Напольная акустика — Vandersteen Audio KĒNTO Carbon

The KĒNTO Carbon is a Vandersteen floorstander introduced as a new design at the price point once held by the Model 5, starting at USD 78,000 per pair in painted or wood veneer finishes. It combines the carbon tweeter from the Model 5A with the patented carbon and balsa core midrange from the Model Seven MK II, and every pair is manufactured in America.

Key specs that matter

Highest in frequency is a 1-inch aerodynamic dual-chamber carbon dome with transmission-line loading and ferrofluid voice-coil cooling. Below it sits a 4.5-inch Perfect Piston midrange whose cone is a three-layer sandwich of carbon fibre, balsa and carbon fibre, followed by a 6.5-inch woven-fibre mid-woofer with a precision-formed magnet assembly and a copper Faraday ring. Two side-firing 9-inch aluminium drivers with long-throw motors cover the lowest octaves. Rated response is 23 Hz to 40 kHz within 3 dB, sensitivity is 87 dB at 1 m with 2.83 V, and impedance is 8 ohm with a tolerance of 3 ohm either way. Each speaker measures 305 x 1,194 x 483 mm and weighs 77 kg net, or 91 kg packed for shipping.

Engineering and use context

The two side-firing woofers are not driven by the external amplifier. Each cabinet carries its own linear 400 W amplifier fed by a switching power supply with power factor correction, so the bass section is active while the three upper drivers remain passive. The crossover uses first-order networks at 6 dB per octave with transition points at 200 Hz, 900 Hz and 5 kHz, and the design keeps all drivers in positive phase with time alignment between them. With the bass units on the cabinet sides, the front baffle stays narrow despite the tall cabinet. Finish options run from wood veneers such as rosewood, walnut, maple and cherry to automotive high-gloss paint colours.

Pairing

Vandersteen recommends 40 to 200 W into 8 ohm for the passive section. Because the internal amplifiers take over the bass, the external amplifier only has to drive the midrange, mid-woofer and tweeter, which reduces the current it must deliver compared with a fully passive speaker of this size. Speaker cables attach to barrier strip terminals that take connectors up to 11 mm wide, so spade terminations are the practical choice. A power cord to a wall socket is required for every cabinet, since the woofers depend on their own amplification.

Alternatives

The Vandersteen Model Seven MK II is another floorstanding model in the brand's range.