He gave you a passive aggressive counter offer? :scratch2:
The Quest for The KEF… Reference 107!
- Thread starter SimplySound
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He gave you a passive aggressive counter offer? :scratch2:
wsissons
Super Member
The Kef 107 is a total speaker pretty well regarded . The 1200.00 mark isn't asking a whole lot more then many feel is the market value . This is a speaker you can get and forget about the hunt for a while anyway and if and when you decide its not your pie you will have no problem getting your investment back......
wsissons - I completely agree about $1200 being a fair price...I'm sure $1595 is still plenty fair, sound-wise...but from what I've seen, it's on the high end of the market value...just trying to decide if I'd like to pay that and have my search be over or wait for another pair to turn up. Completely torn right now. I'm sure they're great speakers and my wife would actually allow them in the living room...my Maggies sound pretty darn good too though, and I only payed $400 + a $270 DAC for them. I'm paying $1,000 more...238% more...I doubt I'll be getting 238% better sound...but that's hi-fi for you, diminishing returns...but at least the Kef's would be allowed in the living room, and that's probably where I'll do most of my listening, both for music and home theater.
matteos - yeah...pretty swell of him. His counter offer moved in the wrong direction though! Haha. My offers went $900 -> $1150 -> $1295 (original asking price). No replies.
matteos - yeah...pretty swell of him. His counter offer moved in the wrong direction though! Haha. My offers went $900 -> $1150 -> $1295 (original asking price). No replies.
There was a set of 107s in barter town for $1k a couple of weeks ago (sold I think)... There's a set near me for $1250... Hang tight, another set will turn up, just have to be patient. Sometimes people are hardwork to deal with when buying/selling and not worth the effort.
So these fell through. I messaged him saying I was considering hitting "buy it now," which I was...but that I needed some sort of reply before I could do it. He abruptly ended the auction.
I already found another pair, but they would need to be shipped. Any concerns there? The other thing, they have "new woofers." Guy says they are the correct woofers for this model...I guess I would consider this a good thing. I know Kef was big on component matching, but I think that was more relevant for the crossover networks...but please correct me if I'm wrong! New woofers should have no foam surround issues either, I wouldn't think. Of course I'm going to verify all of this before pulling the trigger. Thanks for the replies, and sorry if this belongs in "dollars and sense."
I already found another pair, but they would need to be shipped. Any concerns there? The other thing, they have "new woofers." Guy says they are the correct woofers for this model...I guess I would consider this a good thing. I know Kef was big on component matching, but I think that was more relevant for the crossover networks...but please correct me if I'm wrong! New woofers should have no foam surround issues either, I wouldn't think. Of course I'm going to verify all of this before pulling the trigger. Thanks for the replies, and sorry if this belongs in "dollars and sense."
frommerstop
Super Member
It sounds like the guy selling the first pair you were considering was a flake, and you probably dodged the bullet by not getting them!
Other than general size & weight, I don't see any unusual shipping concerns... just that they will need three boxes (at least) for the two bass enclosures, and the two "head" assemblies. I'd be a little more concerned about the "new" woofers. I don't think component matching is a big deal, but make sure they are truly OEM woofers, and not just something they thought fit... I shudder to think of 107s with "new" car audio subs in there! It's amazing what some folks think qualify as restoration.
BTW, I didn't mean to suggest the original R107 wasn't worth going for, they definitely are. I simply wanted to point out the potential advantages of looking for the /2... particularly if you're comfortable paying as much as the first pair you were looking at.
Other than general size & weight, I don't see any unusual shipping concerns... just that they will need three boxes (at least) for the two bass enclosures, and the two "head" assemblies. I'd be a little more concerned about the "new" woofers. I don't think component matching is a big deal, but make sure they are truly OEM woofers, and not just something they thought fit... I shudder to think of 107s with "new" car audio subs in there! It's amazing what some folks think qualify as restoration.
BTW, I didn't mean to suggest the original R107 wasn't worth going for, they definitely are. I simply wanted to point out the potential advantages of looking for the /2... particularly if you're comfortable paying as much as the first pair you were looking at.
woofers
His exact reply regarding the woofers was:
"Woofers are new Kef B250's"
So I just need to clarify if this is "new old stock" or just woofers pulled from another cabinet. I would think if they went to the trouble of swapping woofers, they would at least refoam them, but I'm going to ask.
Frommer, I knew what you meant. I'm probably being too hasty jumping into these again, especially since they will need to be shipped...these will be around $1595 again (shipping included). We'll see. Again, I'd be in less of a hurry, but my wife is giving me the go-ahead because she hates the size of these Magnepans so much haha! I just hope the Kef's upper end and sound stage will stack up to the Maggies...they have quite a big sound stage and can sound surprisingly real at times. I'm sure the sonic signature will be just "different," and still very good. Before I had the Maggies I was actually running the 103.2's in the large living room...they were obviously straining a little bit, but were still very enjoyable. I'm sure these larger Kef's will be quite impressive. One thing about the Maggies though is the sound tends to come in a "wall" sometimes, and that sometimes bugs me. I've never experienced that from the Kefs (103.2's)...the depth of the imaging seems to be a little better. I just hope I don't regret going back to box speakers, but I hear these do a very good job of disappearing.
Thanks for reading my rambling and for all the feedback.
His exact reply regarding the woofers was:
"Woofers are new Kef B250's"
So I just need to clarify if this is "new old stock" or just woofers pulled from another cabinet. I would think if they went to the trouble of swapping woofers, they would at least refoam them, but I'm going to ask.
Frommer, I knew what you meant. I'm probably being too hasty jumping into these again, especially since they will need to be shipped...these will be around $1595 again (shipping included). We'll see. Again, I'd be in less of a hurry, but my wife is giving me the go-ahead because she hates the size of these Magnepans so much haha! I just hope the Kef's upper end and sound stage will stack up to the Maggies...they have quite a big sound stage and can sound surprisingly real at times. I'm sure the sonic signature will be just "different," and still very good. Before I had the Maggies I was actually running the 103.2's in the large living room...they were obviously straining a little bit, but were still very enjoyable. I'm sure these larger Kef's will be quite impressive. One thing about the Maggies though is the sound tends to come in a "wall" sometimes, and that sometimes bugs me. I've never experienced that from the Kefs (103.2's)...the depth of the imaging seems to be a little better. I just hope I don't regret going back to box speakers, but I hear these do a very good job of disappearing.
Thanks for reading my rambling and for all the feedback.
frommerstop
Super Member
Pardon me if you posted it earlier, but what Maggies do you currently have, and where about are you located?
BTW, I'm not angling to buy them off you or anything, I'm just wondering.
BTW, I'm not angling to buy them off you or anything, I'm just wondering.
Haha Frommer...
I'm in Asheville, NC. I have the 2.7QR's, vintage 1995 or so. I like 'em a lot (in Dumb and Dumber voice). Then again, they are my first planar and first somewhat hi-end speaker. My speaker path has been:
Klipsch SF-3
Wharfedale Diamond 9.6
And currently I have all of these: Kef 103.2, Magnepan 2.7QR, Synergistics S-42
The Maggies may be for sale soon, we'll see. IMO, I hardly paid a song for them at $400 + a Peachtree Dac-it (only paid $270 for that).
I'm in Asheville, NC. I have the 2.7QR's, vintage 1995 or so. I like 'em a lot (in Dumb and Dumber voice). Then again, they are my first planar and first somewhat hi-end speaker. My speaker path has been:
Klipsch SF-3
Wharfedale Diamond 9.6
And currently I have all of these: Kef 103.2, Magnepan 2.7QR, Synergistics S-42
The Maggies may be for sale soon, we'll see. IMO, I hardly paid a song for them at $400 + a Peachtree Dac-it (only paid $270 for that).
Hawkeye,
The seller of the auction 107's in NC is an infrequent member of AK here. He knows his stuff regarding the KEF's and Kenwood gears but he doesn't post much from what I've seen. I don't know about whether something in your offers bothered him or not.
I suppose if you want to try to work something out with him, an apologetic email might through the bay messaging could start a thaw, but not clear if it would help. It sure would save you from shipping and local pickup is always easier. But price may still be an issue, and bargaining is a delicately worded issue, especially when you try to tell someone they are overpriced or at the high end of market.
As for your comparison of the maggies and 107's price wise, just because you got a deal on the maggies does not diminish their value relative to the 107's, nor does that inflate the value of the 107's. Would you sell the Maggies for the $400 you have in them, or seek highest price based on "actual worth"?
Sure, if you can get the KEF 107's or 107/2 for a song, and they happen to be close by, great, SCORE and we can all rejoice in your good fortune. But more often than not, these are fairly scarce speakers, TOTL in their day, and not always close by for shipping/pickup purposes.
Given that if only routine maintenance (woofer surrounds & donuts) and ferrofluid refurbishment, maybe a recap) will get a working pair back to full operation, the 107's like many KEF speakers are pretty darn reliable, easy on the eyes, and well worth the $$$$ due to the engineering inside them.
I hope you are able to find a pair of 107's that meet your needs at the price that works with your budget. When pursuing TOTL or higher end speakers, unless you have infinite patience and a lot of local luck, sometimes it does take some serious $$$$ to get what you want. And frankly, $1500 for any manufacturer's vintage TOTL speaker in excellent condition is really not that much money IF in some respects it helps to end the search.
The seller of the auction 107's in NC is an infrequent member of AK here. He knows his stuff regarding the KEF's and Kenwood gears but he doesn't post much from what I've seen. I don't know about whether something in your offers bothered him or not.
I suppose if you want to try to work something out with him, an apologetic email might through the bay messaging could start a thaw, but not clear if it would help. It sure would save you from shipping and local pickup is always easier. But price may still be an issue, and bargaining is a delicately worded issue, especially when you try to tell someone they are overpriced or at the high end of market.
As for your comparison of the maggies and 107's price wise, just because you got a deal on the maggies does not diminish their value relative to the 107's, nor does that inflate the value of the 107's. Would you sell the Maggies for the $400 you have in them, or seek highest price based on "actual worth"?
Sure, if you can get the KEF 107's or 107/2 for a song, and they happen to be close by, great, SCORE and we can all rejoice in your good fortune. But more often than not, these are fairly scarce speakers, TOTL in their day, and not always close by for shipping/pickup purposes.
Given that if only routine maintenance (woofer surrounds & donuts) and ferrofluid refurbishment, maybe a recap) will get a working pair back to full operation, the 107's like many KEF speakers are pretty darn reliable, easy on the eyes, and well worth the $$$$ due to the engineering inside them.
I hope you are able to find a pair of 107's that meet your needs at the price that works with your budget. When pursuing TOTL or higher end speakers, unless you have infinite patience and a lot of local luck, sometimes it does take some serious $$$$ to get what you want. And frankly, $1500 for any manufacturer's vintage TOTL speaker in excellent condition is really not that much money IF in some respects it helps to end the search.
Hey mech...
Mech, nice to meet you. I don't disagree with anything you've said below. I assume they've already been sold locally, but who knows. I've tried apologizing 9-10 times already...no luck. I did suggest that his pricing was at the high end of the market or even outside the market value...maybe I didn't know the market as well as I thought I did! Like I said, I saw two pair on Audiogon going for under $1,000...on one, the ASKING price was only $750...then I saw another pair on ebay, asking $1500, and the only comment was "you're way overpriced." Then, reading this thread, most members seemed to be paying about $1200. There are three out there that I know of for sale, right now, and they do all seem to have a higher asking price...$1300, $1400, and $1500...but maybe they are just leaving some "wiggle room" for negotiation...
I realize that 107's come up rarely, and that's why I am willing to pay the $1500 if needed...I even offered that to the guy in NC (actually it was Myrtle Beach, SC, according to the auction)...I offered $900 (low market, I thought), $1150 (what I really wanted to pay), $1295 (his original "buy it now" price), and $1595 (his current "buy it now"). It was just irritating getting no response and the fact that I know he was going into the auction and making changes to the ad, but refusing to reply to me...oh well, I'm over it.
I'm going to school for my MBA so I understand market pricing and supply and demand. I will certainly try to get a fair market price out of my Maggies, as I've got student loan debts up the wazoo and a daughter to take care of...and actually I have $400 cash + Peachtree Dac-it (paid $270 but market price is actually a bit higher) + travel into the Maggies...probably about $750 total. With that said, I'm pretty fair and flexible with my pricing when I sell things, and I COMMUNICATE...offer/counter-offer...I don't know why it is so hard for some people...
I guess I've just been lucky so far...most of my gear I've been able to get on the cheap, either new and on sale, or at a good used price...maybe this guy I know here in AVL has "spoiled" my outlook...he finds McIntosh amps for $25 somehow...B&W DM3000's for $150...but he puts a lot of work into the search too, and he's willing to fix things up if needed...I think these Kef's are going to be a different beast, being TOTL speakers and a somewhat rare find. At least they hold their value well.
Crossing my fingers that this current pair I'm looking at works out! Thanks all for the advice.
Mech, nice to meet you. I don't disagree with anything you've said below. I assume they've already been sold locally, but who knows. I've tried apologizing 9-10 times already...no luck. I did suggest that his pricing was at the high end of the market or even outside the market value...maybe I didn't know the market as well as I thought I did! Like I said, I saw two pair on Audiogon going for under $1,000...on one, the ASKING price was only $750...then I saw another pair on ebay, asking $1500, and the only comment was "you're way overpriced." Then, reading this thread, most members seemed to be paying about $1200. There are three out there that I know of for sale, right now, and they do all seem to have a higher asking price...$1300, $1400, and $1500...but maybe they are just leaving some "wiggle room" for negotiation...
I realize that 107's come up rarely, and that's why I am willing to pay the $1500 if needed...I even offered that to the guy in NC (actually it was Myrtle Beach, SC, according to the auction)...I offered $900 (low market, I thought), $1150 (what I really wanted to pay), $1295 (his original "buy it now" price), and $1595 (his current "buy it now"). It was just irritating getting no response and the fact that I know he was going into the auction and making changes to the ad, but refusing to reply to me...oh well, I'm over it.
I'm going to school for my MBA so I understand market pricing and supply and demand. I will certainly try to get a fair market price out of my Maggies, as I've got student loan debts up the wazoo and a daughter to take care of...and actually I have $400 cash + Peachtree Dac-it (paid $270 but market price is actually a bit higher) + travel into the Maggies...probably about $750 total. With that said, I'm pretty fair and flexible with my pricing when I sell things, and I COMMUNICATE...offer/counter-offer...I don't know why it is so hard for some people...
I guess I've just been lucky so far...most of my gear I've been able to get on the cheap, either new and on sale, or at a good used price...maybe this guy I know here in AVL has "spoiled" my outlook...he finds McIntosh amps for $25 somehow...B&W DM3000's for $150...but he puts a lot of work into the search too, and he's willing to fix things up if needed...I think these Kef's are going to be a different beast, being TOTL speakers and a somewhat rare find. At least they hold their value well.
Crossing my fingers that this current pair I'm looking at works out! Thanks all for the advice.
Thanks for the reply and your comments. No harm in trying to maximize your dollars spending power.
You might consider spending $25 and become a subscriber for access to Barter Town. There is a pair of 2.7QR's for sale at $1300 to give you an idea of worth in someone's eyes.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=573330&highlight=magnepan
And here's a pair of 107's for sale by a member for $1500 in Northern NJ, maybe you guys can work something out pricewise, course you'll need shipping as its 650 miles to you, UShip may be able to get you that for around $200, blanket wrapped and secured, it should be something pretty easy to ship.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=561300
There's a pair in Black here in LA for $1250 but shipping would be considerable.
Good Luck!
You might consider spending $25 and become a subscriber for access to Barter Town. There is a pair of 2.7QR's for sale at $1300 to give you an idea of worth in someone's eyes.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=573330&highlight=magnepan
And here's a pair of 107's for sale by a member for $1500 in Northern NJ, maybe you guys can work something out pricewise, course you'll need shipping as its 650 miles to you, UShip may be able to get you that for around $200, blanket wrapped and secured, it should be something pretty easy to ship.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=561300
There's a pair in Black here in LA for $1250 but shipping would be considerable.
Good Luck!
Hey mech, I just subscribed...this is not the place to ask this, but I don't know where...
I can't get a search to work...like almost never! For example, under the Barter Town forum, I clicked "search this forum" and tried search terms of kef, KEF, 107...no results. I tried "speakers" and got results. I almost never get results when I search...what am I doing wrong? It seems like it should be easy but I never get results!
I can't get a search to work...like almost never! For example, under the Barter Town forum, I clicked "search this forum" and tried search terms of kef, KEF, 107...no results. I tried "speakers" and got results. I almost never get results when I search...what am I doing wrong? It seems like it should be easy but I never get results!
Unfortunately, the V.Bulletin software that AK uses has a goofy search engine, it won't search for 3 letter items at all. Most of us will use the "search AK with Google" but I'm not sure it see Barter Town forums and subsections because its subscriber only allowed so its not "out there" where Google can crawl around and see it.
Use my links above for the specific threads about the 107. Otherwise you may just have to scan the ads like I did looking for what you might be after.
Just wanted to say thanks to mech for bringing my attention to the 107's in Northern NJ...they are now mine!
In a few months I might be pulling a "Simply Sound" and using my 103.2's as a center channel in a home theater setup...obviously the 107's will be front LR...my rear surrounds will have to be either Klipsch SF-3 or Synergistics S-42...although the Klipsch are natural home theater choices, I don't think they're going to blend well with the Kef's...the Synergistics do blend very well (although the bass can be a little boomy), so I'll probably go with those. I'll also have a 12" subwoofer in front and possibly an 8" subwoofer in back.
I'm more of a 2 channel fan but my brother will be moving in with us and he has a sweet 3D projector, so it seems like a natural time to experiment with home theater.
This might be kind of off-topic here, but I did have a few questions regarding the set-up:
1) I might have to switch from separate amp/preamp to an AVR. Emotiva has a new "Fusion 8100" model that looks intriguing. My only concern is that it is not rated at 4 ohms, but the manual says you CAN connect 4 or 8 ohm speakers. Also, it is rated at 110W for stereo mode and 65W x 7 in home theater mode. In stereo mode, I'm only giving up 15W...no big deal. Do you think 65W @8 ohms (and I presume 100+ W @4 ohms) will be enough for the 107's? My other solution would be to use existing gear to try to cobble something together. I have a Panasonic AVR, Emotiva USP-1 preamp, UPA-200 amp, and Sherbourn PA 2-50 integrated. Depending on the capabilities of the Panasonic, I might be able to make something work. The Emotiva Fusion would be a much cleaner solution, but I'm losing quite a bit of power to the 107's in 7 channel mode...although I'd only be running 5 channels, and I could even just run 3 channels from the Fusion and use its pre-outs to the Sherbourn to power the back channels. I guess I'm just looking for input as to whether the 107's will be happy with potentially only 65W @ 8 ohms. As it stands right now (with 125W @ 8 ohms) I barely need to turn the dial and it's plenty loud. The 107's are 90 dB sensitivity.
2) How would I hook up the 103.2's for the center channel? Would I make two "Y" cables and run the + cable to the + connection on each speaker? Basically use a Y cable to split each + and - cable into two cables? Or do I hook one speaker up normally then run wires from that speaker over to the other speaker? Or do I just hook two sets of wires directly to the amp?
Thanks All!
In a few months I might be pulling a "Simply Sound" and using my 103.2's as a center channel in a home theater setup...obviously the 107's will be front LR...my rear surrounds will have to be either Klipsch SF-3 or Synergistics S-42...although the Klipsch are natural home theater choices, I don't think they're going to blend well with the Kef's...the Synergistics do blend very well (although the bass can be a little boomy), so I'll probably go with those. I'll also have a 12" subwoofer in front and possibly an 8" subwoofer in back.
I'm more of a 2 channel fan but my brother will be moving in with us and he has a sweet 3D projector, so it seems like a natural time to experiment with home theater.
This might be kind of off-topic here, but I did have a few questions regarding the set-up:
1) I might have to switch from separate amp/preamp to an AVR. Emotiva has a new "Fusion 8100" model that looks intriguing. My only concern is that it is not rated at 4 ohms, but the manual says you CAN connect 4 or 8 ohm speakers. Also, it is rated at 110W for stereo mode and 65W x 7 in home theater mode. In stereo mode, I'm only giving up 15W...no big deal. Do you think 65W @8 ohms (and I presume 100+ W @4 ohms) will be enough for the 107's? My other solution would be to use existing gear to try to cobble something together. I have a Panasonic AVR, Emotiva USP-1 preamp, UPA-200 amp, and Sherbourn PA 2-50 integrated. Depending on the capabilities of the Panasonic, I might be able to make something work. The Emotiva Fusion would be a much cleaner solution, but I'm losing quite a bit of power to the 107's in 7 channel mode...although I'd only be running 5 channels, and I could even just run 3 channels from the Fusion and use its pre-outs to the Sherbourn to power the back channels. I guess I'm just looking for input as to whether the 107's will be happy with potentially only 65W @ 8 ohms. As it stands right now (with 125W @ 8 ohms) I barely need to turn the dial and it's plenty loud. The 107's are 90 dB sensitivity.
2) How would I hook up the 103.2's for the center channel? Would I make two "Y" cables and run the + cable to the + connection on each speaker? Basically use a Y cable to split each + and - cable into two cables? Or do I hook one speaker up normally then run wires from that speaker over to the other speaker? Or do I just hook two sets of wires directly to the amp?
Thanks All!
frommerstop
Super Member
Congratulations, and welcome to the 107 fold!
I'm not much of a HT guy, so I might be off a bit here, but I just googled your gear, and it looks like you could just use your existing Emotiva USP-1 to drive the 107s off the "main out" taps on a Fusion 8100, leaving all the other channels driven by it's internal amps. In that way, your 107s will get all the benefits of the dedicated 80wpc amp.
I don't know how the Emotiva amp sounds, but assuming you're happy with it driving the Kefs now, this way, all you'd be changing in affect is the preamp when running the system for music. Should make for a nice clean one brand system.
As far as connecting the two 103.2s together for a center, I wouldn't just connect both to the 8100's center speaker output, that would present a particularly hard load... under 2ohms nominal, probably dropping under 1ohm at times! You COULD run them in series, that would make the load acceptable. That would lower sensitivity, but you could then just turn up center channel volume to compensate. That could work, but depending on how loud you listen to movies, you might run out of amp before you get enough CH volume. I'd try it, it's the easiest/cleanest solution, but in audio, and particularly with HT, the easiest/cleanest solutions don't always work. Ideally, you'll want to add another stereo amp off the center channel out tap of the 8100 using a Y connector, as you suggested.
...Oh, and one more thing,
:worthless
I'm not much of a HT guy, so I might be off a bit here, but I just googled your gear, and it looks like you could just use your existing Emotiva USP-1 to drive the 107s off the "main out" taps on a Fusion 8100, leaving all the other channels driven by it's internal amps. In that way, your 107s will get all the benefits of the dedicated 80wpc amp.
I don't know how the Emotiva amp sounds, but assuming you're happy with it driving the Kefs now, this way, all you'd be changing in affect is the preamp when running the system for music. Should make for a nice clean one brand system.
As far as connecting the two 103.2s together for a center, I wouldn't just connect both to the 8100's center speaker output, that would present a particularly hard load... under 2ohms nominal, probably dropping under 1ohm at times! You COULD run them in series, that would make the load acceptable. That would lower sensitivity, but you could then just turn up center channel volume to compensate. That could work, but depending on how loud you listen to movies, you might run out of amp before you get enough CH volume. I'd try it, it's the easiest/cleanest solution, but in audio, and particularly with HT, the easiest/cleanest solutions don't always work. Ideally, you'll want to add another stereo amp off the center channel out tap of the 8100 using a Y connector, as you suggested.
...Oh, and one more thing,
:worthless
Alright!!! Thanks to Barty-Brett for leading you onto the R107's... you my dear Hawkeye have made one great purchase there!!!
OK, I agree with Frommer, you will want to use the Pre-Amp Out capability to drive a dedicated amp for the R107's. I myself have both my Mains (R107's) and my Surrounds (IMF TLS-50's) driven with separate amps.
I'm running the R107's on a McCormack DNA-0.5 right now while my DNA-1.0 is being serviced. It is a 100W/8ohm Amp that probably is close to 200W/4ohm. It drives the R107's just fine. The big KEF's of course can take power (300W) and they probably respond to the "more is better" approach.
My DNA-1.0 is sized for these speakers at 150W/8ohm and 300W/4ohm. But the R107's are also pretty sensitive so I find there's plenty of detail with the 100W DNA-0.5.
Now, I use an AVR for all of this because I'm BOTH a Home Theater and 2-Channel guy. That is what is nice about an AVR, you have flexibility AND Room Correction (Audyssy).
I run an NAD T775 and if I want to listen to "Stereo", I can just run the big KEF's or if I want to enjoy my IMF's, I have them positioned so I can run Stereo just through them. Best of all worlds, because surround with all of this is really amazing!!!
And since I'm on a roll, I actually like the IMF's for 2-Channel better than the KEF's because they have a certain richness to them, whereas the KEF's tend to be a bit analytical or should I say just a bit accurate!
OK, on to the center channel... The only thing my NAD is driving is the center channel and a single rear speaker (yes, an R107... think triangulation). It's interesting, but I don't think any of the AVR Manufacturers rate their amps for driving 4ohm loads.
Why? Well probably because they think that everyone will be driving all 5 or 7 channels off the thing and they don't want folks burning them up. So to protect themselves from warranty issues they don't recommend it.
I have my R103.2's setup in parallel and yeah, they are probably drawing 4-5ohms (these aren't 4ohm rated, they are 8ohm). Does it heat up my amp? Probably no more than if I was running all of my channels at 8ohms.
So no, I wouldn't be too concerned about the center channel in parallel if you are driving your mains (and maybe surrounds?) off a separate amp. Just monitor the heat when you get things running and if it seems fine, you'll be fine!!!
One last thing, when you position the R103.2's together place the woofers next to each other (bottom-to-bottom). I have experimented with both orientations and I've found the voices are mostly carried by the woofers. If you position those together, you'll have good cohesion. I myself have noticed no issues with "lobing"!
And one last-last, thing... the R103.2's are near perfect for this application. They are true "near field monitors" that were designed for voice representation... I have tried a dedicated B&W Center Channel Speaker and found the voices just too thin. The R103.2's have a certain depth and volume that a dedicated Center Channel Speaker just can't match!!! Doesn't get much better than these in my book!!! Then again, not everyone reads my book!!! :thmbsp:
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That is how I have mine wired... this is in effect placing them in "parallel". I used Cat5 for this... it's how I roll!!!
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canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
Not to go off topic, but it's interesting you should say that, I found the same thing with my IMFs over the 107s. Both are very good but for music listening I do prefer the IMFs.
Anyway, carry on.
