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Have you heard these 3, Kef Reference 1, Kanta 2 and Sopra 1s.

I am finding it impossible to demo the Kef Reference 1s (or 3s) in my area and I won't be able to hear them back to back against the Focals.  Any thoughts on how the Kef compare to the two Focals? I am most concerned about finding a speaker that I won't find fatiguing over time or not engaging enough at lower volume levels.  I listen to a number of music styles, but the two dominant are acoustic rock & instrumental music (piano, cello, etc.). 

I briefly heard the Kef R3s and Kanta 1s.  I liked both, but thought the Kanta 1s were more engaging.  Their looks (flat plastic front & industrial stands), however, would not be a good fit.  The other main issue is with room placement.  The speakers will be in a 15x14 room which opens into two other larger rooms.  The maximum the speakers can be placed away from the wall is about 34", so only 12" at most, depending on the speaker's depth (this was not an issue with Paradigm 85Fs that are being replaced).  The main listening positioning is 7-9ft from the speakers, but in reality most of the listening is done from the adjacent kitchen area.  

I would welcome any thoughts on how these speakers compare before arranging some day trips to hear the Kefs.  


macct
3 responses Add your response
yyzsantabarbara
4,879 posts
 
The Reference 1 are likely to getting the META upgrade this year. So either a great time to buy the current Reference line or not too long a wait for the upgrade. I think the REF 1 is great and is not fatiguing with the gear I heard.

I did hear it the first time in a small room with glass behind us. That was predictably fatiguing, but the dealer thought it was great. I the many other times I have heard it I thought it was great.

I have a big speaker in a smaller room and I have it sounding perfect with DSP implemented via ROON Convolution files. If that does not make sense to you send me a DM and I can explain a bit more. My Virtual System has some photos. This is only for digital streaming preferably with ROON or JRiver.
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dbphd
1,630 posts
 
I have two setups, one uses KEF Reference 1s with Ayre 5 series separates, the other LS50s with Ayre A7e integrated. I listen mostly to jazz, baroque, and classical via Roon. The detail and imaging is superb with both setups. The Reference 1s seem a bit more polite, the LS50s a bit more aggressive. Supplementing the 1s with a pair of Velodyne HGS-15 below 80 Hz really opened them up for large orchestrations. I have a pair of HGs-10s to try with the LS50s. The sonic difference between the two setups is more subtle than the cost difference might suggest.
macct OP
55 posts
 
The Reference 1 are likely to getting the META upgrade this year. So either a great time to buy the current Reference line or not too long a wait for the upgrade. I think the REF 1 is great and is not fatiguing with the gear I heard.
 
Thank you for bring that to attention as well as your impression of the Ref 1. Hopefully that will mean better pricing on existing stock and demo units.   

The Reference 1s seem a bit more polite, the LS50s a bit more aggressive. Supplementing the 1s with a pair of Velodyne HGS-15 below 80 Hz really opened them up for large orchestrations. I have a pair of HGs-10s to try with the LS50s. The sonic difference between the two setups is more subtle than the cost difference might suggest.

Interesting comment about the LS50's.  I have them in my BR system and always liked the way they sound (and the reason I wanted to part with the Paradigms).  In the LR the LS50's sound small, particularly in the mid-range.  It was without a sub, though, and while the LR is not particularly large it is an open floorplan with rooms on two sides.  Do the Ref 1s have a larger sound stage and bigger sounding midrange?  I felt the R3's were better in the midrange than the LS50's.  

Thank you for the comments. 
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