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Kef 205/2

Good Morning All!

My setup consists of:

Kef 205/2
Mcintosh MC501's
Audio Research Ref 3
Fully Mod Primare CD31
PS Audio PPP (CD, Pre)
Shunyata Hydra 2 (Amps)
Nordost Quattro Fill CD to Pre
Nordost Red Dawn Pre to Amps
Nordost Red Dawn Bi-Wired Speaker cables
Analysis Plus Oval 9 Power Cords

My current issue with the above setup is that the Kef 205/2 produces very little bass comparing to my smaller system (in the same room with the same speakers positioning , etc) which consists of Dynaudio Focus 140 bookshelf, Cambridge Audio 740c and Meixing integrated tube amp (75w/ channel)! Due to the lack of bass, my main system seems to be brighter. I’ve tried to play the Kef on my smaller setup but the amp seems not to be to drive them.

Has anyone experience with the Kef205/2 or similar setup?
Can you please let me know how to improve the bass response?
I’ve tried with cables e.g. Chord Anthem, Cardas Golden Cross with mix result and ended with Nordost due to their high resolution. I do believe make differences but not substantially

Thanking you in advance for your advices
Primare_Cd31
primare_cd31
pops
2,275 posts
 
I can't necessarily agree with Thesoundhouse claiming your 501's are speaker dependent. I have a pair and have owned Thiel 3.6 and Eggleston Andra II's and the bass has been plentiful and balanced. I have heard them in Brick and Mortar salons with other speakers also. Be careful and check that out yourself.

Good advice above though, spend time with speaker placement, wall reinforcement, and finding bass nodes.
ablang
165 posts
 
I owned the Focus 140 a while back, and it has a slightly "punchy" elevated upper bass that makes it sound like it goes deeper than it does. Assuming that your KEFs are placed well, you might be hearing bass from them that's actually deeper but more linear--and it might sound leaner than the 140s for that fact. Also, why not try swapping the + and - on one woofer just to see if the bass gets better or worse. That would answer the question about the internal wiring being off.
jaxwired
232 posts
 
All I can say is Dynaudio is the king of bass. Kef makes awesome speakers, no doubt about it, but when it comes to bass, there is no substitute for Dyns. If you like bass then you should consider swapping the Kefs for some Dyn C2s or C4s. They will deliver.
pkoh70
34 posts
 
hmm, 205/2's got prettty good low bass that integrate well with rest of the freq. I almost got 205/2 before settling with 207/2. I would suggest some cabling tweak. Nordost cables you are using won't help you with the bass problem. In that price range, I recommend JPS superconductor or audioquest line. they match well with KEFs. Make sure you have speaker freq. plugs on the back setup properly. (highs flat and lows flat as well).. The dyns are probably giving you more bass, not in the lowest bass, but in upper bass region and they are harder to control so the bass may be loose as well which will make you think they got more bass. believe me, 205/2 will definitely give you more tight, clean bass down low with the system you have. Enjoy playing around and don't give up on them yet.
pkoh70
34 posts
 
One more thing, you definitely need to change the quattro Fill going from your CD to Pre. you have an interconnect that is going exactly the opposite way from where you want to go and CD to Pre is where the most signifcant change in sound will be made through cable change..my two cents..
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