Loudspeakers

One of the functions of our lab reports is to check the veracity of manufacturers' product specifications. That assumes, of course, that there are specifications to check – which was not so with the Kaya 90. At the time of writing (mid-July) neither the Vivid Audio website nor the Kaya Series brochure carries a single specification for the new range (despite the former saying the latter includes 'Full specifications') – not even dimensions, which I had to approximate for the 90 using a tape measure. Pink noise sensitivity, averaged for the review pair, was 90.4dB – a good result but at the cost of punishingly low impedance. The minimum modulus of 2.4ohm suggests a 3ohm nominal specification, and impedance phase angles are high enough to drive the EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance) to a very low minimum of 1.1ohm at 297Hz.

So the Kaya 90 presents a significantly tougher load to its amplifier than the top-of-the-range Giya G1 Spirit. Forward frequency responses, measured at 1m on the tweeter axis [see Graph 1] show an essentially flat trend, with the barest hint of a presence band dip. Only the peaked up extreme treble spoils the picture and increases the response errors to ±2.8dB and ±2.6dB respectively (500Hz-20kHz). Pair matching over the same range is ±1.2dB. Incidentally, you can ignore the roll-off below 500Hz which is an artefact of the measurement [dashed traces in Graph 1]. Applying diffraction correction to our nearfield bass measurement is difficult because of the curvaceous cabinet, but we estimate an extension of 39Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz). The resonance at about 6.5kHz visible in the CSD waterfall [Graph 2] was only present in one of the review pair. KH

Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83V – Mean/IEC/Music): 90.8dB / 90.4dB / 90.2dB
Impedance modulus: minimum & maximum (20Hz–20kHz): 2.4ohm @ 264Hz / 27.5ohm @ 21Hz
Impedance phase: minimum & maximum (20Hz–20kHz): –60° @ 48Hz / 48° @ 343Hz
Pair matching/Resp. error (500Hz–20kHz): ±1.2dB / ±2.8dB/±2.6dB
LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz): 39Hz / >40kHz / >40kHz
THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) : 0.2% / 0.2% / 0.1%
Dimensions (HWD) / Weight (each): 1210x350x520mm / 25kg
Price:: £21,000