KEF owners thread

[leray1]

Well,after a couple of decades with my 104/2's,last month I found a deal I just couldn't pass up:

KEF Reference Model 3's in black ash. I purchased them from the original owner (non-smoker),complete with boxes (huge) and manuals.They are absolutely mint,to the point where you'd think they'd never been out of the boxes! From day one,they were used with an all-tube Audio Research system for classical listening only.
What a score,and what a sound!

 

[arts]

Aww,you're gonna make me drag out the camera?It takes me forever to figure that damned thing out

 

[MrLem]

I recently acquired Reference Model Two~Two's. I was talking to one of the KEF engineers about them and he said they recommended getting the bass units re-foamed after 15 years, so it's worth getting yours done if they've not been already. He also said that the Models were his all time favourite KEFs, which was nice

Edit: I'm hearing that perhaps the Models Three and Four don't use foam on the woofers so it's probably just mine about due for it.

 

[arts]

I recently acquired Reference Model Two~Two's. I was talking to one of the KEF engineers about them and he said they recommended getting the bass units re-foamed after 15 years, so it's worth getting yours done if they've not been already. He also said that the Models were his all time favourite KEFs, which was nice

Edit: I'm hearing that perhaps the Models Three and Four don't use foam on the woofers so it's probably just mine about due for it.

My Model 3's have rubber surrounds,as do my early-run 104/2's.My later bi-wire 104/2's had foam,which had completely rotted away and had to be replaced.
Not difficult work if you are mechanically inclined,just time consuming.How is parts availability?I've read that finding replacement tweeters can be a real issue.

My initial observations with the 3's were a vastly improved low end and a sweet spot that's just huge.I really believe that the 2's and 3's are the best choices in this range.
I had always wanted the Model 4's,but after auditioning the 3's,I quickly came to the realization that unless I moved into a castle or a small auditorium,the 3's were more than adequate for the size of my listening room.

 

[MrLem]

Parts aren't too bad over here. KEF in England don't have the original tweeters but they have some which they recommend as straight replacements. These aren't reference tweeters but are a much newer design and they say any difference is negligible. The mids on the other hand they've told me to look after as there are no spares left and no substitutes. Bass re-foam kits are available third party.

I bought mine looking to get a more open and natural mid range. They have very definitely achieved that. I've not had them long and am running on a backup amp while my main is in for servicing/upgrade. When it's back I'm planning to bi-amp them then build an active crossover. At the moment they are the best speakers I've ever heard in most departments and will only get better when the full system is back together

I would like to hear Model Three's at some point as I'm interested to hear the difference between three and four way Models. Although keeping it at three way is going to make life easier on the active crossover setup.

As I'm going to have the bass drivers re-foamed I'll probably have the ferrofluid in the tweeters done at the same time. They won't be needing it yet but they'll be getting worked on anyway and I figure if it's left until it is needed the job gets harder and damage is more likely.

 

[mech986]

Aww,you're gonna make me drag out the camera?It takes me forever to figure that damned thing out

Use your smartphone for pics and email them to yourself if you need your computer to post them.

 

[arts]

I've never owned a mobile phone,smart or otherwise. But I do still have a wall mounted rotary out in the garage,and a Solo in the house

 

[matteos]

 

[matteos]

I did not think these would be as large as they are. But they are and then some.

At the moment I've got a set of R300, R500 and R900 in my apartment. The first two are roughly equivalent but the latter do have a lot more bass.. well better defined bass. They all sound excellent. R500 are out the door in a few days

 

[bonC]

Just got this 'oldies' Q15.2 for my vintage set...I'm pretty amazed how these speakers sound!

Sony vintage set by bon C, on Flickr

 

[derik736]

Guys, I know these are not made by Kef, but take a look at those Rank Arena HT 25.
4 x T27
3 x B110
2 x B139

 

[hnash53]

I recently scored a pair of KEF C 15s and then sold them in BT to a fellow AKer. But prior to selling them I gave them a listen and was very impressed with their sound given their small size.

This has me interested in KEF bookshelf speakers now. My main setup is a Sanyo DCX3300KA quad receiver with four Polk Audio bookshelfs... TSi200s for fronts and Monitor 40s for the rears. I want to stay with this size of speakers and am forced to stay in the $500-$600 range... perhaps the Q Series?

How would these compare with the Polks I currently have? Now I know that you KEF owners are biased toward your speakers... but some objective viewpoints would be appreciated. I've A/B'd my Polks against some equivalent bookshelfs and found my Polks are the most satisfying to me, but I WAS impressed with the C 15s.

Thanks for your responses.

 

[MrLem]

I have some C95s which I'm not using atm as I upgraded to Reference Model 2.2. My c95s got me back into hifi and and I love them for it. I'm afraid I can't compare with Polk as I've not heard any but I can tell you that the Reference range of the time has a similar voicing and I think you can pick up the bookshelf / stand mounts pretty cheaply. Modern KEFs I think are voiced a little differently I think but the current range is pretty well rated. I think the C15s were the entry level bookshelf at the time. If you want to go forward a generation or two I have a pair of 90's Cresta 2s which were roughly equivalent I think. They're lovely little speakers, highly recommended and you see them changing hands for like £30 over here. If you want something a bit higher end I hear the current R range are nice and there's definitely a bookshelf model. They might be too expensive though.

Oh wait, I nearly forgot the LS50. They're what must be about $850 over here but if you can stretch to it just get some LS50s. They're the nuts

P.S. I can't really say about the Q series as I've not heard them but I have heard tell of KEF having a bit of a flat spot in their history and I've a feeling it may have been around then so I'd listen to them first.

 

[hnash53]

I have some C95s which I'm not using atm as I upgraded to Reference Model 2.2. My c95s got me back into hifi and and I love them for it. I'm afraid I can't compare with Polk as I've not heard any but I can tell you that the Reference range of the time has a similar voicing and I think you can pick up the bookshelf / stand mounts pretty cheaply. Modern KEFs I think are voiced a little differently I think but the current range is pretty well rated. I think the C15s were the entry level bookshelf at the time. If you want to go forward a generation or two I have a pair of 90's Cresta 2s which were roughly equivalent I think. They're lovely little speakers, highly recommended and you see them changing hands for like £30 over here. If you want something a bit higher end I hear the current R range are nice and there's definitely a bookshelf model. They might be too expensive though.

Oh wait, I nearly forgot the LS50. They're what must be about $850 over here but if you can stretch to it just get some LS50s. They're the nuts

P.S. I can't really say about the Q series as I've not heard them but I have heard tell of KEF having a bit of a flat spot in their history and I've a feeling it may have been around then so I'd listen to them first.

Those Kef LS50s... geez they better be good at that price... they are $1500 over here... but sure don't look it. Just a cute cube. Inside must be magic. Just not willing to cough up the $$ for them... though I sure would like to hear them. I mentioned the Q line because that's what's being offered at present... plus reviews have been positive.

 

[MrLem]

Fair enough with the Qs. If you've checked em out and they're good then they're good. I doubt they're very expensive second hand either. As for the LS50s they're highly rated at the new price but I was thinking second hand. In England they go for £500 to £650 a pair used and are fairly sought after. I just took a wild guess that was in the region of $850...

Good luck with the Qs man. If you get them do let us know how they sound to you

 

[canuckaudiog]

Those Kef LS50s... geez they better be good at that price... they are $1500 over here... but sure don't look it. Just a cute cube. Inside must be magic. Just not willing to cough up the $$ for them... though I sure would like to hear them. I mentioned the Q line because that's what's being offered at present... plus reviews have been positive.

They're definitely worth it. There's a ton of engineering packed into those little boxes. I owned a pair and I miss them, they had crystal clear sound but carried the emotion of the music. I felt like they were a studio monitor and a home speaker combined into one box, the best of both worlds.

 

[matteos]

I recently scored a pair of KEF C 15s and then sold them in BT to a fellow AKer. But prior to selling them I gave them a listen and was very impressed with their sound given their small size.

This has me interested in KEF bookshelf speakers now. My main setup is a Sanyo DCX3300KA quad receiver with four Polk Audio bookshelfs... TSi200s for fronts and Monitor 40s for the rears. I want to stay with this size of speakers and am forced to stay in the $500-$600 range... perhaps the Q Series?

How would these compare with the Polks I currently have? Now I know that you KEF owners are biased toward your speakers... but some objective viewpoints would be appreciated. I've A/B'd my Polks against some equivalent bookshelfs and found my Polks are the most satisfying to me, but I WAS impressed with the C 15s.

Thanks for your responses.

Any of the KEF speakers with the UNI-Q driver are going to be head and shoulders above those Polks. Having owned almost all of the R series and some of the Q... If you can, get the R series... It's not impossible at that price. I picked up a set of the R300 for $650 because they were a little bit beaten up. Look on audiogon and barter town, something may come up. The prices are getting lower on these speakers. Also accessories4less might give you some fine deals/

I'd advise against getting the Q100 or the Q300... They are good, but having an extra bass driver is WELL worth it. You could even consider getting two Q600c and using them as speakers. They will be a lot smaller than floorstanders and will give a nice sound. I was very impressed with the Q600c as a center channel, it was very clear and dynamic, it had some lovely bass... I'd even weigh it above my current R200c in some scenarios.

 

[hnash53]

Thanks for the comments. I'll do some more research on the KEFs mentioned. I don't quite understand the comment, matteos, about the Q100/300 and having an extra bass driver. You aren't speaking of a subwoofer are you?

 

[matteos]

I mean, stepping up to the R series... The R300 will give you a true three way speaker. The extra 6.5" driver makes a world of difference in dynamism and bass over having just a two way (I can only compare this to the Q100 as I've not had the LS50 or the R100).. But the difference from stepping up from the Q100 was vast.

The Q series unfortunately does not have a speaker similar to the R300. The Q300 is just a slightly bigger driver and although I haven't heard it, people seem to say it is not too much different to its smaller brother the Q100...

But you could get two of the center channels. They are a true 3 way speaker with a bass radiator (Only one of the drivers flanking the UNI-Q is a driver, the other is an ABR. I'd say a set of the Q towers would likely be better (at least the Q700 and up). But I have to say, I really did enjoy the Q600c as a speaker, it did bass very well and was very clear. Two of those could make a great set of bookshelves (turned upright) if you had the room, but not the room for the towers. In my opinion, unless you have a really small room or are doing very nearfield listening, getting the bigger speaker is very much worth it.

 

[Splatter Pak]

Splat became a KEF owner again - I owned a pair of C20's briefly, and gave them away. Yesterday, at a moving sale, I scored a pair of C25's for five bucks, but one has a JBL tweeter.