KEF Owners Thread - Page 191

Late follow-up:

In September, I bought this setup:

iQ90 fronts
iQ70 rears
iq60c center
(and a Velodyne sub, Denon AVR-3313CI, with a Tivo XL4 and Sony PS3 w/ Bluray as sources, Verizon FIOS)

When I first got it setup and turned it on, I was VERY disappointed. It really didn't sound any better than the Energy setup in my old apartment.

Then I read in this forum about break-in on KEF's.

I don't know for sure how many hours, but let's say 100 hours later, I LOVE the sound of the KEFs. The presence and the bass is just awesome, and the sound is very what I would call "even". You hear everything and it pops but when you listen for a longer period, you don't start to feel the treble is up too high or the bass is boomy, etc.

The voice performance on Fade to Black is nightclub-clear and well, present. The horns on Hell (Squirrel Nut Zippers) are also nightclub-clear. Techno like Nightcall by Kavinsky is chill and chilling The music I play is from my iPad but it is mostly ripped lossless from CD with a little bit bought from iTunes. (In my car is where I can best hear the diff between lossless and iTunes music by the way).

Watching movies, the slight overkill of the iQ70 rears is exactly what I like. I am often fooled into thinking something is going on outside but it's just rear-sourced crowd noise or even the sound of fire. Something I was watching scared the hell out of me one night when I suddenly heard a crystal-clear noise just behind and to the left.

I got these as KEF was moving them out for the next series - actually had to buy them here and there, not from one place. The prices were great.

Anyway I'm glad I went with the KEF and incredible sound for the prices I paid.

Congrats and welcome to the Kef Family! Glad you are enjoying them. Great choice for music or movies.

I am considering switching to Kef's from the Energy RC line. Which Energy speakers did you have?

@ cyberbeach-

Yea...I think the iQ70's as rears might be overkill:D if there is such a thing.

Right kind of overkill IMO.

@ Darrin, i had the Energy Rc micro's for a while and i can tell you that those energy satellites are WAY over hyped. I mean, they sound like a clearer computer desk speaker which can sound good to people who have never heard better but they lack a lot of detail and soooo much more sound stage. I NEVER felt drawn into movies with the energies the way i am with just a 2.0 tower setup of kef's. My buddy has them now and the denon receiver and sub i sold him and he swears that his panasonic home theater in a box kit sounds just as good.

Hello All
I Have a Set of Kef Ls50 and debating to go either Kef 201/2 or Focals 836W. Any suggestions to which one would be a better Speakers out of the 2. Also How much of a difference will i notice if i go from Kef ls50's to Kef201/2 ?

- using Nadt785 to drive the Ls50.

Thanks Guys

Wow if you don't get an answer here try this question on the UK based AVForum and try posting on both the LS50 and Reference threads. They may also have a Focal thread but not certain. Dav1dF there will be able to answer on the Kef's and possibly the Focals. Great options, you must have good taste!

Well, the KEF 201/2 is one of the best measured and most accurate speakers in the world. JA said it was ~ +/-1dB in the 200Hz-10kHz window when he measured it for Stereophile.

Not even the Focal Utopias are that accurate or measure as well.

Of course, the 836W will have a lot more bass if you don't use subs.

But honestly, I don't think the Focal Chorus should even be compared to any of the KEF Reference speakers. The Focal Electra might have a better shot.

Or perhaps the Focal 1027S might be a better choice.
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-38930-focal-electra-1027-s-tower-speakers-pr.aspx

Or 1007S.
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-38925-focal-electra-1007-s-bookshelf-speakers-pr.aspx

These Focal Electra won't measure as well as the KEF Reference, but I think they would be better choices than any Chorus.

Come to think of it, I doubt even the Focal Utopia Diablo would measure better than the LS50. So why do you want to replace the LS50? If you don't already have great subs, I would get some great subs, instead of replacing the great LS50.

I like the Ls50 but i do notice some of the mid and the lows are not as detail as i would want them to be. or i should say missing more Mids. For a sub i have a ( velodyne optimum 8 ) which i am not using at my current location. I am going to be moving to a new house where i will have everything set up. I have heard R900, They do a great job when it comes to the lows which i feel is over powering the Mids. No one around here had the Ke201/2 set up for demo, so if any one could shed some light on the kef201/2 that would be great,
What and how much of a difference would i notice compare to the my ls50 ?
Thanks again for all your help guys and gals.

I like the Ls50 but i do notice some of the mid and the lows are not as detail as i would want them to be. or i should say missing more Mids. For a sub i have a ( velodyne optimum 8 ) which i am not using at my current location. I am going to be moving to a new house where i will have everything set up. I have heard R900, They do a great job when it comes to the lows which i feel is over powering the Mids. No one around here had the Ke201/2 set up for demo, so if any one could shed some light on the kef201/2 that would be great,
What and how much of a difference would i notice compare to the my ls50 ?
Thanks again for all your help guys and gals

1. Compared to what speakers?

2. Perhaps the original songs were not as detailed to begin with.

3. How are they set up? 2.1 Stereo w/ a sub & XO @ 80Hz? Are they being placed away from walls?

4. Also try bypassing any room correction/ EQ/ DSP. Try unprocessed sound.

Ask your dealer if he could borrow a demo (B-stock) 201/2 for you to audition. Dealers pay 50% MSRP on the KEF Reference line. They get 10% additional off the B-stock.

So a pair of B-stock 201/2 costs dealers $2700.

Perhaps if you love the sound, you might buy the B-stock 201/2 from the dealer.
Edited by AcuDefTechGuy - 2/15/13 at 12:28pm

1. Not comparing the ls50 to any speakers, ( I think if it could do better mids and lows it would a nice speaker)
2. Running Flac files from my Mac with usb to a Dacmagic to Nadt785.
3. 2.0 and 1 foot away from the wall.
4. Dealer do not have anything for demo. Final sale on the 201/2.
So what am i going to gain if i go to the 201/2 over the ls50 ?
Thanks

2. Does not matter the file type. Some songs are just better with details than others. For example, acoustic music vs rock/pop.

4. Perhaps better details and dynamics. But always audition first. I think KEF has a home audition program. Call KEF Direct and ask.

This is my setup at another apartment:

2 Energy Take TWR's (LF & RF)
1 Energy Take FPS (FC)
2 Take LCR's (L&R rear surrounds)

I don't know if it's a fair comparison, but my KEF iQ90/iQ60/iQ70 setup sounds much better. The Take TWR's are wall-mounted.

I configure my sub in the "double-bass" style, ie no cross-over, and I don't know why anyone would do any different This produces real "reinforcement" of bass and removes the "here comes the sub" chiming-in effect. In spite of claims that there is no source-directionality on deep bass, I hate the effect where every time a tank rolls into the scene you can tell that the system-owner's sub is kicking in.

However, a big contributor to this opinion is that both of my main listening rooms are horizontal, i.e. the fronts and video are on the long wall and you are sitting fairly close to it. That exaggerates the apparently directionality of speakers and sound when watching movies.

A friend has a more typical long theater-shaped space with the video and fronts on the shorter wall and the seating starts well back, maybe 1/2 to 2/3rds of the room size from the video wall, and there is no directionality issue on his setup. Of course, he has a down-firing sub roughly the size of the Empire State building so there's that...

Has any one had the chance to hear a set of 201/2 and the kef ls50 ? What would you say you noticed when you compared the two speakers.

First off I have heard neither. I have a very good source at Kef and his input is the Blade has the best Uni-Q, no surprise. Then, the LS50, it is that good. Next Kef Reference followed by the R series. The 201/2 is amazing and does more volume but in near field the LS50 may superior. Otherwise, 201/2 is still phenomenal.

Well, if the LS50 is supposed to be better, then I would expect it to measure better than the 201/2. But the 201/2 measures better.

I would expect the LS50 ($1500/pr) to cost more than the 201/2 ($6000/pr) as well.

A friend of mine has heard the LS50, R300, & 201/2. He thought the 201/2 was the best, followed by the R300, followed by the LS50.

We definitely should take all opinions from all sources with a huge grain of salt.

Totally agree, music preferences are a personal taste and as such, speaker choices are subjective. I don't think the point was the LS50 sounds better than the 201/2 but that the Uni-Q is closest to the Blade and the Blade has the most state of art Uni-Q. Now that does not mean the LS50 sounds like the Blade with 4 woofers per and more exotic materials and crossovers. Depending upon your needs, the R300 can definitely be a better choice than the LS50 and vice versa. All this is second hand IMO as I have not yet heard them. However, that should change in the near future as a dealer about an hour away will be getting LS50 s and likely R300s so I will burn a day of vacation and hear first hand.

Not really. The LS50 driver is much closer to the Q100 and R100 driver than it is to the Blade's driver. If any of the current "mainstream" KEF Uni-Q's are closest to the Blades it would be the R-Series dedicated midrange. It's too bad neo prices skyrocketed while (presumably) KEF was developing this line, because otherwise they'd all be a lot closer to the Blade's driver.

That said, I've heard the 201/2, and cannot imagine a better-sounding speaker of its size regardless of price, though the Pioneer S-4EX is in the same league. I haven't heard the TAD Compact Reference One or KEF R300. Still, those three models are the only speakers I can think of that might be close. The CR1 is a lot more expensive, the S-4EX is in the same ballpark price-wise, and the R300 is obviously much cheaper.

I am just going by impressions of someone who has R700s and LS50s and knows the Blades and Reference Series. Also, Dav1dF [AVForum] knows the entire Kef line as well (has Blades and 5 LS50s) and prefers the LS50s over the R300s in his smaller cinema room. He had 207/2s prior to the Blades and R300s prior to the LS50s. Life must just suck for him, ha! I do know he still thinks the 205/2s are one of his favorite speakers and the Reference line still beats the R series. Just that the R series are much closer than the XQ line was.

Of course if someone could give me Tad Compact Reference Ones and 201/2s to compare I would be certainly willing to give my impressions.
Edited by jima4a - 2/16/13 at 8:02am

i've heard the R300 a few times and i own xq30's. Both have a 5 1/4" uni-q array. The only thing i find to be the same between the two is they are a neutral speaker, the R300 more so.
The xq is more forward, feels a bit compressed and not as detailed compared to the R series and the bass is not as tight.
It's a good speaker for the price i got them. In fact for a $1000 a pair i think it is a great speaker. Haven't heard anything as satisfying in that price range.
But the R300 for $1500 a pair is an even better deal.
Those flat woofers play a big role in the R series overall sound that i can't get out of these xq's .

Just ordered a pair of R500s and a Marantz SR5007. So I guess I am part of the club now.

Congrats! Be sure to give us your impressions after you have had them for a bit.

My fronts are Kef Q900 and Q600 for center now I need to do the rears. Which would be better the Q100 or Q800DS.

Any opinions on the Kef R200c? It will be paired with the R500. Just curious if anyone has any praise and/or criticisms for its performance as a HT center channel. The R600c is out of my budget.

@Soundformula I had the same problem with my xq30's feeling like they were missing body and detail in the mids. I've found out that these speakers in particular are finicky with placement. Today i was laying down for a hang over nap on the couch and was directly in front of my right speaker. Immediately noticed the sound was everything i felt was missing. More detailed and full bodied sound. But when i would sit i the middle, i felt the sound had changed drastically. Like there was a lot missing. I decided to try and move the two speakers closer together, quite drastically actually and immediately noticed the sound had filled in. So from there i started moving them apart in smaller increments till i got the right sound. Before, I was able to get the full sound when i turned the volume up loudly but then the sound was to forward and to big for my ears to comprehend. My room played a big role in this. Because i have to sit so close to my speakers, i can not have the speakers far apart. Now, i don't need to play the music as loud and i enjoy my speakers more.

Thanks! I will give a full and detailed report of my thoughts on these speakers.

I hope this is the start of a long and fun experience with KEF!

Hi. Quite interested in joining the KEF club as well. Currently have a Rega dac plus Brio-r driving some Tannoys Mercury V4s and thinking about upgrading the tannoys and getting a KEF R500/700 pair. Any owner of the Rega pack using them with KEF R speakers? I doubt whether the R700 could be too big to drive for the Rega Brio-r.

My current Kef setup is

2 iQ30's - front
1 iQ60c - center
2 iQ10's - rear
Q400b sub

and a Denon AVR-2113.

I fell in madly love with the LS50's during an unexpected visit to the local hifi shop and I'm considering replacing my iQ30's with them. I was already planning to replace the iQ10's with a pair of Q800ds at some point and while I'm at it I could as well replace the center with a Q600c to make it complete as I own already the sub from the new Q series.

My questions
- would the LS50 blend nicely with the Q600c center tonal and sensitivity wise or would there be too much difference?
- Would this not be too much of an horizontal upgrade?
- Can the AVR-2113 power the LS50s or is it considered too weak?

(The shop does not keep the Q's in stock so I cannot go and listen....)

thanks for your input :-)