Loudspeakers

The origins of Kudos as a speaker brand go back to when Derek Gilligan and Bob Surgeoner, the founders of Neat Acoustics, discovered a stand that worked so well with their Neat Petite speakers, they bought the company. Later, when the two went their separate ways, Gilligan took the Kudos brand with him, and started making his own speakers, launching the original Cardea models in 2006. Ask him what's changed to create these rather similar-looking 2021 versions – actually, they were signed off last year, but demand for Kudos loudspeakers apparently held off the official launch while stocks were built up – and the answer is 'almost everything.'

The latest changes are to the crossover, with the use of improved air-core inductors with tighter windings, and an upgraded polypropylene/foil capacitor in the HF arm, drawing on the catalogue of supplier Mundorf. Along the way the speakers have switched to HDF (high-density fibreboard) for the cabinet, replacing the previous MDF, and there have been improvements to both drivers. The mid/bass has gained a phase-plug, while the company's own KS-1 loudspeaker cable, launched early last year, is used for all internal wiring.