Bookshelf Speakers — Davis Acoustics Krypton 3 V2

The Krypton 3 V2 is a two-way stand-mount design from Davis Acoustics, a French loudspeaker and driver maker founded in 1986, and it replaces the original Krypton 3 compact of 2021. According to the company, the small cabinet brings together technologies drawn from almost 40 years of in-house driver and speaker development. It is the only compact model in the current Krypton range, which also includes the Krypton 6, 9 and 10 floorstanders and the Krypton C center. The recommended retail price in France is EUR 600 per speaker, against EUR 1,000 per pair for the first version at its launch.

Key specs that matter

Davis rates the response at 47 Hz to 21 kHz within 3 dB and the sensitivity at 90 dB. Nominal impedance ranges from 4 to 8 ohm. The speaker accepts 80 W continuously and 120 W as a maximum rating. A single 13 cm woofer with a Kevlar cone works below the 4,000 Hz crossover point, and the tweeter covers the band above it. The cabinet measures 35 cm high, 19 cm wide and 27 cm deep. Davis lists 16 kg for one carton, which holds a pair.

Engineering and use context

In this second version, the main revision concerns cabinet loading. The earlier model used a laminar port on the front baffle, whereas the V2 vents through a circular port on the rear panel. Published figures also differ, with a deeper rated lower limit than the 55 Hz of the original and a lower upper limit than its 24 kHz. The tweeter is new for this model, an impregnated soft fabric dome of 28 mm with a rear decompression design. The Kevlar woofer continues the material that Davis has used across many of its own drivers, and the company still sells Kevlar, carbon and graphite driver series separately to home builders. It comes in three finishes named Classik, Nordik and Technik, matching the rest of the Krypton line.

Pairing

Davis describes the V2 as easy to drive and suited to most amplifiers currently on the market, which fits its sensitivity rating, though the bottom of its impedance rating means an amplifier comfortable with 4 ohm loads is the safer match, and sustained output should stay within the continuous rating. For a multichannel setup, the Krypton C center speaker and the larger Krypton towers come in the same three finishes, so fronts, center and surrounds can be matched visually.

Alternatives

Outside the Krypton range, Davis Acoustics also makes the Courbet N°3, a two-way bookshelf speaker.