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KEF T101 Review (Thin Speaker)

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 161 89.9%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 12 6.7%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 4 2.2%

  • Total voters
    179

radix

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Or any more traditional bookshelves that have a front port that can easily be wall mounted?

I forgot to address this question. For wallmount bookshelves, I use the KEF Q350. It's rear-ported, but there's a few inches space behind it and I simply stuff the port.

A likely better solution is the Arendal Sound bookshelf. All their speakers have VESA mount options.

There's a review thread here.

 

Everett T

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Does anyone have any comments on the Elac Muro or Dali Oberon on-wall speakers? Seem like reasonable purpose designed wall mount speakers.

Or any more traditional bookshelves that have a front port that can easily be wall mounted?
Don't with those two but I have heard these from RBH, the play loud and from what I heard, cleanly. The make two models in their on wall series.
RBH Signature series
 

Leon7791

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Hey guys, i plan to use the t101 as top fronts. My question is wich side os better? In line or on the side?
 

radix

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Hey guys, i plan to use the t101 as top fronts. My question is wich side os better? In line or on the side?

Do you mean should the front heights be in line with your L/R speakers or on the sides? I believe they should be aligned with your L/R. Your AVR manual likely has layout diagrams, but here are the ones Denon uses: https://manuals.denon.com/AVRX6700H/NA/EN/DRDZSYpvilxnds.php

Or did you mean should the speaker be vertical or horizontal? I'd use vertical.
 

Leon7791

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Do you mean should the front heights be in line with your L/R speakers or on the sides? I believe they should be aligned with your L/R. Your AVR manual likely has layout diagrams, but here are the ones Denon uses: https://manuals.denon.com/AVRX6700H/NA/EN/DRDZSYpvilxnds.php

Or did you mean should the speaker be vertical or horizontal? I'd use vertical.
Thank, yes i mean vertical position vs horizontal

I tested it with rew and there is no difference.

By the way audyssey xt32 did an amazing job to flat the eq.

Here with eq and ls50 in comparision (ls50 krossover 100hz Nd the t101 with 150hz) vs without eq

with sub its sound realy good not much worse the the ls50. The ls50 has still a more full sound and sweeter highs but its realy close
20221230_234500.jpg
20221230_234555.jpg
 

Graso

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Interesting read this I’ve got a 7.1 system using 5xT301 and 2xT101 plus the T2 sub the speakers are all fitted to 100 year old brick walls via the supplied mounting plates 3 in a row horizontally under projector screen 2 surrounds and 2 rear surrounds purely bought as boxes are not an option i personally think they sound pretty good! Carry on with the great work!
 

radix

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Interesting read this I’ve got a 7.1 system using 5xT301 and 2xT101 plus the T2 sub the speakers are all fitted to 100 year old brick walls via the supplied mounting plates 3 in a row horizontally under projector screen 2 surrounds and 2 rear surrounds purely bought as boxes are not an option i personally think they sound pretty good! Carry on with the great work!
It would be great if you could measure a couple of them with REW and a UMIK. I bet the brick helps quite a bit. I used two T101s for heights on plaster and they were fine for that job.
 

Graso

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Hi I’ve just started reading the room measurement tutorial for dummies if I get through it I’ll have a go!
 

Rottmannash

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It would be great if you could measure a couple of them with REW and a UMIK. I bet the brick helps quite a bit. I used two T101s for heights on plaster and they were fine for that job.
May I ask how you ran the speaker wires? I have plaster walls and can't imaging how I could run them unobtrusively.
 

radix

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May I ask how you ran the speaker wires? I have plaster walls and can't imaging how I could run them unobtrusively.

I got some surface mount cable organizer and spray painted them a flat black. The room was painted a darker color, so it was OK, but hardly invisible. They came up from behind R3s to the T101s, so it looked a little like an extension of the speakers.

 

exm

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I used to own the T101 as a height speaker (before the Q50, which is now replaced with the R8 Meta), and I have done a 1:1 test using stereo material between the T101 and Q50a. I found the T101 to sound shallow, no LF, just mediocre at best overall. This review confirms my observations.
 

ahoo

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I got a pair because the only place I could put my right surround was behind a door (opens over the speaker). So it was the only option I could find that was thin enough. I wouldn't use them as a main speaker, but they seem just fine as surrounds (which I think is the intended use), especially with DSP correction.

This is how Dirac measured them (~2.7 meters away) mounted on my wall with the included bracket.
kef satellite measurements.jpg
 

Penelinfi

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Apr 22, 2021
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I had some paradigm millenia speakers of similar stature; they sounded reasonably decent, though at their price they'd better. It gave a big cinéma like sound in my smaller room when placed against the wall.
I wouldn't buy them brand new, but they would work for those who really don't want speakers sticking out into the room, or soundbars .
They're only about 4cm thin which is neat
 

MacCali

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So far the focal’s with gray driver on wall seem to be the only decent sounding thin on wall speakers but they are pricey. I know the 5 driver is like 11 grand each I think they have one with just 3 drivers

Can’t even find that line on the focal website. Second time I’ve seen them at axpona

Actually they are in wall as well unfortunately,

1000 IWLCR6 EACH 6.5" 3-Way In-Wall Speaker.​

That’s the smaller one. It just looked like on wall on the setup at axpona
 
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