Speaking of Karl-Heinz Fink

[Wil]

Doing an on-site search, very little has been said of Karl-Heinz Fink. Yet quoting, from 2008:

Karl-Heinz Fink, who's behind more speakers than you'd imagine for a wide range of well-known names.

So, let us speak of KHF and be conscious of current products he has had a hand in developing e.g.:
"His friend and fellow audio designer Karl-Heinz Fink was able to to step in and complete the work to a standard which both he and Rotel believe fulfills Ishiwata's vision of providing great audio at an affordable price.":

Rotel launches Tribute hi-fi products designed by Ken Ishiwata

A special edition amp and CD player made in collaboration with the late audio legend. Rotel launches Tribute hi-fi products designed by Ken Ishiwata : Read more

forums.whathifi.com

And:

Legendary Epos speaker brand acquired, new speakers on the way

"Be prepared to see more unconventional ideas in our new Epos loudspeakers," says new owner Karl-Heinz Fink

www.whathifi.com

Interview:

 

[nopiano]

He has his own range of high end speakers I believe, and as you say is often a consultant for others, such as Q Acoustics.

 

[Al ears]

He has his own range of high end speakers I believe, and as you say is often a consultant for others, such as Q Acoustics.

Much like Ken was a consultant to Rotel and others on the amplifier front....., now those Borg I really need to listen to.
.

 

[Wil]

Interview from yesterday:

INTERVIEW - Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Team | Hifi Pig

Hifi Pig interview with Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Team

hifipig.com

Excerpt:
"HP: Obviously great sound reproduction is a priority, but when engineering a new loudspeaker how do you approach the project?
KHF: Nowadays, a lot of the design can be simulated before we drill the first hole or switch on the soldering iron. Industrial design comes first, as this is a very important part of the product and the drive units will be constructed around it – not like in the old days, when existing drivers dictated the cabinet dimensions. In addition, the cabinet construction gets simulated to minimise cabinet vibration and after all that has been done, the speaker ends up in the anechoic chamber to start with the crossover. We try to get as far as possible with measurements before starting listening. Let me give you an example. Before we got deeply into the cabinet vibration problems, we often had bad results in the listening room when starting the voicing – even with the best drivers and a good crossover. It was the cabinet that often enough made our life complicated and we ended up voicing “around” those problems. Today, we simulate the cabinet, scan the final one with a laser vibrometer and so, there is no bad surprise in the listening room and we can concentrate on the final voicing and we have to make less compromises.

HP: Sonically, what are you looking for from a loudspeaker and do you rely on measurements or your ears when fine-tuning a loudspeaker?
KHF: Measurements are important, as they help…"

 

[Wil]

He has his own range of high end speakers I believe, and as you say is often a consultant for others, such as Q Acoustics.

I wanted to be able to do proper ITU multi-channel SACD with 5 identical speakers… Settled on buying 3 sets of Concept 20 with matching stands:

For 2 channel listening I'm stacking 2 pairs in D'Appolito configuration—a goal since seeing Ken Ishiwata doing so in 2007:

Home

The annual show organised by Germany's High End Society has grown into a significant European platform for new product launches, as was evident from the announcements being made this year. Denon rolled out its first 'high definition' AV receiver, complete with onboard wireless networking, KEF...

www.whathifi.com

Notably, Tim de Paravicini too stacked… in 2017, using Falcon Loudspeakers' LS3/5a:

 

[Al ears]

If you need to stack speakers you have the wrong ones to start with.
I had a mate that stacked Quad Electrostatics, still no idea why......

 

[Wil]

Well, on account of Quad, I've Googled it, top result being http://www.quadesl.org/index.php/hard-core/stacked-quads:

If you need to stack speakers you have the wrong ones to start with.
I had a mate that stacked Quad Electrostatics, still no idea why......

And owning 3 pairs of Concept 40 wasn't feasible:

 

[Wil]

Q Acoustics.

I read your Post in that sibilant Thread… It's too busy there for me to want to leave a Comment and feel somewhat obliged to follow…

So I'll back you up by linking here a Q Acoustics blog piece, from 4 years ago:

Bi-wiring Speakers: An exploration of the benefits -

(Bi-wiring Speakers) Bi-wireable loudspeakers have been available since at least the late 1980s and are now quite common. You can easily tell if your spea

www.qacoustics.co.uk

"The amplifier is a power amplifier because (within its capabilities) it can provide all the current demanded of it by the loudspeakers and still maintain the same potential for current to flow at its red terminal. Note that this current is demanded or taken by the loudspeakers and NOT sent by the amplifier.

[And]
Conclusion
We have discovered that if your speakers have four binding posts then you may take advantage of the bi-wiring option and that you will need twice as much cable as before. We theorised and proved by measurement, the counter-intuitive notion that the high and low frequencies travel only in their designated cables. We have also shown by measurement that the theory that this would reduce intermodulation distortion caused by non-linearity in the speaker system is proven.

In light of the above evidence it would be sensible to conclude that where the opportunity exists and funds allow, bi-wiring should be explored as an option for improving the performance of any high fidelity loudspeaker system."


Well, KHF, he had said:
"Single wiring or biwire?
I’ve recently changed my mind. If you had asked me six months ago I would have said single wiring was better. I still believe it’s the best choice for speakers up to the middle-market price class. One good cable is better than two not-so-good cables. At the higher end, biwiring makes sense. We can now measure the effect."

Home

Fink Audio Consulting is one of the most influential and least well-known companies in the global loudspeaker market. It’s an engineering consultancy responsible for some of the finest speakers we’ve heard in the last couple of decades, including multiple Award-winners from the likes of Tannoy...

www.whathifi.com

 

[nopiano]

I'll back you up by linking here a Q Acoustics blog piece, from 4 years ago

Thanks, that’s what I read I’m sure! I remember posting the article in another forum, and a sceptic said something along the lines of:- Speaker cable company finds biwiring is beneficial!

The KHF point is good!

 

[Wil]

This was live streamed last night:

 

[newlash09]

I wanted to be able to do proper ITU multi-channel SACD with 5 identical speakers… Settled on buying 3 sets of Concept 20 with matching stands:
View attachment 1646

For 2 channel listening I'm stacking 2 pairs in D'Appolito configuration—a goal since seeing Ken Ishiwata doing so in 2007:

Home

The annual show organised by Germany's High End Society has grown into a significant European platform for new product launches, as was evident from the announcements being made this year. Denon rolled out its first 'high definition' AV receiver, complete with onboard wireless networking, KEF...

www.whathifi.com

View attachment 1647

Notably, Tim de Paravicini too stacked… in 2017, using Falcon Loudspeakers' LS3/5a:
View attachment 1648
View attachment 1649

I would be very interested to know, how the stacking experiment worked. I was thinking of placing 2 qacoustics concept center speakers in my HT, to increase center channel presence. But was warned against attempting it, due to lobing issues.

But I guess it can still be safely done, as I've seen another gentleman using stacked pairs of the older kef reference book shelves in an active system, running off dirac live correction.

 

[Wil]

There are some family matters I'm attending to, so I can't really spare the time to write in detail.

I've tried 4 different amplification setups for stacked Concept 20:


At the moment, I'm quite enjoying powering them with a PM-15 (and SA7001 KI player).

If you stack Concept Centre, have the tweeters close i.e.:

 

[newlash09]

There are some family matters I'm attending to, so I can't really spare the time to write in detail.

I've tried 4 different amplification setups for stacked Concept 20:
View attachment 1810

At the moment, I'm quite enjoying powering them with a PM-15 (and SA7001 KI player).

If you stack Concept Centre, have the tweeters close i.e.:
View attachment 1811

Thanks for sharing. Placing the tweeters closer is a good idea

 

[Wil]

I've started it's own Thread, the-stacking-of-speakers and how…

Thanks for sharing. Placing the tweeters closer is a good idea

 

[Wil]

The other day, I was reminded that Concept 20 was featured in The best 30 hi-fi speakers of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime:

Home

A reminisce about the very best stereo speakers What Hi-Fi? has reviewed since 1976...

www.whathifi.com

Descriptions of the other speakers have given me clues on narrowing down suitable purchases in the upcoming post-Christmas sales.

And direct link to 2013's Concept 20 review:

Home review

Best stereo speaker £200-£400, Awards 2014. Looking for a pair of top class sub-£500 standmounters? Q Acoustics' Concept 20s could well be the answer

www.whathifi.com

 

[Wil]

KHF had shared:

 

[manicm]

Interview from yesterday:

INTERVIEW - Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Team | Hifi Pig

Hifi Pig interview with Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Team

hifipig.com

Excerpt:
"HP: Obviously great sound reproduction is a priority, but when engineering a new loudspeaker how do you approach the project?
KHF: Nowadays, a lot of the design can be simulated before we drill the first hole or switch on the soldering iron. Industrial design comes first, as this is a very important part of the product and the drive units will be constructed around it – not like in the old days, when existing drivers dictated the cabinet dimensions. In addition, the cabinet construction gets simulated to minimise cabinet vibration and after all that has been done, the speaker ends up in the anechoic chamber to start with the crossover. We try to get as far as possible with measurements before starting listening. Let me give you an example. Before we got deeply into the cabinet vibration problems, we often had bad results in the listening room when starting the voicing – even with the best drivers and a good crossover. It was the cabinet that often enough made our life complicated and we ended up voicing “around” those problems. Today, we simulate the cabinet, scan the final one with a laser vibrometer and so, there is no bad surprise in the listening room and we can concentrate on the final voicing and we have to make less compromises.

HP: Sonically, what are you looking for from a loudspeaker and do you rely on measurements or your ears when fine-tuning a loudspeaker?
KHF: Measurements are important, as they help…"

I would have liked to read the rest of the sentence.

 

[Wil]

I would have liked to read the rest of the sentence.

I believe my approach will be different today. Main importance was that insight can be accessed so as to become informed-consumers, excerpt was just something to whet readers' appetite.


Lately, I rarely post links that are outside of WHF, and if I need to do so then they're more discreet, less prominently boxed…

We actually don't fully tap the WHF-ecosystem? How many of us daily check (and try to discuss aspects within) the following:

Tech products and reviews | What Hi-Fi?

Latest reviews, products, news, advice, videos and more, from the world's no.1 technology buyer's guide - What Hi-Fi?

www.whathifi.com

Latest tech news | What Hi-Fi?

The latest tech news, products and live coverage: hi-fi, home cinema, streaming systems, wireless speakers, smartphones, TVs and more - What Hi-Fi?

www.whathifi.com

Features | What Hi-Fi?

www.whathifi.com

 

[Wil]

KHF

I've avoided mentioning his FinkTeam Borg because the price is €24,000:

Home

Drive units this sort of size (26cm!) are rarely seen in two-way speakers because of their limited high frequency reach.

www.whathifi.com

How many readers of this Post will ever be able to spend that much on a pair of loudspeakers?

And yesterday, I was reminded that WHF's current hi-fi reference system [has] a £36,150 pre/power

Burmester 088/911 Mk 3 review

This pairing is one of the finest amplifiers money can buy

www.whathifi.com

 

[Wil]

For obvious reasons, I want to be an informed-consumer. And buying loudspeakers were a problem (which, pardon, I don’t have time to fully go into the historic specifics).

Simply, I trusted (and bought) the work of Ken Ishiwata, which led me to buying the work of Karl-Heinz Fink.

Yesterday I read:

Q Acoustics expands its range of Concept loudspeakers

Channeling the spirit of the high-end Concept 300 and 500, with new acoustic tricks to boot

www.whathifi.com

Sensing their revised Concept range has no direct input from KHF, I immediately contacted the man himself, because I wouldn’t want readers of this thread to be misled…

His answer was that I was right, he wasn’t a consultant for the revisions.

 

[Wil]

Firstly, it'd be good if WHF does podcast interviews e.g.:

https://soundcloud.com/johnhdarko%2Fexpert-opinion-karl-heinz-fink-talks-wharfedale-diamond-12-series-more

Secondly, above interview was quite insightful e.g. microphonics at 67min18s

 

[Wil]

8 years ago, I had to look into AirPlay because I bought a MS7000 (note how the PH-22 I mentioned to have given away was still with me when photo was taken):

I’m interested if anyone can prove (official) AirPlay protocol has changed beyond the limit of 44.1 kHz/16bit.

A couple of days ago, talking about my MS7000—it was worked under KHF, directed by KI… And what I’d like to highlight is the-preference of using 3 (supporting) feet e.g. his own setup (with, incidentally, springs):

Running-in of (brother-in-law) Eric's 12.1 has exceeded 50 hours. And comparing to my own pair of Concept 20, I too agree with Fink, preferring the 12.1:

Because I’m accustomed to (SPL from) stacking 2 pairs of Concept 20, I’ll either buy, for myself, 2 pairs of 12.1, or a 12.3:

Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021 winner. Refined, entertaining and affordable floorstanders

www.whathifi.com

Also, Concept 20 too has…:

There are already 3 screw holes provided, at their base… i.e.:

∴ Drill into your choice of mounts.