kef iq5se

[pauldownton1979]

hi can anyone tell me ( pref one of the review team ) why i should choose these speakers ? how do they compare with others in their price range. i would like to be able to do this myself, however the only place ive seen them is richer sounds, just now actually in preston. however they werent plugged in to anything and the chap was much more interested in selling me the ms916i which i didnt want.

i have just listend to mezzo 2's in practical hifi ( who were superb ) they are very good, much better than my aegis 2's. kurt cobains voice seemed natural, with lots of detail. involving soundstage.

how would the kefs compare with these and the likes of ma br5, b&w 685 ? i like what i read in the review you have done, can you tell me anymore ? at the end you say you just prefer the 685's - would this be any different depending on music genre's ? listen to most stuff, but rock is my forte - led zep, oasis, beatles, kings of leon etc

im also thinking about reverting to ca 540 cdp+amp so i need to bear this in mind

 

[matthewpiano]

What did you audition the Mezzo 2s with? Did they suggest any electronics for you?

I've noticed Richers are quite discouraging about the KEFs, which surprises me because they've always advertised them for quite a long time.

I think speakers are the hardest thing to choose. I think thats why I've ended up with a bit of a collection. Depending on what mood I'm in I tend to switch them around a bit.

(Glad Practical were good. The lads at Preston are excellent. Very accomodating and down to earth.)

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with you matthewpiano about speakers being the hardest thing to choose, thats the dilema i have right now.

 

[pauldownton1979]

listened to mezzo's with marantz 6003 combo. sounded great tho i cant stretch to all that gear - tho the mezzo price is astounding bnib.

i may be able to buy just the amp for now along with the speakers. as my rotel combo may be a tad bright for them.

yes the excellent chap i spoke to at practical was a stark contrast to the chap at richer - he had no knowledge of the product i was asking about. i said what do they sound like ( meaning characteristics ) he just said ' yeah they're ok, not brilliant tho. i prefer the ms 916i myself !

i said are the kefs connected to anything for a quick listen ? ' no ' ...................- the ms are tho!

unbelievable, this does nothing to quash the sales technique rumours regarding the ms/cambridge bias. its certainly what it felt like.

 

[matthewpiano]

I'm quite sure your CD player would work fine with the 6003 amp and Mezzo 2s until you could buy the CD6003.

Just as an anecdote, for fun I did an A/B comparison between my Mezzo 2s and Quad 11Ls this afternoon. The Mezzos won by quite some way, although I'm still not entirely convinced I'm hearing the very best they have to give yet.

 

[ear]

matthewpiano already thinking the mezzo's 2 aren't the best around?

 

[pauldownton1979]

isnt he just sayin he thinks they will get better still with time and or better components ?

 

[matthewpiano]

No. I am absolutely convinced that the Mezzo 2s are unbeatable at the price, or anywhere near it. They are substantially better than the Quads and, IMO, much more involving than the B&W 685s. I won't be parting with them.

As pauldownton1979 suggests, I am thinking that I've still not got the right amplifier to get the very best out of them. The TEAC amp actually does much better than the Cambridge 740A I had, and the NAD C325BEE (which didn't work well with the Mezzos) but I'd love to hear a good Arcam or Marantz driving them.

I'm currently wondering whether the Yamaha A-S700 might make a good partner for them as well.

 

[pauldownton1979]

they really did sound lush with the marrantz 6003 mathew. though i am thinking maybe the 6003 is mostly just a 6002 with a facelift ? so i might get a 6002 off the bay. im also beginning to look at stuff like a 66 ose which was highly saught and a 6000 ose cdp maybe they might be more for my money ?

either way im coming to the conclusion marrantz + mezzo = synergy