KEF Speakers - Good, Bad or Ugly?

[jammasterj13]

Howdy Y'all,

What do you good folks think of KEF speakers?

I've got my beady eye on a pair of KEF C40s, I don't know anything about KEF doobie doos.

My speaker selection has always been British, I have a pair of B&W DM603s, Celestion 11s, Heybrook HB1s.

Never owned a pair of KEFs, if I do purchase the C40s they'll partner a Sony STR-7065A.

All opinions appreciated.

 

[thevic24]

i still kick my self in the butt for letting mu c-40's go.

they had a very nice layed back sound.

if the ones you are looking at are in good shape, i say get them.

you should be happy.


-vic

 

[Bauhausler]

Howdy Y'all,

What do you good folks think of KEF speakers?

I've got my beady eye on a pair of KEF C40s, I don't know anything about KEF doobie doos.

My speaker selection has always been British, I have a pair of B&W DM603s, Celestion 11s, Heybrook HB1s.

Never owned a pair of KEFs, if I do purchase the C40s they'll partner a Sony STR-7065A.

All opinions appreciated.

I like Kefs, and English speakers generally. They've made some of my favorite drivers and many speakers that I've really liked. At the moment I'm restoring a pair of my favorites, 103.3s. The C series are quite different. I've owned C95s, Q30s and others.

 

[arcaidy]

I have a pair of C35's. I think the quality and sound are good, but they are not my thing. I wanted to like them, but now they just sit unused. I have a buddy who loves the sound and will probably end up with the ones I have.

Mids and highs seem good to me, but they lack to much for me in the low end. I really like my smaller advents to give you an idea of what I like.

 

[arcaidy]

Arcaidy - to some british speaker aficianado's your smaller Advents would have what is called bass bloat - to each his own.

I have heard that before and wanted to list what I liked for reference. :thmbsp: I have nothing bad to say about the KEF's I have and really wanted to like them, but they just don't do it for me.

 

[Tom Brennan]

What do you good folks think of KEF speakers?

Well I heard some I liked and some I didn't. I liked that one with the 12" woofer that looked like a robot, the 105. But some of the KEFs that came later sounded nasty and brittle to me.

And Bud Fried's Model H used KEF drivers and was possibly the best cone and domer I ever heard. Maybe.

 

[jammasterj13]

I guess the bass response from British speakers reflect the personalities of us Brits, rather polite old bean.

The Americano speakers that I've heard are deffo in yer face, nice but not for me, I like a balanced sound across the frequency range.

 

[Chad Michael]

I heard a set of C40's about 20 years ago in a hifi shop, playing my favorite style music (contemporary jazz). I thought they sounded fantastic for the price. Seems they were $400 list, but don't remember the street price. They go on the bay for $50 to $150 quite often.

A friend loaned me a set of C30's, so I paired them with a small powered sub. I've been using them in my upstairs system for over a year and they just don't do anything wrong. TV audio, movie audio, radio, cd's, music of all types, etc. just sound excellent through them.

However, just for the sake of comparison - if you like the forward, lively sound of old school JBL's, you won't like these KEF's. If you expect full, rich, solid bass response without using a sub, you will be disappointed.

 

[Bauhausler]

Not all British speakers are shy on bass. My Linn Isobarik DMS monitors had plenty (Kef B139 and B110 drivers). The Rogers LS3/5As on my desk (B110, T27) not so much.

 

[Nikko75]

Kef Cantatas, medium large speakers that definitely have the British warmth that makes music enjoyable for long periods, but don't color the music over like many others. They use the drivers from the reference 104, they have great detail retrieval. They are really good.

 

[anytune]

I have an orphan C-45. As a test monitor it's fine, but I'm not going knock myself out looking for a mate.

 

[Balifly]

Does not matter what brand they are.
If they sounds good to you, buy them.

My KEF 104ab sounds great to me. :yes:

 

[OvenMaster]

Howdy Y'all,

What do you good folks think of KEF speakers?

Buy.

Tom

 

[Snade]

I had the C40's and gave them to my brother. I liked them, good rock and roll speaker but this was a new consumer line offered by Kef in the 1980's at a lower price point with cheaper cabinets and drivers compared to their regular line of speakers.

They don't sell for much money, well under 100 bucks a pair.

I like any of the Kef speakers of the 70's, very well made speakers and a very rich mid-range, superb for jazz music.

Cheers, Snade

 

[Massive Lee]

I love my Kefs. Calinda, Cantata, 105-2

The C40s are regular speakers. Nothing to be excited about. Don't judge the whole range of Kef products from the C40.

 

[Chad Michael]

....
I've got my beady eye on a pair of KEF C40s, .....

What's the asking price? Can you listen to them before you buy?

Bauhausler - I know that not all British speakers are shy on bass, but the C30's are. They just do mids and highs so well and you can get a used pair for the price of a tank of gas :thmbsp:.

Massive Lee - I think jammaster is in a different price range than you are . Your KEF's make me green with envy :yes:.

 

[Teradacto58]

I love my British Celestion 25's for bass!....I have a few nice Kefs too! Tangent m3's Cambridge Audio R50's....+ a few 4 or 5 more!

 

[SaSi]

KEF was pioneering in loudspeaker design in the late '60s and '70s. They made a few mature designs in the '80s as well. The B110, B139 and T27 drivers that formed the backbone of the "constructor series" and made available to the public for DIY construction became pretty well known and were excellent performers. There were also several different versions of B200 in various "SP" designations ranging from drivers designed for small sealed to vented enclosures and the "huge" B300, probably the largest (12") woofer KEF ever made.

All these loudspeakers from that time still stand up to competition from other vintage gear and can hold their own with almost any kind of music.

The Cxx series is the one that made me think twice about KEF. Might be good performers but not (IMHO) in the same league with the older models.

Later, KEF went coaxial (Uni-Q) and have designed several generations of such drivers improving the design. The early ones are probably not the ones to seek. I have not listened to the recent designs.

 

[jammasterj13]

I've heard the C40s and I'm not impressed at all. The geezer wanted £80, $130 for em, I got my Celestion 11s for less than that and they sound a million times better.

There's a lot of speaker for the money, two 8 inch woofers(one is passive I think) and a soft dome tweeter. While they sound pleasant enough there is just something missing from the overall sound.

**** it I think I'll treat maself and get some Dynaudios instead, wife's at her parents for a couple of weeks will sneak them in without her knowing for a few days.

 

[Qoognish]

I have a pair of the 104/2 and have yet to hear a pair of speakers I like better. I will buy another pair when given the right opportunity.