The KEN KREISEL DXD808 Quattro Review
The KEN KREISEL DXD808 Quattro Review
Yes it is that time again, time for another review and this time I revisit the DXD808 sub’s but in the best formation that Ken produced them for and that is the Quattro formation!
I have reviewed the single DXD808 which is a competent performer and I have also reviewed the DUO combination, which was a revelation in sub BASS, but now this new combination takes it to a new level, an insane level which is not for the faint hearted and I kid you not, this should only be attempted if you are fully confident about heavy objects and know exactly what you are about to unleash.
OK, let’s start off by setting out what the Quattro Stack compiles of.
The stack requires 3 x stacking bracket kits, and for the most practical way of connecting when you order from L Sound the subs will come with the excellent Stack Link cables which are made by L Sound and are tailored to the exact requirements so they measure up precisely and therefore you are not left with a mess of cables behind the subs when fitted. This is a great solution and clearly L Sound took a lot of thought about this is issue which they have done a fine job of solving.
With the brackets you also get the rubber spacers that sit in between the subs; this prevents the subs from moving and helps locking them once the brackets have been secured tightly.
Another point that I thought was worth noting is that with all these subs you will require 4 power sockets to plug into, now I thought that this would be a problem due to high current being drawn when the subs are up and running but I managed to plug 2 into 1 wall out let and the other 2 subs into another so as to spread out the load, although I have been told that it is fine to plug all the subs into 1 power strip if you really have no choice.
Once you have set out everything and fitted and lifted and given yourself a hernia in the process, “laughs” you should end up with a fully loaded and ready to go Quattro, or in my case what I call
The Tower of Power
Reviewing this beast I am again pairing it with the fantastic Q125’s as the front 3 speakers L/C/R and for the rears duty I have my trusty Miller & Kreisel Column Surround 29’s, so it is just a 5.1 set up powered by my trusted Denon AVR4520 which is also doing the processing.
I am going to set out a collection of material which will include several Movie clips and also some excellent Music that I have chosen, both 2 channel and Multichannel for music.
Demo Material being used is…. AVS Demo Discs 1&2 / DTS Demo Disc 18 & some 2 channel material of choice.
OK, on to the main event and that is reviewing this awesome beast!
Movies
For movies I am using the excellent AVS demo discs which in a word are stunning to watch and have been designed to really show off a good system and what it is capable of doing, for starters we begin with AVS Demo disc 1 and what better way than a whirl of the Rise of the machines from War Of The Worlds.
This must be one of the most watched and demoed pieces to push a sub in singular form to its near limits but it was mightily impressive with the one sub, and equally impressive with the DUO which made the sofa massage and caress you, but with 4 it was a truly Epic experience and genuinely a frightening ride, it was as if I had suddenly fitted Butt Kickers into my sofa it felt like it was moving and when the Pods emerged and landed the thump was so fierce it really shook the room with each giant step. Then when the Massive Alien blasted the people with the blue ray gun it was an electrifying sweeping movement across the room that you could literally feel, again the sofa was hit with pulses of BASS that just shook the sofa and massaged you it really is something you have to experience, it made me laugh because I have heard this demo so many times with different subs but this is the only really satisfying moment that I have ever witnessed it and genuinely felt scared!
Next up was Flight of The Phoenix and The Barrel Roll, this is another great demo piece and one I have seen on many a system, including on several of mine, the first time I ever heard it properly was with one of Ken’s older subs and that was the MX5100SF and it literally blew me away with the way the room was pressurized and the BASS just squeezed you in your room.
Well this time am I in for a treat, 4 DXD808’s in stack formation with more wattage to power a small country let alone subs, the constant drone of the engines and the storm outside the plane makes for a truly great BASS attack and Dynamics of the system, the way the plane zooms past you from front to back is breath taking and the engine noise is so LOUD that my whole sofa shook violently and then the Barrel Roll and WOW the pressure in the room it was like the whole room was energised with LOW frequency waves filling the living area, at reference level this was one of the scariest movie sequences I have witnessed and was made all that more believable by the Quattro stack, when it finished I was relieved and checked the room to see if there was anything missing in the room, some blankets that go over the armchair had been blown off by the BASS and the energy that hit the armchair, it literally shook them off, I kid you not.
Next up is one of my favourites and that is from the Star Wars series Episode I - The Phantom Menace and it is the Pod Race scene, I always knew this was reference material and in a way it has been proven so by it being on AVS Reference Disc 2.
The engines ignite with one mighty roar and this time OMG the noise and energy from each Pod racer was incredible, each has a different BASS note to define its stature and level of ferocity, every time they rev the engines the house shakes and then Jabber the Hut bites off that poor creatures head to bounce it off the bong to sound the race start, I know most of you will know this scene but not many will have witnessed it being powered by a KEN KREISEL DXD808 Quattro SUB BASS system.
With each lap it is if the pod racers are powering through my living space leaving me to clear up the mess, the whoosh and dynamics of the sound or BASS should I say is so hard as it goes past that it leaves a good impression of actually how one of these racers would feel if you were actually near one, it’s great because you know that the sound was mastered on a KEN KREISEL system so the sound engineer knew exactly what he was giving to the audience, and what an experience!
My final movie from the Stunning AVS demo discs is the brilliant Master & Commander which has to be the closest I will ever get to be on a battleship, which was set during the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800’s.
This is a brilliant film and the sound and BASS most importantly plays a starring role during the epic Battle scene when the 2 war ships first meet, it is a surprise attack and the Dynamics and huge transients that start and stop so instantly are just astounding and shocking all the same, the Quad Stack just pummels my living room and it rocks my sofa so hard with each cannon going off that you can feel the ricochet. It is the same feeling when a cannon ball strikes the ships blowing the kingdom come out of the ship’s hull, the bass literally blowing around each speaker in the room just shows how well the subs integrate with the rest of the system making it feel like you are in the middle of the action!
When it is finally over I take a huge sigh of relief as it was quite an experience and one I will not forget, that is for sure, the Quattro has made its mark on me, never have I witnessed this film being played at such terrifying levels, it is insane levels of BASS that comes out of these stacks, and you really need to witness it to appreciate the quality of BASS that they produce.
Better than anything I have ever heard in any cinema, this BASS is on another level, the Quattro stack is a killer combination and you just know that Ken has been working all these years and mastered the art of GOOD SOUND & GOOD BASS and it has surely has paid off as these subs are truly at the pinnacle of Home Cinema SUB BASS systems!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music
Next up is some Music and this takes the form of some 2 channel and Multichannel music.
I have been listening a lot lately to some of my older music collection and you cannot quite beat the older collection of classics like Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition SACD to test out the Quattro’s ability for music.
So Far Away from me starts the SACD with the great beat from the Kick Drum with real power and authority, there is so much texture to the BASS in music from the DXD808’s and even more so with the Quad stack that it reveals layers that you did not know were there, and the shifts in the beat are so precise and the musicality is just pure class. Money for Nothing is one of my favourites and one that I will always remember as a defining moment in MTV history, and the drum beat leading up to Knopflers guitar lead in is just brilliant showing off the dynamics of the system so well, it is like having them in my very own studio as is the power of my system, one of my favourite SACD’s and it never fails to impress but my house was rocking it with the Quattro system!
Next up is a track off the DTS Demo Disc 18 and it is played in DTS-HD MA, by the Great guitar front man of ex group The Eurythmics, Dave Stewart and the track is called Every Single Night played in 5.1, it is a great but very unusual track but the reason I picked this one out was for the super BASS that is in it. Set as a ring master he control’s this freakish circus but the BASS and the Panning from front to back, in fact to all the speakers is just superb, with huge transients of BASS moments which start and stop on a dime. I can see why that they put this on a DTS demo disc as it really does show off what a good system can do, not just in the BASS department but as a system as a whole, real Kick backwards music “laughs”.
On to some 2 Channel listening and once again I have chosen a Mark Knopfler album which is Sailing to Philadelphia done in 2000 this is on CD well HDCD so a good recording and it really does need a good system to hear this in its best, last time I was listening to this was on a Naim and ProAc system that I owned, and it sounded good, bloody good in fact, so I am expecting great things with my KEN KREISEL system and I am not disappointed in the slightest.
With the DXD808’s in the stack formation it brings a quality to the BASS that just is not there when they are in singular form, the fully balanced mode gives a beautiful tone to the BASS and a richness that just sounds so full and melodic with each shift in notes being played and with the Quattro stack that is improved further as you have so much authority under pinning each piece of music you play, it is a joy to listen to, you think that these subs play at such high levels on movies but when needed they can play so subtle and make sweet music.
The Last Laugh on the album also features the famous Van Morrison which is a great song and a lovely melody which really captures the quality of the KREISEL system as a whole and makes every part of it stand out, with the Q125’s bettering any HiFi speaker and the Sub BASS being multi-talented. My last album is a completely different one and shifts up a gear, it is by Moloko – Statues and is on SACD once again.
This is a fast moving energy filled pumped up and great BASS filled SACD which will give the Quad stack a great final work out, from the opening Familiar Feeling to ending Over & Over. This is album has some great tracks that you could imagine being played in a night club and some serious BASS accompanied with it, lucky for me I have what is needed to pull it off in my house, so I turn up the Volume Knob to -10db which is bloody loud and the tunes are pumping out and so is the BASS at crazy levels which I am trying to keep up with, bouncing and moving with music is the rest of my room, but the BASS is not loose or bloated it is as tight as it could possibly be, never better, every note from the synthesizer separated accurately, incredible, chest thumping BASS, just as you get when you walk into a very good night club, you get the same feeling the music is that loud but with no distortion just clarity, this is a fantastic album that sounds so good in high resolution SACD and OMG my room is thumping !!!
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
OK, I think that will do and you will have had enough of my ramblings but I am so ecstatic for having one of these beauties in my room for reviewing and I feel privileged to be able to of been given the chance as this is pure Reference Grade BASS that I am listening to. KEN KREISEL has created the best BASS systems I have ever heard and I take my hat off to the man who is a genius pure and simple, if you can afford one of these then you are getting the best BASS money can buy simple as that, forget about what others may suggest, the buck stops here, yes there are alternatives that may look prettier, but when you see a stack in person it is a thing of beauty it really is.
Yes it is that time again, time for another review and this time I revisit the DXD808 sub’s but in the best formation that Ken produced them for and that is the Quattro formation!
I have reviewed the single DXD808 which is a competent performer and I have also reviewed the DUO combination, which was a revelation in sub BASS, but now this new combination takes it to a new level, an insane level which is not for the faint hearted and I kid you not, this should only be attempted if you are fully confident about heavy objects and know exactly what you are about to unleash.
OK, let’s start off by setting out what the Quattro Stack compiles of.
The stack requires 3 x stacking bracket kits, and for the most practical way of connecting when you order from L Sound the subs will come with the excellent Stack Link cables which are made by L Sound and are tailored to the exact requirements so they measure up precisely and therefore you are not left with a mess of cables behind the subs when fitted. This is a great solution and clearly L Sound took a lot of thought about this is issue which they have done a fine job of solving.
With the brackets you also get the rubber spacers that sit in between the subs; this prevents the subs from moving and helps locking them once the brackets have been secured tightly.
Another point that I thought was worth noting is that with all these subs you will require 4 power sockets to plug into, now I thought that this would be a problem due to high current being drawn when the subs are up and running but I managed to plug 2 into 1 wall out let and the other 2 subs into another so as to spread out the load, although I have been told that it is fine to plug all the subs into 1 power strip if you really have no choice.
Once you have set out everything and fitted and lifted and given yourself a hernia in the process, “laughs” you should end up with a fully loaded and ready to go Quattro, or in my case what I call
Reviewing this beast I am again pairing it with the fantastic Q125’s as the front 3 speakers L/C/R and for the rears duty I have my trusty Miller & Kreisel Column Surround 29’s, so it is just a 5.1 set up powered by my trusted Denon AVR4520 which is also doing the processing.
I am going to set out a collection of material which will include several Movie clips and also some excellent Music that I have chosen, both 2 channel and Multichannel for music.
Demo Material being used is…. AVS Demo Discs 1&2 / DTS Demo Disc 18 & some 2 channel material of choice.
OK, on to the main event and that is reviewing this awesome beast!
Movies
For movies I am using the excellent AVS demo discs which in a word are stunning to watch and have been designed to really show off a good system and what it is capable of doing, for starters we begin with AVS Demo disc 1 and what better way than a whirl of the Rise of the machines from War Of The Worlds.
This must be one of the most watched and demoed pieces to push a sub in singular form to its near limits but it was mightily impressive with the one sub, and equally impressive with the DUO which made the sofa massage and caress you, but with 4 it was a truly Epic experience and genuinely a frightening ride, it was as if I had suddenly fitted Butt Kickers into my sofa it felt like it was moving and when the Pods emerged and landed the thump was so fierce it really shook the room with each giant step. Then when the Massive Alien blasted the people with the blue ray gun it was an electrifying sweeping movement across the room that you could literally feel, again the sofa was hit with pulses of BASS that just shook the sofa and massaged you it really is something you have to experience, it made me laugh because I have heard this demo so many times with different subs but this is the only really satisfying moment that I have ever witnessed it and genuinely felt scared!
Next up was Flight of The Phoenix and The Barrel Roll, this is another great demo piece and one I have seen on many a system, including on several of mine, the first time I ever heard it properly was with one of Ken’s older subs and that was the MX5100SF and it literally blew me away with the way the room was pressurized and the BASS just squeezed you in your room.
Well this time am I in for a treat, 4 DXD808’s in stack formation with more wattage to power a small country let alone subs, the constant drone of the engines and the storm outside the plane makes for a truly great BASS attack and Dynamics of the system, the way the plane zooms past you from front to back is breath taking and the engine noise is so LOUD that my whole sofa shook violently and then the Barrel Roll and WOW the pressure in the room it was like the whole room was energised with LOW frequency waves filling the living area, at reference level this was one of the scariest movie sequences I have witnessed and was made all that more believable by the Quattro stack, when it finished I was relieved and checked the room to see if there was anything missing in the room, some blankets that go over the armchair had been blown off by the BASS and the energy that hit the armchair, it literally shook them off, I kid you not.
Next up is one of my favourites and that is from the Star Wars series Episode I - The Phantom Menace and it is the Pod Race scene, I always knew this was reference material and in a way it has been proven so by it being on AVS Reference Disc 2.
The engines ignite with one mighty roar and this time OMG the noise and energy from each Pod racer was incredible, each has a different BASS note to define its stature and level of ferocity, every time they rev the engines the house shakes and then Jabber the Hut bites off that poor creatures head to bounce it off the bong to sound the race start, I know most of you will know this scene but not many will have witnessed it being powered by a KEN KREISEL DXD808 Quattro SUB BASS system.
With each lap it is if the pod racers are powering through my living space leaving me to clear up the mess, the whoosh and dynamics of the sound or BASS should I say is so hard as it goes past that it leaves a good impression of actually how one of these racers would feel if you were actually near one, it’s great because you know that the sound was mastered on a KEN KREISEL system so the sound engineer knew exactly what he was giving to the audience, and what an experience!
My final movie from the Stunning AVS demo discs is the brilliant Master & Commander which has to be the closest I will ever get to be on a battleship, which was set during the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800’s.
This is a brilliant film and the sound and BASS most importantly plays a starring role during the epic Battle scene when the 2 war ships first meet, it is a surprise attack and the Dynamics and huge transients that start and stop so instantly are just astounding and shocking all the same, the Quad Stack just pummels my living room and it rocks my sofa so hard with each cannon going off that you can feel the ricochet. It is the same feeling when a cannon ball strikes the ships blowing the kingdom come out of the ship’s hull, the bass literally blowing around each speaker in the room just shows how well the subs integrate with the rest of the system making it feel like you are in the middle of the action!
When it is finally over I take a huge sigh of relief as it was quite an experience and one I will not forget, that is for sure, the Quattro has made its mark on me, never have I witnessed this film being played at such terrifying levels, it is insane levels of BASS that comes out of these stacks, and you really need to witness it to appreciate the quality of BASS that they produce.
Better than anything I have ever heard in any cinema, this BASS is on another level, the Quattro stack is a killer combination and you just know that Ken has been working all these years and mastered the art of GOOD SOUND & GOOD BASS and it has surely has paid off as these subs are truly at the pinnacle of Home Cinema SUB BASS systems!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music
Next up is some Music and this takes the form of some 2 channel and Multichannel music.
I have been listening a lot lately to some of my older music collection and you cannot quite beat the older collection of classics like Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition SACD to test out the Quattro’s ability for music.
So Far Away from me starts the SACD with the great beat from the Kick Drum with real power and authority, there is so much texture to the BASS in music from the DXD808’s and even more so with the Quad stack that it reveals layers that you did not know were there, and the shifts in the beat are so precise and the musicality is just pure class. Money for Nothing is one of my favourites and one that I will always remember as a defining moment in MTV history, and the drum beat leading up to Knopflers guitar lead in is just brilliant showing off the dynamics of the system so well, it is like having them in my very own studio as is the power of my system, one of my favourite SACD’s and it never fails to impress but my house was rocking it with the Quattro system!
Next up is a track off the DTS Demo Disc 18 and it is played in DTS-HD MA, by the Great guitar front man of ex group The Eurythmics, Dave Stewart and the track is called Every Single Night played in 5.1, it is a great but very unusual track but the reason I picked this one out was for the super BASS that is in it. Set as a ring master he control’s this freakish circus but the BASS and the Panning from front to back, in fact to all the speakers is just superb, with huge transients of BASS moments which start and stop on a dime. I can see why that they put this on a DTS demo disc as it really does show off what a good system can do, not just in the BASS department but as a system as a whole, real Kick backwards music “laughs”.
On to some 2 Channel listening and once again I have chosen a Mark Knopfler album which is Sailing to Philadelphia done in 2000 this is on CD well HDCD so a good recording and it really does need a good system to hear this in its best, last time I was listening to this was on a Naim and ProAc system that I owned, and it sounded good, bloody good in fact, so I am expecting great things with my KEN KREISEL system and I am not disappointed in the slightest.
With the DXD808’s in the stack formation it brings a quality to the BASS that just is not there when they are in singular form, the fully balanced mode gives a beautiful tone to the BASS and a richness that just sounds so full and melodic with each shift in notes being played and with the Quattro stack that is improved further as you have so much authority under pinning each piece of music you play, it is a joy to listen to, you think that these subs play at such high levels on movies but when needed they can play so subtle and make sweet music.
The Last Laugh on the album also features the famous Van Morrison which is a great song and a lovely melody which really captures the quality of the KREISEL system as a whole and makes every part of it stand out, with the Q125’s bettering any HiFi speaker and the Sub BASS being multi-talented. My last album is a completely different one and shifts up a gear, it is by Moloko – Statues and is on SACD once again.
This is a fast moving energy filled pumped up and great BASS filled SACD which will give the Quad stack a great final work out, from the opening Familiar Feeling to ending Over & Over. This is album has some great tracks that you could imagine being played in a night club and some serious BASS accompanied with it, lucky for me I have what is needed to pull it off in my house, so I turn up the Volume Knob to -10db which is bloody loud and the tunes are pumping out and so is the BASS at crazy levels which I am trying to keep up with, bouncing and moving with music is the rest of my room, but the BASS is not loose or bloated it is as tight as it could possibly be, never better, every note from the synthesizer separated accurately, incredible, chest thumping BASS, just as you get when you walk into a very good night club, you get the same feeling the music is that loud but with no distortion just clarity, this is a fantastic album that sounds so good in high resolution SACD and OMG my room is thumping !!!
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
OK, I think that will do and you will have had enough of my ramblings but I am so ecstatic for having one of these beauties in my room for reviewing and I feel privileged to be able to of been given the chance as this is pure Reference Grade BASS that I am listening to. KEN KREISEL has created the best BASS systems I have ever heard and I take my hat off to the man who is a genius pure and simple, if you can afford one of these then you are getting the best BASS money can buy simple as that, forget about what others may suggest, the buck stops here, yes there are alternatives that may look prettier, but when you see a stack in person it is a thing of beauty it really is.
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