As Jeff Fritz was talking with a manufacturer,
Doug Schneider stood in the background and listened to a performer singing unaccompanied a
distance away. As he stood and listened, though, Doug couldn't tell if the singer was live
or recorded, so he set out to find out what exactly was behind the huge white curtains
from which the sound was coming.
Lo and behold, it was like walking into
audiophile heaven, and then Doug quickly went and got Jeff Fritz so he could hear it too.
The KEF Muon speakers are the most extreme and
most impressive products that we've heard so far at High End 2007. They are expensive
-- € 100,000 or $130,000 per pair -- but what they deliver is a knockout
in many ways. First, the. sound is beguiling: rich through the mids, effortless in the
highs, and with deep bass and total control. Could the fabric around the display have
had something to do with the sound? Or are the speakers just that good. Who knows
for sure? The Muon is certainly the best sound we’ve heard yet at this show.
But they're more than about just the sound.
The form factor is simply amazing. The industrial design by Ross Lovegrove is stunning.
The sculpted cabinet is constructed of "super-formed aluminum" that is 6mm
thick, with each speaker housing eight drive units, including the latest Uni-Q driver and
two woofers around
back.
Keep an eye and ear out for the Muons. From
what we heard in Munich, they seem quite special.
