KEF Owners Thread - Page 17

Yes, you are right that the midrange is crucial for the human voice. It would be nice if you could hear these two speakers before purchasing them. I haven't heard either of them (I have the previous Q-series), so I can't comment. As far as the bass plug goes, I had 2"-diameter piece of foam, about 3" long, that came with one or the other of my KEF Q-series speakers--it fit perfectly in the port of my Q-series center-channel. It wouldn't be hard to find some foam you could use at an upholstery supply or craft store.

I'm not sure the centers come with a port plug like the other speakers do, do they? When I had a Q9c, it didn't come with a port plug and its rear port was also considerably bigger than the front port of the rest of the speakers in the Q series, so their bungs wouldn't work for the Q9c. I used a sock.


If you can afford it, get the iQ6c. Otherwise, just get the iQ2c. See if the dealer will let you return and exchange the iQ2c if you're unhappy with it's output.

I had 4 Q1s and a Q9c from the previous Q series, and even though they did have a bigger driver (6.5") than the iQ5, iQ1, and iQ2c (5.25"), the Q9c still only had a single driver just like the iQ2c and I thought it did a fine job as a center channel speaker with the Q1s.

But the benefit of the iQ6c over the iQ2c is not just a better low-end. The low-end drivers remove some of the strain of reproducing those low frequencies from the center UniQ driver, allowing it to reproduce the midrange frequencies with more accuracy and clarity.

dumb question, so it is OK to plug the port? what's the side effect of this? yes, I am new to this...

and thanks for the comment on the iQ6c vs iQ2c, I think I know what you mean. But you seem happy with your Q9c I guess? I will find out if I can do the exchange and upgrade thing...

Yes, it is OK. Front-ported KEFs (the non-centers) come with foam port "bungs" that allow you to plug the ports. Plugging the ports is useful when the speakers are located close to the wall or in corners, which reinforces the bass and can make them sound "boomy". Plugging the ports reduces the low-end output alleviating this "boominess".




Well, I WAS happy with it when I had it. I've since upgraded to the XQ series (see link in my sig).

Gentlemen (and ladies)

If you own 107's or similar vintage Kef speakers, the woofer surrounds have likely turned into rubber dust. Since the woofers are hidden from view, the only symptom is a loss of deep bass response. This happened to mine and I was able to remove the woofers and have them rebuilt. Sound Ideas in Gainesville, Florida did the work, replacing the voice coils, spiders, and inner and outer surrounds. I just got the rebuild drivers back into the speakers a couple days ago and they sound like new.

Details (assembly/disassembly hints, contact information for Sound Ideas) on request.

mahansm@comcast.net

Stephen Mahan

another dumb ques, does that mean the plugged iQ2/6c will reproduce less bass?

still debating between iQ2 and 6, decision decision... I am pretty sure I will go with iQ5 and iQ1 though.

suggestions are welcome.

If you set the speaker out in the middle of the room, on a table then, basically, yes, there will be less bass output when a speaker's port is plugged.

But, as I told you, plugging a speaker's port can be useful when the speaker is next to a boundary like a wall or, especially, in a corner. A boundary can artificially reinforce the bass output of a speaker and can make a speaker (especially a ported one) sound too "boomy". This is where the port plug is useful in that it reduces the low-end output of the speaker, therefore reducing the "boominess".

The recommendation to plug the iQ2c's or iQ6c's rear port was made because you said you intended to place it in an enclosed space. This could (but not necessarily) make the speaker sound "bad" as the rear port would be firing backward into the enclosed space. If you have a subwoofer, you would most likely be running an iQ2c or iQ6c as SMALL, so any reduction in bass output when its port is plugged would almost be a non-issue.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I appreciate that.

I asked this question in the receiver forum, but considering the general unhelpfulness there (unless you're raving about Onkyo or Yamaha), I figured I'd ask here:

I ran my Denon 987's Audyssey auto-setup again after rearranging my room a bit, and the receiver set the crossover frequency for my KEF 3005 sat's at 100 Hz (range bottoms out at 70 Hz), the center at 120 Hz (bottoms out at 65 Hz), and the sub at 80 Hz. Should I just set all crossovers to 80 Hz or is the frequency gap done for a reason?

I have no experience at all with a receiver with auto-calibration capabilities, but it seems that there are a lot of posts from people who question their receiver's auto-calibration results, particularly the crossover settings. I don't know what to tell you. If it were me and I got some "weird" results, I'd probably set the crossover settings myself.

Alright, anyone here like to share what they set the crossover to for their 3005s?

I don't see any setup insrtructions for the 3005s on the KEF site, but in the setup instructions for the 2005s, they recommend 80 or 90Hz. The speakers have similar specs. Is there no recommended crossover setting in the instruction manual for the 3005s? I would try 80 or 100Hz; see which you prefer.

The 3005 manual is junk. It doesn't include much in the way of useful information. I'll try 80 & 100Hz. Is there something specific I should be listening for, or is it merely a "what sounds better to me" deal?

Just FYI for others who have these speakers and were wondering about the crossover settings:

After a couple of hours messing around with the system and testing it with movies and music, 100Hz crossover seems to be the best bet for full, detailed sound. 80Hz seemed a bit empty in comparison and anything higher than 100Hz didn't sound as good.

I have the 2005.2 system, just hooked it up to my Onkyo 705, My question is re: the subwoofer(PSW 2150) there are 3 adjustable knobs on back along with 4 possible inputs, from the directions it appears I am to plug the subwoofer cable from the receiver to the Left line in plug on back, my question is, is there any sites that explain the best way to set the knobs and other switches on back of the subwoofer?

Thanks,
Mike

If anyone has the 2005.2 system. How does it sound compared to the klipsch quintet III?

Just joined. I have a pair of Reference 3.2 and want to upgrade to 205/2. No dealer here in Seattle. Anyone know a dealer who has these in stock?

I connected as specified and did not mess with the three knobs. With the Onkyo's audio modes, I also decided not to use the sub-woofer's music vs. cinima switch. I setup my speakers using the "Auto Setup" and then went back and did it over manualy.

It is funny how very small the KEF documentation layouts are, I can't even read what each knob is using that documentation. I do mess with the input level / volume knob on the sub occaisionly if I want to quickly have more or less sub on a specific DVD.

I know this is random, and this post was from a few weeks ago, but I just wanted to thank HDTV Owner for this post and the pics. I finally got the chance to unpack my speakers, and worked on setting my rears up with the stands...I never would have figured this out on my own...I would have tried to put a screw when it didn't belong, or something...so a big thanks for saving me the headache, and the large amount of time I would have spent figuring this all out.

Thanks! though I am confused on how you didn't use the music vs. cinema switch, as you can only have it on one or the other, not off....

I cannot comment on comparing these to the klipsch set, just because I couldn't find them anywhere to get a listen before I bought the KEFs. I am coming from an older Def. Tech. setup which has treated me well, but the sub went, and now I have the WAF to deal with now, so I had to downsize. I was going back and forth between the KEF 3005, Orb's, or this set. For the price that these are going for, it is a great deal...I couldn't convince myself that the other setups were going to be THAT much better for the additional price. I am really amazed by the difference in clarity compared to my last setup. Voices are much more clear sounding, and sounds that were muffled with my last setup are clear as day with these speakers. For anyone that says they need a more powerful sub...I cannot imagine needing more power. I live in a townhouse, so I had to leave the volume (Level) knob on the sub at about 30%. And even then my significant other began to worry about the neighbors, and rightfully so. Oh and the sub...it is BIG btw. The biggest weakness I see with these speakers is the center speaker. My last center speaker had two woofers, and separate tweeters. To get the volume I wanted out of the KEF center speaker I have to set the volume higher on my center than the surrounds (through my receiver). By doing that though you can tell that the voices are coming out of the center, and it doesn't blend in as well with the other speakers. I have some tweaking to do (I just set them up last night), so I am sure I will be able to get them right with time. My next step will be to upgrade my receiver. I have a older Sony 7.1 system, but it doesn't have auto calibration, hdmi etc. I will be able to afford it much easier since the cost of the speakers were so low compared to my alternatives.

Though this system is not going to blow the paint off your wall, or replace a true dedicated home theater room setup, I think this system is a great deal for what you get, will be wife approved, and will provide a really good listening experience.

Can anyone post a photo, or link to one that, that shows exactly how the 3005 satellites' stands double as wall mounts? I don't see how it works and nothing on the KEF website illustrates this mechanically. TIA.

Also found on page 10 of your manual.

Step one:

Locate the speaker.

Step 2:

Find this hole.



Step 3:

Unscrew the base and take note of the circled area.



Step 4:

Insert said area into the hole pictured in the first image.

Step 5:

Screw tightly.

Step 6:

Locate the screw holes in the bottom of the base.



Step 7:

Drill holes into the wall that correspond to the holes pictured above.


Step 8:

Insert screws into the drilled holes in your wall, leaving enough of the screws exposed to hang your speaker from them.

Step 9:

Hang Speakers.

Congratulations! You are now ready to enjoy your wall-mounted KEF speaker system!

Wow...thanks a million...them's great photos!

But in my defense, I don't have a manual...haven't bought these as I am still debating KEF versus Definitive.

Thanks again for the wonderful post.

Oh, one follow-up question: is it possible (and, if so, safe) to mount these satellites horizontally using these basemounts?

Do you mean screwing them to a bookshelf or suspending them from the ceiling?

Absolutely. That's one of the benefits KEF's UniQ driver technology. Any way that you orient the speaker, it's still the same.

Not to say that you can't orient any other speaker horizontally, but in the case of other speakers orient them horizontally versus vertically fundamentally changes the relative orientation of the drivers.

I mean that the wall they'll be mounted to is only about 8" high (it's an overhang right above the TV and bounded above by a low ceiling), so they'd "fit" better horizontally than vertically.

p.s. It says a *lot* that your speakers have more frontal area than your TV. :-))

Ok.

sivadselim speaks the truth.

OK, sorry, guess I'm not being clear. Thanks for stating that the speakers will still sound good mounted horizontally.

What I actually wanted to know is whether these supplied mounts permit that arrangement or if I'll need to obtain other mounts for that purpose.

Yes they will. No worries.

EDIT: To expand on that, when mounting the base on the back of the speaker, the base is centered on the speaker, so the weight is evenly distributed.