VanDerGraaf
11-01-2018, 12:57
How to expain myself here...hmm.
The first proper pair of good quality speakers that I bought were KEF 105s more than 2 years ago.
I've heard a lot of speakers since then, mostly older, but also including more modern wide range ribbons, and the very rare Podium 1 quasi-NXT panels.
These modern efforts have given things like more microscopic detail, speed (particularly the lightning-fast and at times awe-inspiring Podiums) and perhaps ultimately greater resolution.
Last night I had friends over who, though not audiophiles, have an appreciation for different speaker choices and music reproduction. The old KEFs were remarked upon by my mate as a personal favourite and so to please her, I wheeled them out of the corner of the room where they have been for the last few months and fired them up. And, even from cold....music poured forth. To my surprise, these old warhorses showed that when it comes to playing music, they still have it in spades. There is just something ultimately satisfying about how they reproduce music, as if they may not be at the cutting edge in any one area, but deliver a hell of a satisfying musical experience. Scale, imaging, tone portrayal- it's all there. And they are so bloody versatile with the steerable/tiltable heads and rollers.
I know people talk about the huge midrange colouration from the Bextrene drivers, but it sounds like music to me. Which is all that matters.
I had thought in all honesty that I was "done" with older speakers, but last night's experience has really made me reconsider. I've still got them on this morning, playing a modern recording and the love is still definitely there. I'm still feeling surprised.
I sometimes get the impression that KEF stuff isn't very "trendy" in hifi circles, you can still get a pair of 105s for £3/4/500 quid which I feel is excellent value, cheap in fact.
So at last after that 105 musing, the actual topic star, the KEF 107.
I've always wondered about a pair of 107s. Same steerable head design, a truly full-range presentation, no more Bextrene, am I going to get something similar but just a bit more of everything I like already? Also, they seem like an easier amp load than the 105 with the conjugate load matching and higher sensitivity. On the downside I have read that the T33 tweeter isn't exactly the star it should be....and the whole Kube thing bothers me a little. Can't that be reproduced/replaced with clever use of parametric eq these days from plug-ins or other software?
I have to admit I am a total sucker for the visual design of the "Dalek" KEFs, that admittedly is a factor. :clap:
Any thoughts on this? Especially if anyone out there had owned or heard both.
Or am I just being dumb and need to get into the modern world? 😂Are there modern offerings that sit in this sonic ballpark that others think I would enjoy? Please don't mention Harbeth- I'm sure they are wonderful but I couldn't live with those looks, not for the cost anyway!
The first proper pair of good quality speakers that I bought were KEF 105s more than 2 years ago.
I've heard a lot of speakers since then, mostly older, but also including more modern wide range ribbons, and the very rare Podium 1 quasi-NXT panels.
These modern efforts have given things like more microscopic detail, speed (particularly the lightning-fast and at times awe-inspiring Podiums) and perhaps ultimately greater resolution.
Last night I had friends over who, though not audiophiles, have an appreciation for different speaker choices and music reproduction. The old KEFs were remarked upon by my mate as a personal favourite and so to please her, I wheeled them out of the corner of the room where they have been for the last few months and fired them up. And, even from cold....music poured forth. To my surprise, these old warhorses showed that when it comes to playing music, they still have it in spades. There is just something ultimately satisfying about how they reproduce music, as if they may not be at the cutting edge in any one area, but deliver a hell of a satisfying musical experience. Scale, imaging, tone portrayal- it's all there. And they are so bloody versatile with the steerable/tiltable heads and rollers.
I know people talk about the huge midrange colouration from the Bextrene drivers, but it sounds like music to me. Which is all that matters.
I had thought in all honesty that I was "done" with older speakers, but last night's experience has really made me reconsider. I've still got them on this morning, playing a modern recording and the love is still definitely there. I'm still feeling surprised.
I sometimes get the impression that KEF stuff isn't very "trendy" in hifi circles, you can still get a pair of 105s for £3/4/500 quid which I feel is excellent value, cheap in fact.
So at last after that 105 musing, the actual topic star, the KEF 107.
I've always wondered about a pair of 107s. Same steerable head design, a truly full-range presentation, no more Bextrene, am I going to get something similar but just a bit more of everything I like already? Also, they seem like an easier amp load than the 105 with the conjugate load matching and higher sensitivity. On the downside I have read that the T33 tweeter isn't exactly the star it should be....and the whole Kube thing bothers me a little. Can't that be reproduced/replaced with clever use of parametric eq these days from plug-ins or other software?
I have to admit I am a total sucker for the visual design of the "Dalek" KEFs, that admittedly is a factor. :clap:
Any thoughts on this? Especially if anyone out there had owned or heard both.
Or am I just being dumb and need to get into the modern world? 😂Are there modern offerings that sit in this sonic ballpark that others think I would enjoy? Please don't mention Harbeth- I'm sure they are wonderful but I couldn't live with those looks, not for the cost anyway!