KEF Reference 1 bass response?

While I bought the KEF Reference 3s, I seriously considered the 1s. First off - as an owner of the brand/line, I am, of course, biased. That out of the way, driven properly, the 1s are very good. Whether or not you will need/want a sub will depend on 1) music preferences, 2) volume preferences, 3) related equipment, and 4) room volume.

The 1s realistically go satisfyingly down to 40 - actually a bit below.  Do the 3s and 5s go lower? Yes. Louder too.  But, the 1 offers a surprising amount of bass. Unless you’re trying to recreate the full wait of an orchestra at volume or something like that. 

If you do go with the speaker and desire to add a sub, make sure it’s of comparable quality. You could also live with the speaker for a while to see if it meets your needs and add a sub later if desired.

Good luck,

 

Anyway, the deepest bass (sub 50hz) is not really present in most recordings and will mostly benefit you in terms of room atmosphere and the "blackness" of the background. Other than that, most bass is between 80 and 120 Hz, of which the Ref 1s have plenty of.

I own the Reference 3s and I heard them with the Hegel H390, it's a great pairing, I would recommend without any doubt. Hegel also happens to do the in-house listening with KEF speakers, which says a bit about the pairing.

First of all, the Ref 1s are not "bookshelf" speakers.  They are pretty decent sized monitors and would not work in any bookshelf.

I have Ref 1s for my main system in a fairly large room in my house.  They have a surprising amount of bass for their size.  I think they might be perfect for an apartment. 

I have 4 subs in use with mine, but my neighbors can hear my system at times, so subs are probably not a good idea in an apartment. 

Detail, imaging and soundstage are fantastic and they are pretty neutral, maybe just a tad on the warm side.

Although I do not own them, I have heard the Ref 1s and they are fantastic speakers. The advice you have been given above is spot on. Live with them for a while and maximize their positioning before adding a sub. Be aware that the addition of a sub may be problematic for your neighbors in your living situation.

Add a couple subwoofers depending on the room size. If not, you will be missing at least 1.5 octaves on the low end.

Possibly the most disappointing speaker I have ever heard. Such great expectations but it did nothing right when I heard them.  Blown out of the water by the Legacy Calibre for example.   

Thanks for the feedback everyone much appreciated!