Put this lot together and what you have is a ‘safe space’ for the music to work in. Debussy talked about the music being in the silence between the notes. Listen to the Kims and his meaning becomes obvious. You perceive more clearly the way the performers shaped (and spaced) the notes, why they made their performance choices, and how skilfully they executed them. You appreciate much more clearly the human and emotional intent. The Kims deliver (and help your system to deliver) better musicians, performing better music, on better instruments. Tord Gustavsen, the Norwegian jazz pianist, is a particular favourite of mine. His music is deceptively simple, elegant and, often understated. It can, on the wrong system, sound like wallpaper music. But get it right and his placement of every note, measured out so precisely, develops a contemplative quality, an introspection that draws you into his simple melodies, and finely wrought harmonies. The Kims effortlessly reveal that intensity. Like a highly reduced sauce, they remind me that ‘less is more’ really means ‘less isn’t actually less, because there’s more to the less than you gave it credit for’.
This review covers the Kims straight up without tweaks, but also with the AcouPlex additions. The fundamental character of the speaker is, however, a constant. The fact that more performance is achievable through careful setup and judicious tweaking, simply illustrates the essential integrity of the basic design. The Kim just keeps raising its game. Where lesser speakers hit a performance ceiling, the Kims just keep on getting better with every tweak, with every improvement to the rest of the system. The fact that they performed out of their skin on the end of £75k-worth of CH Precision amplification, allowed me to understand just how remarkable those amps were and never once left me suspecting that the amps might be being short-changed, really does tell you everything you need to know. Different is as different does and the Kim doesn’t just look distinctive: when it comes to sheer musical coherence and communication, its performance stands out from the crowd just as clearly as its stand separates it from all those slim, cookie-cutter floorstanders. I’m so tempted to say vive la différence – except that Karl-Heinz Fink couldn’t be less French!
FinkTeam Kim Loudspeaker
Prices (including stand and 20% sales tax)
Standard finishes – £10,700.00 (Amarra Ebony with Black Front baffle; American Walnut with White Front; White Matt with Steel Grey Front; Black Matt with Black Front)
Extra cost finishes (typically around £12,000) include American Walnut with Black Front; American Black Cherry with Stone Grey Front; Olive with White Front
Dimensions
854 (including stand) x 300 x 310 mm (HWD) Overall depth 412 mm with stand
Weight
25.1 kg
FinkTeam
Essen
Germany
Tel: +49 (0)201 236412
https://www.finkteam.com/products/kim/
