prsjnb
21-11-2014, 19:14
Firstly, I wish to state that the views expressed herein are entirely my own and that I have no vested interest, commercial or otherwise, in RFC or any of the products it manufactures or markets.
Wishing to have the crossovers of my KEF Reference Model Ones refurbished/upgraded, I decided to contact RFC to discuss the options. A short telephone conversation with Paul (the proprietor and, as I was later to discover, the company's design and construction engineer), left me in no doubt that this would be a worthwhile and surprisingly cost-effective exercise and an arrangement was made for me to deliver the KEFs to him at his home in Dursley, Glos.
The warmth of the reception I received was truly exceptional and I was treated to an enthusiastic and highly informative account of Paul's background in the industry and design philosophy. The care and attention paid to the selection of materials and components was most impressive and the quality of construction of the Rhapsodys, both physical and aesthetic, was, IMHO, outstanding. On auditioning, the Rhapsodys proved highly engaging, remarkably even-handed and extended in the frequency extremes and capable of generating realistic SPL with ease and without distortion. Most striking to my ears was their ability to convey the essence of the music and recording environment without imposing any significant 'sonic fingerprint of their own'. A welcome by-product of their auditioning was my exposure to material on vinyl by John Lee Hooker and Seasick Steve that was new to me and quickly added to my burgeoning list of 'must haves'.
The current asking price for the Rhapsodys in the form auditioned by me is, I believe, around £3K. Whilst this is undoubtedly not an insignificant sum, in the context of their ability to reproduce music, quality of construction and the man-hours that have been expended in their design and refinement, they represent, IMHO, excellent value for money; especially when one considers that they have the potential to last and satisfy for the remainder of one's listening lifetime.
In summary, if you are considering investing in new loudspeakers and have the budget to match, you owe it to yourself to audition the Rhapsodys before adding to your overdraft or extending your credit limit :eyebrows:
Jon - currently unemployed and desperately wishing that I wasn't :steam:, but looking forward to collecting my revitalised KEFs :)
Wishing to have the crossovers of my KEF Reference Model Ones refurbished/upgraded, I decided to contact RFC to discuss the options. A short telephone conversation with Paul (the proprietor and, as I was later to discover, the company's design and construction engineer), left me in no doubt that this would be a worthwhile and surprisingly cost-effective exercise and an arrangement was made for me to deliver the KEFs to him at his home in Dursley, Glos.
The warmth of the reception I received was truly exceptional and I was treated to an enthusiastic and highly informative account of Paul's background in the industry and design philosophy. The care and attention paid to the selection of materials and components was most impressive and the quality of construction of the Rhapsodys, both physical and aesthetic, was, IMHO, outstanding. On auditioning, the Rhapsodys proved highly engaging, remarkably even-handed and extended in the frequency extremes and capable of generating realistic SPL with ease and without distortion. Most striking to my ears was their ability to convey the essence of the music and recording environment without imposing any significant 'sonic fingerprint of their own'. A welcome by-product of their auditioning was my exposure to material on vinyl by John Lee Hooker and Seasick Steve that was new to me and quickly added to my burgeoning list of 'must haves'.
The current asking price for the Rhapsodys in the form auditioned by me is, I believe, around £3K. Whilst this is undoubtedly not an insignificant sum, in the context of their ability to reproduce music, quality of construction and the man-hours that have been expended in their design and refinement, they represent, IMHO, excellent value for money; especially when one considers that they have the potential to last and satisfy for the remainder of one's listening lifetime.
In summary, if you are considering investing in new loudspeakers and have the budget to match, you owe it to yourself to audition the Rhapsodys before adding to your overdraft or extending your credit limit :eyebrows:
Jon - currently unemployed and desperately wishing that I wasn't :steam:, but looking forward to collecting my revitalised KEFs :)