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KEF Reference 1s or Wilson Sophias

I’m using KEF Reference 1s driven by an Ayre XV-5 Twenty amp and augmented by a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s with bass management. The sound is excellent. I have a fond memory of the sound with Wilson Sophias, but a memory 20 years old. Has anyone had an opportunity to compare the sound with these two speakers within a closer time frame? If so, what are your thoughts?

dbphd

Showing 2 responses by dbphd

dbphd OP
1,632 posts
 

Erik, I think my itch is over.  A 20 year old sonic memory is not a basis for making a $6K decision, and that seems to be the going price of Sophias.  In truth, the Reference 1s, augmented by the HGS-15s, are superb.  The subs integrate seamlessly using the acoustic room correction, and provide a very satisfying experience with large orchestrations.  Somehow the combination yields a wall of sound with detailed imaging within it.  Resurrecting a 20 year old memory often results in disappointment.

dbphd OP
1,632 posts
 

Low-pass is by a Velodyne SMS-1 bass manager that provides acoustic room correction, high-pass by a balanced passive Marchand.  The KEFs are driven by Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp and VX-5 Twenty amp.  Sources are Roon via Ethernet through a QX-5 Twenty and a DX-5 DSD disc player.  I'm never aware of the mains and subs as separate sonic sources. 

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