Old thread I know, I have been trying a pair and initially they sound good tight base clear highs. But after 3 weeks they are sounding thin and kind of lifeless. Added back in my modded Tyler Acoustic Halo Extreme and the 3d was back the excitement and vibrant sound had returned. I have about 6k into these speakers you would think the kef would blow them away. Not.
New KEF Reference 5 speakers
After many months of auditioning speakers (and probably testing the patience of several salesmen) I finally decided to get the KEF Reference 5s. I just loved the wide sound stage and almost holographic imaging, among other things. They were delivered in February and I’ve spent many hours listening. At first I was disappointed. They just didn’t produce the same imaging at my house with my equipment as in the store. Also, they sounded bright and harsh with violins and high end music. The dealer came to my house along with the regional sales rep from KEF to provide advice. They urged me to allow more break in time (at that point they had been played about 100 hours). After many more hours, I am becoming more acquainted with them. They are still improving with time. Them break in period seems to be very lon. They’ve played several hundred hours and are still improving. They are extremely source sensitive—meaning that a poorly engineered record or CD will sound terrible and a well recorded one can be great. I suppose this is a good thing with the KEFS-that they reveal flaws so well says something about their accuracy. Unfortunately there seem to be more bad recordings than good ones so I’m finding many of my CDs and records very difficult to listen to. I am still experimenting with speaker placement, learning which recordings are really good and which aren’t and other tweaks. Not totally convinced it’s love but we are at least in like and the relationship is moving in a positive direction. I’ve delayed posting anything until now because I didn’t want to share any premature conclusions.