KEF and their slopping response, neutral ?!

[fineMen]

Good that you ask. No, don't. You would hurt yourself. What can be done is to apply some damping foam to the horn's outward rim.

ps: with the R3 it helps to attach the grille. The resulting dip a 7kHz doesn't matter to me. But lower mids get elevated by, say, 1dB, 2kHz dip is filled up by one additional db, lower treble gets down by half to one dB. Looks like the first R3s were designed with the grille in mind, despite the manual telling otherwise.

 

[Mart68]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's 2023. If I had to live with a commercial offering, I'd definitely EQ it how I pleased. The chances of them getting it just the way you like are very slim.

I just bought shedloads of speakers over a period of thirty years until I came across one where they did get it just the way I like it.

Of course that approach isn't for everyone..

 

[fpitas]

I just bought shedloads of speakers over a period of thirty years until I came across one where they did get it just the way I like it.

Of course that approach isn't for everyone..

Also, it costs a lot more than EQ

 

[Mart68]

Also, it costs a lot more than EQ

It's not so much the money as the time. Can always make more money.

If only I knew then what I know now etc...

 

[Mario Sanchez]

If I catch it right, somewhere along the line before the launch of the Blade and Reference Metas there's been a bit of a paradigm shift in KEF's engineering target, and now the goal is to provide as smooth of a sound power response as possible, while permitting some On-Axis/Listening Window deviations, hence the on-axis slope.

I would assume that this change is to accommodate reflective, domestic rooms and improve listener preference in these environments, but if one feels dissatisfied with this change, or have a well-damped, acoustically dead listening room, it should be relatively easy to reshape the response to provide a flatter LW, as directivity is fairly smooth and well-controlled in KEF speakers in general, it also didn't really change that much between generations, as the enclosure design remains unchanged.

 

[fpitas]

If I catch it right, somewhere along the line before the launch of the Blade and Reference Metas there's been a bit of a paradigm shift in KEF's engineering target, and now the goal is to provide as smooth of a sound power response as possible, while permitting some On-Axis/Listening Window deviations, hence the on-axis slope.

I would assume that this change is to accommodate reflective, domestic rooms and improve listener preference in these environments, but if one feels dissatisfied with this change, or have a well-damped, acoustically dead listening room, it should be relatively easy to reshape the response to provide a flatter LW, as directivity is fairly smooth and well-controlled in KEF speakers in general, it also didn't really change that much between generations, as the enclosure design remains unchanged.

I view it as deciding to forego "shiny object" tuning, like so many high-end speakers achieve, in favor of actual high fidelity. Good for them.

 

[mhardy6647]

Good for getting general tonality to where you want. But most likely fixed Q. It was very tough for the old analog stuff to get the flexibility of DSP. I can dial up PEQ centered on 1Hz increments, with Q from 0.3 to 72. Take that, analog!

Yea, totes (as the hep cats say) ... just wanted the whippersnappers to know that EQ didn't spring from the same era and font of innovation as opera windows and double knits!

 

[fpitas]

Yea, totes (as the hep cats say) ... just wanted the whippersnappers to know that EQ didn't spring from the same era and font of innovation as opera windows and double knits!

Heck no. I bet they had something almost as soon as theater sound was a thing, back in the 30s or earlier.

 

[ahofer]

108 posts in and the thread title still says “slopping”. I’ve heard several KEF speakers and “slopping” isn’t really the first word that comes to mind.

 

[fpitas]

108 posts in and the thread title still says “slopping”. I’ve heard several KEF speakers and “slopping” isn’t really the first word that comes to mind.

I think the OP has to request correction. Maybe.

 

[YSC]

108 posts in and the thread title still says “slopping”. I’ve heard several KEF speakers and “slopping” isn’t really the first word that comes to mind.

even worse is that not even one in room measurement is shown... maybe the audition pair did have some sloping (maybe even upward), who knows

 

[ahofer]

I think the OP has to request correction. Maybe.

You can edit your own thread titles. At least I have.

 

[ahofer]

even worse is that not even one in room measurement is shown... maybe the audition pair did have some sloping (maybe even upward), who knows

Perhaps slopping means an unmeasured FR defect.

 

[fpitas]

Perhaps slopping means an unmeasured FR defect.

I picture it more as buzzes or humming noises from a bad driver or cabinet.

 

[YSC]

Perhaps slopping means an unmeasured FR defect.

thing is if OP isn't making up story, I am really interestsed to see the in room measurement sweep with distortion and FR curve to just try to see if anything can make sense correlation to what he heard, I can be he just don't like KEF sound, or that something in the setup is wrong or even the demo speakers are over driven and broken, it's always interesting to see the data and try to make sense of it

 

[dogmamann]

Since the Kef uses a coaxial mid-tweeter, is it not possible that Stereoplay might not have set the mic to the correct axis?

Normally all speakers are measured on midrange axis , or in between the tweeter or mids. I guess they are wise enough to do that. I listened to elac velas in the same room with the same amp, it’s measured flat on treble and I could hear nuances in treble more pronounced. But I like the coherence of the Kef more.

 

[Ricardojoa]

Normally all speakers are measured on midrange axis , or in between the tweeter or mids. I guess they are wise enough to do that. I listened to elac velas in the same room with the same amp, it’s measured flat on treble and I could hear nuances in treble more pronounced. But I like the coherence of the Kef more.

Which speaker measures from midrange axis?

 

[fpitas]

Which speaker measures from midrange axis?

Most MTMs do, but other than that...

 

[Ricardojoa]

Most MTMs do, but other than that...

Midrange axis from a mtm? Which mid? Top or bottom?

 

[fpitas]

Midrange axis from a mtm? Which mid? Top or bottom?

Middle of the two midranges, on-axis with the center mounted tweeter. That's how I measure mine.