yyzsantabarbara, re KEF Reference 1s with sub woofer:
I agree the KEFs have good bass extension, but I found that adding a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s with SMS-1 bass management crossed at 80 Hz, 24 dB/octave really increased the size of the soundstage. I adjust the level of the subs so that I’m usually unaware of them, except for the blue light that indicates when they are active, until a pedal note is played or a canon fired off in a movie. The KEFs are driven by an Ayre KX-5/20 preamp and VX-5/20 amp. A Marchand passive balanced high-pass at 80 Hz, 24 dB sits between the preamp and amp.
I agree the KEFs have good bass extension, but I found that adding a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s with SMS-1 bass management crossed at 80 Hz, 24 dB/octave really increased the size of the soundstage. I adjust the level of the subs so that I’m usually unaware of them, except for the blue light that indicates when they are active, until a pedal note is played or a canon fired off in a movie. The KEFs are driven by an Ayre KX-5/20 preamp and VX-5/20 amp. A Marchand passive balanced high-pass at 80 Hz, 24 dB sits between the preamp and amp.