Oz Speakers Stand Proud
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 21, 1988
TIMES have really changed in the Australian hi-fi marketplace. A year or two ago no self-respecting audio dealer would have been caught dead with an Australian-made loudspeaker in his showroom.
The common perception of customers was that the only decent speakers came from Britain or the US. Australian-made gear was for decidedly low-fi rack systems - an indigenous cost-cutter to tack onto combos brought in from Japan
That began to change when Ralph Water's classy little Richter Merlin loudspeaker systems, selling for around $450, first hit the market in 1986. Comparing very well with British speakers at twice their price, they are today sought-after nationwide.
Since then, Brad Serhan's Orpheus range of speakers have found a market in a higher price bracket, and Adelaide-based John Dunleavy has won a world reputation for his superb Duntech speakers. He is currently enjoying flourishing export markets in the US, Europe and Asia for what some believe are the most accurate and musical speakers to be found anywhere.
The marketplace perception of Australian is now one of quality and value for money. That's partly due to the arrival of manufacturers like Waters, Serhan and Dunleavy - people prepared to take infinite pains in achieving the best sound - and partly because of the fall of the Aussie dollar, which has made this country very competitive in high-tech manufacture.
As the demand grows, more and more Australian makers are entering the market. The latest is Krix - another Adelaide design, now available for the first time in Sydney.
I heard some the other day at Bartlett Hi-Fi in Drummoyne, and they fair took my breath away with their ability to reproduce lovely, clean, open and airy music from basically small boxes.
Although they haven't been seen in the Sydney domestic market before, Krix are hardly newcomers to the audio scene. The company began in true high-tech tradition in a garage in suburban Adelaide, making speaker kits and one-off designs. Since 1985 it has been operating from a new factory, specialising in innovative large cinema sound systems which use special fire-resistant materials. Krix claims the system is sonically equal to, or better than, any cinema sound system in the world.
In the domestic field, Krix is offering a range of five models, from the housebrick-sized Krix Brix ($349 a pair), to the 50-litre three-way Monitor 250s ($1,749) - a very efficient and low-colouration speaker which, when allied to a 100-150 watt amplifier, can flood a good-sized room with natural sound.
The most popular model is likely to be the Krix 30A - a small, two-way design. At $465 a pair they are aimed directly at the market niche occupied by Richter's Merlins.
They would make excellent bookshelf speakers, but the bass and airiness of the sound would be improved by putting them on stands a good 30cm away from walls.
They represent exceptional value. You could use them, for instance, to put together a hi-fi system for around $1,200-1,500, and it would sound like a$2,000 system.
Other models in the range are the K100MP - a two-way bookshelf or stand speaker capable of handling between 40 and 100 watts, for around $795 a pair; and the K150MB - a two-way system using two linked bass drivers and a new-design soft-dome tweeter, for $1,495.
Krix recommends using at least a 60-watt amplifier with the K150MB, but says 150 watts is preferable for maximum enjoyment.
The Krix range can be heard at Bartlett Hi-Fi, Drummoyne; Audio One, Neutral Bay; and Hi-Fi Junction, city and Bondi Junction.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald
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