What's Up With KEF Speakers?

[Hypnotoad]

I am a member of a Audio Forum over here in the U.S. and other members seem to love KEF speakers if they can get hold of them.

Reference 103.2, 104's, 105's etc.

Are highly regarded here.

I haven't seen any talk on KEF speakers on AOS.

Does this mean they are not so popular in the U.K.?

Does anyone have KEF speakers and what are the best models and what do you like or dislike about the sound?

[Haselsh1]

I may be wrong but I was lead to believe that KEF speakers are now fully assembled in China using cheap labour...? If that is the case, it's enough to put me off. I do love their Uni-Q driver though.

[Macca]

This is the only KEF I am familiar with - the old Coda. Very rich sounding with sweet top. I've also heard the latest IQ 30 (dual concentric) in a demo and wasn't impressed but then I don't dig small speakers as a rule. The Reference series are a whole different ballgame, I suspect.

http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac233/Macca_photos_2009/kef20coda.jpg

[hifi_dave]

Unfortunately, KEF is not what it used to be. Along with many other specialist Hi-Fi companies, KEF is now Chinese from beginning to end. That alone might not be enough of a reason to stop anyone buying but their products are rather average nowadays. IMO

[pjdowns]

They make good surround sound speakers but I doubt I would bother with their Hifi speakers !

[giorgino]

My take on this is that Chinese hifi ownership/manufacturing is a relative new industry and the dust hasn't really settled yet. There are, of course, a load of tat but Chinese quality can be excellent both sonically and build. I recently bought a Chinese headphone amp for £50 that I prefer to the American, German, Australian amps I've had in the £500 mark. Ditto on a £150 DAC which I sometimes listen to over the Marantz CD7.

It does remind me of how people (usually of the west) perceived Japanese goods in the 1950s and 60s as being cheap, unreliable and essentially, rubbish. Over time they improved their products, became more sophisticated in their design and marketing and has transformed that perception. This was mostly the car, motorcycle and mass market electronics industry but we now know what happened to that and it's equivalent British/American counterpart.

Back on topic I'd say that if the Chinese have bought Kef as a way to enter the Western hifi market, I doubt the plan is for it to fail. It seems they are looking for the balance between having a great product and having a great business (which are sometimes mutually exclusive) and part of that is that they might be tuning the sound for a more lucrative market (ie USA). They certainly are smart enough and determined enough to make it happen and, as a national characteristic, they seem to be in it for the long haul. If there needs to be an example of what happens when desire is backed up with determination and resource, just re watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. :)

[DSJR]

1970's KEF's were very good and good surviving examples still are IMO. A pair of Concerto's on stands with re-capped crossover could gladden Marco's heart if he ever needed a cheapo alternative to old Tannoys and I've heard too many 104ab's in CD based systems to ever dismiss them, despite the ABR fitted..

For a while, KEF seemed to stop listening to their products and some of them were too thick textured and bassy for UK rooms. the decoupling of their bass units for a few years may have cured a mostly imagined "problem," but it caused loads of others, including a severe softening of percussive sounds, making the sound bland.

I very much loved the late nineties Q series Reference models, all having some natural life and sparkle to keep rock good, with low colouration for acoustic instruments. the cheaper Q drivers had been well sorted by then and deserve credit where due.

Somewhere in the early noughties, the KEF sound went all shiny and sparkly, the reference models gaining bling and razor-sharp incision in the treble - ugghh! I've lost touch now with the current range, but obvious developments of cheap non-resonant carcasses have been balanced by tweeters taking off and set too high in level - IMO.

[anthonyTD]

i had a pair of 104's for a few years and they were very good, [i missed them when they went] i still have a pair of their modern uni Q's and a pair of the later slim concerto's which were also very good although they dont get used much now.
A...

[DSJR]

:)

[chris@panteg]

A friend of mine ' who lives up north has recently acquired a knackered pair and has completely restored them ' using some better quality drive units.

He absolutely loves them to bits .:)

[Gbeer7]

I own a pair of KEF IQ5SE speakers which i bought last Novemeber. I love them. Sound great and look pretty good to !

[Tea24]

I have a pair of KEF 104/2s which I bought new in 1990 and they are still magnificent; transparent, easy to listen to. OK they are 20 years old now but have never been overdriven and still perform faultlessly:), what I shall do when they eventually collapse on me I simply don't know:scratch:, particularly as KEF no longer support them & I live in France. Get Harbeths perhaps:rolleyes:?

By the way DSJR I have just got that 606/II you suggested in your welcome note:doh: so we shall see what it does for the KEFs!:lolsign:

[Alex_UK]

I know they've been slagged off on here before but I had a pair of KEF Coda 9 floorstanders from the mid nineties which are now in my second system and I always thought (and still do) that they sounded very nice on the end of my Audiolab 8000S from around the same era. I know you're talking about the more exotic/vintage ranges Phillip but just my 2p worth.

[DSJR]

Those Coda's and the smaller ones were almost "proof" that cabinet vibrations barely affect the sound as these are so low in level compared to the music signal (-60db as I understand), the really important thing being the internal reflections apparently. These Coda's have wafer thin undamped boxes and flimsy plastic baffles and must have been hugely profitable for KEF..

I liked 'em and the Coda 7 sold in huge quantites.

[Rare Bird]

I use an original pair of Mission '737R' from the early 80's.I also have a newish pair of Mission Floorstanders, those floorstanders put it this way are in the lock up never to be used again, i hate em.Actually they are i lied i've stripped the units out of em to sell on e-bay.

[DSJR]

Look out for some once funky 720 or 730's. take half the wadding out (stuffed to the gunwhales they were) and re-foam as necessary. They knock spots off any Missions since IMO..... :)

[Peter Galbavy]

Back on topic I'd say that if the Chinese have bought Kef as a way to enter the Western hifi market, I doubt the plan is for it to fail. It seems they are looking for the balance between having a great product and having a great business (which are sometimes mutually exclusive) and part of that is that they might be tuning the sound for a more lucrative market (ie USA). They certainly are smart enough and determined enough to make it happen and, as a national characteristic, they seem to be in it for the long haul. If there needs to be an example of what happens when desire is backed up with determination and resource, just re watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. :)

... or they've bought into the idea that they can use the brand to move up the volume of sales regardless of quality or ongoing reputation. See what Richer did with TDL, TAG/IAG with Audiolab etc. (Not that I know the histories intimately.)

The Japanese products of the post war years were sold into a market where brands were not quite as all encompassing (or for sale, lock stock etc.) as they are now. If you bought a cheap Kenwood/Trio, Panasonic, Kwanon (Canon), Sonny/Sony product then at least you were not being overly duped. Now, we have the "confusion" of the OP regard the regard in which KEF are or are not held.

The mass market will see a brand that was once very expensive and now see it as affordable. They are fooled into some sort of vision that their own aspriational values (I hate NuLabour and the Islington chattering callses with a passion...) can be acheived, that they are richer and it's not the quality and price of the products that are falling.

Cynical ? Moi ?

[DSJR]

The UK HiFi market as Neil and I knew it is gone now and the only way to sell boxes in any quantity is to make them cheaply in the far east (and I mean for a few dollars per pair) and ship 'em over with huge quantity discounts to the dealer chains.

I've been sent adverts from far eastern suppiers for little active speakers which retail for £150pr available for far less than £50pr if you buy enough of them - a thousand at a time or similar. A passive cheap KEF or B&W will almost certainly come into the UK for very little money, the majority of the profit going to the dealer chain I reckon, as they may have had to buy many tens or hundreds of pairs at a time to get the profit, the UK distributer acting as little more than the agent.

[giorgino]

Agreed - No doubt the brands are being bought as "off the shelf perception" in a Western market (as per my post). It may or may not be a bad thing. For me, it's a bad thing if that's all they are doing and selling tat to people thinking they buying into something great. As I said, my speculation is that they are using Kef as a means of entering a larger US market using their GB hifi credentials and have tuned their products accordingly. As such, the "Nu-Kefs" may not get on well with the average UK home. Hence the discrepancy between being highly regarded in the US and apparently less so in the UK as observed at the beginning of the thread (unless there's suggestions here that the Yanks are deaf to add another national slur on this thread). :)

However, you may be right. If what you are saying turns out to be true, it's not the first time that's happened and it won't be the last. I guess only time will tell. The great thing is that for those with ears, they will learn to walk away. For those without, it won't make an iota of difference and they get everything they deserve - ie blissful ignorance...

[hifi_dave]

To my mind, the difference between Japanese products of the 70's and certain Chinese products now is that the Japanese products - Sony, Trio, JVC, Pioneer, Luxman, Accuphase etc, etc - never pretended to be anything else. Some of these Chinese products 'pretend' to be good ol' British companies and play on reputations and products of old when they clearly are not. IMO that is deception and if their products were any good, surely they wouldn't need to use a brand name, their products should sell themselves.

As for the dealer making 'the majority of the profit' well, unfortunately that is not true unless that refers to the chains which own the name and have the product manufactured overseas. ..:scratch:

[DSJR]

To be fair, I'm not saying that modern KEF's or B&W's are "tat," as modern mass production has seen better drivers and boxes available for peanuts these days.

What gets me is that the B&W680 series has a generic hollow and "boxy" quality which could be dealt with by sorting the port and possibly tweaking the internal cabinet reflections, but they won't do this as there is the CM series up the ladder with bling and a "carrot up the backside" kind of bass - IMO. The KEF IQ series sorted out the upper-mid "softness" IMO but spoilt the recipe by setting the raggedy tweeter way too high so it sssssparkled like the competing 600 Series 3, both speakers all but taking your head off.

The above could be easily sorted for not much money, but at present, they both feel the need for multiple ranges of product.

[DSJR]

To my mind, the difference between Japanese products of the 70's and certain Chinese products now is that the Japanese products - Sony, Trio, JVC, Pioneer, Luxman, Accuphase etc, etc - never pretended to be anything else. Some of these Chinese products 'pretend' to be good ol' British companies and play on reputations and products of old when they clearly are not. IMO that is deception and if their products were any good, surely they wouldn't need to use a brand name, their products should sell themselves.

As for the dealer making 'the majority of the profit' well, unfortunately that is not true unless that refers to the chains which own the name and have the product manufactured overseas. ..:scratch:

Dave mate, the two speaker manufacturers I've been discussing only really supply to the dealer chains now, as small independents don't do enough business - that's where Monitor Audio come in with their bronze series (and JM Lab as well) at a low budget price point.

I have it on very good authority that the margins these chains make is rather more than "we" had and you've already had experience with one of the better known "traditional" companies and chose Harbeth instead because they're better, despite the piddly margin they offer by comparison - not fair to discuss absolute figures here, but I think you know where I'm coming from......

[hifi_dave]

I see where you're coming from/getting at/ alluding to..:scratch:

Certain chains actually make double/twice the profit that independent dealers make on pretty well their whole product range. They don't even consider a product if they have the same paltry mark up as the independent has. :eek:

Get the violins out...:violin:

[DSJR]

Yep, and some companies with bigger margins allow better commision rates to staff in a tiered system.....

[pwood]

Since the 104/2 I have not heard a hifi Kef speaker that enthralled me much. Their surround sound stuff on the other hand is rather more impressive I recently heard the KHT3005SE setup and movie wise it was very good and looked excellent in the room. I expect KEF are focusing more on av speakers nowdays as that is where the market is these days.

[hifinutt]

theres been a lot of discussion on the 205/2 recently on cyrus forum, certainly some guys seem to love them

http://www.rdhworld.myzen.co.uk/mybb/showthread.php?mode=threaded&tid=12142&pid=#pid

[zappa100]

Kef ,like a lot of speaker manufacturers, are at the mercy of What hifi reviews.
When WHF was raving over the iq5se everybody wanted them but now that they are not so keen on the iq50 , people don't want them whether they have heard them or not. Hence ,Superfi knocking £300 of the real veneer version!

[hifi_dave]

These sort of things come in by the container load, are promoted mercilessly by the mags until they are sold out. Any left in the warehouse when the Mk2 (Mk3, Mk4 etc) arrive are bashed out at very low but still lucrative prices. They are not at the mercy of any mag.

[DirectDrive_Gordon]

I use KEF Reference Ones dating from the late 90's and absolutely love them and they are made in England too! Before those I used KEF RDM2 standmounters which were fab too and also made in England. I really, really rate the UNI-Q drivers. The latest Reference series speakers seem way overpriced though - especially if they are made in China!

[DirectDrive_Gordon]

To my mind, the difference between Japanese products of the 70's and certain Chinese products now is that the Japanese products - Sony, Trio, JVC, Pioneer, Luxman, Accuphase etc, etc - never pretended to be anything else. Some of these Chinese products 'pretend' to be good ol' British companies and play on reputations and products of old when they clearly are not. IMO that is deception and if their products were any good, surely they wouldn't need to use a brand name, their products should sell themselves.

As for the dealer making 'the majority of the profit' well, unfortunately that is not true unless that refers to the chains which own the name and have the product manufactured overseas. ..:scratch:

I think it's wrong to compare the Chinese product of today with 1970's Japanese gear. The Japanese brands produced some of the most awsomely engineered hi-fi ever made back in the 70's e.g. Nakamichi 1000ZXL, Sony PS-X9, Sony TC-765, Technics SL-1000, Trio/Kenwood 600T, Yamaha CT-7000, Yamaha NS-1000 .... I could go on and on - there are dozens of examples! There seems to be a prevailing view in the UK that Jap = crap - this is just sooooo untrue!v:steam:

[DSJR]

The KEF Reference models from the late nineties were really good as I remember and were UK made too I think..

The best Japanese gear from the late eighties onwards almost never came to the UK sadly and as Linn and Naim were regarded as "Top End" back then, and Krell/ARC were about to be launched on Naimies keen for an "upgrade," what was the point... :rolleyes:

Not ALL the expensive Japanese gear got it right, but some of it did I reckon...

[aquapiranha]

I remebr hearing the Kef Kar speaker system for cars a long time ago. Not bad at all! though not quite as good as the best Boston Acoustics set up I heard. I have not really heard many kef speakers, but my brother has some of the modern standmounts and they sounf very good (IQ25?)

[Martyn Miles]

I am looking to build a pair of early Codas for my son, and I am looking for two cabinets with grilles and crossovers. I have sourced the B110s & T27s.

Anyone here have a pair lurking somewhere ?

[walpurgis]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kef-Coda-Sp1034-empty-cabinets-and-crossovers-for-Kef-B110-Kef-T27-/281468586938?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item4188d5cbba

The seller has grilles too. Rip off prices though.

[Oldpinkman]

I suspect the OP is right. A lot is fashion and national taste, and actually to a large extent this forums taste. There have been good and bad Kef speakers. And they were fundamental to the BBC LS35a project and other BBC projects. So they are no longer made 5 miles up the road from me in Tovil, but to say (as one did) that Kef stopped listening to their speakers is - a colourful imagination.

I know Andrew Jones and Andrew Watson well - AW is about to launch a bass stand for LS35a's he has designed, having left Kef a couple of years ago. They were head of design at Kef for much of the last 15 years until the recent merger with Celestion and take-over by the Chinese. They listened to their designs, and produced some good product. Both are passionate about HiFi and loudspeaker design.

In the States, and the Far East - Kef are a "foreign" "boutique" brand. Here they are a cooking brand and nobody on a forum wants to drive a Ford Cortina - they have all "discovered" something more special. I have recently auditioned the LS50 and R900's, and in particular the R900's were a really goods speaker I could easily have lived with - although needed careful setup in a room, and my room probably wasn't ideal for them (or any other bloody speaker for that matter).

I don't know which magazines some of you guys read - but the LS50 picks up a shocking lot of 5star awards. Personally I wasn't happy with the lack of bass, but the imaging and "presence" are first class.

I just don't think its cool enough on a forum to like a brand you can get anywhere. Even if the ones discussed are only the bottom of their range, and not their flagships. Hands up if you've heard the Blades ;)

[Macca]

I think it's not so much KEF being uncool and more to do with them moving downmarket a bit in the late nineties. What were those rubbish floorstanders they did with the racetrack bass driver? They were truly dreadful. Once you lose that credibility with the hard-core enthusiasts it's not easy to get it back.

[Oldpinkman]

I think it's not so much KEF being uncool and more to do with them moving downmarket a bit in the late nineties. What were those rubbish floorstanders they did with the racetrack bass driver? They were truly dreadful. Once you lose that credibility with the hard-core enthusiasts it's not easy to get it back.

If by "hardcore enthusiast" you mean "forum member" I suspect Kef are not concerned. It's a tiny fragment of the market. They are not short of outlets for their products, and they are accordingly a widely used product by HiFi enthusiasts who just go into shops like Sevenoaks HiFi, or who follow the magazines. There are a lot more folk like that - and there need to be to justify the revenues for even the tiniest HiFi manufacturer to stay in business (unless its a shed in the back garden selling on ebay). You can't run a business which develops new drivers and cabinet construction techniques and materials, flogging used vintage gear for £50 or so.

There are enthusiasts who just really enjoy listening to great sounding music, without realising the need to follow the politically correct cult items. Kef may have produced some mass-market cheap and cheerful product for the bottom of the market, but they had a range of speakers - and a pretty popular range across a large section of the market.

[Macca]

Yes. Hardcore enthusisast = forum member ;)

There are enthusiasts who just really enjoy listening to great sounding music, without realising the need to follow the politically correct cult items.

What would an example of a politicaly correct cult item be? Other than Pink Triangle products, obviously.

[Martyn Miles]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kef-Coda-Sp1034-empty-cabinets-and-crossovers-for-Kef-B110-Kef-T27-/281468586938?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item4188d5cbba

The seller has grilles too. Rip off prices though.

Thanks.
I did see these and initially contacted him through eBay. He has other cabinets, and I managed to negotiate a very good deal.
Often eBay sellers inflate prices to cover fees, etc. and like to do 'one to one' deals. I do use eBay, but try other places to buy and sell.

M Miles.

[Lee1976]

They are not good. Impo.

[Andrei]

I have recently auditioned the LS50 and R900's, and in particular the R900's were a really goods speaker I could easily have lived with - although needed careful setup in a room, and my room probably wasn't ideal for them (or any other bloody speaker for that matter).


You could try something with a horn tweeter. My Triangle Magellans for example sound fine if you are not on the apex of an isosceles.

[CageyH]

To answer the original question, I use KEF Coda 9's, 7's and a Coda C in my home cinema system.
Sounds good enough for movies.

The Coda 9 were the first speakers I bought when I was a student.

[Gordon Steadman]

Nothing wrong with any of the KEF speakers I've had or heard. I still have some 101s and they are just as musical to us as the LS35A. I've used their drivers for years and have just 'improved' a pair of B&Ws with a B200:eyebrows:

Different people have different ears and different expectations. However, like most makers, they stopped being of interest to me by the end of the eighties as my system was pretty much set for life.

[f1eng]

My first pair of speakers were home made with Wharfedale 8" RS/DD units iirc. My second were Kefkit 3 which was a KEF Concerto baffle/units crossover sold to people to make their own box. I have had a soft spot for KEF ever since.
AFAIK the engineering of KEF speakers is still done here and manufacturing in China. I have heard the Blades and own LS50s (which replaced LS3/5as)
Most of the current crop of KEFs are excellent speakers.

[Martyn Miles]

Are we on this Forum looking at Kef speakers with nostalgia ? I owned 104s (before my BC1s) and loved them.
Other friends have happy memories of Kef models of about the same era. They went off Kef when the models were made at lower cost, using paper cones and bought-in tweeters, etc.
The modern Blades and LS50s are said to be superb loudspeakers, but 'olde fashioned me' prefers a wooden 'BBC type' cabinet.
I suspect quite a few on this Forum do too, I suspect.

[walpurgis]

I quite liked the old 'C' Series KEFs. They weren't perfect, but very good at their time. I too liked the 104 AB, but my favourite and in some ways I believe one of the best sounding was the Corelli that superseded (superceded?) the Chorale. The Corelli has a nice balance and very good midrange detail and transparency, combined with quite a respectable bottom end for such a small box. Colouration in the mid also seems less than with the Chorale and 104 models.

[struth]

The corelli were rather handsome too!

[Martyn Miles]

I quite liked the old 'C' Series KEFs. They weren't perfect, but very good at their time. I too liked the 104 AB, but my favourite and in some ways I believe one of the best sounding was the Corelli that superseded (superceded?) the Chorale. The Corelli has a nice balance and very good midrange detail and transparency, combined with quite a respectable bottom end for such a small box. Coloration in the mid also seems less than with the Chorale and 104 models.

Yes, I thought the Chorale was 'missing something' in the midrange. The Corelli had an upgraded B200, I understand. The cabinet, with a wooden edge like the original Cresta, looked nice to me. Some find this look, especially with the original Cresta, rather 'old fashioned.'

[DSJR]

The early 70's models were far less coloured than many of the old-school competition at the time and the bigger models less boomy than other so called 'floor-standers.' I have an endearing deep respect for the Concerto, which can be updated with fresh crossovers and lowish stands. I seem to remember the replacement Cantata being rather special at the time, although too low on the ground for typical standing-only dem-rooms.


KEF had a problem in the distant past, and this was their listening room. I also got the feeling that they were a bit stuffy about music choice as well, especially in the late 70's when the hideously bland small and mid size 'Reference' models came out, some with decoupled main drivers. A flat response and low cabinet colouration meant nothing when they couldn't reproduce percussion properly (properly recorded percussion transcends genres of music by the way and isn't just relegated to 'pop' and jazz!!!!!). The Positec protection caused more sonic issues than solving potential-damage ones too as I remember.

My favourite cheapie KEF's were the body stocking Chorale and Concord III and IV. The treble could slightly 'spit,' but very careful tightening of the drivers and tweeter screws around the dome could minimise this. The early Q series, Harbeth made or not, were awful and it wasn't until the Q15/35/55 etc. and the oddly shaped Reference models from the late 90's that KEF finally started to get the hang of the technology IMO. To liven the sound up, the next cheap Q series models lifted the tweeter by 3db and to my knowledge, these were the first KEF's not to bother with a ruler flat response. By the early noughties, the treble took over and the Reference series (the first with the super tweeter pod on top) could easily take one's fillings out, so 'hot' was the hf region in general. The BADA inspired (allegedly) mid priced wooden box models from the early noughties (Concerto 1 and 2), had cheap drivers (with a nasty upper mid 'squeak'), bell wiring inside and to justify real wood veneers, a high cost for what was on offer - dreadful squeaky sounding things.

I've been out of the scene for so long now I don't know much about the current KEF stuff, but I'm told the whole range is good now from bottom to top. it's also been suggested that some if not most production has been shifted to the UK as well, certainly for the top models.

[DSJR]

Yes, I thought the Chorale was 'missing something' in the midrange. The Corelli had an upgraded B200, I understand. The cabinet, with a wooden edge like the original Cresta, looked nice to me. Some find this look, especially with the original Cresta, rather 'old fashioned.'


The Chorale shared with the Concerto a slight recess near the crossover point (either that or suffer the 'Bextrene Quack' which the crossover couldn't quite remove!) which could make them sometimes sound a little dull. the Corelli was based on the R104 model I believe and was a fine small speaker, with just a touch of 'tubbiness' to show the box was a touch small (the Tangent RS2 was similar sounding in the bass, although an Audax 8" driver was used). having said this, this was before the days of high stands and pulling them well out from a wall, which may well have cured this completely.


Here's a taste of my dodgy past - cough...

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg.html)

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg.html)

[Martyn Miles]

The Chorale shared with the Concerto a slight recess near the crossover point (either that or suffer the 'Bextrene Quack' which the crossover couldn't quite remove!) which could make them sometimes sound a little dull. the Corelli was based on the R104 model I believe and was a fine small speaker, with just a touch of 'tubbiness' to show the box was a touch small (the Tangent RS2 was similar sounding in the bass, although an Audax 8" driver was used). having said this, this was before the days of high stands and pulling them well out from a wall, which may well have cured this completely.


Here's a taste of my dodgy past - cough...

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg.html)

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg.html)

Love the flares...

[Joe]

Presumably this was in the days before dealers were only 'allowed' to have one pair of speakers at a time in the dem room?

[Macca]

That's not the dem room it's Dave's front room ;)

[DSJR]

A few months before we took on Linn and Naim in 1977 I believe and around four years before the whole single speaker demo thing happened. There are a few classics on the shelves including LS3/5A's, Pageant 2's, Audiomaster MLS1's and MLS2's, Spendor SA1 (first incarnation), IMF Super Compacts, Corelli's :) and of course, who can forget the JR149. One of the floor speakers is a Bolivar I think...

We made a Betamax recording of the shop around this time, but it was probably junked decades ago sadly. Hifi could be fun back then, but in 1981, Kj was dragging its feet and staff changes made it miserable for a while until I jumped ship, making way for the next wave, of which Walrus Systems is the fallout :)

[synsei]

I loved hifi shops back then, they were like sweet shops for blokes... :D

[Marco]

THere's a taste of my dodgy past - cough...

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0001_zpsea3ed0d4.jpg.html)

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/scan0002_zps64b6675e.jpg.html)

What year was that, dude?

Marco.

[DSJR]

Late 1976 I think. The pics were published in the March '77 issue of Hifi For Pleasure (Gawd, I was nineteen!!!). I don't mind posting these as I look nothing remotely like this now and this period was several 'lives' ago now to me...

That was the 'budget' dem room. The big room had some wonderful stuff in it which is revered now. I don't think any pics remain, sadly :( In 82 or 83, the whole shop was re-modelled (that odd little dem room already had the hessian walls removed and all the surplus speakers taken out when I was there).

Apologies - too many memories flooding back. I'll shove them back in the trunk in a minute.

[walpurgis]

I loved hifi shops back then, they were like sweet shops for blokes... :D

Yeah. Edgware Road was my regular hangout. Lasky's, W.H.Smith, Henry's, Denys Trickett (great second hand bits) and many other smaller shops. Cost me a fortune.

[walpurgis]

(Gawd, I was nineteen!!!).

Ha. Just a boy! I was 28. ;)

[Macca]

Apologies - too many memories flooding back. I'll shove them back in the trunk in a minute.

No need to apologise Dave, nothing like a few anecdotes from the old days. Okay they might bore the pants off (or just confuse) the civilian population but I suspect everyone who reads here is interested.

[DSJR]

I first met The Doc at this time too in his pre Tresham days, but I don't think he remembers ;)

[Floyddroid]

Like many other manufacturers KEF have had their moments and made some statement speakers. But sadly, on the whole they fail to please the masses.

[sq225917]

While lacking the consistency of say B&W there has been times when certain of their models have utterly owned segments of the market, the 90's Coda line held the top three sales spots for several years on the trot with their 7,8 and 9 models. They do drift in and out of fashion though, but their new lineup looks mega, if AV is your thing. I think they are one of the few companies that will improve and grow under new ownership. (IAG they are not).

[r100]

I don't know which magazines some of you guys read - but the LS50 picks up a shocking lot of 5star awards. Personally I wasn't happy with the lack of bass, but the imaging and "presence" are first class. ;)

The LS50 have a lot of bass for their size imho but they need quite a bit of burning in to sound right. I think KEF themselves state something like 100+ hours, which is about what mine needed.

[Martyn Miles]

The LS50 have a lot of bass for their size imho but they need quite a bit of burning in to sound right. I think KEF themselves state something like 100+ hours, which is about what mine needed.

I am always amused about the idea of 'burning in' loudspeakers.
Visions of smoke curling out from an overheated voice coil...

[talisman2]

have a listen to the new 'Blades' (£20,000) and they will blow your mind (i'm not a KEF fan but i would love to have a pair of them)

[Gordon Steadman]

I am always amused about the idea of 'burning in' loudspeakers.
Visions of smoke curling out from an overheated voice coil...

Aha...you mean like this??

Two melted and exploded tweeters, two destroyed main drivers, one with burned spider and both with fused coils and some gloop that used to be crossovers. Slightly over driven by an act of god.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7541/15715752005_2a32e59214_o.jpg

[walpurgis]

I am always amused about the idea of 'burning in' loudspeakers.
Visions of smoke curling out from an overheated voice coil...

Some speakers need burning! :D


(a friend had a pair of the original Harbeth Monitors 'melted' by an idiot who managed to feed mains power to them)

[Martyn Miles]

Aha...you mean like this??

Two melted and exploded tweeters, two destroyed main drivers, one with burned spider and both with fused coils and some gloop that used to be crossovers. Slightly over driven by an act of God.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7541/15715752005_2a32e59214_o.jpg

I didn't realise God energised speakers. I wonder what amplifier he uses ?

[Martyn Miles]

Some speakers need burning! :D


(a friend had a pair of the original Harbeth Monitors 'melted' by an idiot who managed to feed mains power to them)

Keep him away from my HLs then...

[Gordon Steadman]

I didn't realise God energised speakers. I wonder what amplifier he uses ?

Since when does the all powerful need amplification?? Let there be power and there was power - simples:)

[r100]

amen !:lol:

[Macca]

We will now stand and sing Hymn number 235 'Nearer My God to Thee' (original master).