Floorstanding loudspeakers — Kaiser Acoustics Kawero! Classic

Kaiser Acoustics, based in Germany, builds the Kawero! Classic as a three-way tower, and each cabinet weighs 99 kg. The midrange and woofer are both reflex-loaded, and the maker offers several build options, including a choice of woofers, bi-wiring and an external crossover housed in its own enclosure.

Key specs that matter

Kaiser lists a bandwidth of 25 Hz to 60 kHz and a sensitivity of 92 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, which can be ordered 1.5 dB higher or 1.8 dB lower through the woofer choice. Impedance is 6 ohm nominal with a 4 ohm minimum. The maker states a minimum input power of 20 W. The cabinet measures 121 cm high, 33 cm wide and 49 cm deep. Standard connection is single wiring, with bi-wiring available on request.

Engineering and use context

A front-firing 18 cm midrange from Audio Technology covers roughly 60 Hz to 5.5 kHz, with a paper cone reinforced by carbon fibres and finished in violin lacquer. A passive radiator on the rear compensates for the baffle step. Below 60 Hz a rear-firing 25 cm woofer takes over, and a down-firing bass reflex port is tuned to 27 Hz. The tweeter is a 2.5 inch oil-damped ribbon, the RAAL 70-20 XR from Serbia in a custom version, and its toe-in and front-to-back time alignment can be adjusted by the owner. Cabinet panels are cut from Panzerholz, a pressed laminate of birch wood and fibre, and apart from the top and bottom no two panels run parallel. The panels are drawn in 3D software and cut by CNC machine. Crossover parts come from Duelund, Mundorf and WBT, including Duelund CAST inductors and capacitors and Mundorf capacitors of the silver, gold and oil type, while internal wiring uses silver and gold-palladium conductors. Kaiser can adapt the port frequency and the tuning of the midrange passive radiator to a customer's room, and buyers pick from veneers or piano lacquer. The optional outboard crossover sits in a Panzerholz housing that Kaiser says is built with anti-microphony and anti-RFI measures, which moves the filter parts away from the vibrating cabinet and from radio frequency interference. Three different woofers are offered, and this choice is what sets the final sensitivity.

Pairing

The high sensitivity and low stated power floor make low-output valve amplifiers a workable partner, while the impedance dip still asks for an amplifier comfortable with some current demand. Owners who plan to bi-amp should order the bi-wire terminal option at purchase.

Alternatives

The Kawero! Vivace is a lighter three-way tower in the same range, at 82 kg with a Scan-Speak bass driver and a Mundorf AMT tweeter.