Anyone experienced JBL's K2 S9800?


There is such a dearth of commentary on this speaker anywhere, and yet I have some reason to believe that this may be one of the finest speakers currently in production. I recently was able to audition a pair in a most unusual setting--an art gallery.

The speakers were raised up off the floor on pedestals (perhaps 18 inches) with no walls or corners within 10 feet or more. All the front-end equipment, including amplifiers, were Mark Levinson, but I later learned that in order to hide the speaker cabling, there was approx. 80 feet of speaker cable running up vertical columns and then across the ceiling and down other columns in order to reach the speakers. Now that's gotta hurt.

Nonetheless, during that audition, I was blown away by this speaker's ability to resolve complex orchestral passages, its dynamic capability, and its overall neutrality (though it was distinctly lacking in warmth), but I was also completely non-plussed by a lack of transparency that I heard in two separate piano recordings of the highest quality (the pianos sounded muffled and much low level detail was missing). I found this mix of good and bad to be most unusual.

Is there anyone out there who owns these speakers and could comment on their performance relative to others they have owned or listened to? I have a feeling this one may be a real sleeper that, by virtue of its price tag, has been overlooked by most. If I could resolve the transparency issue, I just might blow my life's savings a buy a pair. Any commentary from anyone with actual experience would be most welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!
theloveman
Jond,
Thanks for the follow-up on the review. That makes 3 separate reviews in three separate publications by the same reviewer on the same speaker. It would have been nice to have had someone else's perspective in a formal review.

Have you ever had the opportunity to audition the K2s yourself?

Dean
Anyone have a source for these speakers? I had no luck tracking down a dealer. JBL website not much help, plus no human to talk to. K2 9800 must
be rare in the U.S. Located in the Southeast.
Dean,
Sadly I've never had a chance to hear them, though I'd really like to.
Pkc_b2,
I think there's a pair for sale on here right now! At least there was yesterday. Good luck!
I just heard a pair in NYC at Ears Nova. The mids and highs were outstanding with VIVA tube amp and Linn cd player. The bass did not extend very low, but the dealer was very nice and accommodating.
Peterayer -

You should have asked them to fire up one of the Viola amps they carry. I use K2's with Cello Duets (aka, Viola nowadays) with excellent results, both on the top AND bottom end!

The K2s is a US hidden treasure! No other spot in the major audio locations of the world are they so unknown!!

A treat and pleasure indeed.

Did Ears Nova bring them in specifically for you or they just happened to have a pair 'sitting' around?

Thanks,
Dan