A new Klassic

If you’re a production sound professional, or if you’ve ever stepped onto any film set, chances are you’ve encountered one of K-Tek’s popular boom poles. For almost 25 years, K-Tek boom poles have been in the studio lot, roamed around on commercials, and ventured deep on location in documentaries worldwide.

Made in Southern California, K-Tek updated its high-end poles and introduced the Klassic Pro — a refined, stronger 6-section graphite flagship with smoother operation, and an easily removable internal cable.

We spent many weeks contributing to the Klassic Pro’s R&D, field testing these new poles with sound mixers and boom operators on a variety of productions across California. Here’s what we’ve found!

 

First look:  Klassic Pro

The Klassic Pro poles are built in four sizes at its debut — 9, 12, 16, and 20’ feet.

K-Tek’s primary goal behind the Pro series was to reduce curvature at longer extensions, so we focused on the 16’ and 20’ models for this review. On the surface, the Klassic Pro poles closely resemble their five-section Klassic cousins, but its additional sixth section adds more rigidness overall, while shortening its collapsed length.

Once you hold one, however, the differences and improvements of Klassic Pro are much more noticable. First, these poles have a slightly larger diameter and are marginally heavier than the standard Klassic, because of its added sixth section and upgraded collar system.

Familiarizing yourself with the larger size & diameter may take some time, according to feedback from our boom operator friends. Some didn’t mind, and even said it provided better grip and control.

Others who are familiar with the original Klassic poles commented the size difference wasn’t a deal breaker, but for the sake of muscle memory, they wouldn’t upgrade in the middle of a show.

The collar and sleeve system on the Klassic Pro is buttery smooth, and doesn’t require as much tightening as the standard Klassic. Unlike the overall matte finish of K-Tek’s original pole, the Klassic Pro’s head, collars and bottom modules have gloss accents. The divots in each collar also have a more elongated shape for better grip.

Because of its larger diameter, any accessories such as right-angled or winged bottom modules made for the original Klassic will not fit on the Klassic Pro. K-Tek already sells an update CCR bottom module, and will be releasing new versions of its other accessories this year.

The Pro’s most exciting (and long awaited) feature is its detachable head and removable internal cable. These days, longer boom rigs would most likely be used with a wireless system, but the option to remove or install the cable, without soldering, is a big relief on set.

Using a hex key, loosen the headpiece and unwrap the cable head, disconnect the cable from its bottom module, and pull it all out in under a minute.

K-Tek also updated the Klassic internal coiled cable with quieter materials, and a low profile XLR connector at the top. There seems to be less cable bouncing noise than the original Klassic, and the new connector didn’t introduce RF interference during our testing.  

 

Klassic vs. Klassic Pro

Here’s a quick comparison chart of K-Tek’s largest 20’ poles, between the Klassic Original and Klassic Pro (base model, uncabled and closed bottom):

	Klassic 20’ (K251)	Klassic Pro 20’ (KP20)
Pole Sections	5	6
Collapsed Length	4’7″ (140 cm)	4’6″ (137 cm)
Maximum Length	20’9″ (6.3 m)	20’ (6.1 m)
Diameter	1.38 in (3.5 cm) ⌀	1.57 in (4 cm) ⌀
Weight (Uncabled)	2.1 lbs (950 g)	2.5 lbs (1.1 kg)
CCR, FT, Wireless Module Option	Yes	Yes
Easy Removable Cable	No	Yes
Low Profile XLR Connector	No	Yes
Street Price (July 2019)	$699 USD	$799 USD

 

So the 20’ Klassic Pro is about 5 mm larger in diameter, and about 5 oz heavier than the original, and saves you an inch when fully collapsed. Accessories between the two models are not interchangeable.

Physical specs aside, does the Klassic Pro live up to what K-Tek advertises? Let’s check them out:

 

Boom Battle

We teamed up with K-Tek’s Brenda Klemme and Tino Liberatore to control test the rigidness of Klassic Pro poles, against the original Klassic and other popular booms.

We focused on boom poles 16’ and above, where the most bowing can occur. With a common wireless boom zeppelin rig attached, we tested durability, balance, and handling at maximum length.

Let’s start with K-Tek’s 16’ models:  the Klassic Pro KP16 (top) versus the original K202 (bottom):

The original K202 is 10” longer than the Pro KP16. Even if we retract the K202 to match lengths, the Pro is still sturdier than the original. During the swing test, the KP16 had much better handling and less turbulence than the K202.

Next up in the 16’ range is the KP16 (right) versus Ambient Recording’s QS pole (left): 

The KP16 performs very close to the rigidness of the QS pole. The QS is a 3-section pole, collapsing down to 5 feet (1.52 m), while the KP16 is about 3 in (10 cm) shorter and 6 oz (150 g) lighter. The swing tests also show that both poles encounter minimal turbulence at full extension.

We also tested K-Tek’s KP16 (right) against PSC’s Elite XL boom (left):

In this test, the Elite XL hangs just below the KP16 in rigidness. The Elite XL is a more compact 5-section pole, collapsing down to 4 feet (1.22 m), about half a foot shorter and 10.5 oz (300 g) lighter than the KP16. Compared to the KP16, however, the Elite XL’s turbulence makes it almost uncontrollable at full extension.

Here is the KP16 (top) against a VDB’s XL-QT boom (bottom): 

Both poles had similar rigidness in this test. The XL-QT is a 6-section boom, with an impressive length range from 3’7” (1.1 m) to 18’3” (5.56 m), while weighing 9.6 oz (270 g) lighter than the KP16. The XL-QT experiences slightly less turbulence than the Elite XL at full extension, but the KP16 handled better in our swing tests.

And finally, the 20-foot big boys: the Klassic Pro KP20 (top) versus K-Tek’s original K251 (bottom):

The original 20’ Klassics were arguably K-Tek’s more problematic at full extension, with bowing so steep that boom operators would lose about 2~3 feet of reach. Swinging at full extension with heavier boom mic rigs was also pretty unstable with the K251, and operators would need to retract each pole section for better handling.

The KP20 significantly decreases this bowing problem, giving operators more reach and control when booming long.

Because there are very few competing boom poles at 20 ft and above, especially models available in one piece, we only tested both of K-Tek’s current models for this review. Ambient Recording poles have add-on accessories for its 17-foot poles, which can extend up to a mind boggling 35 feet with its “Jumbo” series.

 

Verdict

K-Tek’s Klassic Pro poles are fantastic, and we highly recommend it for those who need better and smoother handling for longer poles. After getting familiar with the Pro’s slightly larger size, these poles were a big jump in features and performance for our boom operators. They are a pleasure to use with or without an internal cable, and their movement is overall much smoother and sturdier than the original Klassic. 

These poles are competitively priced too, from the base 9-foot KP9  for $499 USD, to a loaded 20-foot KP20CCR (with internal cable and side-exiting XLR) for $995 USD , with many sizes and options in between. K-Tek will also release updates to its accessories to fit the Klassic Pro, such as its Flow Through Base, Transmitter Adapter Base, and even the Hodges Counter Weight.

K-Tek now has an opportunity to simplify and reinforce its boom pole product line for the years ahead, as competition becomes more fierce both in the US and globally. With a rapidly growing Chinese market of cheap, low quality, even blatant copies of professional audio products, manufacturers like K-Tek will need to continue raising the bar, while maintaining their high standard of quality and service, for the next 20 years ahead.

 

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Special thanks to Brenda Klemme and Tino Liberatore of K-Tek

 

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Thanks for reading,
Matt & Ferdinand