KEF Reference 5 VS Blade 2 vs Muon

[MarkWinston]

Not that I can afford any one of them but does anyone know the difference in performance between these monsters? Any reliable graphs from anywhere comparing all of them? Really interested in what KEF can really do with their real high end stuff.

 

[test1223]

Hello,

the blade is more similar to the R11 due to the four bass chassis.

Less diffraction.
More of a point source.
Box with less resonances.
The R11 will have some advantages in bass room integration due to the larger vertical distribution of the bass chassis.

Best
Thomas

 

[abdo123]

Hello,

the blade is more similar to the R11 due to the four bass chassis.

Less diffraction.
More of a point source.
Box with less resonances.
The R11 will have some advantages in bass room integration due to the larger vertical distribution of the bass chassis.

Best
Thomas

I agree, there is nothing ‘monstrous’ about the R5 at all.

 

[Benedium]

Reference series is not R series.
They should change series names.

 

[MarkWinston]

I agree, there is nothing ‘monstrous’ about the R5 at all.

Monstrous in terms of performance, not size.

 

[abdo123]

Monstrous in terms of performance, not size.

it has two 5.5 inch woofers, which is very typical.

The blade has FOUR 9 inch woofers.

 

[MarkWinston]

Reference series is not R series.
They should change series names.

Some might get confused but yeah, they are a level higher and price wise they are far apart.

Hello,

the blade is more similar to the R11 due to the four bass chassis.

Less diffraction.
More of a point source.
Box with less resonances.
The R11 will have some advantages in bass room integration due to the larger vertical distribution of the bass chassis.

Best
Thomas

The R11 isnt in the same league as the Reference 5 despite its size and layout I think?

 

[abdo123]

Reference series is not R series.
They should change series names.

oops!

so four 6.5 inch drivers vs four 9 inch drivers in an opposing 'force canceling' configuration.

the Blade is one hell of a monster, the Reference 5 is an exellent speaker at best, it can't be called End game or a monster in context with the Blade imo.

 

[MarkWinston]

it has two 5.5 inch woofers, which is very typical.

The blade has FOUR 9 inch woofers.

Thats the R5 you are comparing, not the Reference 5?

 

[MarkWinston]

The Reference 5 is KEF's flagship 'box' speaker so it deserves the term monstrous and can very well be end game speakers for many. Easily. And then there is the Muon but thats a totally different thing altogether.

 

[abdo123]

The Reference 5 is KEF's flagship 'box' speaker so it deserves the term monstrous and can very well be end game speakers for many. Easily

Like I said, the Blade is a FLAWLESS design. No cabinet resonances, no baffle diffraction, perfect directivity, all while maintaining point source sound. With all of that it's a standing work of art.

so in the context of the blade, The Reference 5 is not really a 'monster' or 'end game'. Other than the Uni-Q driver there is nothing unique or innovative about it.

 

[MarkWinston]

Like I said, the Blade is a FLAWLESS design. No cabinet resonances, no baffle diffraction, perfect directivity, all while maintaining point source sound. With all of that it's a standing work of art.

so in the context of the blade, The Reference 5 is not really a 'monster' or 'end game'. Other than the Uni-Q driver there is nothing unique or innovative about it.

I understand that your standards are high but if you call the Blade flawless, what is the Muon then? Why cant the Reference be called a monster when even its height is taller than you? But thats not the point here, graphs would show the shortcomings of BOTH speakers. Nothing is perfect or flawless.

 

[Frank Dernie]

The big difference is in the bass.
The Blade has 4 9" units packed more closely and centred on the same acoustic centre as the coaxial.
The Reference 5 has 4 6.5" units on the front.
I have heard the Blade often and it is excellent.
I don't like the styling though so would never buy one.
I haven't heard a Reference 5 but I like the look of it more, though they reduced the number of available finishes a while ago dropping some of the ones I liked best.

 

[Doodski]

Like I said, the Blade is a FLAWLESS design. No cabinet resonances, no baffle diffraction, perfect directivity, all while maintaining point source sound. With all of that it's a standing work of art.

so in the context of the blade, The Reference 5 is not really a 'monster' or 'end game'. Other than the Uni-Q driver there is nothing unique or innovative about it.

The blade with it's twin coupled bass drivers arrangement is a nice evolution from the 1980s Reference Series. Can really see the succession of KEF's technology there.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I understand that your standards are high but if you call the Blade flawless, what is the Muon then? Why isnt cant it be called a monster when even its height is taller than you? But thats not the point here, graphs would show the shortcomings of BOTH speakers. Nothing is perfect or flawless.

I was disappointed by the Muon, more of a show piece looking great than any step forward as far as audio performance is concerned. It isn't better than the Blade IME.

 

[MarkWinston]

Edited post to add Muon into the mix.

 

[MarkWinston]

I was disappointed by the Muon, more of a show piece looking great than any step forward as far as audio performance is concerned. It isn't better than the Blade IME.

If you have heard the Blade 2 and the Muon you are a very lucky guy. How did the Muon sound compared to the Blade 2? Happen to come across any graphs for both?

 

[abdo123]

Wait a second, this is about the blade 2 so i have to retract some statements (four 6.5 inch vs 9 inch and 35KG vs 65KG)

Yeah the blade 2 is definitely overpriced, it's not even full-range and would not even come close to the maximum output of the blade 1.

But for me the Blade 1 is a BEAST.

 

[Koeitje]

Here is a good interview with @jackocleebrown by @John Atkinson where he discussies the Reference 5. If I recall correctly they also touch on the Blade.

 

[MarkWinston]

Wait a second, this is about the blade 2 so i have to retract some statements (four 6.5 inch vs 9 inch and 35KG vs 65KG)

Yeah the blade 2 is definitely overpriced, it's not even full-range and would not even come close to the maximum output of the blade 1.

But for me the Blade 1 is a BEAST.

The Muon has larger drivers than the Blade 1 and is 10 times the price of the the Blade 1, not that it matters. It will be nice to see comparisons in graphs, between the Blade 1 and 2, and even the Muon, not just by driver sizes. Its nice to have big drivers though.