KEF Blade Two - Unbelieveable

People say that the REF line is a baby Blade but for me it is not like the Blades. The Blade is my fav speaker and I unfortunately cannot fit it in my house. The next place I move to will have space for the Blades.

The REF line does not disappear like the Blade, but then again nothing I heard does. I found the REF1 was my fav since it did a good job of disappearing.

My current office speaker is pretty good and only available used, it is the Thiel CS3.7 and sort of sounds like the Blades. 

I like the Yamaha NS5000 and will get that one if I continue to stay at my current residence. It is a fabulous speaker. Do not let the bookshelf designation fool you. It is like a floorstander. This is my replacement for the Blades.

The Vivid lineup also is Blade like. The Kaya 45 maybe affordable.

BTW - some used KEF Blades were selling for $10K to $13K in the recent past. KEF will be upgrading the tweeter and mid driver with the META design very soon. That may cause some more used models to show up.

I also have the KEF LS50 in my big room with the KEF KC62 sub. I drive them with the Benchmark AHB2 monos. I would be curious to hear the Blades with these monos. They cannot drive my Thiel CS3.7 to the best levels but the Blades are likely easier to drive.

I recently replaced a Parasound A21+. It sounded OK but the Parasound JC5 maybe something to consider. It is supposed to be more refined (my complaint about the A21+) and more powerful. The Blades will like power.

I have heard Blades demoed with Hegel 360 integrated and Hegel mono blocks. Both were pretty good pairings.

The CODA #8 would also be a good amp with the Blades. As would a KRELL XD amp. I have both and I love both of them.

These amps I suggest are in the $6K-ish range which will help save money to buy the Blades.

Used Kef blade for Sale | HifiShark.com

KEF Blade 2 High Gloss Black. Mint! For Sale - US Audio Mart

@curiousjim I have not heard anything other than the LS50 Meta announcement where they said the META will trickle UP to the Rererence and Blade lineup. It only makes sense given the age of the 2 lines. I thought it would have been ready for the holiday season, but a lot of things are not running as expected.

I’m guessing that it doesn’t sound like any other speaker KEF sells.

There is a lot of sonic resemblance to the Reference line and even the LS50. It’s just that on the Blades it is turned up to 11.

I spent a lot of time researching room size for the Blades. I have a 13’ W x 22’ L x 25’H (maybe higher) living room. That is a lot of volume, but I think too small. A dealer whom I bought a lot of gear from told me that the Blades he sells would work there. I do not believe him on that from when I have heard the Blades. I think you need to place the Blades in a front wall around 16+ feet. I cannot do that in my room

Those side firing woofers need some space to get the Blade magic. People have put it in rooms like mine, but I think it would be a bit of a compromise sonically. I am listening to the Thiel CS3.7 in my small office and I am not getting the best out of the speakers. I have made it sound very good, but I know the room is holding my speaker back.

It is not a lack of resolution, but at the level of the top end speakers I have heard the Blades did not have the most resolution. However, I consider them the best speakers I have heard by a lot. That is measured by the amount of fun I have listening to the Blades.

@4afsanakhan Great writeup on your demo. I also agree that the Blade does not have the utmost in resolution as compared to Be drivers. However, that soundstage on the Blade is what kills me. That makes the sound seem so real life. 

The Blades go down to 3 Ohms if I remember the Stereophile review correctly. Most SS amps are rated at 4-Ohms and 8-Ohms continuous power. Here are some amps I would consider for the Blades that are not outrageously expensive. The KRELL and CODA can go down to 2-Ohms, I asked the designers on that. I have not owned the other 2, except a Parasound A21+ which is also a low-cost powerhouse.

- CODA #8, CODA #16 

- KRELL Duo 300XD 

- Parasound JC5

- Hegel 360, 390, 590

This is a crazy idea that I have but the chances of me moving house are not that great in this CA housing market. However, the chances of me getting a Blade is much more doable.

The last todo audio thing I want to do is replace my speakers in the living room, our fun room with something bigger. The Yamaha NS5000 was the plan but I do like the Blade 2 better. My other 2 systems are now completed.

What do you Blade users think if I replaced the LS50s in these photos with the Blade 2. To the right of the right speaker, I have a partial wall and an opening to the family room. So, lots of volume in this space, even if the dimensions are not wide. I have a staircase on the opposite wall of where the system resides.

I am not looking for audiophile perfection here. Just to understand if placing the Blade 2 so close to the wall would work? I will not put a speaker on the short wall.

Living Room System | Virtual Listening Room (audiogon.com)

I would move around some of the shevling.

@steve59 Thanks, that is what I thought about front wall placement with the Blades. Every time I heard them (maybe 5 times) they always had distance from the front wall.

I guess I need to get rich and move to a bigger house.

@steve59 A Musetec 005 will get you a lot of sound for $3K. A slightly warm sounding DAC. I have one.

I was re-reading this thread again and wanted to update with some placement observations I had.

I moved my Thiel CS3.7’s to my living room and placed them on the LONG wall placement. I have about 7 feet on the left side and about 5 feet on the right side before any wall. The wall on the right side is only 3 feet tall with a big opening to the family room. My Livingroom ceiling is 25+ feet. I put the Thiel CS3.7 1 foot from the front wall.

The sound was excellent. Very wide soundstage, imaging was excellent. I think the large amount of space on either side of the speaker and also the tall height made the close front wall placement not a huge detriment.

I contacted KEF UK and they told me that the BLADE 2 META only needs 9 inches at a minimum from the front wall, maybe even less on some rooms. This is even closer than where I placed the Thiel CS3.7.

So, I am a happy camper now. I sold my CS3.7 yesterday and put that money to grow into the Blades. I was thinking of using the Benchmark AHB2 monos (just need to buy 1 more AHB2). Though a KRELL 300XD or the CODA #16 seem like the smarter choice.

I heard the Hegel H360 and then the H30 (I believe). It was their top-of-the-line mono block with the Blade 1. The H30 did sound better, more powerful and exciting. The H30 is now replaced by the H30a. Something to do with a parts issue.

I decided to go with the CODA #16 for my Blade 2. I owned the CODA #8 and heard the #16. It will be an excellent match, 150, 300, 600 at 8, 4, 2 and the first 100 watts in Class A.

I went and demoed the Rotel Mitchi X3 integrated. I really wanted to hear the massively powerful monoblocks that people are raving about. The dealer only had the integrated. It was rather good and super quiet. A definite competitor to the Hegel H390 (based on my experience with the H360). I was wondering if I should try it with the Blade 2. If I want the massive power I figured I could get the #16 as monos.