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Post by davidf on Apr 12, 2015 14:52:34 GMT
At the request of MartinT, I have agreed to do a review of the KEF Blade 2 loudspeakers, into which I can also incorporate the Blades as well. I have no measuring equipment, so this will be a subjective review for the most part, but will also include a little bit of tech talk to explain the ideas behind the design, and the resulting benefits. I tend to find that if the speaker is better understood, it is better appreciated. Of course I will be using very familiar music to do this, but thought I'd open it up to the forum to see if any members had any particular album suggestions (digital or analogue) to use with them. I may already have the album, but if not, I'll try and obtain it. Also, if there's any particular aspects of the review that some may want greater depth, I'll do my best, long as it's not over my head! This isn't going to happen overnight, but I will try and do it as soon as I can. As I have access to these models on a daily basis, questions can be ongoing after the review. I will make no apologies for rambling - it's what I do best  Regards David |
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Post by MartinT on Apr 12, 2015 14:59:02 GMT
Thanks, David. I think the technology used in these speakers deserves more widespread appreciation and very much look forward to your thoughts and findings. Ramble away! I'll post some music requests in good time. Meanwhile, take a look at the Reference Music for Evaluation thread for some ideas. |
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Post by julesd68 on Apr 12, 2015 15:01:06 GMT
yes I'm looking forward to reading about these speakers as haven't come across them at all. I've listed my test records on that thread as I remember ...
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Post by davidf on Apr 12, 2015 15:19:33 GMT
Hmmmm. From that thread I have a few Hybrid albums and Herbie Hancock's Futureshock! Not a good start... |
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Post by Sovereign on Apr 12, 2015 16:27:08 GMT
Wherein the world are you David ?
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Post by davidf on Apr 12, 2015 16:28:21 GMT
I'm based West Midlands/Warwickshire border between Birmingham and Coventry.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 7:14:06 GMT
Blades, does that mean they are really thin?
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Post by davidf on Apr 20, 2015 18:06:37 GMT
Fairly More that from the side they resemble the shape of a pen knife blade... |
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Post by Sovereign on Apr 20, 2015 20:56:50 GMT
I live a couple of miles from the KEF factory, a friend of mine used to work their as a design engineer, but he has now moved on. The Blades are MASSIVE, about 6ft tall if I remember correctly.
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Post by davidf on Apr 20, 2015 22:52:32 GMT
Naah, about five and a half foot tall - I'm taller than they are, although not by much!
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Post by danielquinn on Apr 21, 2015 8:44:46 GMT
Kef blades are 1590 mm which is five foot one .Spikes will add an inch or so .
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Post by daytona600 on Apr 21, 2015 9:55:39 GMT
£20K over-priced thin sounding & lacking bass for a big floorstander but they do look nice
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2015 16:47:36 GMT
£20K over-priced thin sounding & lacking bass for a big floorstander but they do look nice The Blade II is a better option (imho) around £15k, they have serious WAF and work better in many UK rooms than the original Blade. They can just hold a tune as well, with the right amplification they can make a fairly decent stab at music. One of Kef's better effects of recent years and being fair it is selling in respectable numbers. Had one of these pass through our doors recently, not a Kef fan, however they deserve some credit for this particular speaker for sure  In that price point though you are up against some fairly stiff opposition, Baby Wilson's, Magico's, Sonus Fabber's, Dynaudio's, Logan's, Egglestone Works, big Ushers, Vivid's and TAD. When looking for a speaker in this league a home demonstration is a must and if possible a full RTA of the room as well. |
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Post by davidf on Apr 21, 2015 18:40:06 GMT
£20K over-priced thin sounding & lacking bass for a big floorstander but they do look nice Thin? Lacking bass? I'm not sure you've been listening to the same speaker as me... |
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Post by daytona600 on Apr 21, 2015 21:21:56 GMT
heard them several times & at the lauch david good speaker but not great
& yes lacking bass for a big floorstander at this price you expect subsonics
£ 20k speakers serious wedge of money & lots of very stiff competition at the price bracket
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Post by davidf on Apr 21, 2015 22:19:42 GMT
Each to their own I suppose, but definitely not thin sounding, and I don't find bass lacking - clean maybe, but thin or lacking. Careful partnering with electronics is important, as you'd expect. Some stuff works, some just doesn't. I've heard other speakers around this price bracket and not found any that do what these do. Some may class them as "big", but they're very slim, so not really as big as first appears. Many other speakers in this price bracket are wider than a car and take up an enormous amount of space. I don't listen to church organ anyway.
Launches, shows etc etc are never the best place to hear any product.
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Post by ChrisB on Apr 21, 2015 22:47:46 GMT
Which electronics do work well with them David?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2015 6:39:09 GMT
Each to their own I suppose, but definitely not thin sounding, and I don't find bass lacking - clean maybe, but thin or lacking. Careful partnering with electronics is important, as you'd expect. Some stuff works, some just doesn't. I've heard other speakers around this price bracket and not found any that do what these do. Some may class them as "big", but they're very slim, so not really as big as first appears. Many other speakers in this price bracket are wider than a car and take up an enormous amount of space. I don't listen to church organ anyway. Launches, shows etc etc are never the best place to hear any product. Is there any chance of a photograph please? |
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Post by alaska on Apr 22, 2015 12:34:11 GMT
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Post by davidf on Apr 22, 2015 18:00:21 GMT
Which electronics do work well with them David? If I thought long enough, I could probably list everything I've ever used them with, but so far, in my opinion, the best sounding electronics to be used with the Blades have been Classe Delta and Sigma models, Cyrus, and Chord Electronics. These have been the standout combinations, but there have been others that work well, but produce nothing special, and for the price, you want something special. These aren't the sort of speakers you buy just because you can, there are plenty of "lifestyle" speakers out there that will suit that purpose if needed. Bear at in mind though, those I've listed have been based on both the Blade (as in the picture above) and the smaller Blade 2 models. Whilst they're very similar, the larger Blades to take a little more controlling due to their extra depth. |
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