Amplifier ideas with KEF Reference 1

@keoliphant Based on your responses I would think the Luxman 509x will be what you end up with. I never gave too much consideration on looks for audio gear but that Luxman has super model looks to it. The loudness button on the Luxman 509x would also be very useful to my office setup when I am working late at night.

I should also mention that I did hear the KEF Ref 1 sound awful once at a dealer. That was when it was played in a room about the same size as yours. The speakers were facing a wall full of glass. It was unbearably bad and I was shocked the dealer simply did not flip the room configuration around. My take away from that was that there is a lot of bass coming from the Ref 1.

I also wanted to mention that the Magico A3 speaker maybe an interesting choice for your office.

I found that when I work my long hours in my office I do not want too much bass hitting my ears. The LS50 and the Audience 1+1 are great at this for a small to medium size rooms.

Keoliphant,

We are a long time Kef Reference dealer and one of only 5 dealers in the entire country with almost every Kef product line represented, we have the Blades, Ref Ones, Ref Threes, Ref 5, R series, T series, Q Series, LS 50W, LS 50p, so we are very up on KEF.

The Ref 1 when paired with great electronics are mind blowing how real music can sound and they work well in a small room due to the bass tuning tubes and wide lateral dispersion of the Uni Q.

If you are looking for an exceptional amplifer in a small package that gives off little heat then the T+A 2500R might be your ticket.

The T+A gear is exceptional gear and their products are usually among the best sounding brands of gear out there.

 If you are not familiar with the brand T+A is the largest single high end company in Germany, with a full time staff of 110 employees and 14 full time engineers T+A has the resources to develop some really outstanding gear which is built up to German standards of superb craftsmanship and because of the companies large size they can afford economies of scale which enable them to use exceptional parts,  and still keep the pricing affordable. 

A unique aspect of the HV and R series is the High Voltage circuitry which runs solid state devices at much higher rail voltages which lowers distortion and helps create a more tube like sounding solid state product.

The larger HV 3000 a $18k integrated amplifier will most likely far outperform your PS audio gear, the PA 3000 HV was compared by Allan Tafel in the TAS to a $120k worth of CH Precision gear and he was having difficulty telling the difference.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/ta-pa-3000-hv-and-mp-3000-hv/?page=3

here is the quote that got us to bring in the line:

"Similarly, the PA3000 not only competes directly with integrated amps that run all the way up to $50k, it holds its own against $120k worth of Switzerland’s best separates. This is a component that’s not to be missed.

But these HV models not only stand up to their Teutonic brethren, they sound just like them. What T+A has done is to make it possible for audiophiles of more modest (though still significant) resources to get in on the extraordinary build-quality, sonic merit and character, and sheer musical enjoyment of the Swiss School. And that is surely a promise fulfilled."

The PA 3000 runs warm not super hot, and is compact. The less expensive R series 2500 integrated at $11k offers much of the same sound but not quite as good as its bigger brother.

T+A is a bit hard to find currently we are the East Coast dealer NY/NJ but there are a handful of good dealers and more signing up.

We have run the Ref ones with the 2500R and was exceptional we have run the KEF Blades on the PA 3000 and the sound was truly magical.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Agreed that the T+A PA 2500 R is a great sounding piece, but I personally feel the Bel Canto Black EX integrated sounds a chunk better for sure. The Bel Canto has more body and fullness with the same level of resolution and drives the bottom end with more authority, but is still very well controlled. Plus, the Bel Canto has the benefit of a superb built in DAC with PCM, DSD and MQA capability. A lot of the Bel Canto quality comes from their superb DAC in this piece and Ethernet input. Not knocking the T+A at all, it is an excellent piece, but I just find the Bel Canto exceptional. Before moving to the Bel Canto Black EX in my system with the ATC SCM40, I was using the T+A PA 2500 R with the T+A DAC 8 DSD and the GutWire UNO-S XLR interconnect between them which is an incredible cable. The T+A integrated with a very good DAC and cable will definitely cost more than the Bel Canto integrated. Of course, this can be taken with a grain of salt, as should be the opinion of anyone, but this comes from living long-term with both in the same system. With that said, I haven't heard the Bel Canto Black EX with the KEF Reference 1, but I can't imagine the combo not working well. 

Note: as much as I'm a Bel Canto dealer, I have nothing to gain by mentioning this as keoliphant has his own Bel Canto dealer. Just lending my 2 cents as someone with extensive experience with both products.

Everest I don't think you have your facts straight, when does a $25k Bel Canto integrated amp compare to a $11k T+A  one, if you factor in the cost of a Dac 8 which is $15k for the combo not $25k! Even if you figure $3k for a good interconnect I get $18k not $25k!

The T+A PA 3000 at $18k would be the comparable piece, also with the DAC 8DSD for $4k you would still be a $22k, want to do that commparison vs the Bel Canto?

If you are comparing products a $25k one should be discussed with a similar set of other components at a somewhat similar price point.

Then we will have a fair horse race. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

The Bel Canto ACI600 is $25K USD, but I'm talking about the less expensive new Bel Canto Black EX at $14,990 USD. Definitely a fair comparison.