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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
doryb
15 posts
 
Fast- please do report if you switch out the pre-amp. I'd love to know how that changes things. I just got new speaker cables (Morrow Audio bi-wired SP7's, upgrade from Tara Labs- prism) The clarity and openness of the sound from the speakers is just stunning. The SP7's added more clarity and detail. Even with mighty bass- the full spectrum of sound is clear as crystal. So I am going to live with the Parasound unless something life altering comes up, i.e. a PASS or a KRELL comes up dirt cheap- or if my brother really sells me on Van Alstine! I got the speakers from a dealer. Demo's. Not sure how much time they have on them. 60% off- I couldn't resist! 
fast OP
92 posts
 
Still trying to decide whether to get a new preamp and, if so, which one.  Obviously, it’s difficult to shop now.  I’m planning to try connecting my DAC directly to my power amp as an experiment to see if the Preamp is degrading the sound.  
My speaker wires are inexpensive Audioquests.  I’ve thought about replacing them but the wires run behind my baseboard for about 25 feet and then under some wood molding so all this would have to be removed and then replaced.  Not convinced it’s worth the trouble and expense...especially since my system sounds pretty good now.  
thegreenman
44 posts
 
Hi Fast

Thanks for your post! Appreciate it alot and it has been really encouraging to learn from your experience. :)
Have bought a kef reference 5 around 4-5 months back and felt the sound harsh/bright/unpalatable for half the songs - similar to your experience. After reading your article decided to break them in -- after 3 months they sound so much better -- smooth, sweet, with the correct "colour" that I didnt know existed but I liked!

Other things I did:
1. Shift them 1.5m away from the back wall
2. Tube rolling - changed the pre amp tubes to nos brimar 12au7 (using a primaluna dialogue HP 70watt tube integrated with EL34s)

Upcoming improvements
1. Upgrade source - just put in an order for doge 7 tube dac (currently using a $200 usb stick streaming spotify from phone :p) and subsequently maybe a innuos streamer.

Any updates about your system? :) And what did you do you felt made the greatest difference? :)

Thanks
Ben 
wolverine1
39 posts
 
Ben-this is Fast.  Good to hear from you. Glad you stuck with the Ref 5s and are now enjoying them. As I’ve said before, they do require patience when brand new but that patience is rewarded within a few months. Sounds like you’ve made some good improvements.  
As for my system, I’ve added Isoacoustics Gaia footers. I also had a professional (Sterling Trayle) spend a day positioning my speakers and had a dedicated 20 amp line installed...the latter two things a little over a year ago, just before Covid. I’ve upgraded some usb cables to Wireworld and some power cords to Audioquest Y3. As I may have mentioned, I added a Rega RP6 turntable with Dynavector cartridge (I don’t listen to records very much so I wanted something mid priced but good). Finally, I tried connecting my PS Audio Directstream DAC directly to my Krell power amp and liked it. I went looking for a preamp which would be similar to a direct connection but allow me to use my phono, tuner, etc. and arrived at the Benchmark LA4.  I I ordered an LA4 from Music Direct, which allows a 60 day trial.  I kept it. I think it’s about the closest you can get to a direct connection with multiple inputs. As a bonus, it’s very reasonably priced for such a preamp.  
So how does it all sound?  I’m happy and done fiddling, at least for a while. In terms of biggest difference, I’d have to say the preamp and the speaker positioning. I’m still not totally convinced that ultra expensive cables make that big a difference compared to good moderately priced ones (or maybe my hearing isn’t acute enough to appreciate it). The Gaias are a step up over the standard spikes but not a huge one, especially considering the cost. Most of all, I’m enjoying the Ref 5s and...happy I chose them over the many other speakers I considered and, like you, that I stuck with them. 
m669326's avatar
m669326
330 posts
 
For what it's worth, I switched from an older KEF reference to an equivalent ATC, and I was much happier. They're along the same lines in terms of sound signature, but the ATCs just did everything better.
In your shoes, I probably would hang on to what I've got, but there you go.
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