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After your review of the KEF LS60 I got my self a pair, and they are just mindblowing good in our big livingroom. Soundvise, lets say the LS60 score 100. What will these very expensive speakers score?
I enjoy your channel, especially because you discuss measurements in connection with subjective evaluations and because you discuss speaker design more than most reviewers. However, I sometimes wish you would discuss design more often, especially when you have a different and interesting design. This speaker is one such example where you could have done a video just on the design because there is a lot going on here that differs from most other speakers IMHO. A coincident driver on the front baffle is not that unusual. However, it is worth mentioning that KEF appears to have pioneered (ie patented) the use of coincident drivers where they also act as a wave guide. IOW, KEF has been at this for a long time. The really interesting part is the mounting of drivers on the sides just above and below the coincident driver in order to get all the drivers to act as a single point source, something a 3-way speaker normally couldn’t do. A crap load of engineering went into this. One indication of this is the low midrange crossover point given the use of 6” or 6.5” woofers. You would normally expect a higher crossover point, but I suspect integrating the side woofers with the coincident front driver seamlessly required the low crossover point. Then there is the cabinet. The top 2 side woofers appear to be in a sealed box while the bottom 2 woofers are in a ported enclosure. This mix of sealed and ported for the same size drivers is unusual. But it doesn’t stop there. The ported part of the cabinet has 2 ports, not the usual one. One port is on the rear at the height of the lower woofers and the second is down low on the rear near the floor. This leads me to suspect that the tuning frequency of the two ports is probably different. That is just what I can see. The really impressive part is that KEF, based on your review, got all of this to work!!!! Few speakers would merit extended discussion of their designs, but this is one of them. Would love to hear you interview one of KEF’s designers about the challenges of this design. Best of luck
I can't think of a more exemplary reviewer to show me these exemplary speakers. The fact that Erin still disclaimers his potential bias in being impressed despite the review being data based demonstrates a standard that can only be applauded. And yeah, the speakers are as phenomenal as we expected lol. Thanks for the great work!
Thanks. Sometimes I feel like I over-disclaim but I try really hard to keep it real and let people form their opinions with as much knowledge as I can reasonably provide.
Agree. Erin distinguishes himself from all other online reviewers by providing both subjective and objective data. The measurements are key and are the reason that, for example, I have always enjoyed John Atkinson of Stereophile so much over the years. Measurements are a foundation that you can build on when assessing a speaker. Erin is unique in that respect, which is why I became a Patron.
I love how you are starting to creep into the high end. I think more speakers of this caliber need to be tested. So much lack of transparency in the industry. If you can find the capital or get someone to loan it to you I would love to see more reviews like this. Maybe a magico A series or a wilson sabrina X would be another cool thing to test out. Also, Cabasse is making some crazy active speakers that have insane specs but I wonder how accurate they are. Might be worth checking out their pearl series, especially if you like point source designs.
I’ve emailed both Magico and Wilson (many times, recently) and not heard back. I think the best option here is for those who are interested in purchasing these kind of speakers is to email the company and request they send me a pair to review. Otherwise, they tend to think my audience doesn’t spend that kind of money (two “high end” manufacturers have explicitly said this to me in the last year).
you are to be commended for investigating a very high end speaker. anyone seriously reviewing speakers via quantitative techniques (instrumentation / data collection & analysis / facility) as you have ought to include a very high end ($$$s & perf) set like these Blades. it is quite valuable to perform both relativistic & absolute comparative listening & empirical tests - independent of the price range or even target mkt (while respecting the many distinct intents of the various mkt segments!). among the benefits is identifying issues related to the test rig & procedures that might bear attention (or be confirmed as just fine). rotating those "halo" reference speakers over time could further everyone's insight to the numerous designs, segments & price-regimes. @@ErinsAudioCorner
The manufacturer's of Magico and Wilson may not care what youtube viewers think or afraid to be measured. Most of their customers are not checking youtube for measurements. They think they are intelligent enough to make decisions of their money without looking any measurements. As long as their customers willing to pay premium to get premium service such as in home seto up offered by PS Audio.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Then Magico and Wilson don't have a clue of the sophistication of your viewers. Data, assessment, optimization of best practices ... "this is the way".
The one I want to see on the kipple… don’t laugh is the RTJ 410. The “tower of power” with the 4 stacked 18” woofers looks so crazy I just want to see measurements. Audioholics has some but I would love to see more and then combined with the subs.
Love it! Not that I'd ever spend that kind of money, the Reference Meta is my end game. I especially appreciate the scientific approach KEF takes among other brands (Revel being another) to their high end speakers. It's great to see all that extra money isn't only speaker "jewelry" but to improve resonance, dispersion etc. There's going to be so many butt-hurt individuals but keep'em coming!
Agreed, Kef, revel, JBL are a few. I would say Magico and Vivid are also engineering based but drift off into the cost no object exotic realm at the same time.
These speakers are expensive, but if you really want them they aren't completely unreachable. At the same time I don't see any reason for speakers beyond this one. I doubt the Blade 1 would be really worth it for example.
My KEF Blade Two got a low-bass extension by an additional Subwoofer (SVS SB16-Ultra). Crossover at 60 Hz. Phenomenal result. Deepest precise sound image with subsonic components, if needed - and less effort of mid-bass reproduction. By the way, given a certain audio material (3D recording & mixing, crosstalk-cancelation), the Blade is able to project a closed acoustical holo-cocoon around the listener. The sound of this (psychological) cocoon fits directly to the listener's skin - it doesn't commence beyond the loudspeaker distance . . .
The view count on your video is indicative of a need/curiosity for high end speakers.. you and Amir are the only ones with the Klippel might as well test some expensive stuff. We want some audio porn from time to time! 😉
Market has spoken, results will guide it there eventually. People like expensive stuff, nobody cares if Toyota Corolla goes in to the river, if Bugatti crashes, it is in the news. The same goes with drag races, 0 to 60 times.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I just learned about the planned new Renault 5 electric. My current work place is planned for demolition and rebuild, so I may have to get a car for the temporary relocation. Given a choice, I'd rather go on using public transport and spend the money on speakers. 🤣
I'm lucky to own Blade 2 first gen version. There might be better speakers (like the new meta) but speaker wise I'm good. Even the first gen without meta, speaker is so good I don't want to change. I have heard lot of speakers. Even worked at the hifi retail shop part of my life. Selling B&W etc. I love these speakers. Pair it with GOOD amp and GOOD room with some acoustic design. I have done that and I love them.
That's how I feel about my pair of Reference 1 non metas. Are there better speakers out there?...probably, but very very few, and I'm after about 5 years with them still completely satisfied.
I love KEF, I started 20 years ago with small KEF eggs. I had the privilege to have a day in their Kent factory and listened to REFERENCE 5's and Blades. I am now the proud owner of a pair of REFERENCE 1's 🌟
@@hypojames I won a KEF competition, so I was very lucky. I went all around the factory, the research and design areas, their anechoic chamber, the museum and more - it was fantastic day. If you are a genuine buyer they will allow you in I think, they are a working business and factory so I can't imagine KEF would allow anyone in randomly for free. Contact them and see, they may have open days.
@@chrishamilton5960 the tone is the same as the mid & top drivers are identical, there is more bass extension and the bass is a little more agile due to more woofers which gives an efficiency gain. So they sound slightly fuller and richer, yet the same tone.
Thanks for the honest review, Erin. I went from the KEF R11s directly to the Blade 2 (massive jump).The Blades do require a bit of placement- tweaking and quality amplification. I also tried them with a pair of Subs (not needed in my opinion) and didn't like the results. Their ability to cast sound vertically is what sold me, compared to other higher-end speakers that I listened to and failed in that department. The Blades just play the music without calling any particular attention to themselves. I am skeptical of Speakers that do that and whether they can provide enjoyment over the long haul, like the Blade 2 can. Side comment: The Blade 1 requires a larger listening area than the Blade 2. Cheers
Thank you... No Ego, no BS. You are answering questions I've had for 30 years explaining what I'm hearing but most importantly, why. You are completely disrupting the 'hifi' norm. I wish you well... Nearly 50k subscribers & that will surely increase substantially over the next 12 months. And although I look forward to any extra content, do please remember this hifi rubbish is just a hobby of ours & life only gives us one chance.
This is a master class review. I love your objective and subjective breakdown. I'm interested in the kef reference series and your reviews are definitely helping me make a decision. Keep up the good work. Honestly your channel is 🔥
Yup, I listened to these speakers at my local dealer and it kinda wrecked me. I now compare everything else to these. I know audio memory isn't great but these were my favorite by a wide margin. By contrast, the KEF powered LS60s were very dull and uninteresting to me so I ended up deciding to let my existing Ryan 620s stay in my room for another 5-6 years then try again later. Don't listen to these without knowing the price because it may be disappointing like eating regular hamburger after eating a perfectly cooked melt in your mouth flavorful steak.
Heard these speakers at a HiFi show a few months back. They were powered by some serious amplification, but good f***ing god were they good. My friend and I were blown away. If you want a stereo setup and can somehow afford these I will recommend them without reservation. This Hifi show had speakers and setups in excess of £250,000 and these stole the show without question. Nice video as always Erin, love your work.
Agreed. I heard YG Acoustics ($110k at the time) and the Blade 1 at the same AXPONA and the Blade 1 sounded so much better, and I was using the same source material.
@@freddymcculloch6811 depends on the room and placement I would think. Demos I've heard of both Blade 2 and Blade "1" did not include subs and I did not feel anything was lacking.
Generally speaking, and considering the principles of room acoustics, you may not actually want a "full range" speaker, or at least one that hits in the lower frequency range, so the bigger KEF Blade model may not be the best investment anyway. The interaction of sound waves and a room normally show that separate subwoofers taking the bulk of the low end are the better option. The place where the main speakers interact best with room nodes (peaks and nulls) may not be the best place for the drivers reproducing low and low mid bass frequencies. With quality subs (two or more), and electronics that include fine time alignment adjustments, you have the flexibility of proper placement of both, so that the sound integration and overall reproduction is much, much smoother than one big speaker in one location in the room.
@@christianrogers2355 lol. That’s how I feel about the Dyn. They’re good. But they’re always adding their own “flavor” and I find I prefer a more neutral speaker. Doesn’t mean I don’t like other speakers, but if I’m spending my money, then I’m most likely going to spend it on one that doesn’t alter the sound of the music I’m listening to on purpose.
I've owned my pair since August of 2022 and they are a treasured possession. I've owned and heard a lot of speakers in my almost 40 years as a music lover and audiophile and these are the best I've heard. Only the big Blades, and a very few others costing considerably more, can best them - with truly not much more to gain. Truly end game - until perhaps KEF produces the next iteration several years from now.
@@freddymcculloch6811 yes - it is possible. Although it took about 200 hours or so before the bass response reached its maximum potential. It also depends on your room acoustics and speaker placement. Although, you might find that over time you are lacking the Nth degree of low end extension and will eventually want to add subs; however, I think initially, you will be so overwhelmed by the absolute coherency that the B2s, that the lack of extreme low end won't be that compelling - EDM and some classical being the exception.
$30 grand is a pretty serious chunk of change but still a lot less than some flagships. It's rare to see such an unequivocal amount of approval on here though so these have to be something pretty special. Nice job, KEF.
Really great review. I have the Reference 3 Meta and have a hard time believing I can get much better without spending a fortune. I love the KEF sound. The Blade sure are tempting though.
I think you are correct. You are in that good performance to dollar ratio. If I owned the Ref 3 I would probably skip the blade. I would be looking for used Vivid giya speakers. As a Kef fan you will enjoy vivid as they sound similar but more goooderrrr in technical terms.
Well, I got more info in segments! at 30K/pair, they better come with a set of lips/pair as well. LOL good review, I'll certainly look for these when I get my second million, give up on my first.😂
What about a waterfall plot, which shows things like decay/ringing and resonance nodes? The kind of measurement and plot that Danny Richie at GR-Research does in his speaker testing. Do you ever do those plots or graphs? I'd be curious to see that for this speaker, to see just how good it is in that regard!
At 66 I think these are the best looking speaker I have ever seen and would love to own a pair in black with the gold cones. I am a believer in point source drivers.
I'd argue that the 200 hertz dip is probably filled in during real world placement in most peoples listening rooms. A lot of speakers are actually a little heavy there. Nice review Erin. Mark
Looks like you've initiated the self-destruct button on ASR by mixing your opinion with measurements. Lot's of exploded heads and claw marks. You are doing something right. :)
ASR is cancer... No discourse there can be had like humans and the website owner encourages inflammatory nonsense as he partakes in that himself too... I'm glad Erin isn't part of that platform again... Pathetic lot
That deeply placed percussion sound in Walk of life sounds like it starts as a high hat then transitions to a tambourine and shaker. It does indeed move around and of course the timbre changes....Not surprisingly as the player can easily do that unlike the drummer! I'd really like to hear you discuss what these speakers do with acoustic recordings. I'd love to hear the Blades, but my LRS and LS50s give me just a little taste (with RELs) 🎵🎶🤫🎶🎵 PS Listening to Leonidas Kavakos play Bach violin concertos this morning. I get a huge thrill from the timbre of the instruments AND the the way they drive hall acoustic. (Both clearly perceived on my humble setups). I can barely imagine how the Blades could transport me to the event! But imagination does make up the difference... I'm satisfied;-)
@@bryantai747 I also own the 4367. Make sure you listen to Kef for yourself. I demoed the non meta blade 2, the Reference 5 and 3 and thought they all sounded pretty dull. Vocals lacked the transparency of the JBLs and the highs were even farther behind and pretty meh. Not sure how much change there was between the older and newer kefs. Maybe a lot… maybe marketing, I am truly unsure. The 4367 sounds a lot less reproduced. My guess is there is some transient response differences not showing up in the measurements (look at the efficiency and impedance curves). Maybe the kefs need silly amounts of power to come alive. If you demo the kefs I would love to hear your opinion. Hard to argue with the measurements of the kefs but I find the 4367 much more enjoyable. I honestly wonder if Erin had both 4367 speakers or did he just have one in mono for a single night, I can’t remember (could have been the M2 he only had one of). A better upgrade path would be adding subs with a proper highpass to your JBLs. Subs take mine to a whole other level. But yes this review made me second guess my Kef demo and I will seek another.
Great review as always. I'd love if you mentioned the stack of electronics you used for subjective parts of these reviews. Also hope some day we can get Paradigm to send you their speakers so we can see how their founders/persona series stack up. These KEFs are definitely end game material. Though if I ever get there I'm going to be auditioning a lot before dropping that kind of $$$
I don't believe you. You are justifying your out lay. There is not a lot between non Meta and Meta speakers. Then I have to question your age because as we age our hearing deteriates. By the time we are 30 we can't hear above 16,000hz. Women can hear upto 20, 000 hz. Then that depends on the individual. A slight difference for the Meta, but the BS of marketing can make you believe different, and marketing gives you desire. As a once sells person once I sold you desire I had the sell.
@@michaeloconnor9465 The lower treble region extends down to 4khz, the entire region on up is a lot cleaner subjectively and better integrated with the mids which also subjectively sound clearer--no small feat. The xover is completely redesigned a well. Kef took many years to come up with an improved Blade they weren't just sitting on the hands making up marketing BS. i have several hundred hours now on the Blade Metas and owned the previous model, how about you?
Borresen X6's would be a great speaker to get a hold of at around this price point considering how much praise they are getting and apparent value for money. Anything from the Borresen X line would be a great review idea I think!
So firstly, I love you as a reviewer and a human and I'm really pleased that you found the opportunity to obtain and review these exceptional speakers and really hope you find the funds to own a pair for yourself....maybe even the bigger ones??. As a KEF owner myself (R300, R3) I've long been sold on their concentric designs and he addition of a mid/bass driver makes it much cleaner still. Even my studio monitors are concentric designs. Hearing the detail in the way you speak about the more subjective elements of sound I have to ask, do you have some musicianship or recording engineering in your past? Thanks
The KEF blade 2 meta on the biggest Hegel intergrated at the iear audio show was the best sound I ever heard in my life. I hunt that sound till this day. I don't have 60k to spend😅
@@jillbraser9302 25k for the speakers and another 10-13k for the amp. With the rest of the stuff it might have been 45-50k and that is with decent deals.
Re that little percussion sound - you're probably hearing it "better" than the original producers did, and perhaps, if they had access to the Blades, they would have dialled it back. 😉
Great speaker, very nice review. You are a beacon, like only few others as ASR for example, in a sea of pure subjectivists and audiophools. Expensive speaker, true, but here you get what you are paying for, not like in many purely design-wise good speakers.
I was thinking the same! Lol. That's IF most musicians are around for the final mix or mastering. If people only knew how little most "artists" are involved in the production of modern music. LOVE Erin's reviews and he probably swung me from saving for Perlistens to getting some KEFs. They are more "room friendly" which many audiophiles don't seem to understand. I don't want my living room to look like my studio with subs, cables, amps all over.
Own the Reference 5s which are basically the blade 2 with a normal box. Listened to both and determined the 5s were a little more tunable in my room. Love the KEF brand and value for money and very pleased with mine. Great review Erin.
How would you objectively explain why the Blade is able to reproduce those sounds you mentioned from those two tracks so much better than the other speakers? Is it lower distortion? A bump in response in the frequencies those sounds are in? Better match in response between the pair of speakers giving them better imaging? Room interaction? I have heard you explain brightness using measurements; is it possible to explain these examples in a similar way? Excellent review as usual. Thank you!
I think it's their amazing phase & timing coherence. They are SO coherent that the tiniest change in pitch is easily detected. Off-center vinyl will drive you bananas on these speakers.
@@thomosburn8740 @hifihometheater Agreed. When you see such smoothness in the amplitude response/FR and ERDI, plus low distortion, and no issues through the crossover regions, it really points to a speaker with really good phase coherency and impulse response/timing. Low compression/good dynamic range also means those attributes remain intact. In addition, when you measure FR that is this smooth, it usually points to BOTH the Left & Right speakers matching very closely in this regard, which further improves the pinpoint focus and Separation/space between each element in the soundstage without smearing underlying details.
Erin, I enjoy watching your channel. After your review of the Blades I went to my new pair of Audiovector QR3 SE speakers and put them to the test with "Wanna Be Startin' Something". I could hear that "click" distinctly. After I put on Shirley Bassey's "Something Else" album and listened to her version of "It's Impossible". In this track is a subtle, very fast "tick, tick, tick" hanging above the orchestra...my speakers passed the test. Try Shirley Bassey's song. Would love to know if you can hear it.
Hi Erin, thanks again for your excellent review. Can you comment on the comparison with the Dutch & Dutch 8c? Obviously the amplification needs to be set aside somehow in such a comparison. However, I am under the impression that the Kef Blade 2 Meta review was more or less amplification independent as well, as influence of that was not mentioned.
"Single Apparent Source", like the principal of "Direct Reflecting"? No, no, that was uncalled for. I apologize. All jests aside, thanks for the great video being so transparent of your subjectivity and objectivity.
Could you do a simple comparison to the Dutch and Dutch 8c. Which would be better in circumstances/ rooms/ listening levels x and y, vs the other in a and b
I have heard and owned A LOT of speakers, and I've been deep in the hobby about 40 years. The original KEF Blade was at AXPONA 2011 and it is the best speaker I have ever heard at any price point playing my own records/CDs/SACDs. The one time I have heard the Blade II Meta, they were set up improperly in a Best Buy (Kennesaw GA) and did not impress - the staff had EQed them to death, and I could not play my own cd demo discs. re: Michael Jackson track - I think you're talking about that faint click-click noise in the right channel, I caught it on headphones but would have surely missed it if not for your description.
Kal Rubinson replaced his Revel Studio 2s with these, so I’m sure they’re outstanding. It’s unfortunate though that you have to spend $30k to get this level of performance. Not sure I could ever justify buying a new pair, but maybe a good used or demo set. I would really like to hear these next to the Reference 5 to see how significant the differences are. Perhaps throw the JBL 4367 in there as well.
Your subjective impressions and test data for the KEF Blade 2 Meta confirms the excellent results obtained by other reviewers, such as Stereophile, The Absolute Sound and HiFi News. Thank you for providing detailed and science backed equipment evaluations.
So, the up-to-date (2023 and forward) speakers do something I've never seen in a set of speakers, which is entirely takes away the "sweet seat" effect, which is a good thing, IMHO. My wife and I can sit on entirely opposite ends of the couch and hear the same thing as if we were sitting in the middle of the couch. How they do that, I don't know. I sat through the demo at Audio Advice Live in Raleigh 2023. After I listened for a few minutes and even brought up this sweet seat fact, the guy kneeled down beside the couch and said, "Could you see yourself spending $35,000 on these speakers?" I said, "I could, but I won't." It's been 9 months or so now, and quite frankly, my mind keeps coming back to these speakers. If I am willing to spend $13 on Lascalas, if I could get a deal on a set of these, I might just be willing to do it. After all, this is like buying a boat. It's the same thing. But, it's in fact cheaper than a boat. My wife keeps telling me my HiFi is my boat.
I heard the Blade One Metas connected to Classé Delta electronics about a year ago. I've played in (unamplified) jass bands, and the horn blasts I heard over the Blades were probably the closest speakers have come to making my brain actually feel like there were real instruments in the room. "It's like real instruments are there" is an oft claimed, seldom delivered on audiophile trope, but the Blades and the Deltas delivered.
Got to check out a pair of these at my local hifi store. They absolutely blew me away. Sadly can’t afford them right now, but I will have a pair one day! For now I’ve got a pair of R11 Metas on the way! Super stoked to get them set up! Keep making awesome content! 🔥
Thank you for the great review. Really appreciate both the data and your listening thoughts. Although these speakers are out of my reach, I enjoy hearing/reading and learning more about the leading edge of our passion. Currently happy with my R3ms, but looking at R7m and R11ms.
Ry interesting and nicely done. I’d be interested in a comparison with the even more costly Linn 360’s or with Danny’s cheaper NX-tremes + dual triple stack subwoofers
I was thinking maybe I could stretch to the Reference 3 Metas, but these... well perhaps if I sell my place and move to a cheaper place out of the city I could use some of the difference for a pair of these. I do think they look awesome.
If I were you I'd pay money to leave the city, the fact that you actually come out ahead while leaving the city has me baffled why anyone wouldn't unless there were very specific reasons that could not possibly be dealt with any other way. Cities are broken.
As a Brit living in the US since the mid 80s I'm proud to see KEF still producing the best engineered speakers in the world. Their management team deserves kudos for maintaining excellence for 60+ years. What's more, KEF trickle down their technology to their affordable speakers.
The Blade 2 definitely has to be one my favourite speakers. Great design and great sound. Hopefully you'll be able to review the bigger PS Audio speaker in the same price range. Another few speakers would be the Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT, TAD Labs Evolution One TX - E1TX and the Paradigm Persona 7F.
Looking good is subjective, while i love the look of these beauties, my wife hates them 🤪 So they probably will never end up in my room. That said, the best speakers i’ve ever heard are the Blumenhofer Gran Gioia 2x16. Those wiped the floor subjectively with the blade meta’s. The best soundstage i’ve ever experienced were from a set of Illumnia Magister MK2, mind blowingly great. Love the review, love the speakers! For now I’m sticking with my DIY speakers and Hegel H390 🥰
I agree with you on every bit! I also was absolutely mind bogled when I heard the blades I used to work in a high end store and the original blade 2 was my favourite even though we had speakers of up to €120k/pair. The way they put this enormously wide, holographic soundstage together with the huge dynamic and low end capability is just sheer perfection. The design is just pure form follows function with perfect results.
Approximately 6 out of 10 people who buy speakers they don't buy them to sound like really nice glorified FM radios they want those speakers to go boom in their room and shake the foundations from underneath them and all that should be in one box as it was in the 70s and the 80s and the 90s and even up until about 2010 where are all the 12 and 14 inch bass drivers that used to be built into wonderful speakers as an example of the pioneer HPM 900 or the jamo pro 560s where are those huge drivers in speakers
Saw this vid pop up in ny feed but I was busy and short on time. Came back and went to my subscription list to watch it. It was then I noticed I was NOT subscribed. Now I am. Sorry for the delay in supporting your great channel. Great vid as always!
Great review!! That 200hz might be preferable spot if any just for separating the bass and midrange based on watching videos regarding mixing. I think with something this high end with tight tolerances increases speaker to speaker matching phase, FR etc. don’t hear much about this but I think it maybe a big factor in clarity imaging etc etc (taking the room out of the equation). Job well done as usual and thank you!!
I truly appreciate all your work Erin; looks damn good!😉 .. 🤔I wonder how the 30k Aspens would compare, or how the 1's would change in data and sound. Edit: I just tech compared the 1&2 Blade Metas on their website. That extra 5" in height and that big increase in extra weight may be impossible to set up for test in your house!😂😉 At almost 19 K per speaker after tax, I hope nobody claims that they need subwoofers for stereo listening.😂😂
Bought these from bestbiy in blue 2 years ago. Been waiting on reviews. I dont think ill ever ask for another speaker. Looks qmazing, sounds the business, I'm done for a long time
Once again excellent, excellent review, Erin. You do a terrific job of explaining what these measurements mean, especially regarding how they will be audible to someone hearing them in their listening space. The one question I have is regarding the Blade 2's efficiency. I have a Purifi Eigentact which puts out around 130-140 wpc into 8 ohms, and I'm wondering if that would be sufficient for most rooms. Not that I'll ever be able to afford these. But I do play Powerball from time to time. 🤤🤤
I would love if you could get your hands on Aerial Acoustics 10T's. Hearing those was the first time I understood why audiophiles are neurotic about sound quality. The 10T's presented uncanny realism I didn't know was possible
What affect do these side mounted woofers have on the sound? I've been seeing these types of designs a lot in recent years. It seems to me like it would result in a blurry, slurred type of low end due to the distances and time difference between the near and far ends of the cones all emanating at once, not to mention odd directivity patterns. I have similar concerns about the newer Genelecs with the woofers that apparently radiate from those weird little slots. Or is none of this an issue in practice and everything plays nicely in the real world?
Great job. There is nobody else out there who can tell both sides of the story. Notice KEF has a BLADE 1 Open Box for the same price as Blade 2 ! You KNOW you Want it!!! Lol
And here I was saving furiously for the Kef Reference 1! This speaker is more than twice the price but sounds like the one I should be aspiring to. Man this hobby is expensive and addictive! Great review Erin!
I would love to see how these compare to the KEF Reference 3 Meta. Those are my absolute dream speakers. I just can’t quite get myself to like the blades.
In the walk of life song, the cymbals are hit every beat from 00:12 until 00:36 at which point a tambourine takes over every other beat. Interesting how these compare to the PS audio speakers, thanks for the review!
The great thing about KEF is that they keep upgrading their bottom line speakers and implementing some of the technology in their reference and Meta series into their value lines. Right now the LS 60 wiresless are on sale for 5k per pair, 1400 watts of power, just add a steamer, and you're done! Allot of the Q towers are vastly price reduced now. My assumption is they will be discontinuing these models and implementing some sort of a "meta-Q driver" upgraded version of these speakers soon, just my opinion but if they do that they're gonna be kicking some serious ass over any similarly priced speakers. I had a pair of 105.2s in the mid 80s, now I have the Q series in a 7.2.4 system with Martin Logan subs and love it! I look forward to upgrading my speakers in the next year or 2. Probably own KEF for life. Thanks for the info!
I have some significantly older and cheaper kef q100 and the thing I like best is that I can sit in the sofa way of centre and the imaging is still great. Would be keen to try some higher end stuff
This is praise from you, absolutely. I've never even remotely considered these speakers... until this review. I feel like what you're saying is these are better than the JBL 4367, which changes everything for my end-game speaker top 5 list.
You should demo for yourself. You might have a different outcome. As a mainstream brand a Kef demo should be pretty easy. I would assume a demo of the JBLs will be a lot harder, I had to buy mine blind. I own the 4367 and have demoed the blade 2 (reference line too) and came away pretty lukewarm on the Kef. Specifically the Kef Reference 3 (same price as the 4367) just sounded kind of veiled. While the big JBLs just make everything seem less reproduced. I will chalk it up to a bad demo of the kefs , hard to argue with the amazing measurements of the blade. The one place the kefs are a lot better is sound stage depth. The sound stage on the JBL is all in front of the speaker with very little depth. The Kef blade has a nice depth of soundstage and disappear as a source far better than the 4367s (I mean look at the two…) As a whole the 4367s dig out dynamics where I thought there were none. Even old 80s hard rock/metal comes to life on the JBL. Maybe I will buy a used pair of blades (a few on audiomart) and do a direct A/B. I was a big revel fan until I did a direct A/B of the 228be and 4367 in my own room/system… now I am less of a fan of Revel and no longer an owner lol… the Revel is a great speaker but the JBL is the closest I have come to that “real” sound. I believe that real sound is hidden in the transient response. Maybe that shows up in the compression data. I would love to see how these speakers produce a square wave. Back with headphones dot com did headphones measurements a lot could be determined from the square wave. Maybe in a direct A/B I would eat my words and be on the Kef train, hard to say.
@@JamesWilliams-gf8gm , all sounds good. Truth is, it would be hard as all hell for me to give up the idea of a pair of 4367s in my living room. So no arguments from me.
Damn thats nice. That is end game performance. In the grand scheme of things the price isnt bad. The fact that Erin is willing/wanting to buy them you know they are the real deal.
As always excellent review from Erin. However, one important fact is missing from the review. How far away from side walls were the speakers? The reason I am saying this is that in uk hifi shows where rooms are smaller, i always found KEF reference speakers sounding much better than either Blade 1 or Blade 2. Since technical aspects of the Blades are, in theory, better than KEF reference speakers, i assume that distance from side walls is the reason why they sound worse in smaller rooms. I just came back from Munich HiFi show and I think that there are much better speakers than KEF Blades and Reference boxes, albeit at much more money. Just try to listen to Raidho TD6 reference speaker. Ok, it costs 210k Euro, so 7 times more than Blade 2, but it is the closest i had ever been to real accustic music. I mean classical, opera and Jazz. My home system is about 5k dollars at current prices, so i am not trying to boast about something i can not afford, but if you ever have a chance to listen to Raidho (or Borresen), you should. It kicks other high end speakers like Magico, Wilson, Rockport, Marten, Gryphon, Sonus Faber, Kharma, Avalon, CAD, Eggleston, Estelon, Zellaton etc. into dust. I include here Wilson Chronosonic, never mind speakers lower down the range (although Wilson Alexia and Dave had excellent show in Munich driven by VTL and Constallation amps, if i can recal). Anyway, on planet earth KEF speakers like Ref 5 and 3 (i always disliked Ref 1 after hearing it dozen times) and Blades and B&W and Von Schwaikert are the real choices if you want great hifi instead of BMW.
Sweeeet! Makes me feel good about my kef Q series from 20 years ago, good on kef for having halo product after halo product, with solid entry level stuff that’s also gorgeous in any context.