Raidho speakers from also represented Franco Serblin so he introduced me to the brand but, unfortunately, he didn't have any Franco speakers to demo back then so I didn't get to listen to them. I needed speakers at the time and impulsively bought the Raidhos. Would be interesting to see how the Francos' compare.
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A used set of Strads wouldn't be too far off from D1.1 price wise, I suppose? Now that I put it that way, my Magico S3 isn't that far off too. [emoji12] I'm extremely happy with the S3s but the thought of being able to own the Strads is a major boner.
 
Hi there am a new member here please to be here. I have been thinking of getting the ktema for the past 2 months as my friend is moving out soon and he is planning to sell his whole setup. However my issue is im not sure if my amp is able to do justice pairing up with them.

Currently I am am using arc pre ref 5se and ref 150 amp paired up with my Guarneri Evos and my system is placed in my living room ( 16'×24'×9').

Could anyone advice me if there's enough juice for the ref 150 to make the ktemas sing? Also has anyone had any experience using the ktemas paired up with arc's?

Regards

Tj
 

From the specs it looks like you should be good. But, the impedance does drop to 2 ohms which is a little low.



Frequency Response: 26Hz - 33Khz, in room
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohm (minimum 3, 2 ohm at 70 Hz)
Sensitivity: 90 dB/W/m
Minimum power amplifier: 20W per channel
Dimensions: 42,5cm × 46cm × 111cm
Wheight: 110 kg/pair (packed)
Finish: High gloss piano black, hand polished aluminum top & bottom
Semi - matte Sycamore, hand polished aluminum top & bottom


tjbhuler said:
Hi there am a new member here please to be here. I have been thinking of getting the ktema for the past 2 months as my friend is moving out soon and he is planning to sell his whole setup. However my issue is im not sure if my amp is able to do justice pairing up with them.

Currently I am am using arc pre ref 5se and ref 150 amp paired up with my Guarneri Evos and my system is placed in my living room ( 16'×24'×9').

Could anyone advice me if there's enough juice for the ref 150 to make the ktemas sing? Also has anyone had any experience using the ktemas paired up with arc's?

Regards

Tj
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lechrunch said:
Man, those look beautiful! I first heard of Franco Serblin speakers a couple of months back when I was on a search for high-end monitors. The California dealer(Coda Audio Video) that I bought my Raidho speakers from also represented Franco Serblin so he introduced me to the brand but, unfortunately, he didn't have any Franco speakers to demo back then so I didn't get to listen to them. I needed speakers at the time and impulsively bought the Raidhos. Would be interesting to see how the Francos' compare.
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I like the FS for their authoritive bass and sweet mids. When I think about driver placement, I can't help comparing to Il Crimonese!
 
Thanks Joe for the input :).

Just heard the Ktemas today at my friends place he is pairing it up with Primaluna dialogue premium pre and amp. It sounded pretty darn good, the ktemas does have similar house sound like the SF Guarneri Evos especially in the midrange and highs maybe a tad clearer but the bass sounds amazing very well controlled and tight. It throws a real huge stage for sure.

Now if I could only get those babies over to my place and test it out with the ARC's. Anyone has ever heard the FS ktemas paired up with the ARC's?

TJ
 
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