KEF KHT3005SE - Rebranded 3005 standard?

[axman]

cheers everyone. Very useful forum this!

Will have to wait for the SE to appear in Switzerland then.

In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out if the Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom and the non-Custom are the same... the store is telling me that they are and tannoy's website is not clear either... but this is a different forum topic...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Alex Foxon"]The confusion exists with the subwoofer due to an early review in one of the UK magazines which suggested the HTB2SE has a volume adjustment. This is incorrect although many dealers who read this first review have taken it as gospel and have failed to quantify the changes themselves. It's one of those good old honest mistakes.
The dealer in Switzerland claiming the SE does not exist may be unaware as so far, I believe, we have only released the SE in the UK and Ireland and will roll it out to the rest of the world in due course.[/quote]

Hi Alex!

Do you have any information when the KEF 3005SE will be released in Sweden?

/Bjarne

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="Alex Foxon"]many dealers who read this first review have taken it as gospel and have failed to quantify the changes themselves.[/quote]

Such a polite way of saying they haven't actually taken the time to look at the products they sell!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="bjarneh"]Hi Alex!
Do you have any information when the KEF 3005SE will be released in Sweden?

/Bjarne[/quote]
Sorry, no.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought i'd send an update on what I ended up doing.

I called the distributor in HK and they explained that the SE model was not available in HK until October 2008. Wondering if I could purchase the SE model directly from KEF and have them shipped over they said NO. I asked why it was not available until October they told me they had surplus older stock and had to clear it first!

Interesting sales tactic given todays ease of research with the internet and all. You would think that they would simply discount the old product and jump on the bandwagon of reviews and awards which the SE's have recently received.

Out of interest I sent an inquiry directly on the KEF website, only to have someone else from the same distributor call me 4 days later. Asking me why I was interested in the SE model and if I REALLY WANTED they could 'try' to get me a set. By this time I had already canceled my local order and had a friend in London pick up a set from Seven Oaks for a lot less then what I was being charged in HK.

Even after factoring FedEx shipping it worked out cheaper then the RRP of 1000 pounds.
Oh its probably worth mentioning that KEF don't appear to provide international warranty. Even though the SE version of the speakers are being sold as a Picoforte bundle here. For the premium they charge, they could learn a thing or two from the customer service you receive from Bose.
Here's the email I received from the distributor in HK:

"Dear Nigel,
As talked just now, we understand you have already arranged one set of the captioned item shipped from UK. Hope you enjoy the sound performance of it. However, please be reminded that if you need the repairing service here, there will be a charge incurred as the warranty will not be valid in HK."

Well after all that I ended up upgrading my amp and dvd (they wouldn't refund) to the Marantz SR7002, DV7001 and the HKT3005SE from SevenOaks.
In the end i'm happy but it was a lot of effort.

 

[Andrew Everard]

KEF is, of course, owned by Gold Peak, a Hong Kong-based company.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
KEF is, of course, owned by Gold Peak, a Hong Kong-based company.

[/quote]
Ah, but the SE is a product driven by the UK for the UK. Do not forget that our R&D is still based in Maidstone.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I know, Alex - just being mischievous...