Replacing A Classic: Vandersteen's Kento Carbon
The Kento Carbon pairs two 9" side-firing aluminum-cone subwoofers with Vandersteen's existing carbon-dome tweeter, the Model Seven's midrange with three-layer (carbon fiber, balsa, carbon fiber) cone, and a 6 1/2"” mid-woofer with woven-fiber cone. An adjustable, 400-watt, class-B amplifier powers the subwoofers. As expected from Vandersteen speakers, the guiding principles of the Kento Carbon are first-order crossovers and "the ideal time and phase alignment of all drivers." The Kento Carbon's frequency response is given as 23Hz–40kHz +/-3dB, its sensitivity is 85dB at one meter for 2.83V input, and the impedance is 4 ohms +/-1 ohm. The crossovers points are at 200Hz, 900Hz, 5kHz. Richard and Nathan Vandersteen, who designed the Kento
Carbon, found that using side-firing 9" drivers allowed for further bass and midbass
integration adjustment in any space. "This breakthrough," they say, "along
with the existing carbon tweeter and newly combined with the patented Model Seven midrange
yields results never seen at this price point." The Kento Carbon will begin shipping
in early 2020. |
he Vandersteen Kento
Carbon ($37,500 per pair) replaces the company's Model Five, which was in continuous
production for over 20 years. However, in describing the sound of the new speaker,
Vandersteen cites another of its speakers, calling the Kento Carbon "a good part of
the Model Seven Mk II and a significant step forward."