Monoprice Monolith K-BᾹS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker Preview

gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
Online audio company Monoprice unveiled their Monolith K-BAS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker at CEDIA in Dallas, Texas. The Monolith K-BᾹS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker utilizes their K-BᾹS (Kinetic Bass Amplification System) technology to provide more bass extension for the size. The small speaker with the big sound comes with a great price of just a penny shy of $250/ea.



Read: Monoprice Monolith K-BᾹS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker Preview
 
J

Jupit3r

Audiophyte
Looks, will consider buying one once my apartment's decoration is finished.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
wth is K-BᾹS ? BS marketing name for TL?
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
I will reserve my thoughts, till I see some type of measurements. I do not sense a wow factor yet.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Wow, a bit more than a mere reminder - it's must be either licensed or "inspired by" design from Atlantic's H-PAS's speaker.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
Wow, a bit more than a mere reminder - it's must be either licensed or "inspired by" design from Atlantic's H-PAS's speaker.
Yes same technology as AT which is why I linked up that preview article too ;)
 
ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
Gene, when you listened to these were you able to step on the gas a bit? Wondering specifically about the unusual H-PAS/K-BAS cab, and how well behaved (or not) they are. You can't cheat physics, after all, and the extension will come at the expense of something else, such as dynamic range or portliness (read that any way you like: port noise; poor bass definition; ringy, peaky response; whatever else may bedevil bass response).
 
M

Motrek

Junior Audioholic
Gene, when you listened to these were you able to step on the gas a bit? Wondering specifically about the unusual H-PAS/K-BAS cab, and how well behaved (or not) they are. You can't cheat physics, after all, and the extension will come at the expense of something else, such as dynamic range or portliness (read that any way you like: port noise; poor bass definition; ringy, peaky response; whatever else may bedevil bass response).
You can read reviews of the apparently-similar Atlantic Technology AT-2 bookshelf speakers.

I have read half a dozen reviews and everybody seems to agree that the bass is excellent at all volumes.
 
U

User5910

Enthusiast
wth is K-BᾹS ? BS marketing name for TL?
The product page touches on this lightly:

A unique cabinet design and a variety of existing speaker port technologies (acoustic suspension, bass reflex, and transmission line) have been combined in a way that simply defies belief!​
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Hmm, upon further reading: a) it seems it wasn't AT developed tech, but one created by Solus/Clements
http://www.solusaudio.com/h-pas-products
There are ways, though, to get legit sub-40 Hz response from a little speaker. One is H-PAS, or Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System, invented by Solus-Clements and now used and licensed by Atlantic Technolog
Read more at http://www.soundandvision.com/content/test-report-atlantic-technology-2-bookshelf-speaker#frYWMchidcMJYd5v.99
At link above there are some vague explanation of the tech, but it's a bit more in depth here:
Upon viewing a cross-section of the AT-1’s cabinet, a long-time audio fan would instantly call the design a transmission line (see diagram). Transmission-line bass loading has enjoyed an on-again, off-again history, popularized in some high-end British loudspeakers back in the ’60s. A few American manufacturers also gave it a go over the years. When properly designed, it offers purported benefits, including extended and free-breathing bass.

But an acoustic transmission-line design required a large, complex, and expensive enclosure, with line resonances that could be difficult to control. The design of the line and the optimum box stuffing were never characterized with the mathematical rigor that made other types of enclosure designs far more commercially practical.

When I looked at a cutaway diagram of H-PAS (slicing the box in half to have a look wasn’t in the cards), I saw the H-PAS as a short transmission line with a significant twist. At or near the exit of the line, there’s a port into a separate, sealed chamber. Atlantic claims that this chamber is tuned to dampen resonances within the line before they can exit the port and color the sound. According to Atlantic, the trusses with the holes in them behind the drivers provide bracing within the cabi- net to dampen vibration but without reducing airflow, which is critical in maintaining the air pressure within the cabinet in this design.

This is all fine and dandy, but a huge number of variables are involved. To attempt to account for all of them in a build-try-rinse-repeat mode would more likely lead to a flight over the cuckoo’s nest than to a great speaker system. The genius in the H-PAS design is the development of a set of differential equations that takes all the important factors into account. Atlantic’s Boaz Shalev showed me some of the equations, developed together with consultant Martin King, who has been researching transmission line design for years.

Read more at http://www.soundandvision.com/content/atlantic-technology-1-loudspeaker-way-we-are#efpFQTHJ52gdFcYh.99
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
If you want to know about the H-PAS/K-BAS technology (you can just call it inverse horn design to cover them all), here is more information about the design than perhaps most will care to read. 'H-PAS' is what Atlantic Technology calls their inverse horn implementation. 'K-BAS' is what Monoprice calls theirs. Same thing. Monoprice can not use the term 'H-PAS' without licensing that term from Atlantic Technology, so they came up with their own term.
 
J

JonnyKat

Audiophyte
Back in the 70s/80s, there was a speaker company by the name of Phase Research. One of their models was called the Little D and it was nearly identical to the Solus and Monolith speakers discussed here both in size and design [with the woofer on top] and the bass transmission line. I happened to be in a hi-fi store one day and I heard these Little D's. I was so amazed by the bass these little speakers were making that I bought the demo pair on the spot [they were not going to get any more stock]. They had odd cabinets that were not wood but some type of synthetic stuff and had all rounded corners. Even the grills were a type of molded black flexible plastic also with rounded corners that sort of snapped on. Very unusual speakers which made me love them even more. And not just deep bass but great overall sound. About 20 yrs later I was looking to upgrade them and 3 pairs of speakers went back to the store because they just didnt sound as good as the D's. But the wife decided they were ugly so I had to sell them on Ebay. But I am really intrigued by these new versions.
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top