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Kestrel Loudspeaker I readily confess to the onset of nostalgia. As I look forward, I also look back and sometimes the view to the past is the more attractive of the two. In the past, the Wilson WAMM cost $20,000; now it's almost 10 times the price. Hell, I remember when a new Ferrari 308 could be had for a little under the sticker price of $36,000. Today, you'd have to settle for a Lexus; heaven forbid ... More than anything, I bemoan the loss of the truly musical $1,000 loudspeaker. At $1090, the Thiel CSI.2 was it for me. At over twice the price, the Thiel 1.5 is most definitely not it for me. The seemingly inevitable upward spiral of Hi-Fi prices leaves me depressed. Fortunately, I have the Meadowlark Kestrels here to strengthen my spirits. Though loyal readers of TAO know of my fierce disdain for comparison, there is one here that simply cannot be avoided; the Kestrel and aforementioned Thiel 1.2. First, the two speakers are about the same size, with the Thiel being somewhat heavier. Second, both employ sloped baffles and both use shallow crossover slopes. Truth be told, the Thiel's slopes were synthesized lst order. Third, both are 6" two-ways. Fourth, both use vented bass loading; the Thiel's in the form of a front baffle mounted port and the Kestrel's in a transmission line. If it were available today, the Thiel would cost a touch more, but its fanatical finish and pure elan make this unavoidable. Sadly, the Thiel 1.2 has been discontinued. Happily, the Kestrel is alive and well, so the little Meadowlark is my focus. This is a very cleverly and efficiently executed little speaker. Its rational and dimensional symmetry leave it somewhere between understated and stylish. Three finishes are available: ebony, ash and rosewood. Samples squares of the ash and rosewood were supplied, and both are lovely. Meadowlark's Pat McGinty is quick to point out that none of the finishes involve any endangered woods. The review samples are ebony, and not surprisingly, look like every other black speaker that I've seen. Take my word for it and go for the rosewood or ash. The Kestrel Owner's Manual is quite good, explaining the speakers (crossover, cabinet, bass loading, etc.) clearly. Directions concerning placement are clear, but I do have a beef with the manual's rap on suitable amplifier power. It says, "Tube 25W/Solid State 50W." This silliness has gotten to be a nasty habit. A watt, my friends, is a watt. The speaker either requires 25 watts or 50, and the use or lack of use of tubes has no bearing on the issue. The only excuse for this is the fact that some tube amps can tend to clip more musically than transistors, but this is by no means always the case. Pardon my bristling on this issue, but this type of mythology bothers me. All of this aside, the Meadowlark Kestrels are easy to listen to and live with. There is a subtle, almost self-effacing quality to the sound that they produce. While lacking somewhat in the bang and dazzle department, the Kestrels nevertheless allow the music to be heard. The Kestrel's basic musicality and truth of tone and timbre were well evidenced on "My Life" from Iris DeMent's record of the same name (Warner 9 45493-2 [cd]). DeMent's voice can, on first impression, sound somewhat shouty. In time, though, one can easily hear its studied gentility and soul. The Kestrels get this right, never going over the top the way so many econospeakers can when confronted with material borne more of subtlety than bravado. Not that the Kestrels cower in the face of bombast; far from it. In truth, the little Meadowlarks are startlingly dynamic, up to a point. The fourth movement of Brahms' Piano Concerto (Harmonia Mundi HMC 901062 [cd]) gets quite nearly violent toward the end. The Kestrels hang in quite well here, though they do compress the piano's fury somewhat. The Kestrel's song was sweeter with Brahms' Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Cello (NAIM CDO03 [cd]). The second (adagio) movement is sublime, the Kestrels retrieving a remarkable amount of the essence of the clarinet playing in its middle register. As an aside, this CD is one of the best tests of a system's tonal and timbrel accuracy that I can name. The stage portrayed by the Kestrel is well proportioned, though always a tad small. Images, however, are sharply defined (at least when they are well defined on the recording). The folks at Meadowlark are to be congratulated on the Kestrel. It is a daunting task to undertake the design and construction of a sub-thousand dollar loudspeaker that is kind to the music. At its price, the Kestrel is an overwhelming success. However, just as it is incumbent on a reviewer to describe the qualities that a costly component provides, there is a similar duty to discuss the shortcomings of the built-to-a-price-point design. In the case of the Kestrel, the basic compromise involves resolution. Quite simply, there was an obvious ceiling of quality that no amount of positional tweaking or better ancillary gear could transcend. On the face of it, this may appear to be an obvious fact, but I find that it is often ignored. Some folks simply insist that this device or that can be made to sound almost better than live if just the right amp, preamp, cable, etc. is used. The truth is that the Kestrel is at its best when partnered with rational gear of comparable price. When viewed within these confines, the Kestrel is truly a marvelous speaker. At the risk of upsetting some folks, I must make one final note before concluding: The Meadowlark Kestrel is what the now defunct Spica TC-60 needed to be, but wasn't. In any case, the Kestrel is enthusiastically recommended for the music lover on a budget. Listen well, but listen happy, Paul A. Cervantes The Audio Observatory is published 10 months each year. Subscriptions are $17 per year. Canadian subscriptions are $20, while overseas subscriptions are available for $30, both payable in U.S. funds. No part of The Audio Observatory may be reprinted absent the direct permission of the Publisher. |
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