Kef Blade 1 meta disappointed

[kma100]

View attachment 431758

Probably a Genelec model. You know, the one just out of reach…

 

[thewas]

Probably a Genelec model. You know, the one just out of reach…

The special edition with beryllium tweeter

 

[Pearljam5000]

The special edition with beryllium tweeter

Hehe
Now I wonder why doesn't KEF use a beryllium tweeter on the Blade.
Considering the price it makes sense

 

[terryforsythe]

A tough question! When someone like Erin says they are the best he has heard it's a strong statement. And Kal from Stereophile bought a pair he was so impressed. I think Kal has heard more high end speakers, or reviewed more, than Erin.

But that doesn't mean any individual would prefer them more than another speaker. Tastes vary. Personally, my demos left me very positive on the Blades. I do think the higher end ESLs from Martin Logan have some noticeable advantages with some music content over the Blades. But all around? it depends on how much you appreciate the transparency from electrostatics. The Blades seem really good across all music. I found the Perlisten towers competitive for less money but no store I found had both Perlisten and Blades in them at the same time.

Due to all the variables, it's tough to compare speakers even though I have been to about 10 high quality audio shops in the last 4-5 months.

Also, sometimes our brains become conditioned to what we use and accept that as normal.

As an anecdote, long, long ago I had a Carver M1.0T amplifier. It was designed to mimic the sound of some very expensive tube amplifier, but was all solid state. I assume it was designed to mimic the tube amplifer's harmonic distortion characteristics. At some point I traded it for some work I needed done on my car. Later, when I was better off financially, I bought an Adcom amplifier.

At first the Adcom amplifier sounded dry to me, it lacked the "sweetness" of the Carver's sound. As time went on, I liked it more and more - i.e., my brain became conditioned to it. At some point I heard another another Carver M1.0T, but this time the "sweetness" seemed overdone and I did not like it anywhere near as much as when the M1.0T was my main amplifier. I much preferred the Adcom by that point.

Now, with speakers take that effect and step it up a notch to also account for the characteristics of the room in which people listen to their speakers. I have had very open floor plans with tiled floors, throw rugs and high cielings for the last 30+ years. I have high RT60 in my family room, but I am conditioned to that. I actually prefer the sound in there over my office, which has half of the RT60 and better speakers, objectively speaking. If I were to stop listening to my family room system for a long time and only listen to my office system, then I probably no longer would like the long RT60 of my family room.

 

[Mayan]

But if you look at the other “small chain” Tweeter, that went out of business,

Formally known as DOW Sound City. Along with Radio Shack, Circuit City and Fry's Electronics which by the way if you're middle aged you've witnessed these changes unfold. Bring back the good ole Days! Wishful thoughts on my part.

 

[GXAlan]

Formally known as DOW Sound City. Along with Radio Shack, Circuit City and Fry's Electronics. Bring back the good ole Days! Wishful thoughts on my part.

The key is that you used to be able to go to Best Buy in the DVD era and go to the speaker section and play with the speaker switch board to hear differences under low stress. It’s much trickier for a high school or college kid to walk into an audio salon to kick the tires versus going into a big box store to do the same thing.

The Magnolia AV inside Best Buy does have speakers for audition, but it’s a lot different when you cannot do self-directed exploration and need to ask for help.

There’s a reason why Samsung and Apple push to have store within a store concepts.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

A tough question! When someone like Erin says they are the best he has heard it's a strong statement. And Kal from Stereophile bought a pair he was so impressed. I think Kal has heard more high end speakers, or reviewed more, than Erin.

Sure but it is always a tough call. I considered others and I could have stayed happily with the Revels that preceded them. Hard to say that it was entirely a rational choice although am still pleased with it.

 

[traind]

Sure but it is always a tough call. I considered others and I could have stayed happily with the Revels that preceded them. Hard to say that it was entirely a rational choice although am still pleased with it.

Can you elaborate on what makes choosing new speakers a tough call for you? (and despite your prodigious experience in audio!)

You reviewed the Blade Two and the Perlisten S7T, how would you compare them?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Can you elaborate on what makes choosing new speakers a tough call for you? (and despite your prodigious experience in audio!)

The differences are not quantitative but qualitative such that, among the best/better speakers, each appeals in a different way.

You reviewed the Blade Two and the Perlisten S7T, how would you compare them?

Unfortunately, not side by side. However, if you read the two reviews, it is easy to see what was most appealing about each one. I am not going to rehash that here.

In the end, it was a gut feeling about the Blades that kept me up for nights until I pulled the trigger on them. And, to be clear, it took me months to get them set up to my satisfaction during which there were more sleepless nights. Not normal behavior.

 

[Ciobi69]

i think having the blade myself , the only thing that you can add are 2 good subwoofers perfectly positioned and equalized to cover the 0-80hz area for room modes, and then you are set, if someone wants more you got to go for the diy route with pro drivers similiar to the 8381 genelec

 

[Soniclife]

Not normal behavior.

It probably is around here, it's certainly how it goes for me.

 

[traind]

The differences are not quantitative but qualitative such that, among the best/better speakers, each appeals in a different way.

Unfortunately, not side by side. However, if you read the two reviews, it is easy to see what was most appealing about each one. I am not going to rehash that here.

In the end, it was a gut feeling about the Blades that kept me up for nights until I pulled the trigger on them. And, to be clear, it took me months to get them set up to my satisfaction during which there were more sleepless nights. Not normal behavior.

Thank you for the response. I enjoy your well written reviews and have read the two in question twice now.

A takeaway for me is that in this higher end arena of $15-30k, if the engineering/brand is sound, the product is of high quality. Kef, Perlisten and Revel all fall in this category and the differences are more subjective and personal preference than large obvious gaps between products. I have found this on my recent audio store travels even though my experience and likely ears are not as sophisticated.

How to decide how much the added quality is actually worth is also an individual choice as I do not think the experience is night and day from a well designed $5-10k set of speakers. The Perlisten S7T vs R7 towers illuminate that conundrum pretty well.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

i think having the blade myself , the only thing that you can add are 2 good subwoofers perfectly positioned and equalized to cover the 0-80hz area for room modes, and then you are set, if someone wants more you got to go for the diy route with pro drivers similiar to the 8381 genelec

Actually, what I have added are a third Blade2 for a center channel, an LS60w pair for SR/SL and 3 subwoofers. I still have sleepless nights but now they are rare(r).

 

[Pearljam5000]

This could be a stupid question but
Usually you need a big cabinet with a lot of internal volume for good bass, but the Blades are slim /narrow
So how does it make sense?

 

[kharan]

This could be a stupid question but
Usually you need a big cabinet with a lot of internal volume for good bass, but the Blades are slim /narrow
So how does it make sense?

It's not very efficient (86 dB/2.83V) despite having four bass drivers to increase efficiency and output. Also, the speaker is fairly deep, so its internal volume is higher than its silhouette suggests.

 

[theREALdotnet]

it all comes down to "audiophiles" mistaken ideas that a speaker needs to be out in the room, away from the walls in order to "breathe"...

It's not about breathing but the relative timing of direct sound and reflections from the front wall, i.e. imaging. Placement requirements for imaging and bass response are often in conflict with each other, that's why I think full-range floor standers are suboptimal and the proper way to do things are stand mounts plus subwoofers. Those can then be placed independently from each other to satisfy both imaging and bass response requirements.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

This could be a stupid question but
Usually you need a big cabinet with a lot of internal volume for good bass, but the Blades are slim /narrow
So how does it make sense?

There are many ways to apply the laws of physics. Have you read the KEF Reference White Paper?

 

[Pearljam5000]

There are many ways to apply the laws of physics. Have you read the KEF Reference White Paper?

Not yet

 

[Ciobi69]

Actually, what I have added are a third Blade2 for a center channel, an LS60w pair for SR/SL and 3 subwoofers. I still have sleepless nights but now they are rare(r).

well you got a very respectable front , i can't because i dont have space , and got a tv instead the vpr,now you miss the 4th subwoofer and you are done honestly

 

[Count Arthur]

This could be a stupid question but
Usually you need a big cabinet with a lot of internal volume for good bass, but the Blades are slim /narrow
So how does it make sense?

I think their volume maybe somewhat deceptive, they are pretty deep, front to back. Also, there's a fair bit of extra volume above the tweeter, whereas with most, but not all speakers, the the enclosure, doesn't extend much above the tweeter.