If I was starting again...

[iceman16]

Cno..I would say that if you can p/x your ref's to a pair of the current model(ref 3) or blade2 do it now.

While our hearing "deteriorate" as we get older, we may not be able to appreciate our "dream"system in the future. And you can keep them for good.

 

[SteveR750]

Cno..I would say that if you can p/x your ref's to a pair of the current model(ref 3) or blade2 do it now.While our hearing "deteriorate" as we get older, we may not be able to appreciate our "dream"system in the future. And you can keep them for good.

Good call. You'll never get an ear transplant on the NHS over the age of 50, and doing it privately would be more than the cost of the blades.

 

[CnoEvil]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed for Tiddleywinks on Ebay......neither of which is dependent on my auditory sense.

 

[iceman16]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed for Tiddleywinks on Ebay......neither of which is dependent on my auditory sense.

IME.. My passion is what it is no matter where I turns my head on.

 

[JMac]

I'd love the blades but fortunately I dont have space for them where I do my listening. Standmounts are comparitively cheap.

But if I had the space....

 

[steve_1979]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

 

[CnoEvil]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

Maybe I'll stick to Tiddleywinks.....and maybe Cheese Rolling.

 

[iceman16]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

Cno.. my ams35i will get older with me though

Maybe I'll stick to Tiddleywinks.....and maybe Cheese Rolling.

 

[CnoEvil]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

Cno.. my ams35i will get older with me though

Maybe I'll stick to Tiddleywinks.....and maybe Cheese Rolling.

You need to try some New Refs with the 35i.....now that would get me going. *diablo*

 

[iceman16]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

Cno.. my ams35i will get older with me though

Maybe I'll stick to Tiddleywinks.....and maybe Cheese Rolling.

You need to try some New Refs with the 35i.....now that would get me going. *diablo*

My piggy bank is not weighy enough..

 

[CnoEvil]

My piggy bank is not weighy enough..

Don't let that put you off.....see all the useful suggestions on this thread! *biggrin*

 

[iceman16]

Snorkel now bought and a bid placed...

The upgradis bug can never be escaped... Clicky

Cno.. my ams35i will get older with me though

Maybe I'll stick to Tiddleywinks.....and maybe Cheese Rolling.

You need to try some New Refs with the 35i.....now that would get me going. *diablo*

The ams35i will stay with me Cno..

 

[CnoEvil]

The ams35i will stay with me Cno..

I know that....I was talking speakers.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Cno..I would say that if you can p/x your ref's to a pair of the current model(ref 3) or blade2 do it now.While our hearing "deteriorate" as we get older, we may not be able to appreciate our "dream"system in the future. And you can keep them for good.

One of our retired customers has moved from his old Reference to Blade 2s - to say we won't be able to appreciate dream systems when we're older is nonsense - maybe not fully appreciate them, but we can appreciate them and much of the benefits they bring. The improvements aren't restricted to high frequencies...

 

[SteveR750]

I'd love the blades but fortunately I dont have space for them where I do my listening. Standmounts are comparitively cheap.

But if I had the space....

but a new house!

 

[Jima4a]

For me the new SCM40 is a better speaker than the Twenty.26, which has that slight upper bass smear that bloights all of the floorstander PMC range. Try playing some Madeleine Peyroux on them, and you'll see what I mean, and that was with the new superclean supernait 2.

I still reckon that aboove 250Hz the ATCs will really push those R3s. Admittedly, I'm sure the latter go lower flatter, but as sweet..? Send a pair to Colin and we'll soon find out!

My 205/2s are really good speakers and used to be as good as any in their price range.....the New Refs have raised the bar quite significantly, by making them now sound ordinary....which they are not. I was surprised.

When I bought my 205/2s I did home auditions of the Revel Ultima Studio2s and the 205/2s. The Studio2s had the better tweeter (more air) but the 205/2s had better bass response in my smaller room (13'w x 16'd x 9'h) plus the 202/2c fit better than the Voice2 could have. Both are amazing speakers. Sounds like the new Reference has moved the bar and I would love to hear them (maybe not?)

 

[Frank Harvey]

I did think about a possible front left/centre/right with Reference 1s, but they'd be just too deep for the space they'd be going in. Would've been interesting to hear the sort of detail level in my system compared to my current speakers.

 

[CnoEvil]

When I bought my 205/2s I did home auditions of the Revel Ultima Studio2s and the 205/2s. The Studio2s had the better tweeter (more air) but the 205/2s had better bass response in my smaller room (13'w x 16'd x 9'h) plus the 202/2c fit better than the Voice2 could have. Both are amazing speakers. Sounds like the new Reference has moved the bar and I would love to hear them (maybe not?)

As a 205/2 owner, I would like to hear what you think.

To my ears, there were 4 major improvements

- The Treble is richer and more natural...maybe the removal of even more distortion.

- They are even more holographic.

- They give better insight into the recording and have improved ambient detail retrieval.

- Bass seems to have more impact, making them sound less lean, especially with cheaper amplification.

Generally, this makes them less fussy when matching to different sounding amps.

 

[helmizar]

Hi

I am a newbie in Hi-Fi. I just bought a used Hi-fi, it was a sony LBT-A295, I just wonder whether I can use them for karaoke? is there anyone who can explain it???

Regards

Helmizar

 

[CnoEvil]

It may have been posted before, but here is the New Ref white paper:

http://www.kef.com/uploads/files/THE_REFERENCE/REF_White_Paper_preview_path_200514.pdf

 

[CnoEvil]

David

Do the Special Editions like the Copper Black Aluminium, come with Grilles?....because I suspect not.

 

[Jima4a]

I have not heard the new Reference yet but your assessment seems dead on from feedback I have gotten. The only thing I would add (2nd hand of course) is amplification still makes a big difference, just that the lower end of the curve doesn't start as low as the 205/2s did. Surprisingly, Hegal may not be a great match but only one feedback on that. On a different note, I am wondering how good the Classe' 2300 would be with the 205/2s, guessing pretty good.

 

[CnoEvil]

On a different note, I am wondering how good the Classe' 2300 would be with the 205/2s, guessing pretty good.

I think I would prefer Electrocompaniet, Pathos, Mc Intosh, Arcam 49 series and Mark Levinson....or even some big Valve Monoblocks, like those from Icon Audio. That's not saying Classe would not sound well though...

FWIW. My advice is to put any money you have towards some New Refs....you need to hear some.

 

[CnoEvil]

David

Do the Special Editions like the Copper Black Aluminium, come with Grilles?....because I suspect not.

Just highlighting this again.

 

[Frank Harvey]

On a different note, I am wondering how good the Classe' 2300 would be with the 205/2s, guessing pretty good.

One of our regulars has that combo - he doesn't have a bad word to say about it. He will be looking at Blades in a few years though... 🙂