Kef 2005.3 v Kef 3000SE Dilemma

[admin_exported]

Hi,

First post for me as i'm venturing into the world of Home Cinema for the first time and could really do with some advice from those that know please.

After reading numerous reviews and looking at lots of kit i've decided that one of the above KEF packages is going to be my choice but tbh i'm not sure which route to go as i'm completely in the dark about the right amp to buy.The system will predominantly be used for HC but i'd also like to play music through it although appreciate the quality probably won't be as good as i'm getting through my cambridge separates.If backed into a corner i could do without the music aspect so I can either go for

KEF 2005.3 with a better amp,something like a yamaha 563 ,sony 2400,onkyo 806,denon 1909

or

KEF3000SE with a lesser amp,something like a sony 820,onkyo 576

Depending on what people think and if i can get the right offer i could possibly stretch to a sub £350 amp for the 3000se and maybe pick up a yamaha 763,onkyo 606 or even a denon if i can find one cheap enough. And if there were a killer combination i could even be tempted to part with my cambridge separates and increase my budget if the music quality would get me anywhere near its quality.

I'm probably going to try and get a demo of a setup as well so the information i get on here will help a long way to me making my choice.Your input is much valued,many thanks.

 

[Alsone]

In my opinion of the items you've mentioned,

KEF 3000SE partnered with an Onkyo 806 - Onk is a bargain at £399.99 from Richer sounds. Stretches your budget but only by £50:

http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=ONKY-TXSR806-SIL

I have the KEF's partnered with an Onkyo 605 and I'm very satisfied with them.

Check out the What HiFI reviews on the speakers.

Other choice could be a Yamaha 763 - £289 at Richer Sounds however I don't know how this compares to the 806 Onk.

You'll get decent music but please note, cinema systems are notoriously bad at producing quality music. Some are more musical than others but the only real answer for top quality musical ability is a seperate Hi-Fi.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks,

From the various reviews i've managed to find out that the lower end onkyo's are great at hc but not so good musically and i'm assuming this will also apply to the 806 ? I'm assuming because as yet i can't find any reviews on it,perhaps the good folk at whathifi may have an opinion ??

 

[Anonymous]

As a self-confessed KEF fan-boy, I would heartedly recommend pairing them with an Onkyo amp.

Musically, I have no issue with my set-up. I'm running my Sonos set-up through it and it sounds pretty damn good to me.

But as always, I'd suggest going for a demo and having a listen for yourself... and make sure you take along a sample of your own music/films so you get a real appreciation of the set-ups.

PS. As for the 2005.3 vx 3005se original question, my mate has the 2005's and they also sound fantastic with HC, but I would say that the 3005's edge them on their musical abilities.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice,i see you're running a much better amp with your system though so maybe for an onkyo its a lot more musical.i've a feeling that sound and vision will be doing the demo with an onkyo anyway so at least i'll get some idea of what they're like.

Anybody know how an onkyo 576 is likely to match up ? i guess it won't be big enough for the kef3000se

 

[True Blue]

Hello, pretty much a no brianer to me pair the KEF 3005SE with the Denon 1909 (299 richer sounds). I can say that I am blown away every time I put any source into my denon and out to these speakers. OK you will get better sound from a similarly priced integrated amp and dedicated speakers but for general high quality listening I can heartily recommend the above.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks,
I'm going to demo the denon with them but i now see that you can get an onkyo 806 for £400 !! Surely this would be the way to go ? If only it were reviewed somewhere !

Can't stand still in the av world can you,there's always a better bargain lurking round the corner.

Anybody got any views on the onkyo 805 or 806 !!!