Kolster Brandes speakers

Kolster Brandes KS651 speakers

They were made sometime around 1970, and have an unusual but very chic cylindrical design, with mahogan-ish veneer and aluminium and gold trim.  The bottom acts a bass chamber, and a horn mounted on the top projects the higher frequencies upwards, giving an omnidirectional behaviour in the horizontal plane.

Inside, there is just a single six inch driver, rated at 15 watts, and a lot of foam padding.

It is always a risk buying used speakers, but they both work perfectly and I am rather charmed by the sound. They rather soften and round the edges of the program material, but maintain a good stereo image. Perfect for relaxing in the evening, and an antidote to a day of precise listening on headphones and studio monitors. Although only rated for 15 watts they are plenty loud enough for home use, and well worth the £40 paid.

Gramophone magazine reviewed these in 1970, and they retailed at £31 when new. They recommend placing them on a shelf, but I really can’t agree with that. They seem perfectly suited to sitting on the floor of an elegant room and filling it with music – because of their omnidirectional behaviour they have a wide ‘sweet spot’, and are very easy to position.

They also make good cat pedestals, apparently!