KLH Audio Kendall 2F Speakers (Pair)

KLH Audio Kendall 2F speakers are the latest version of the Kendall floorstanders and feature a 3-way dual 6.5” bass reflex design. Handcrafted in Canada, these are an alternative to the Kendall 2B bookshelf speakers, with improvements over the prior Kendall models.

These speakers feature beautiful wood veneers, sourced from North American sustainable forests. The cabinets are made of rigid MDF that is structurally reinforced which aims to suppress any resonances that could colour the sound. Cabinet baffles have sloped edges to reduce diffraction.

Kendall 2F features two 6.5” bass drivers and a 5.25” midrange unit. The tweeter is a 1” unit with a Titanium dome and Ferrofluid cooling. The crossover features high grade components, such as Mylar capacitors.

Woofers

The two 6.5” woofers use non-resonant die-cast aluminium baskets with butyl rubber rolled surrounds. These provide good power handling and efficiency. Most speakers share a common structure. The main part is the basket. This holds the cone and magnet in place.

Next comes the spider. This sits behind the cone and ensures that it returns to its starting position. The voice coils are wound around a circular former that is attached to the back of the cone. In turn, the voice coil sits inside a circular slot that is cut into the magnet.

When an audio signal is applied to the voice coil the cone is forced to move. It is this movement that generates the sound. Nowadays speaker magnets are generally of the permanent type. However, in the past the magnets were electromagnetic. A coil of wire was used, that was energized by the power supply. The coil also acted as a smoothing choke.

Bass ports

Kendall 2F’s have a large front-firing bass port. This enhances the bass output. In fact, the minimum bass output frequency is lowered considerably. Having a front firing port allows for the speakers to be placed nearer to a wall, reducing boominess. Sealed enclosures are normally used for nearfield monitors, where accuracy is preferred over bass extension.

Tweeters

The Kendall 2F speakers feature 1” titanium domed tweeters. These are ferrofluid-cooled and have a ceramic motor structure. As a result, they can handle more power without buckling. Linearity is also improved delivering a smooth and clean sound.

High frequencies are very directional and as a result, speaker designers aim to improve dispersion. In the case of the Kendall 2F, there is a larger-than-normal surround around the tweeter to disperse sound and the height of the speakers is designed to place the tweeter at listening level.

Cabinets

The cabinets are made of 3/4” MDF with custom designed internal low resonance driver chambers. This is covered in real wood veneer from sustainable sources. The design has been computer modelled for the best possible performance and to avoid diffraction, which can be caused by standing waves hitting the edge of the front baffle. The 2F has sloping edges to avoid this issue.

Multi-element Crossover

Kendall 2F features a multi-element crossover that uses premium iron core inductors and Mylar capacitors. Crossovers are used to split the audio signal into three bands, in the case of the Kendall 2F. The bass/mid range crossover frequency is usually between 80 to 120Hz. In fact, this is the range selectable with subwoofers.

Next, the mid/high crossover is around 2-4 KHz. The crossover is essentially a high or low pass filter. These are created using capacitors and inductors. For example, a capacitor will block audio frequencies at a certain point, depending on the capacitance value.

Custom stands

Finally, the Kendall 2F’s come with custom stands, this is made of powder coated, 14 gauge steel. It also has dual outriggers, with spikes or rubber feet. Consequently, the feet ensure proper decoupling from the floor. The result is less boominess and improved low frequency response