KEF HT-3005 vs. Bose Acoustimass 16

[mactep76]

Hi, I thank you for your help in advance!

I'm remodeling my apartment and upgrading my HT at the same time. Today I pretty confidently purchased Onkyo TXSR803 receiver from 6th Avenue, since it has all the features that i was looking for, namely:HDMI, THX, iPod compatibility etc. Yesterday, I paid for Bose Accoustimass 16 in J & R Music World and was very happy about my purchase. However, when I was ordering the above mentioned reciever, the guy on the phone(very pleasantly) destroyed all my excitement about the Bose and turned it on for the KEF 3005. While researching the KEF 3005 I did find some good stuff about it, but not alot. Could not find anything bad. They look awesome, but they are 5.1 system compared to Bose 6.1. please help on making a decision. I dont' have much time to make it, since my builder is pushing me to install the wires. your help is much appreciated.
Best Regards,
Boris

 

[nav]

To begin: if you're spending that much money on speakers, shouldn't you hear them first? Okay, so you may be buying them for the looks, but still...

Bose is a deceitful, overpriced, incompetent and yet successful experiment in marketing to a far greater extent than they are a speaker or electronics company. I also question their aesthetics, but that's not my primary concern.

KEF, while not the exact company they used to be decades ago, is still a reputable speaker manufacturer. Their venture into electronics is a new one that I cannot comment on (but the system you're looking at is speakers-only as far as I'm aware, correct?). I haven't personally heard the KEF KHT-3005 system, but at least they have tweeters, so they can't conceivably be worse. KEF makes a number of satellite speakers that are quite popular in the UK, maybe try a UK populated forum for some opinions?

The Onkyo TX-SR803 receiver you're buying is a nice piece of equipment, get it some good speakers .

 

[mactep76]

Thanks, Nav! Certainly - I'm going to hear them tomorrow

 

[Nick250]

Thanks, Nav! Certainly - I'm going to hear them tomorrow

mactep, audition as many speakers as you can in your price range. Your main front speakers are the heart of your audio system and the key to your audio pleasure. Cheap out on any other area in your sound system if you have too, but not the two front mains speakers.

Nick

 

[mactep76]

Nick, they have to be small and pretty..any suggestions for my type of receiver? thx

 

[Pianoman84d]

Here are some small speakers that I am aware of. Just FYI, not an endorsement of some or others.

Orb audio - see review on audioholics
Anthony Gallo -
the KEF HT-3005
Klipsch Cinema 10, 6, 8

Not an exhaustive list, but the best I can do off the top of my head

Look for reviews and places where you can hear them. All of those are better than the blose.

How much better depends on what you like.

Hope this is helpful

 

[jcPanny]

Bookshelf speakers

Audition some bookshelf speakers while you are there. They would make a better compliment to the power and capabilities of your mid-fi Onkyo receiver.

 

[Nick250]

Nick, they have to be small and pretty..any suggestions for my type of receiver? thx

Budget? I am not to familiar with with small speakers systems. These may be too big but here they are.

The B&W CM1 is beautiful, small, sounds terrific, and is expensive at $900 a pair.

http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.ranges/label/Range CM Series

Also Deff Tech Mythos, I have heard these and they sound terrific to me as well.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/1004deftech/

Nick

 

[thundergust]

Well...if I were only given these two choices, I would choose KEFs. No way in hell am I gonna choose the Bose.

If I were you, I would look at some budget bookselves from JBL, Infinity, Paradigm, Axiom etc.

Anyway, 5.1 is enough for HT...unless you have lots of "spare" money, since most dvd's are DD5.1 and DTS. But then again, you would buy "better" and more expensive speakers if you have a bigger budget.

 

[Buckle-meister]

KEF makes a number of satellite speakers that are quite popular in the UK, maybe try a UK populated forum for some opinions?

I can't speak about the speakers in question, but my first pair of speakers were KEFs (towers). KEF is a good speaker manufacturer in my opinion.

Well...if I were only given these two choices, I would choose KEFs. No way in hell am I gonna choose the Bose.

I agree. If the choice is between only the KEFs and Bose, I too would choose KEF over Bose without question.

 

[captain_tinker]

mactep,
I have been extremely pleased with my Paradigm Titan's. At $250 a pair, they are a wonderful small speaker that sounds very much like some larger ones that cost a lot more. I've compared them to some Bose cubes my friend had, along with his Acoustimass, and without a subwoofer alongside my Titan's, they blew away the Bose system. The detail is just so much clearer. It's hard to really explain until you listen to a good pair of speakers. You'll understand then. Paradigm actually makes some speakers that are even smaller than the Titans called the Atom. There are a few people here on the forum that I have seen that own them. Maybe ask them how they like them. My local audio boutique said the only reason they don't sell the Atoms is because that would be all that anyone would buy otherwise. So I guess that means that they are probably pretty good.

You can see that a lot of people on this forum don't have a very high opinion of Bose. Some just say it because they see everyone else say it, but most say that because they have heard the differences by comparing them against others. I recommend a good audition at your local audio boutique store if you have one. It will be worth it. There are some other brands I have listened to that are not too bad either. I have heard Def Tech (Definitive Technology), Monitor Audio, Polk Audio etc. They are not my fav's but they do sound good and a lot of people here in the forums may tell you the same. Good luck in your search and have fun doing it!

-capT

 

[Seth=L]

Again, KEFs. Just about anything is better than Bose at the price you pay. The Bose will absolutely do no justice to your receiver.

Here is a link that shows what Bose really is:http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html