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KEF Reference 4C Review (Center Speaker)

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 5 1.5%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 6 1.7%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 78 22.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 254 74.1%

  • Total voters
    343

dshreter

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Hilarious to suggest companies should drop their prices because their product has longevity. It has longevity because it’s a good product that people want.

If you can come up with a better product, better sales channel, and better marketing then you can go sell your center channels for $8000. I don’t think it’s so easy.
 

abdo123

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Drivers move to produce sound waves.
The Salon2s midrange is crossed at 575 Hz and it moves,
Placing your hand on the driver confirms that moves.

Does a midrange crossed lower, move enough to modulate tweeter with complex signals remains open, IMO of course.

- Rich

P.S. 300 Hz has a wavelength of 3.7 feet.
I meant it colloquially as in the movement will not be perceived by the human eye.

Sure some amount of modulation will happen, but there is a difference between the woofer moving 1-4 cm and 1-4mm.
 

RichB

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I meant it colloquially as in the movement will not be perceived by the human eye.

Sure some amount of modulation will happen, but there is a difference between the woofer moving 1-4 cm and 1-4mm.
I have a hard time seeing sound as well :p

Modulation occurs, so it should be measured.
Does KEF publish measurements or findings that this is a non-issue?

I believe that Revel does not embrace coaxial speakers to avoid modulation.
Obviously, both companies tout their designs strengths...

- Rich
 

Dj7675

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All things being equal, I would still choose the Revel C426be...(from audioholics review). Spinorama from Revel.
c426be_horizontal.jpg
newplot (1).png
 

thewas

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Modulation occurs, so it should be measured.
Does KEF publish measurements or findings that this is a non-issue?
In my experience it is more an issue on 2-way coaxials when pushed as then the woofer moves several millimetres while on a 3-way the movement of the mid cone is usually less than one milimetre. In the end of course everything is a compromise, important is just to choose which compromise has the less audible issues for the designed usage case.
 

RichB

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Hilarious to suggest companies should drop their prices because their product has longevity. It has longevity because it’s a good product that people want.

If you can come up with a better product, better sales channel, and better marketing then you can go sell your center channels for $8000. I don’t think it’s so easy.

In the expensive center category, the Perlisten S7C ($7000):

- Rich
 

abdo123

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In the expensive center category, the Perlisten S7C ($7000):

- Rich
The S7C is a no-compromise design though, in the jungle of center speakers it's justifiably priced.
 

Exprymer

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This is not that expensive. There are a lot of home theaters that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Since the entire family can use and enjoy a home theater, budgets are routinely much healthier than a 2-channel music system. We used to have a reference theater at Madrona which would retail for $300K if you wanted one built. And we have built some for clients that cost even more.
I See. I'm not familiar with the prices indeed when it comes to home cinema or Theaters. It seems that it does really adds up quite fast when dealing with such environments or any Atmos envirnonment. I see people building such rooms with Genelecs all over the place, must be heaven!
 

Descartes

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Yes if I were to build a dedicated home theater, I would probably use Genelec all around! No need for furniture grade speakers would rather spend the money on ensuring that the room is well treated acoustically, use the largest screen possible, paired with JVC new 4K laser projector and that the seats are the most comfortable!
 

mj30250

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One of the best end game speakers that’s more attainable with the dealer discount is the Revel F226Be. Yes, this may not be an end game speaker for many but for the value conscious, it’s quite a deal and gets you to that “high-end” sound at a very competitive price point. A pair of these and a C426Be would be right there vs having three 4C speakers for substantially less.

So I think yes, but others may have varying opinions.

That's exactly what I use for the front stage. The F226Bes + subs are magnificent, and for HT, the C426Be is almost too good. You know how high-end 2 channel speakers can suddenly make half of your music collection sound like trash that was mixed for cheap car stereos (as it probably was)? Apparently the same is true of high end centers and movie mixes. There are movies I've watched dozens of times, and now suddenly I can clearly hear when actors in the same scene have been ADR'd in different studios as the quality of dialogue is so different between them. It's wild.

I imagine that the 4C would present a similar experience.
 

sarumbear

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Sure, but that does not mean that they don't share a whole lot of technology and R&D time. Equivalent models of Seat, Skoda and VW are also different cars, yet they share a shitload of technology and R&D and not only common parts.
Take the Tesla Model S. introduced in June 2012, stayed almost as is since June 2021, almost a decade and it is almost the same car.

Top end models don’t get updated often.
 

sarumbear

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I See. I'm not familiar with the prices indeed when it comes to home cinema or Theaters. It seems that it does really adds up quite fast when dealing with such environments or any Atmos envirnonment. I see people building such rooms with Genelecs all over the place, must be heaven!
You know that most modern AVRs have upwards of 11 channels. That’s 11 speakers, plus the subwoofers. Some prefer to use separate power amplifiers, that’s extra six stereo units…

Compare that to a stereo set…
 

pseudoid

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Insanity is a relative term. I am proud to be insane. Thank God that I can afford three of them
I also "can afford" three of them (if I sold 401k) but does not mean that I "DO own 3 of them".
Now I am even more jealous then earlier when I wrote so.
I would like to volunteer to babysit them for you, anytime. (txt me.;))

Sir @sarumbear, what kind of speaker config/setup do you have for your set of three?
Have you named them special names as if they were your house pets?
 

pseudoid

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Listening Tests
I was in the process of wiring up the speaker to listen to it in the measurement lab when my worried wife ran into the room and said: "downstairs bathroom is flooding!" I rushed out to deal with that and have not had a chance to listen to the 4C yet. I hope to still get a chance to do so and report back.
1642616987700.png
<< I will be sitting here waiting for your report, @amirm.
10-to-1 odds sez you will like them, although monoraul listening to it would be a disservice to this KEF center.
... even knowing that you make for a ruthless golden-ear critic and take no prisoners...
 

sarumbear

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Have you named them special names as if they were your house pets?
Now, that’s an idea. But they are triplets. Naming them even more difficult. :)
 

sarumbear

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BTW, my dealer just phoned to tell me that KEF will be shipping the speakers in two weeks time. I immediately called the furniture maker to come and start the modification of the new false wall.
 

beagleman

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I always wonder what kind of janky seating that crowd uses...



I don't understand this line of thought. In any speaker at this price point, if the cabinet design and finishing is not the vast majority of the expense then it's just a cash grab. Sure, there are DIYers who can do fanastic woodwork. I envy them! But if you know one, ask her how many hours she spent honing her craft, and how much the tools cost...

Here, KEF has clearly produced a superior loudspeaker. The cabinet is beautifully finished (though Amir did notice a blemish) in the UK. Personally I much preferred the styling of their previous (20x/2) Reference series, but that's subjective. There's intellectual property harnessed in that coax, and I think people who come up with novel ideas should be allowed to benefit from them. I'll admit, I've been staring at the Reference 2c pair clearance offer for a couple weeks now. A reasonably compact, beautifully finished closed box at this performance level is pretty much my ideal for the 2 channel system. For better or worse the grilles are currently on backorder, and a in my view a speaker without grilles is a nonstarter.
I sense a lot of Anti DIY speaker stuff here at times.

Time spend and cost of tools does not matter when one is doing it for a HOBBY. I am not talking about building own version to put KEF out of business or to embarrass them.

By DIY, I mean guys that like (me included) to build speakers and measure them and build cabinets for fun. I am one, but simply find it a nice hobby, that is very cost effective the higher the priced speaker.

That is not a multi thousand dollar cabinet on the KEF.

I guess this forum, outside of a few outlier speakers, tends to focus on retail bought, which is fine.
Just be aware, that outside some truly unusual design, almost any retail speaker can be emulated at a far lower cost.
 

Descartes

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You know that most modern AVRs have upwards of 11 channels. That’s 11 speakers, plus the subwoofers. Some prefer to use separate power amplifiers, that’s extra six stereo units…

Compare that to a stereo set…
Yes it can become very expensive especially when putting together an 9.4.6!
Each of us have different priorities, personally being a movie buff especially sci-fi, I would rather have a dedicated home theater instead of spending that money on super expensive speakers, amplifiers and sources!
 
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