YG Acoustic Kipods

Well, it was worth the effort. The Kipods are dialed in and are now the speakers in residence, having displaced my venerable W/P8s.

The Kipods are more linear, image better and are more articulate. There is a clarity of voice and presence that rivals stats. Add the powerfully lithe bass and you have a dynamic cohesiveness that is closest to the "holy grail" of transducers as I've heard.

They are easy to drive but they do like power.
The 500 watts of SS power I have on tap makes them sing, but I intend to try 450 watts of VTL magic just in case.

Make no mistake, despite their precision these speakers are toe-tappers.

khrys, thanks for the input. I must admit I am very interested. Would you say the Kipods are in the same family with the Wilsons in terms of sound? Did you find them difficult to place correctly in your room?

Tboooe, the Kipods are in the same family of sound as Wilsons with respect to refinement and quality but the differences are readily apparent. As with any components of this caliber, "better" simply means "preference".

The Wilsons are somewhat more dynamic, have a bigger, fuller sound and certainly sounded better on some recordings. But I found the more linearly extended frequency range and imaging of the Kipods to be preferable at the end of the day.

With my equipment and listening environment the Kipods' soundstage unfolds behind the speakers with great clarity, depth and cohesion. They get out of the way and simply do not appear to be the source of the sound. The Wilsons project the soundstage in front of the speakers very convincingly but seem to get in the way of their own sonic illusion.

Because the Kipods are easy to move by myself, they are ultimately more easy to place. But it takes some work if you want to get it right. I have never found speaker placement obsession to be more enjoyable however because I need not rely on others and can place them by ear rather than formulated compromise. Not an insignificant advantage.

I do not regret purchasing them.

I got my Wilson W/P8s 2 weeks ago...also heard the Kipods (hedgehog) Studio with it's subwoofer for a few hours, in a friend's house.
My impressions are (I heard tham in a different room/geer/time), that the Kipods are more accurate, transparent and have more details than the W/P8s. The soundstage in the Kipods is lower and more laid back, Still more 3D and they are more disappearring. The bass in the Kipods is fast and quick, but lack some punch, slam and attack in the mid-bass region (50- 70 Hz). The Kipods fit to smaller rooms than the W/P8s. They are less efficiency and need SS amp with rated power of 200Wp/c.
The W/P8s are warmer and sound to me a little more musical with ARC REF3+ ARC REF110, than the Kipods with Krells electronics (SACD Standard+ KAV 400xi). They have ability to play in a very loud SPL without any felling of strain. The bass has more bottom-end, dynamic impact and deeper extension. The W/P8s are speakers for all kinds of music. the Kipod sounds best with small groups or jazz music, but less good with electrified rock or big classical orchestra.
I think both speakers are excellent.
BTW, the Kipod now in mk II, the price has gone up $4000 to $42,000 USD per pair.

I was interested in the Kipods, but have yet to hear them. I did, however, have an opportunity to demo the YG Anat Studio Reference II in my home, and bought the pair. Needless to say, I was captivated by their ability to reproduce musical events. One problem is occasioned by their weight, which comes to 280 lbs per side. One cannot by one's self move them around to find the best placement. They are superb where presently placed, at least from my listening position, so I am not all that motivated to try other possibilities. I am running them with a VAC Phi Beta integrated, 110 watts per chanel, and can get all the clean volume that I desire. I've done a bit of tube rolling, with satisfying results. Based on achieved design philosophy, however, I suspect that the Anats might do best with electronics that are also designed and constructed to produce the lowest distortion possible -- which, insofar as I know, would be Halcros. But, of course, that is merely a speculation on my part.