For the price vs. performance, KEF is very relevant, and will become more relevant in coming months/years as more listeners become aware of their value. Especially in the price brackets their reference lines are in, not much can compete head to head, top to bottom..These days, when manufacturers are slapping on outsourced drivers, top-end parts, put them all together in a hand-crafted cabinets, tune them and then put them out in the market at prices far beyond what it will cost to buy a brand new BMWs, you will begin to wonder just what they are exactly charging you for..And then few years later, you find your speakers value drop vertically as they pump out new upgraded models..Just ridiculous how this market is eating up our wallets these days..and then there are manufacturers like KEFs, REVEL, Thiel who continue to drive up their technology, maintain product value, but won't charge you price of BMWs to get their top-end products. Believe me, they can charge twice as much, and most of us would still not complain, given the value they deliver..
Is KEF no longer relevant?
It seems to me that 20 years ago Kef was quite a respected speaker manufacturer. Granted I knew far less back then about audiophilia, but for someone just starting out, that was my impression at the time.
Although Kef still makes speakers in the $5,000 - $15,000 range, they never seem to be the subject of serious discussion here on the 'Gon. These discussions are dominated by a group of the usual 20 or so suspects that we hear about over and over again. And no disrespect meant against that group - they are mostly, if not all, great speakers to be sure. But Kef certainly at one time was a pioneering and extrememly respected brand. What happened? Is this because they lost their "sound" after Raymond Cooke died? (an accusation I remember reading somewhere) Or are they just perceived as a "yesterday's news" brand?
No doubt there are many happy Kef owners out there who may answer this thread telling me how great their speakers are, even by today's standards, and I have no argument with them - I am a former Kef owner and very fond of the brand - but they clearly are not "darlings" of this forum. What happened?
Although Kef still makes speakers in the $5,000 - $15,000 range, they never seem to be the subject of serious discussion here on the 'Gon. These discussions are dominated by a group of the usual 20 or so suspects that we hear about over and over again. And no disrespect meant against that group - they are mostly, if not all, great speakers to be sure. But Kef certainly at one time was a pioneering and extrememly respected brand. What happened? Is this because they lost their "sound" after Raymond Cooke died? (an accusation I remember reading somewhere) Or are they just perceived as a "yesterday's news" brand?
No doubt there are many happy Kef owners out there who may answer this thread telling me how great their speakers are, even by today's standards, and I have no argument with them - I am a former Kef owner and very fond of the brand - but they clearly are not "darlings" of this forum. What happened?
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- 72 posts total
- 72 posts total