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In matters of raw resolution the 8.12 indeed showed up my own speakers despite my having always considered that a true core competence of the System F. I was particularly gobsmacked since this held true across the board if admittedly being most obvious in the frequency extremes. Perhaps here greater cone surface—12-inch woofer, horn-loaded tweeter—plus higher sensitivity simply dominated. The DynamiKKs! operate on such an elevated plateau that the entire arsenal of electronic effects, skitters, plops and clicks on Nicolas Jaar’s Space is only noise impressed not only by hanging like a mirage in space (that was prerequisite for the Monitor 8.12) but because each individual plop was teased out in its complete micro structure. Some were drier, others more liquid as though greased, some lit up briefly, others trailed a small reverb echo in shooting-star fashion.

For quick musical chairs toward neo chanson, let’s take François Breut’s voice on “Over All” from Une Saison Volée. The small intermittent inhales of the French songstress I knew from other speakers but not in a pairing of such detail and nonchalance. Some boxes focus on vocal body and tonality to, whilst transmitting such secondaries, do so in a rather dim and ill-defined light. Others hone in on these secondaries as though wishing to impress but neglect the embodiment factor if they don’t default outright into the academic and anaemic. The Monitor 8.12 operated outside this duality’s tradeoff. It combined both virtues in exemplary fashion.


The same articulation and resolve ruled in the domain of its 12-incher. Compared directly to the System F I enjoyed more low-bass structure, more detail and, without any argument, even greater ‘speed’. The Ascendo’s bandpass loading retaliated with a bit more punch and pressurization. But to avoid misconceptions, the DynamiKKs! were anything but miserly on mass or overly wiry. No matter the musical tempo, there was extension and substance. This combination of three sub bass qualities really had my attention. Whilst even more reach and mass remain possible—say from the semi-active Audiodata Avancé at nearly twice the price—for ‘faster’ my imagination would come up short.

In addition the bass of the DynamiKKs! exhibited a quality that’s traditionally associated with large cone surface, be it through horn coupling or a massive vintage woofer – fleetfootedness. It’s a note of airiness and rebound in the bassment quite as though the double-bass section had decided to go ballet. That I had succumbed to these charms became obvious a few bars into Nik Bärtsch’s “Modul 55” from Llyria. Though its bass drum impact has hit me in the gut even harder in the past, the 8.12 conferred the precise reaction of the recording venue to these bass transients. This went beyond the actual hit. It was followed by a feathered-out vibrating body of air. Call it infrasonic recorded ambiance. Whatever name you choose to give it, that was a truly blessed sensation and illusion. It also made it easier to believe myself inside a club where musicians performed just a few meters removed.

With the Monitor 8.12 even studio productions had more of this live-gig flavor than usual. This LF fleetness and immediacy conjured up memories of the Zu Audio Presence, Hornmanufaktur models or Naim’s Ovator though here with noticeably higher accuracy and magnification power (and not just in the bass). The Monitor 8.12 simply is a highly efficient highly dynamic speaker. Dynamic contrast remained wonderfully alive deep into low playback levels. Polite evening or careful late-night sessions thus never defaulted into wimpy background platitudes. Usually my music sessions track movie conventions. Things get louder the longer I'm at it. With the DynamiKKs! I had to redirect this reflex. Macrodynamic peaks could explode with such violence that I was more than once rattled (as were the neighbors). I watched myself turn things down for a change. Needless to say, the 8.12 welcomes rave levels. It showed itself unconditionally SPL stable at least to the extent my living circumstances and pink bits could explore and tolerate. I failed to invoke any audible dynamic compression or scare up associated tonal shifts (where things usually get brighter).