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New KEF Reference 5 speakers

After many months of auditioning speakers (and probably testing the patience of several salesmen) I finally decided to get the KEF Reference 5s.  I just loved the wide sound stage and almost holographic imaging, among other things.  They were delivered in February and I’ve spent many hours listening.  At first I was disappointed.  They just didn’t produce the same imaging at my house with my equipment as in the store.  Also, they sounded bright and harsh with violins and high end music.  The dealer came to my house along with the regional sales rep from KEF to provide advice.  They urged me to allow more break in time (at that point they had been played about 100 hours). After many more hours, I am becoming more acquainted with them.  They are still improving with time.  Them break in period seems to be very lon. They’ve played several hundred hours and are still improving. They are extremely source sensitive—meaning that a poorly engineered record or CD will sound terrible and a well recorded one can be great.  I suppose this is a good thing with the KEFS-that they reveal flaws so well says something about their accuracy. Unfortunately there seem to be more bad recordings than good ones so I’m finding many of my CDs and records very difficult to listen to.  I am still experimenting with speaker placement, learning which recordings are really good and which aren’t and other tweaks.  Not totally convinced it’s love but we are at least in like and the relationship is moving in a positive direction. I’ve delayed posting anything until now because I didn’t want to share any premature conclusions.  
fast
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dbphd
1,629 posts
 
dougsat, as a point of reference your experience with LS50s may not generalize well to Reference 5s.  I have six LS50s, two in a stereo setup and four used for surround.  All the LS50s were easy to place and none required extensive "break-in", although they are sensitive to the quality of the amps driving them.  Wonder if LS50 experience might generalize better to Blade 2s.

db
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stereo5
6,404 posts
 
With 50 years in this hobby, I can say that if it doesn't wow me right out of the box, there is no amount of break in or fairy dust that will make it sound much better.  No speaker should need 200 hours of break in to sound decent, especially a pair that cost 19K.  If the speakers do indeed need that much break in time which is quite doubtful, why doesn't the factory do it before shipping?   

If you can only listen to half your music collection, then something is drastically wrong.  No way would I drop 19K on speakers, only to be able to listen to half my music collection.  I had an audiophile friend years ago who proudly told me that his system was so good that nothing sounded good on it because it showed all the flaws.  To that I say BS.  I would look for a preamp or integrated with tone controls to tame the speakers if you are dead set on keeping them.  If it were me, I would unload them very quickly and move on to something I could actually enjoy.
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david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@fast

First, congratulations on your Kef Reference 5 speakers.

Second, trust the process you went through, as evident from your other thread. You took your time to research, ask for advice, listen and evaluate before finalizing a choice and purchasing them.

Third, continue to be patient, as you have been. Break in does take time and since you have tubed components (ARC) you are likely not running the speakers continuously.

Fourth, as you know, good/great relationships take work and effort. And importantly, that effort does and will pay off. I’m assuming here, but I’m sure it took some time to dial in your system to satisfaction when you brought your Proac speakers into it.

Fifth, give yourself (your ears) and your system credit and kudos for being able to easily differentiate between better and poorer recording quality.

Looking forward to your ongoing reports on your very personal journey. All the best.
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