KEF Owner's Thread

[AcuDefTechGuy]

This thread is dedicated to all the owners and fans of KEF (Kent Engineering & Foundry) loudspeakers.

KEF is certainly one of the most popular speaker brands. I used to own the superb KEF 201/2, which is one of the best measured and sounding speakers in the world, with almost textbook perfect measurements.

There are many KEF reviews and measurements, and here are some of them.

Which KEF speakers do you own? Which have you listened to? What are your impressions of them? What do you think of the new KEF Reference speakers?


KEF Q900 Floorstanding Speaker Video Review | Audioholics
KEF R700 Floorstanding Speakers Review | Audioholics
KEF iQ Series 5.1 Speaker System Review | Audioholics
KEF X300A Powered Speakers Review | Audioholics
KEF Reference 201/2 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
KEF Reference 207/2 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
KEF Q900 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
KEF LS50 Anniversary Model loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com | SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com
SoundStage! Measurements - KEF Reference 201/2 Loudspeakers (12/2007)
SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com | NRC Measurements: KEF LS50 Loudspeakers
KEF R900 Home Theater Speaker System | Sound & Vision
KEF Q900 Speaker System | Sound & Vision
KEF KHT5005.2 Speaker System and Onkyo TX-SR674 A/V Receiver | Sound & Vision
KEF KHT 3005 Speaker System and Linn Classik Movie DVD Player | Sound & Vision
KEF KHT6000 Speaker System and Arcam AVP700 Pre/Pro and P1000 Amplifier | Sound & Vision
KEF KIT100 Instant Theatre | Sound & Vision
KEF XQ10 Speaker System | Sound & Vision
Anthem AVM 30 Pre/Pro, Anthem MCA 50 Amplifier, and KEF KHT 9000 ACE Speaker System | Sound & Vision
KEF C3 Bookshelf Speaker | Sound & Vision

 

[cschang]

The 201/2...I don't own them, but had them in my home for a while. Excellent!

 

[cpp]

I still have the KEF 104/2 (nice speakers) and an old pair of Kef 140's.

 

[nogaro]

I'm a new entrant to this group - I bought 1 of the pairs of the 201/2s that ADTG used to own. I finally got to unpack them yesterday and set them up. No fine tuning done yet, just got them hooked up and "superb" is just about the right word for them. Mmmm...mmm.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see if KEF can make anything that measure as awesome as the 201/2.

 

[nogaro]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see if KEF can make anything that measure as awesome as the 201/2.

And look good while doing it

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

And look good while doing it

Exactly.

Perhaps some people may like the new Reference very boxy aesthetic, but I am not too thrilled about it.

 

[Steve81]

I've got a few KEF speakers laying around (Q series stuff) and my custom speakers are built around a KEF UniQ driver as well. I haven't gotten to hear their Reference line yet, so I'll reserve final judgement until then. However, I have a hard time seeing where the extra money went to vs the R series (which is arguably more attractive as well).

My personal opinion on the KEF Q line: I think the Q100s (which I owned for a little while) are excellent little speakers, and probably the best value of the bunch. Bass isn't their forte for obvious reasons; I actually chose to use the port plugs to seal them up which I felt improved the overall sound, even if it further crippled their low end abilities (though placement played a big role there).

Re: the Q700 in my theater, I personally think KEF made some poor design choices. The cheaply finished cabinetry I can get over to some extent (especially since I paid much less than MSRP). However, I'd just assume KEF had used a port instead of passive radiators and used the UniQ driver from the Q100. With the cash saved, give us a better XO and a three way design. As is, I'm tossing around the idea of upgrading the front line to the R series, or commissioning another custom build.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If strong rigid curved cabinets make a huge difference in reducing resonance (Revel Salon2, KEF 201/2, B&W 800D2, TAD R1, etc.) and improving sound quality, I just don't understand why KEF would make the new Reference line so boxy!

And did they decrease cost? The new KEF Reference bookshelf is now $7,500 vs. $6,000 on the KEF 201/2.

So measurements of the new Reference line will be quite interesting.

 

[nogaro]

Exactly.

Perhaps some people may like the new Reference very boxy aesthetic, but I am not too thrilled about it.

Yeah, I definitely prefer the outgoing line's looks - especially the 201/2. The boxy aesthetic is too much like the R-Series. Maybe the next blade is going to be a box too

 

[nogaro]

If strong rigid curved cabinets make a huge difference in reducing resonance (Revel Salon2, KEF 201/2, B&W 800D2, TAD R1, etc.) and improving sound quality, I just don't understand why KEF would make the new Reference line so boxy!

And did they decrease cost? The new KEF Reference bookshelf is now $7,500 vs. $6,000 on the KEF 201/2.

So measurements of the new Reference line will be quite interesting.

Wow, that's a steep jump - 25%!
The measurements will definitely be interesting. I can't imagine beating the 201/2, matching it will be good enough.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Wow, that's a steep jump - 25%!
The measurements will definitely be interesting. I can't imagine beating the 201/2, matching it will be good enough.

Yeah. It's like following the footsteps of your father who happens to be Michael Jordan or Joe Montana. Good luck with that.

 

[herbu]

Moving to the lower end, when I first moved into a surround HT, I got the HTIB KEF eggs. Looked like this, but the sub was different: Home Theatre Speakers - KHT 2000 - Overview - KEF United States

I thought they sounded GREAT!!! But my comparison was to the TV, and a very old receiver & bookshelves. I got it because it was in my budget, reviews were steller, and I had not really begun my study of audio stuff. About all I knew was that back in the day, a huge Onkyo receiver and pair of Klipshorns was amazing.

As I learned more, and the budget freed up, I started growing the system. But I have to say that first KEF HTIB with a mid-range Yamaha AVR was exciting and sounded great! I still use 2 of the eggs for my rear surrounds in a 7.2 setup.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Moving to the lower end, when I first moved into a surround HT, I got the HTIB KEF eggs. Looked like this, but the sub was different: Home Theatre Speakers - KHT 2000 - Overview - KEF United States

I thought they sounded GREAT!!! But my comparison was to the TV, and a very old receiver & bookshelves. I got it because it was in my budget, reviews were steller, and I had not really begun my study of audio stuff. About all I knew was that back in the day, a huge Onkyo receiver and pair of Klipshorns was amazing.

As I learned more, and the budget freed up, I started growing the system. But I have to say that first KEF HTIB with a mid-range Yamaha AVR was exciting and sounded great! I still use 2 of the eggs for my rear surrounds in a 7.2 setup.

Yeah, I think it's just in KEF's DNA to make everything as accurate as possible within the given budget. It's the same way with Harman, Pioneer, RBH, etc. No matter what they make, accuracy is always salient.

 

[herbu]

No matter what they make, accuracy is always salient.

And with their environmental conscientiousness, I guess that makes them a Salient Green company.
Maybe that explains why I smell hamburgers when I crank up the volume.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

And with their environmental conscientiousness, I guess that makes them a Salient Green company.
Maybe that explains why I smell hamburgers when I crank up the volume.

You're out of control!

 

[herbu]

You're out of control!

If I had a nickel...

 

[PROG U. K.]

Happy owner of KEF R900's and R400's. Find the pairing with my Musical Fidelity M6I to have great synergy. Long time B&W owner, but am now dedicated to KEF. Their customer service is superb.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Happy owner of KEF R900's and R400's. Find the pairing with my Musical Fidelity M6I to have great synergy. Long time B&W owner, but am now dedicated to KEF. Their customer service is superb.

So you sold all your B&W and bought all KEF R?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

BTW, Steve just got his new KEF R500 & R200C speakers. Now all he needs are the new KEF ATMOS speakers to place atop his R500.