Kef Blade one Meta - How is the sound ?

[Descartes]

In the house...unpacking and doing 300 hr speaker burn in...

Sweet more pictures please

 

[Descartes]

Nobody rock the Blade One Metas hard than The warning!

Can I please come over and demo your speakers

 

[Tholowrich]

I received my Blade 2 Metas in August after a long wait. I have about 200 hours on them and they sound absolutely wonderful. I am running them with only 100 watts (tube). Very happy!

 

[muslhead]

You mean "300 hr ear burn in", don't you?

Do Audio Speakers Break-in?

There are a lot of "everybody knows" type of rules in audio with one of them being that audio gear in general, and speakers in the specific, benefit from "break-in." That is, their performance improves after some time. This is mostly touted by audiophiles but manufacturers also fuel this...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Jim

Cut him some slack, this is only his 3rd post.

 

[steve59]

we read reviews of all those elite brands that don’t come to life until 500 hours, and reviewers reiterate it in their writing and it’s easy to understand. whe I bring home a new (to me) pair of speakers it probably takes me 100 hours of inching the speakers and chair around before I relax and just enjoy.

 

[Descartes]

I received my Blade 2 Metas in August after a long wait. I have about 200 hours on them and they sound absolutely wonderful. I am running them with only 100 watts (tube). Very happy!

Pictures please

 

[Tholowrich]

Pictures please

 

[steve59]

The Blade 2 doesn't dominate a room like the blade or ref 5 does, Much higher waf I presume.

 

[Descartes]

Oh my! Did you get a good deal on these? I am into multichannel audio and movies never listen to stereo anymore except with my iPod Pro

 

[Tholowrich]

Oh my! Did you get a good deal on these? I am into multichannel audio and movies never listen to stereo anymore except with my iPod Pro

Decent deal - about 14% off [retail / price per their website] via a dealer.

 

[Descartes]

Decent deal - about 14% off [retail / price per their website] via a dealer.

Nice but still expensive especially since the margins are probably between 40 to 50 points off MSRP!

 

[Tholowrich]

Good luck with finding/making a deal. Also, know that the wait list/time is loooong.

 

[Descartes]

Good luck with finding/making a deal. Also, know that the wait list/time is loooong.

Way out of my price range! Out of curiosity how long is the wait?

 

[Tholowrich]

Way out of my price range! Out of curiosity how long is the wait?

When checking on the status of my order with the Regional Manager for KEF America back in July, he told me that I was lucky that I ordered mine early. There are only four techs/craftsmen making the Blades as I understand it. He also said that most [if not all] of the Blade Metas manufactured since launch were going to dealers for showroom demos and that any models other than Bronze/Charcoal and Copper/Black would take an inordinate about of time to deliver. All that combined with the fact that KEF has a global customer base and the post-pandemic supply chain, logistical, skilled labor challenges, bodes for a 9 to 12 month waiting period. He said that after my pair, there were only two more pairs destined for customers in the US this year.

 

[steve59]

I take 44 to 40 going thru OK every spring when I ride out to Arizona. I'm not familiar with Zanden audio and would love a listen.

 

[Tholowrich]

I take 44 to 40 going thru OK every spring when I ride out to Arizona. I'm not familiar with Zanden audio and would love a listen.

Where do you live? Do you know any audiophiles residing in OK?

 

[steve59]

I live in Carol Stream IL with family in Arizona. It's a great motorcycle ride heading west.

 

[Deleted member 56284]

Hello everyone! New to the forum and very interested in everyone’s Blade experiences and opinions. I have extensive experience with them so I thought that I would share my story. My journey began a year ago with the purchase of blade two. Was driving them with a Macintosh mc452. Loved them but decided to go with the blade one. They had some shipping damage scuffing the finish. In the mean time the blades went out of production so I was upgraded to the metas. I ran the originals for close to a year. I absolutely love those speakers. In the meantime I ditched the McIntosh equipment. Nothing wrong with it, but it was just too polite for my taste. They are now being driven with Aavik class d gear. It really grabbed those speakers by the butt! Now fast forward to the metas. Initial impressions for me were noticeable right away. Highs are cleaner and they present the texture of the music with a little more detail / separation. I’m still breaking them in, but in my book it was worth the wait. Imho you can’t go wrong with any of them. Had I not been in the unique situation that I was in I would have kept the originals, but am extremely happy with the metas so far. Positioning is key with these speakers. When you hit it in your environment they will not disappoint. On a last note, I am fond of many manufacturers and models. So much candy for the big kids!

 

[Deleted member 56284]

Jim

I did a long straight out a b comparison between the two in my living room on my system. I listened to the blades everyday for a year. And yes the difference was quite apparent immediately. For me it’s there. Just running them and breaking them in. These are my impressions. I gather by the emoji you know better. I’m sharing my story. If it’s a problem or arguments or any nonsense of that nature, let me know and I’ll be more than happily to leave the forum.

 

[steve59]

congrats on your blade metas, when I bought my blades I knew the metas were a year or 2 away but still decided a like new pair of the originals at half price would satisfy. As you say room placement is everything.