My first meeting with Tetra Listening Instruments' designer, Adrian Butts was four years ago during the Toronto Audio Show. Walking into the Tetra room at the Ramada, I observed a fresh faced, self-confessed audioaholic, speaking eloquently about his first design, the Space loudspeaker. Butts' knowledge of design, his humour and easy-going style made such an impression, that I returned several times during the show to hear his speaker. Quietly, I filed away the Tetra name for future consideration and thought them a company to watch.

Even under difficult 'show conditions', Butts had the Space sounding very fine, and with the help of design partner and cabinet maker, Wayne Prince, had them looking grand, too. Tetra's sound philosophy is to 'capture the moment' and in the most musical way (Much of this philosophy has been described beautifully in David Aspinall's reviews of three Tetra models -- the Bullit, Space, and Rebel 3). As such, 'Hi Fi', in its lowest terms, and the 'zis boom bah' of badly designed tweeters, woofers and mids, need not apply to Tetra's Ottawa office.

Tetra Listening Instruments (which must be one of the best sounding high-end speaker names) has seven models currently for sale. I was more than happy to get my turn at a review with the latest design, the Kid loudspeaker, this time from the pen of Butts and newcomer Ken Moore. The Kid loudspeaker is priced between the Rebel and the Space, is intended for small to medium sized rooms, and directed at audiophiles with a taste for the best in fidelity. Obviously, Butts and Moore are very proud of their Kids. Justifiably? Read on, and you'll see how they behaved in public.

The speaker is a 4½" ported, 2-way loudspeaker with an efficiency of 88dB/w/m. The tweeter and mid/woofer drivers are the Excel models, manufactured by SEAS. Visually, I liked the look very much. The fit and finish, like all Tetra models, are in the highest class. It is a complicated speaker to manufacture, with twenty pieces, 36 compound angles and fifty-four straight cuts! The compound angles of the octagonal design minimize standing waves -- these waves are a bane for standard box-speakers, and tend to add colouration if not eliminated in some way. Many hours went into the speaker's design and its second-order crossover, with many more handcrafting the cabinet. I have just returned from a 'Manufacturer's Visit' at Tetra, I can attest to the care they give all steps of design, build, and customer service (look for the article coming soon).

The monitor head sits atop a base cabinet, making a compact, elegant package. The size will not overrun your listening room and the weight (30 lbs) will make it fairly easy for one person to negotiate prime placement. I had them pointing at my shoulders, others may prefer the tweeters firing at their ears. As they are ported, (2"), the speakers need a little room behind, but are reflection friendly. As such, all but the largest listening rooms will be fine for the Kids.

Happily, the speakers were broken in, so serious listening began as soon as they were delivered. After an hour tweaking the 'dial in', I grabbed a tea, stacked a pile of CDs on the rack, spun a disc, and sat back with some expectancy. I was not disappointed! Initially, the sound was superb; very clear, with a well-defined soundstage and very good imaging. After some time with the speakers, the sound Tetra envisaged won me over totally.

Some old standby discs were experienced anew, with some newly found audiophile treasures heard with absolute delight. Sure, the speakers do much right - all the acoustic tricks that audiophiles crave - but the biggest thrill is the way the Kids get out of the way of the technology so the essence of music is revealed. It did not take long (and I had them in house for over two months) to forget the review 'process' and enjoy their company for the music alone. I now know why so many professional musicians purchase Tetra products.

The soundstage was believable and the imaging excellent, both commensurate with the best in high end. The woofer, while not plumbing below 40 Hz, did send some significant air pressure my way, and far more than I was expecting from a five inch driver. The bass drum stroke in the March of Hindemith's Noblissima Visione on Telarc (CD-80195) is always a good test of bass resolution and depth. It is not whacked, but is so clear in the recording that any odd behavior by bass drivers is highlighted. No tubby or wooly presentation, here. Clean and clear, and with considerable oomph! As for the lowest octave, only a couple of notes in Train Song, from Holly Cole's Temptation (Alert 924909), did not register. The bass percussion instruments on this album produce some of the lowest frequencies your speakers are likely to hear. The Kids got it right, if only missing that last half octave, or so.

The resolution of the Kids' sound is spectacularly good and, in this regard, it would not be embarrassed in a head-to-head with the very best in high-end. My reference amphion xenon loudspeakers are no slouch in resolving power, but did not quite equal the Kids' refinement in shedding light on the most minute detail of a recording. This clinical accuracy did not result in a bright, harsh sound. On the contrary. The resolution remained very truthful to the inherent quality of the recording. The timpani whack after the quiet Introduction of Richard Strauss' tone poem, Death and Transfiguration (EMI Classics 24347 47562) can be an audiophile party piece. Many high-end speakers get the initial stroke correctly and accurately, but then coloration or a lack of speed will blur or disguise the note's decay. The decay is where the juice is! The Kids handled the whack with ease, and then surprised more than a few listeners with their resolution of the timpani skin flexing and the note's decay resonating in the kettle. The same clarity made previously unheard tape joins audible and the sounds of bass lines reflecting softly off the back and side walls of concert halls heard without strain. Fantastic!

The Kids' soundstage, pinpoint imaging and tonal clarity come, I assume, from it's mini-monitor philosophy. The sound is reminiscent of the best of that design: ProAc's Response One SCs and Tablette Signatures come to mind. Where the comparison ends, and with a thunk, is the Kids' bass and its 'blend' with the super-refined mids and treble. Known for thirty years for their lack of low bass, mini monitors give the audiophile (more importantly, the audiophile on a budget), a taste of the audio high life. The Kids give the audiophile and music lover the best of mini-monitor design with significant bass. In this regard, they may well be a 'first'.

Of course, this care, attention to detail, and engineering excellence comes at a price. And at CDN$3850.00, the Kids are not cheap. However, some speakers in the high-end deliver half as much for twice the price. With the Kids, the price is real value when considering the superb sound and workmanship. Tetra has continued to develop and grow both in product placement and design excellence over a relatively short period of time. It truly has become a shining light in the Canadian audio industry. Tetra, your Kids can come and play at my house anytime. Very highly recommended.

[It is with great pleasure that we award The Audiophilia Star Component Award to the Tetra Listening Instruments Kid Loudspeaker. Congratulations! - Ed]