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It's been about 6 weeks with the new Reference 1's, so I thought to share my experiences to date.
The speakers came to me as a special deal on KEF B-Stock that my dealer took advantage of, bringing in about 4 pairs of 1's, a pair of 3's and two pairs of 5's. Of the 1's, they had 3 pair of the original Piano Black and one pair of walnut. He said he got the walnut "for a little less than the black" so offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. I had sold my entire set of R500, R200c, R100 & R50 from my living room system that just wasn't being used. I picked up a (passive) KEF HTF8003 used for $201, bought a pair of T101's to use as surrounds, and kept my AVR.
The room I was using to listen to my original LS50's would be where I put the Reference 1's for now, so I sold those too. When I picked up the Reference 1's the shop owner grabbed one box and I the other, and threw them in my car. When I got home, that's when I realized I had gotten B-stock of the NEW walnut finish! These are only a tiny bit different than the original Reference 1, in that the front baffle is now a single piece instead of having a trim ring for the woofer, and the contrasting white layer of damping polymer behind it is now black.
I've put them atop old Atlantic Technologies 20" stands ($20), but heavily modified by me making an intermediate plate of 1/4" aluminum to bolt down the top plate of the stand and bolt up to the bottom of the Reference 1's. I put another 1" thick x 2" wide bar bolted to the bottom rail to extend lateral stability, and 1" x 2" x 3" blocks on the back legs to level them. It's now the same height as the bespoke KEF stands, and will hold them fine until I can get a bargain on the OE ones.
The speakers are "underfed" for now, with an Emotiva USP-1 preamp ($200), and into that a Kenwood KD4100 direct drive turntable ($73) with used Audio Technica Lab Series LS500 microline cartridge ($105) using the internal phono amp of the USP-1. For streaming, analog out from my Bluesound Vault 2. The preamp feeds a reconditioned Carver M-1.5t power amp ($100), and on out to the Reference 1's.
The room is old and in need of refurbishing. It serves as our guest bedroom, so there's an oak set in there. I have to sit back up on the bed to listen, propped-up by a mound of pillows. The floor is thick cut pile carpeting with a thick pad underneath and a Berber wool carpet on top. The walls are plaster with wallpaper and a few hangings. Being on the 3rd floor near the roof, two walls (behind the speakers and behind me) have angles for about 18" (1/2m) from the textured plaster ceiling. There is thick insulation behind every wall and the ceiling. Ambient noise levels are almost non-existent, under 18dB.
The acoustics and the amp were really good with the LS50's. It is UNREAL with the Reference 1's. I have lost none of the fine detail, but gained a truly rich midrange and coherent, deep and tight bass. The subwoofer remains unplugged, though with maybe 2% of the recordings I listen to, I could benefit from it. The biggest thing is the imaging. As good as LS50's (and I tried my LS50 Meta in there too) might be, these Reference 1's create an incredible soundstage with such depth and breadth that I'm stunned. Better than any of the 3 rooms I've heard these speakers in at my dealer, by far.
When this 13' x 15' room gets turned into my dedicated listening room, acoustics may change but I'll be free to do whatever is needed to get it as good or better than it is now with the furniture in it. The future will bring a better pre-amp and amp or perhaps a killer integrated. I'm looking at Luxman and Gato Audio. Others may be considered, but that's at least 9 months away.
One courtesy photo, for now.
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The speakers came to me as a special deal on KEF B-Stock that my dealer took advantage of, bringing in about 4 pairs of 1's, a pair of 3's and two pairs of 5's. Of the 1's, they had 3 pair of the original Piano Black and one pair of walnut. He said he got the walnut "for a little less than the black" so offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. I had sold my entire set of R500, R200c, R100 & R50 from my living room system that just wasn't being used. I picked up a (passive) KEF HTF8003 used for $201, bought a pair of T101's to use as surrounds, and kept my AVR.
The room I was using to listen to my original LS50's would be where I put the Reference 1's for now, so I sold those too. When I picked up the Reference 1's the shop owner grabbed one box and I the other, and threw them in my car. When I got home, that's when I realized I had gotten B-stock of the NEW walnut finish! These are only a tiny bit different than the original Reference 1, in that the front baffle is now a single piece instead of having a trim ring for the woofer, and the contrasting white layer of damping polymer behind it is now black.
I've put them atop old Atlantic Technologies 20" stands ($20), but heavily modified by me making an intermediate plate of 1/4" aluminum to bolt down the top plate of the stand and bolt up to the bottom of the Reference 1's. I put another 1" thick x 2" wide bar bolted to the bottom rail to extend lateral stability, and 1" x 2" x 3" blocks on the back legs to level them. It's now the same height as the bespoke KEF stands, and will hold them fine until I can get a bargain on the OE ones.
The speakers are "underfed" for now, with an Emotiva USP-1 preamp ($200), and into that a Kenwood KD4100 direct drive turntable ($73) with used Audio Technica Lab Series LS500 microline cartridge ($105) using the internal phono amp of the USP-1. For streaming, analog out from my Bluesound Vault 2. The preamp feeds a reconditioned Carver M-1.5t power amp ($100), and on out to the Reference 1's.
The room is old and in need of refurbishing. It serves as our guest bedroom, so there's an oak set in there. I have to sit back up on the bed to listen, propped-up by a mound of pillows. The floor is thick cut pile carpeting with a thick pad underneath and a Berber wool carpet on top. The walls are plaster with wallpaper and a few hangings. Being on the 3rd floor near the roof, two walls (behind the speakers and behind me) have angles for about 18" (1/2m) from the textured plaster ceiling. There is thick insulation behind every wall and the ceiling. Ambient noise levels are almost non-existent, under 18dB.
The acoustics and the amp were really good with the LS50's. It is UNREAL with the Reference 1's. I have lost none of the fine detail, but gained a truly rich midrange and coherent, deep and tight bass. The subwoofer remains unplugged, though with maybe 2% of the recordings I listen to, I could benefit from it. The biggest thing is the imaging. As good as LS50's (and I tried my LS50 Meta in there too) might be, these Reference 1's create an incredible soundstage with such depth and breadth that I'm stunned. Better than any of the 3 rooms I've heard these speakers in at my dealer, by far.
When this 13' x 15' room gets turned into my dedicated listening room, acoustics may change but I'll be free to do whatever is needed to get it as good or better than it is now with the furniture in it. The future will bring a better pre-amp and amp or perhaps a killer integrated. I'm looking at Luxman and Gato Audio. Others may be considered, but that's at least 9 months away.
One courtesy photo, for now.
