SpeakerTalk

clubsport911 · Last edited by clubsport911 on Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

KEF were (are once again ?) one of the most technical and innovative loudspeaker manufacturers the uk has ever seen.

They had / have an arsenal of great folks and concepts at their disposal and through the years have made a science out acoustics.

We've seen perfected high efficiency sealed boxes, the use of ABR's, reflex and even more quirky concepts like the cavity coupled bass.

What do you think is the stand out concept for you and what is it that interests you about it ?

Innercity126 · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:22 am Post subject:

I have a penchant for sealed enclosures. It started with my first pair of Harbeth HL-P3 monitors and grew from there.

There's something (to my ears, anyway) about the sound of multiple drivers in a sealed enclosure that, well, just sounds right to me. That's not to say I have not owned or enjoyed bass reflex, di-pole, planar, etc., loudspeakers, I have. It's just that I seem to gravitate towards the sealed variety.

I suppose that's why I ended up with a pair of KEF 105.1's when I could just as easily had a pair of 107 II's. The 107 II's are remarkable loudspeakers; I just preferred the sound of the 105.1's more. Was it because of the sealed cabinet? Possibly, but I do also own a pair of Infinity Kappa 9's and Acoustic Research AR-11's. All of which have sealed enclosures.

Great topic. I look forward to reading comments from the other members.

clubsport911 · Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:42 pm Post subject:

Hi innercity126 and thanks for posting. It would be great to get a nice little forum debate on the subject but as this forum is so poorly attended and people cannot be bothered, it looks like you and I have the floor to ourselves !

I have only ever had reflex speakers (all ported) and until my KEF's was happy. I'm only now seeing what a sealed system can do but my real favourite is the transmission line.... I just love that bass !

Agree, it is a good topic so come on KEF people... Get stuck in !

TL 200 · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:02 pm Post subject:

As can be seen at my avatar i always liked transmissionlines.
It started with a pair of bailey's i build years ago with B200.
I like the way tha bass sounds. My TL 200's go really deep, no subwoofer needed. Laughing

proffski · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:02 pm Post subject:

The physics always tell me that it is the sealed box with an appropriate driver.
Dammit my ears often tell me otherwise!
_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

TL 200 · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:53 pm Post subject:

[quote="proffski
Dammit my ears often tell me otherwise![/quote]
That is a problem that have with a lot of cd music. It should sound great but oh my, that sound of vinyl.........
Now on topic, from all the Kef speakers i heard i liked the cavity coupled bass the most.

proffski · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:59 pm Post subject:

clubsport911 · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:26 pm Post subject:

30.1.13 update.

In the "race" and after a strong early showing, it's neck and neck between cavity coupled and sealed systems.

It would be great to hear some more comments from the voters.

Surprised ported hasn't got out of the starting gate yet.

Cheers

Steve

Richie · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:52 pm Post subject:

I hope there will be a ‘performance enhancing substance’ test at the end… Shocked

_________________
Still learning ......

clubsport911 · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:42 pm Post subject:

I can see a book coming on "it's not about the bass"

TL 200 · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:52 pm Post subject:

proffski · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:08 pm Post subject:

"Group Delay and Transient Response."
Research!
_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

TL 200 · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:27 pm Post subject:

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/fp/Group_Delay.html

As you ordered Proffski Smile

i did some research on the subject and read amongst others the above mentioned info.
I know what it means but i didn't hear enough different enclosures to judge properly. Most of the speakers i heard were also driven by different amps, this doesn't make it easier. Different slew-rates and dampingfactors influence the speakercontrol and can make speakers sound different.
Which enclosure do you think performs the best?

proffski · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:15 pm Post subject:

Well, physics tells me that the IB is the best but...
Spendor, ATC, PMC, go against the grain and produce some incredibly accurate bass performance.
Please note the emphasis on "accurate" deep or boomy bass does not necessarily mean the best bass.
Some of the best bass I have ever heard (accurate) was from the B&W DM70s, both the domestic and the export versions. They had limited power handling, did not go all that deep but made up for it by their tremendous ability to start and stop on a note unlike so many pretenders. They were stunning!

The very best bass of all I have heard was from four Quad 2912 electrostatic panels and 2905s.

Some of the very deepest bass was from decent large subwoofers obviously, but many years ago these did very well indeed in a small domestic environment!

Link: http://tinyurl.com/b75lpas
_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

TL 200 · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:24 am Post subject:

I agree that the deepest is not always the most accurate, i also prefer a good kick above a lot of rumble. I guess the Quads, which i never heard, provide a good kick because of the low mass of the drivers.