Question:
Got a demo of the Kefs the other day and thought they were excellent. Anyone here got any experience of using these with the big Pioneer amp?
I personally wouldn't waste the big pioneer on kef eggs, i would go for something more high end tbh.
Certainly you would benefit from "better" and bigger speakers but big amps driving the Kef's produce superb results.
If your space is limited or you don't want to look like an audio shop theres nothing wrong with the combination.
CLH: My thoughts exactly. :)
dtsrules: I'd love to pair the Pioneer with the Mordaunt Short THX pack but my living room just wouldn't accomodate them no matter how much I wish it would and I don't have another room I could turn into a dedicated cinema.
I also note that the Kef's have been upgraded too. (over on the news on homecinemachoice)
You good have a look at speakers from the Anthony Gallo range
These would probably do justice to the AX10 and are also very discrete.
Cheers
VC
vee_cee: Those are really,really nice looking. My missus will love 'em! Any good online reviews? A 6.1 A'Diva setup with matching powered sub is a non-trivial purchase putting it mildly!
Needless to say I took the opertunity to get the free brochure while I was on the AG site. :)
Try the powerbuy section on the avforums for cheap(ish) gallos.
OK, after reading about the AG's over on avforums i'll definitely have to audition them. They seem to be very well thought of.
Originally posted by Ron Hill
OK, after reading about the AG's over on avforums i'll definitely have to audition them. They seem to be very well thought of.
Internet buzz was very high but What HiFi review very disappointing and oddly enough said couldn'y justify buying over the Kef's.
Mind you WHFi are sometimes prettty poor in their reviews so must be worth an audition. Try and get back to back using same amp and setup.
CLH: That's exactly what i'm going to do. Next Tuesday to be precise. :)
Originally posted by Ron Hill
CLH: That's exactly what i'm going to do. Next Tuesday to be precise. :)
You'll have fun at least!!!!!!!!!!!:clap:
Is that next Tuesday as in tomorrow or next week? Interested to hear your comments. This Wednesday I will be comparing Eggs and Balls over at Urban Tiger's, with his Tag/Arcam set up. Since I've already bought the Eggs and the guy coming with me has already bought the Balls I don't know how objective we can afford to be! I guess Urban will provide all the objectivity we need...
And to throw another spanner into the works, what about the b&w vm1s, not exactly egg size but not far off and are said to be better than the eggs.
Originally posted by dtsrules
And to throw another spanner into the works, what about the b&w vm1s, not exactly egg size but not far off and are said to be better than the eggs.
Also a good idea.
Interestingly just spent a weekend with some friends.
They have a NAD setup with some really big speakers.
Frankly the 3802 and Kef Eggs absolutely slaughter them!
Originally posted by richard67
Is that next Tuesday as in tomorrow or next week?
Tuesday 18th.
Ron, if you're interested, the Kefs won the Gallo-Egg comparison comfortably. Yes, I know there are plenty who will beg to differ, but Urban T and I were in no doubt. Even my pal who owns the balls was quick to admit the Kefs won 2 out of 3 comparisons. There you go.
I also have the kef eggs kht 2005. I have just set them up last thursday..and oh boy am I pleased:D
I'm not sure on one thing tho I have a yamaha rxv630 rds amp and i simply ran the sub out to the sub and connected it to the line in left of the sub, and then it is showing that you connect the high pass output left to the line in right - which i haven't done should i also do this? what will the difference be......
Badaman, I don't actually use the Kef sub so can't help you personally. Can you ring/visit the dealer who sold you the Kefs? You've got a good amp there so connection should be no problem whatsoever once you know exactly how it's done...
Just to concur with Richard, I was very disappointed in the Balls. Had been looking forward to this test for a while after all the hype. Whilst listening to the balls I couldn't get the thought out of my head that it was like listening to tinny radio.
The Eggs carried a touch more bass and held better depth and soundstaging than the balls. In fact, whilst playing certain music tracks, some of the instruments almost totally disappeared with the balls attached.
I know the first comment will be 'you need to use a subwoofer', but thats also true with the Eggs. You will need to use a high crossover to recover some of this information which then makes your sub directional.
I'm the first to criticise What Hifi and their reviews, but I think they got it right this time.
I still think he has to have a listen to the B&w vm1s, they are said to be better than the eggs so have to be worth at least a demo.
Originally posted by dtsrules
I still think he has to have a listen to the B&w vm1s, they are said to be better than the eggs so have to be worth at least a demo.
I concur. As an egg owner these are the only things I'd swap for.
Unfortunately I think they are a little bit and (width aside) are pretty much as tall as the average bookshelf speaker.
This all makes fascinating reading. Over on AVForums, the Gallo's seem to rule the roost in small speaker land. Tuesday is sure going to be interesting. :) Lots of comments on AVF that the Gallo's need a good run in as they sound hard edged to start off with.
AVForums also have a bit of a bias as one of there posters sells the gallos. Might be worth trying to have a listen to the new "double balls" gallos, duo or something they call em.
WARNING WARNING WARNING.
Sorry to be meldramatic.
What Hi Fi report Kef KHT2005.2 available soon. The eggs have been upped to 27khz and the amp +10db at 30hz and an extra 100 watts of power from an additional 5cm worth of driver. All at the same price.
It's OK CLH. I'm aware of the .2 upgrade on the Kefs. I'l be sure to ask when I listen tomorrow which versions i'm listening to. :)
Cool, (sub now comes in silver mind, not sure I'd like that as much but you could go for the black eggs if need be or SHUDDER the chrome ones!)
UP, the day of reckoning is upon us!
OK. I'm just back from auditioning the Kefs vs the AG Nucleus Micro's.
Listening material:
CD - Holst's Planet Suite (Montreal Symphony Orch. Charles Dutoit conducting)
CD - Pain Of Salvation "Remedy Lane"
CD - Alan Parsons Project "Eye In The Sky"
CD - Coldplay: "Rush Of Blood to the head"
DVD - Earthshine (fantastic 5.1 new agey stuff from Ryan Shore. Gives top and bottom end a good workout and plenty of plinky transients.)
DVD - Ice Age. The opening sequence. Good slam test when the ice disconnects from the cliff and drops down and lots of busy surround from the multitudinous ice dagger impacts.
Hardware:
Harmon Kardon DVD and matching HK Amp.
In the silver corner: The Kef 5.1 pack with matching sub. (NB. NOT the new .2 upgrades)
In the metallic blue corner: The AG's and the matching mps 150 sub.
I went through selected tracks from the above on the Kefs and then swapped to the Micro's and played the same material. Approximately 20 minutes on each system.
The Kefs (fully run in) did a grand job of the movie material with stuff flying around in a most convincing manner and the sub was well integrated from initial setup. With the music, the top end to my ear was lacking and the midrange was definitely cluttered. Instruments lacked absolute separation and clarity but the overall performance was enjoyable enough. They sounded much like my Digitheatre DTS to be honest but with a more coherent soundfield effect and VASTLY improved bass.
Now the Gallo's (two thirds run in according to the shop guy).
To my ears the difference is immediate. The soundfield with DVD is much more spacious and the individual components of each soundtrack stand out cleanly. The only downer was the overall sound was a little bright but as the speakers were not fully run in I took this into account (and you can always take off excess treble providing it's there in the first place!). The sub woofer was initially not setup right and was slamming the bejesus out of everything! Shop guy adjusted the sub and the result was most satisfactory and pleasing.
In conclusion I found The Kefs were OK for the money and certainly kick my Digitheatre DTS into a cocked hat (esp. the sub) but they ultimately lacked the musical subtlety and open spaciousness of the AG's. It's the AG's for me by quite a mark. I'm still shocked by the scale of the sound out of those tiny little spheres.
I'm now left wondering however what the A'Divas are like as I was mightily impressed by the Nucleus Micro's.
Wow Ron an interesting result and perhaps a little unexpected.
I have no reason to doubt your findings. To my mind the Kefs are inherently musical and have an extremely wide soundstage indeed and I went back to satellites from full B&W floorstanders.
It's certainly an eye opener when someone does the full demo (which I sometimes think WHFI dont follow) and it shows the benefits of a full demo.
The only thing I would add is perhaps a comment on the listening material (Ice Age is good but one of the Star Wars or perhaps Saving Private Ryan would be an even better test) although the CD collection seems good.
My only other comment would be on driveability. I don't know the drive characteristics of the amp and Gallo's so it would be worth knowing whether the Gallo's are easier to drive )thus creating a different impression with a "weaker"amp than the Kef's with a powerful amp (which is what you have planned.
I listen to a lot of music so music was my focus in the audition but as I had to take one surround test I chose Ice Age as I feel it is a really well balanced surround soundtrack. It's not as "in your face" as something like the opening of T2 or Earth going boom in Titan AE but it does have all the ingredients of a good surround experience and crucially it has a lot of subtle sounds that don't come out on low detail systems and it has very clearly defined movement around the sound field even on the quieter effects. My Digitheatre hasn't a prayer with a lot of it! In fact, I wasn't even aware how much was going on at the start of Ice Age sound wise until I heard it on a M&K reference system in Flicks in Bangor. That educated my ears as to what to listen out for. The AG's passed all my tests and preferences. The Kef's didn't do it for me in a few crucial areas.
Originally posted by CLH
Wow Ron an interesting result and perhaps a little unexpected. Why is it unexpected? Without even listening to them I would have anticipated the Gallo's to be better than the KEF's just by looking at their price tags..
:confused:
Of course the price/quality argument doesn't always work - BOSE comes to mind.. :gag:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
Why is it unexpected? Without even listening to them I would have anticipated the Gallo's to be better than the KEF's just by looking at their price tags..
:confused:
Of course the price/quality argument doesn't always work - BOSE comes to mind.. :gag:
Baps, you've just made a self defeating argument in one sentence?!?!?
There are chrome special finish Kef's for £1200 (same price as Gallos) would you expect them to be as good?
I went in with negative expectations of both systems as I keep getting spoiled listening to the drool worthy kit in my local specialist but I really was impressed by the AG's. The system is also significantly smaller in size than my Digitheatre DTS so they will definitely get the AOK from the missus. :)
Originally posted by Ron Hill
I went in with negative expectations of both systems as I keep getting spoiled listening to the drool worthy kit in my local specialist but I really was impressed by the AG's. The system is also significantly smaller in size than my Digitheatre DTS so they will definitely get the AOK from the missus. :)
Ron, I didn't want to seem negative above. Franky I'd believe anyone on here over WHFi.
Perhaps now I know how to spend the bonus I just got!!!!!
Originally posted by CLH
There are chrome special finish Kef's for £1200 (same price as Gallos) would you expect them to be as good? If the only difference over the £700 standard ones was the chrome finish (£500 for chrome? :nuts: ), then no I wouldn't...
:confused:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
If the only difference over the £700 standard ones was the chrome finish (£500 for chrome? :nuts: ), then no I wouldn't...
:confused:
Precisely, and that is the only difference!!!!!!!!! What a waste of money.
Hey Ron, don't suppose you checked out the double gallos?
Where can you buy single kef eggs from, i know someone who wants a pair but doesn't want to pay fortunes for them.
Originally posted by dtsrules
Where can you buy single kef eggs from, i know someone who wants a pair but doesn't want to pay fortunes for them.
Theres some black ones for £60 each or £150 three on the avforums, otherwise most dealers will do £100 each.
I seem to remember one company doing them for £99 or 2 for £160 but i can't remember who it was now :(
Think it was that one in Langley that I can't remember?
Answers:
I personally wouldn't waste the big pioneer on kef eggs, i would go for something more high end tbh.
Answers:
Certainly you would benefit from "better" and bigger speakers but big amps driving the Kef's produce superb results.
If your space is limited or you don't want to look like an audio shop theres nothing wrong with the combination.
Answers:
CLH: My thoughts exactly. :)
dtsrules: I'd love to pair the Pioneer with the Mordaunt Short THX pack but my living room just wouldn't accomodate them no matter how much I wish it would and I don't have another room I could turn into a dedicated cinema.
I also note that the Kef's have been upgraded too. (over on the news on homecinemachoice)
Answers:
You good have a look at speakers from the Anthony Gallo range
These would probably do justice to the AX10 and are also very discrete.
Cheers
VC
Answers:
vee_cee: Those are really,really nice looking. My missus will love 'em! Any good online reviews? A 6.1 A'Diva setup with matching powered sub is a non-trivial purchase putting it mildly!
Needless to say I took the opertunity to get the free brochure while I was on the AG site. :)
Answers:
Try the powerbuy section on the avforums for cheap(ish) gallos.
Answers:
OK, after reading about the AG's over on avforums i'll definitely have to audition them. They seem to be very well thought of.
Answers:
Originally posted by Ron Hill
OK, after reading about the AG's over on avforums i'll definitely have to audition them. They seem to be very well thought of.
Internet buzz was very high but What HiFi review very disappointing and oddly enough said couldn'y justify buying over the Kef's.
Mind you WHFi are sometimes prettty poor in their reviews so must be worth an audition. Try and get back to back using same amp and setup.
Answers:
CLH: That's exactly what i'm going to do. Next Tuesday to be precise. :)
Answers:
Originally posted by Ron Hill
CLH: That's exactly what i'm going to do. Next Tuesday to be precise. :)
You'll have fun at least!!!!!!!!!!!:clap:
Answers:
Is that next Tuesday as in tomorrow or next week? Interested to hear your comments. This Wednesday I will be comparing Eggs and Balls over at Urban Tiger's, with his Tag/Arcam set up. Since I've already bought the Eggs and the guy coming with me has already bought the Balls I don't know how objective we can afford to be! I guess Urban will provide all the objectivity we need...
Answers:
And to throw another spanner into the works, what about the b&w vm1s, not exactly egg size but not far off and are said to be better than the eggs.
Answers:
Originally posted by dtsrules
And to throw another spanner into the works, what about the b&w vm1s, not exactly egg size but not far off and are said to be better than the eggs.
Also a good idea.
Interestingly just spent a weekend with some friends.
They have a NAD setup with some really big speakers.
Frankly the 3802 and Kef Eggs absolutely slaughter them!
Answers:
Originally posted by richard67
Is that next Tuesday as in tomorrow or next week?
Tuesday 18th.
Answers:
Ron, if you're interested, the Kefs won the Gallo-Egg comparison comfortably. Yes, I know there are plenty who will beg to differ, but Urban T and I were in no doubt. Even my pal who owns the balls was quick to admit the Kefs won 2 out of 3 comparisons. There you go.
Answers:
I also have the kef eggs kht 2005. I have just set them up last thursday..and oh boy am I pleased:D
I'm not sure on one thing tho I have a yamaha rxv630 rds amp and i simply ran the sub out to the sub and connected it to the line in left of the sub, and then it is showing that you connect the high pass output left to the line in right - which i haven't done should i also do this? what will the difference be......
Answers:
Badaman, I don't actually use the Kef sub so can't help you personally. Can you ring/visit the dealer who sold you the Kefs? You've got a good amp there so connection should be no problem whatsoever once you know exactly how it's done...
Answers:
Just to concur with Richard, I was very disappointed in the Balls. Had been looking forward to this test for a while after all the hype. Whilst listening to the balls I couldn't get the thought out of my head that it was like listening to tinny radio.
The Eggs carried a touch more bass and held better depth and soundstaging than the balls. In fact, whilst playing certain music tracks, some of the instruments almost totally disappeared with the balls attached.
I know the first comment will be 'you need to use a subwoofer', but thats also true with the Eggs. You will need to use a high crossover to recover some of this information which then makes your sub directional.
I'm the first to criticise What Hifi and their reviews, but I think they got it right this time.
Answers:
I still think he has to have a listen to the B&w vm1s, they are said to be better than the eggs so have to be worth at least a demo.
Answers:
Originally posted by dtsrules
I still think he has to have a listen to the B&w vm1s, they are said to be better than the eggs so have to be worth at least a demo.
I concur. As an egg owner these are the only things I'd swap for.
Unfortunately I think they are a little bit and (width aside) are pretty much as tall as the average bookshelf speaker.
Answers:
This all makes fascinating reading. Over on AVForums, the Gallo's seem to rule the roost in small speaker land. Tuesday is sure going to be interesting. :) Lots of comments on AVF that the Gallo's need a good run in as they sound hard edged to start off with.
Answers:
AVForums also have a bit of a bias as one of there posters sells the gallos. Might be worth trying to have a listen to the new "double balls" gallos, duo or something they call em.
Answers:
WARNING WARNING WARNING.
Sorry to be meldramatic.
What Hi Fi report Kef KHT2005.2 available soon. The eggs have been upped to 27khz and the amp +10db at 30hz and an extra 100 watts of power from an additional 5cm worth of driver. All at the same price.
Answers:
It's OK CLH. I'm aware of the .2 upgrade on the Kefs. I'l be sure to ask when I listen tomorrow which versions i'm listening to. :)
Answers:
Cool, (sub now comes in silver mind, not sure I'd like that as much but you could go for the black eggs if need be or SHUDDER the chrome ones!)
Answers:
UP, the day of reckoning is upon us!
Answers:
OK. I'm just back from auditioning the Kefs vs the AG Nucleus Micro's.
Listening material:
CD - Holst's Planet Suite (Montreal Symphony Orch. Charles Dutoit conducting)
CD - Pain Of Salvation "Remedy Lane"
CD - Alan Parsons Project "Eye In The Sky"
CD - Coldplay: "Rush Of Blood to the head"
DVD - Earthshine (fantastic 5.1 new agey stuff from Ryan Shore. Gives top and bottom end a good workout and plenty of plinky transients.)
DVD - Ice Age. The opening sequence. Good slam test when the ice disconnects from the cliff and drops down and lots of busy surround from the multitudinous ice dagger impacts.
Hardware:
Harmon Kardon DVD and matching HK Amp.
In the silver corner: The Kef 5.1 pack with matching sub. (NB. NOT the new .2 upgrades)
In the metallic blue corner: The AG's and the matching mps 150 sub.
I went through selected tracks from the above on the Kefs and then swapped to the Micro's and played the same material. Approximately 20 minutes on each system.
The Kefs (fully run in) did a grand job of the movie material with stuff flying around in a most convincing manner and the sub was well integrated from initial setup. With the music, the top end to my ear was lacking and the midrange was definitely cluttered. Instruments lacked absolute separation and clarity but the overall performance was enjoyable enough. They sounded much like my Digitheatre DTS to be honest but with a more coherent soundfield effect and VASTLY improved bass.
Now the Gallo's (two thirds run in according to the shop guy).
To my ears the difference is immediate. The soundfield with DVD is much more spacious and the individual components of each soundtrack stand out cleanly. The only downer was the overall sound was a little bright but as the speakers were not fully run in I took this into account (and you can always take off excess treble providing it's there in the first place!). The sub woofer was initially not setup right and was slamming the bejesus out of everything! Shop guy adjusted the sub and the result was most satisfactory and pleasing.
In conclusion I found The Kefs were OK for the money and certainly kick my Digitheatre DTS into a cocked hat (esp. the sub) but they ultimately lacked the musical subtlety and open spaciousness of the AG's. It's the AG's for me by quite a mark. I'm still shocked by the scale of the sound out of those tiny little spheres.
I'm now left wondering however what the A'Divas are like as I was mightily impressed by the Nucleus Micro's.
Answers:
Wow Ron an interesting result and perhaps a little unexpected.
I have no reason to doubt your findings. To my mind the Kefs are inherently musical and have an extremely wide soundstage indeed and I went back to satellites from full B&W floorstanders.
It's certainly an eye opener when someone does the full demo (which I sometimes think WHFI dont follow) and it shows the benefits of a full demo.
The only thing I would add is perhaps a comment on the listening material (Ice Age is good but one of the Star Wars or perhaps Saving Private Ryan would be an even better test) although the CD collection seems good.
My only other comment would be on driveability. I don't know the drive characteristics of the amp and Gallo's so it would be worth knowing whether the Gallo's are easier to drive )thus creating a different impression with a "weaker"amp than the Kef's with a powerful amp (which is what you have planned.
Answers:
I listen to a lot of music so music was my focus in the audition but as I had to take one surround test I chose Ice Age as I feel it is a really well balanced surround soundtrack. It's not as "in your face" as something like the opening of T2 or Earth going boom in Titan AE but it does have all the ingredients of a good surround experience and crucially it has a lot of subtle sounds that don't come out on low detail systems and it has very clearly defined movement around the sound field even on the quieter effects. My Digitheatre hasn't a prayer with a lot of it! In fact, I wasn't even aware how much was going on at the start of Ice Age sound wise until I heard it on a M&K reference system in Flicks in Bangor. That educated my ears as to what to listen out for. The AG's passed all my tests and preferences. The Kef's didn't do it for me in a few crucial areas.
Answers:
Originally posted by CLH
Wow Ron an interesting result and perhaps a little unexpected. Why is it unexpected? Without even listening to them I would have anticipated the Gallo's to be better than the KEF's just by looking at their price tags..
:confused:
Of course the price/quality argument doesn't always work - BOSE comes to mind.. :gag:
Answers:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
Why is it unexpected? Without even listening to them I would have anticipated the Gallo's to be better than the KEF's just by looking at their price tags..
:confused:
Of course the price/quality argument doesn't always work - BOSE comes to mind.. :gag:
Baps, you've just made a self defeating argument in one sentence?!?!?
There are chrome special finish Kef's for £1200 (same price as Gallos) would you expect them to be as good?
Answers:
I went in with negative expectations of both systems as I keep getting spoiled listening to the drool worthy kit in my local specialist but I really was impressed by the AG's. The system is also significantly smaller in size than my Digitheatre DTS so they will definitely get the AOK from the missus. :)
Answers:
Originally posted by Ron Hill
I went in with negative expectations of both systems as I keep getting spoiled listening to the drool worthy kit in my local specialist but I really was impressed by the AG's. The system is also significantly smaller in size than my Digitheatre DTS so they will definitely get the AOK from the missus. :)
Ron, I didn't want to seem negative above. Franky I'd believe anyone on here over WHFi.
Perhaps now I know how to spend the bonus I just got!!!!!
Answers:
Originally posted by CLH
There are chrome special finish Kef's for £1200 (same price as Gallos) would you expect them to be as good? If the only difference over the £700 standard ones was the chrome finish (£500 for chrome? :nuts: ), then no I wouldn't...
:confused:
Answers:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
If the only difference over the £700 standard ones was the chrome finish (£500 for chrome? :nuts: ), then no I wouldn't...
:confused:
Precisely, and that is the only difference!!!!!!!!! What a waste of money.
Hey Ron, don't suppose you checked out the double gallos?
Answers:
Where can you buy single kef eggs from, i know someone who wants a pair but doesn't want to pay fortunes for them.
Answers:
Originally posted by dtsrules
Where can you buy single kef eggs from, i know someone who wants a pair but doesn't want to pay fortunes for them.
Theres some black ones for £60 each or £150 three on the avforums, otherwise most dealers will do £100 each.
Answers:
I seem to remember one company doing them for £99 or 2 for £160 but i can't remember who it was now :(
Answers:
Think it was that one in Langley that I can't remember?
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