KEF Owners Thread - Page 2

Maybe that was a poor choice of words. I know they have been available, most people just haven't heard of them.

You might try Accessories4Less - they are kind of like a KEF outlet store

I bought my speakers there and they were in flawless condition

Ahh! but then MOST people haven't heard any decent speakers in their lives either.

That's why home theater dealers can get away with selling BOSE to people and making them think they have a state of the art theater too.

has anyone compared the iQ series, in particular the iQ9 to any other floorstanders of comparable price (ie B&W 603s, Monitor RS6's, Energy RC's, Vandersteen 1C's etc)

I have only seen an older model used and breifly....no dealers around here!-

Well, I'm not a KEF owner, but I am very interested in these speakers. What kind of sound do they have? I'm looking for a nice clear, neutral sound. Almost all of my listening is either non-critical (ie. just on in the background) or HT. I need a nice light wood (aka maple) for WAF which the KEF's definitely have.

Before purchasing, I'll definitely go listen, but the nearest dealer is a bit from me so I'd rather know there's a good chance I'll like them before I head out.


Thanks,
Chris

from the little i have seen to what i have read, their quality is top notch. The WAF will be high, but in reality we need to mix the WAF with the best for what you get. , and the iQ9 got a glowing review on Sterophile from this past February. Also it seems the UK mags like this line up....best under 1000£ pair of speakers on the market. Now you must take that with a grain of salt as KEF is a UK based company.

It seems the iQ line simply lacks some mid and low range authority bass...maybe to be expected by its design and seemingly minimalistic approach to the low end drivers and smaller cabinets?

Can anyone explain to me the their Uni-Q design - its definently intrigueing. I am not sure what the advantages/negatives are over a traditional dome or ribbon style tweeter?

I am not an acoustical engineer, and the KEF website goes into great detail on some of the issues and differences such as excellence off axis response due to the enclosure, as well as devoiding the spacing between drivers issue. Its my understanding then there is not large phase shifts with the design and the crossovers/speakers have the ability to cover a larger range in the acoustic range? Maybe I am way off base here...still a newbie at most of this

I am looing hard at the iQ9s, Monitor RS6s, B&W 603, Energy RC30s. All about the same price, but the iQ9's are the best priced of the bunch. I can audition the 603 and RS6, but no Energy or KEF dealers near me.

Any input?

There is going to be another great review of the iQ line in the Nov. issue of Sound and Vision Mag.

They reviewed the iQ9s, iQ8ds, iQ6c,and the sub PSW 3500

The Bottom Line

"It's always enjoyable to auditing high-end speakers, particularly when they come in an attainable $3,500 package. Like fine wines, they're almost always pleasurable, and display individual traits. This system is highly transparent, with low-end warmth and a smoothness that extends across the frequency range. Its commanding sound and attractive design would be impressive in any serious home theater. With speakers like the iQ series, the sun will never set on the KEF empire."

Contact me for a great price on any of the speakers

The Uni-Q driver DOES contain a "traditional" dome tweeter; it's just that it's located right in the middle of the mid-bass driver. This provides for a single point source from which much (or all in the case of the single driver bookshelves) of the sound emanates. This is desirable as it helps the speaker "disappear".

HERE is a link. Click on "Uni-Q White Paper" in the upper left.

I have a pair of the Reference 103/3's from the Raymond Cooke era. Although I've owned them for about 17 years, they still put a smile on my face. I have no current desire to part with them.

Although music used to be my primary source, it is now almost exclusively HT. I'm looking for a possible candidate for a center speaker and was wondering if anyone has successfully paired an older, non Uni-Q KEF Reference speaker with another make/model. The one caveat is that my budget is $500 - $600 tops.

Here's a few speakers I'm considering:

#1 Another 103/3. An obvious choice, but I'd need to get another amp so that I can use the required KUBE (I'll spare you the details ). Plus I'm running a front projection setup and using an upright speaker poses setup issues.

#2 A newer KEF center like the iQ6C. As long as the newer KEFs have the same neutral, uncolored, laid-back-yet-dynamic qualities of their predecessors, it may work.

#3 Axiom VP150. Probably not the best match (Axioms appear brighter than the KEFs), but my surround speakers are Axioms (QS8's) and that would mean if I replace the KEFs with Axiom mains down the road, I'd have a timbre matched 5 speaker setup.

#4 Onix Rocket RSC200. Again, probably not the best match, but it has gotten many accolades and opens the door to replacing the KEFs down the road with Rocket mains (surrounds would still be Axiom however).

#5 B&W ????? - don't have any particular model in mind, but they are similar in kind to KEF.

Any suggestions from anyone would be much appreciated. If you have experience with both the pre Uni-Q KEFs and the current line, or if you've got a synergistic combo of older KEF Reference and another speaker for the L-C-R, I'd love to hear about it.

Jeff

I have KEF 207 reference with 204 center channel.

The sound is amazingly natural, neutral, clear, and detailed. Not sure how much is due to the KEF speakers and/or my Halcro SSP100 but the sound is spectacular.

The 207s are quite large but beautiful in cherry. These are not for a small room.

I picked up that issue up at the local grocery store this week. KEF on the front cover. Good marketing.

I happened to listen to the KEF iQ line a few months back and liked them a lot.

The KEF marketing dept is obviously spending big bucks to get on the cover of Sound and Vision. But their web site sucks and needs to be totally redone. They can learn some lessons from the ID guys on how to promote their speakers on the web. Who knows - maybe they don't want to.

They need to learn some lessons on how to promote them, period.

JeffKB,

I have a 7.1 system in my HT All various models of KEF including Dipole surrounds, except the Center which is a B&W center channel was around 600 and works beautifully with the KEFs subwoofer is Velodyne.
I think you would be happy with a B&W center.

I have compared KEF iQ to comparable B&W (603 etc). My friend was choosing between the two, he ultimately settled on iQ9s.

My opinion: they are not exactly the same.

KEF: More open, better stereo imaging, smoother response

B&W: Boxier, more low-end kick

In short, I think KEF are more versatile for different kinds of music and generally like the sound better. But if you are into heavy rock you might want to consider B&W.

Just my 2 cents...

Jeff,

The newer KEFs have metal dome tweeters (and hypertweeters, if applicable) and I, personally, think they sound considerably different from the old-school KEFs. The timbre is definitely different. You may or may not like the difference. Whether the difference would be enough to preclude using one of the newer KEFs as a center speaker would be up to your ears.

Good point. I listen to a great variety of music, including rock, but those who are really into bone-crunching rock might prefer a more "in your face" speaker.

Doug

Yeah, rockin' out is not really their (KEF's) forte, although this is usually due to the poor quality of many rock recordings. I have heard them thump quite pleasantly with the right recording; even some hip-hop. Gorillaz, for one example, sound great on my KEFs.

Kef is the forever underrated speaker.

Kef Ref 100C
Q50's main L/R
Q15's SS

Driven by an older Marantz SR880 as the tuner/preamp/proc and a Sunfire Cinema Grand 5x200 amp.

I also own a Q95C and a really old pair of C25s. The ones they matched the C200SW subs for. Yes I own them too.

Unfortunetly, I don't think anyone locally sells them anymore.

My system has gotten long in the tooth and it is time for me to upgrade.

I have the iQ9s and I approve this message.

Thx for the feedback guys, much appreciated.

McCall - which B&W speaker are you using for the center?

sivadselim - ya, the metal tweeter consideration was something I thought about. My Axiom surrounds use metal dome and they are definitely a little brighter than the KEFs. It doesn't really cause an issue because they're surrounds, but I do have doubts how well mixing in a metal dome tweeter in the LCR speakers would work.

In addition to the 103/3's, I also have some PSB Image 4T's in the house. Maybe this weekend I'll lug one down to the basement and experiment with a LCR configuration with those and the KEFs. I have the feeling I may ultimately just continue to go with a phantom center, or else invest in another 103/3 as a center (and the setup headaches that go with that).

In the meantime, if anyone has any other good experiences getting a close timbre match between the old KEF reference speakers (103/3, 104/2, 107) and a different center, or any feedback at all, I'd love to hear about it.

Jeff

The B& W center I have is part of the 600 series. I forget which at the moment. and they are at my other house.

If the 103/3s are too big/complex to use as a center, maybe you can find a smaller KEF C-series speaker from the same era? The drivers are more likely to match, I'd think, than some newer speaker.

Well, I think I'm giving up on the idea of a center speaker. I hauled a PSB 4T down to my basement HT last night and ran the PSB as the left channel and used the 103/3's as the center and right. Timbre match didn't bother me that much - but I just wasn't that impressed with the difference between a phantom and real center. Looks like I'll be turning my attention to subwoofers instead - I think that will make a bigger difference in the scheme of things.

I did discover one thing in all of this however. I had read on the internet that just about all of the older KEF Reference speakers suffer from dryrot of the inner woofer surround. When I detached my speakers from their stands, I checked mine (they're inside the cabinet) and sure enough they were all but disintegrated. I don't know how much it actually impacts the sound, but I might take the dollars I was planning on spending for the center and spend it on reconing instead. Looks like there's a dealer in Florida (Sound Ideas) that advertises the service on eBay.

I have a pair of 105.2's and yes they are sitting in a storage unit! I need one re-coned as my 3yr old took them to task.
I also have a pair of 101.1's that I will own till I die, these are the sweetest bookshelves ever made, bar none! (how's that for a superlative)
I am building a HT now and the iQ9's or iQ7's would fit as L/R the iQ6c as center, but what about a timbre matched, ceiling mountable (not too heavy or large) surround for a 7.x system?

I have never used them, but they say they are authorized Kef dealers

http://www.hipposaudiovideo.com/

I'm looking to replace a Bose system and have a fairly small room (10' x 12'). I'm trying to decide on the right speaker system. I've heard the JM Lab system and liked it, but I'm interested to know how it would compare to the KEF system. Both can be found new for around $1000 - 1100. Not a ton of reviews on either that I can find. I'll be powering it with a Yamaha RXV-2600.

Frenchies versus the Brits. Let's get it on!

I'm looking to replace a Bose system and have a fairly small room (10' x 12'). I'm trying to decide on the right speaker system. I've heard the JM Lab system and liked it, but I'm interested to know how it would compare to the KEF system. I'll be about 80-20 home theater to music. Both can be found new for around $1000 - 1100. Not a ton of reviews on either that I can find. I'll be powering it with a Yamaha RXV-2600.

Frenchies versus the Brits. Let's get it on!

Great thread. Throw one more "me too" into it.

I have loved my Kef setup since putting it together back in '96. I have Reference III's up front along with the Ref 200-C center. After moving into my most recent home I needed to get away from floor standing rears so I replaced my Ref I's (sitting in storage!) with a pair of 2Qds and a pair of iQ3's for a 7.1 setup.

A couple of years ago I got the upgrade bug and searched high and low for something I prefered and didn't find anything for less than twice the money of Kefs. It's a priviliged man's secret if you ask me!

Randy

I'm like a few other posters here in that I have some older Kef's and would love to find a center channel to match.
I have a pair of these Monitor series:
http://www.kef.com/history/1990_2/rdmthree.asp
and they really do sound sweet.