|
|
The Kayak: you must hear it to believe
it
Dimensions:
8 X 5.5 X 6.5 inches
20 X 14 X 17 cm
The Kayak,
like other of Role Audio loudspeakers, is designed to deliver
the performance of large loudspeakers in the smallest possible
design. It is so accurate
that it sonically disappears at a distance of less than two feet
from the listener.
Although it measures only 5.5 inches wide by 8 inches high by
6.5 inches deep the Kayak will fill any moderately sized room
with accurate, full range, non-fatiguing music.
It is small and beautiful
enough to place almost anywhere. And it is fully magnetically
shielded so it may be placed near to CRTs. You can play loudly
of softly. Either way, it will out-class the competition.
When it comes to construction, the Kayak is as high-end as it
gets: From its immaculately finished acoustic suspension cabinets,
which are constructed in-house for the highest quality control,
to its transducers and crossover components, no cost is spared.
It uses one of the finest soft dome tweeters available which
is mated to an extraordinarily accurate woven carbon fiber cone
woofer.
Inside, the
Kayak has design features which are unprecedented for a speaker
at its price point: film foil capacitor, metal oxide resistor,
laminated perfect lay coil, DH Labs silver plated copper wire
to the tweeter, and oxygen free multi-strand copper wire to the
woofer. Then we outfit the Kayak with the Superior (TM) five-way
binding posts, some of the finest in the industry. Little wonder
that in a short time the Kayak has become a reference in the
industry!
(shown
in optional certified "green" birch plywood cabinet.
Bi-wire and bi-amp terminals with jumpers are available as options.)
"It
wasn’t just the speakers that seemed to vanish, I vanished
- everything seemed to vanish.
There was only the music, and that friend is a real treat."
"The Kayak doesn’t sound like a small speaker..."
Review
by Russ Gates of Stereo Mojo
"...the
Kayaks do an astounding job of creating a three-dimensional depth.
On my own live concert recordings even the wall reflections at
the far back of the stage have realistic separation from the
back row of instruments."
(Steve
Stone, enjoythemusic.com)
"...the
Kayak is impressively designed, assembled & outfitted."
(M.L.
Gneier, tnt-audio.com, Italy)
See
the Kayak Armada System |
"...the Role Audio Kayaks best the [BBC/Rogers] LS3/5as
quite nearly across the board. When we consider that the final
version of the BBC monitor was priced at almost $1500 the amazing
value of the Kayak is fully understood."
(M.L. Gneier, tnt-audio.com, Italy)
"Cymbals
and other transients were laser-quick through the Kayaks; imaging
was mesmerizing...They sound great and look great; that the Kayaks
are better for the environment than their predecessors ices the
cake....the “all green” version of Role's Kayak, which
comes covered in a lovely birch plywood finish ... is available
direct from Role for $995/pair."
First
review of "all green" Kayaks by Audio VIdeo Revolution's
Todd Whitesel
"The
Kayak is one of the most relaxed, non fatiguing speakers I’ve
ever heard."
"The voicing is fantastic – the timbre and tonal balance
was very natural and real."
"Male and Female vocals shine, and do I mean shine."
Review
by Russ Gates of Stereo Mojo
"For
me the Role Kayak speakers are the desktop equivalent of the
original ProAc Tablettes. They don't look like much, yet they
are monumental miniature speakers. I've rarely heard desktop
speakers that can so totally vanish while creating a seamlessly
convincing soundstage."
(Steve
Stone, enjoythemusic.com)
The Kayaks are...
Amazing.
David Ogden Stiers: Actor;
Director; Associate Conductor Newport (Oregon) Symphony Orchestra
"Even
when placed less than two feet from my listening position a pair
of Kayaks not only become sonically invisible, but they produce
a humungous soundstage that rivals my reference Aerial Acoustics Model 5A. The Kayak's image also has just as much
lateral precision as the Areals. But unlike the Areals, and every
other speaker I've had in my desktop system, the Kayaks just
vamoose."
(Steve
Stone, enjoythemusic.com)
"The
speakers disappear more completely than any mini-monitor I've
heard in recent memory. ... the speakers are literally invisible."
"...the Kayak does much of what the LS3/5a is reputed to,
yet with better midrange dynamics than I remember hearing from
my old Rogers pair and certainly improved transient response.
They're also exactly $1000 less expensive than
the celebrated, current-production LS3/5a V2 from Stirling Broadcast."
Review
by Ed Kobesky of Positive Feedback Online
"...I was
completely captivated by the Kayaks. Once you hear the Kayak
speaker in nearfield environment you may flip out..."
(Steve
Stone, enjoythemusic.com, 9/05)
"I was doing
some work on my computer when the sound of the Adagio-Allegro
wafted down the hallway and into my office. The sound of the
strings, the very music, was breathing with life. I went into
my listening room and was enthralled. The Kayaks capture the
spirit of the baroque instruments and the sense of space superbly,
for a speaker of any price. Once again, truth of tone and timbre
creates an emotionally stirring musical experience. Excellent..."
(M.L.
Gneier, tnt-audio.com, Italy)
 |