Lefty, sorry to arrive so late to this. I have just returned from holiday and found this thread.
I have a pair of K's and have dealt with many of the questions that you raise, so thought I would add my 2p worth.
POSITIONING.
When I got mine, I saw that they werent ported, so thought they could go against/near a rear wall.
I took them to Scalford in 2011 and set them up like that. Guy (Puresound) came into my room and suggested pulling them out about 1 metre. We did, and they sounded better. I have had them set up like that since.
I have them toed in, crossing probably somewhere just behind my head. I havent done much experimenting with levels of toeing in, they just sem to sound good there !
STANDS.
When I first got them , Guy overhauled them for me. When I picked them up he suggested getting the heavy stands that they were originally paired with. Huyegen or Pirate. I was very lucky to find a pair almost straight away, so dont have any experience of any other stands.
However I do know another Wammer who recently bought a pair of K's. They came with wooden stands. He liked them, but when he found a pair of the proper heavy metal ones, (Pirate, I think) he liked them a lot more !!
When I first got these stands, they had some sand in them but not much. Guy suggested loading them fully with a mixture of sand and the little lead pieces. I never got around to it. One reason being that they were heavy as it was, and I seemed to be lifting them up and down 2 flights of stairs on a regular basis to take to Bake Offs.
So, I took them again to Scalford this year. Someone came into my room, liked the sound and came over for a chat about them. Turns out he worked for Audio Note. He was very intertested to hear about the renovation work that Guy had done, and was pleased to hear that someone had previously rewired them with Audio Note silver cable. He then talked about the stands and suggested that I should fully load them. I decided that with him and Guy both giving the same advice, it was time to listen to folks who know, so have since emptied them and started again with a sand and lead mix.
They now weigh a ton, and I can barely lift them.
Any better? Actually, I cant tell a difference. But there was a period of time between the two listenings, so who knows. However, they have certainly not "lost" anything. So, I am happy that I am giving them the best chance now to sound good.
GRILLS.
It was suggested to me to use them without. I like them that way anyway, so that is what I do. I havent compared.
AMPS.
Between buying these and then getting them back from Guy, I had to think about an amp. Without prompting, 2 wammers ( Coco/pete and Yoda/mike) suggested the same amp. It was the Audio Innovations 500 integrated.
I was lucky enough to find one here on the Wam, so bought it. Then an AI 700 came up, so I ended up with that also. Then I got the speakers back. Both amps sounded really good, with a very similar tone quality. But my preference was the 500, so the 700 was sold. The 500 just seemed to give more of the same.
I kept the 500 for about 1 year, but then I decided to try some SS amps. I tried Naim, Quad, Sony ES, and my old A& R A60. All were ok, but none got the K's singing like the AI 500 had.
It would be good to try them with some really top SS amps, but I havent had that chance yet.
I now have them with AI amps again. This time the 2nd audio mono power amps. This is I think the best combo I have had them with.
The Snell/AI combo does seem to be one that works, and if my experience is correct, I think that for the same money (approx £500), it will be difficult to get an SS alternative that will better the AI500. You probably owe it to yourself to try to hear that classic combo.
Obviously, we all hear and look for different things. And equally obviously, these cant have the Bass of some bigger speakers.
But, in the right room, they can sound really great. My listening room is in an attic and has sloping ceilings. Still a biggish room, but the Snells do seem to give me what I need in that room. I like a clear sound with nice tone quality. Booming , uncontrolled bass is way down my list of wants.
I also had a nice pair of Snell J's recently. In my attic I liked the Ks best, But in my lounge, which has high ceilings and is about 6m by 6m, the J's won. I have just got a pair of C's and will do some experimenting to do with those.
So, like all of this Hi Fi hobby, very room dependant.
I love my K's, and although other speakers will come and go, I will probably have the K's for a very long time.
