Kef T-205

[chris hollands]

Hi guys, im looking to change my Mission M-Cube , Denon 1717 set up to compliment the new 3D TV i recently purchased.Have a budget of £2000 ish. I have had a demo of the Kef Q range (floorstanders) ,and it sounded fantastic, trouble is i have a very small lounge and it just seemed like overkill,the centre was enormous and and i feel it would all be to big!!!

I have just seen the new T-205 range from Kef and they seem very small living friendly, has anyone heard these,are they any good?I dont want to compromise on sound quality for fashion sake and if they are not an enormous improvement on the Missions then i will continue the search.Also the amp i am planning on changing to the Onkyo TX-SR 608.

Or would the Monitor Audio Bronze BX5.1 give me the massive upgrade im looking for , within my budget and relatively living room friendly??I quite like the idea of a full size system!!

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Not heard the T series myself (missed demo at Manchester show...

), but I've heard good reports about them.....one even say they were compariable to the KEF 3005SE speaker system...

Can I ask whick KEF Q floorstander and centre you demo'd recently, and on what receiver?

The Q series would be a step up from the MA BX5.1, in my opinion. (I have heard both briefly).

The MA set up is reviewed in this month's mag.....

 

[v1c]

It's always hard trying to decide what you want with all the choice around , sounds like you want the best sound you can get for your money and think that floorstanders offer the best but you don't really want the size impact as your room is not really big enough to accommodate them. I went the opposite to you but for the same reason , i went from a full size mission 752 , 75c , 751 , rel sub system to a Miller & Kreisel K7 sub/sat system and i can say there is no problem going for a style package over traditional floorstanders providing you pick a decent one. In my case the MK K7 was a step up in performance rather than a step down. In your case i would think the Kef T-205 would be a big step up from your Mission M-cube and would/should be on at least a par with the Monitor Audio BX 5.1 range (great package as well but big). I would say though with the Amp you have chosen you may not need such accomplished speakers to gain a big improvement so i personally would consider the Focal sib&cub Cinema pack or the Monitor Audio Radius HD R90 system. I have heard the Focals with an Onkyo amp in Audio T and they sounded great and the Monitor Audio Radius are highly rated. Either way i don't think the Kef's would be a bad choice just not sure you need to spend quite as much with the amp your after and you don't have to sacrifice performance for style as you can have both.

Good luck in your quest.

 

[Frank Harvey]

KEF set out to overcome a lot of drawbacks with flat loudspeaker design (there have been many previous designs that have failed - NXT anyone?), and I think KEF hoped for something to at least compete with the 3005's. From what I've heard of our T105 package, I'd safely say that they've produced something better than the 3005's. The T series seems to retain some of the strong points of the Q series, not only making them better than the 3005, but also the 5005's and 6000's. For movies, I also felt they sounded better than the Monitor Audio Radius R90HD package. Roll on the T305 package next week....

The T series are an easy load and will work with any amplifier. They will repsond to better amplification (if they're anything like the 3005's in this respect, they'll show the benefits of receivers in the £1,000-1,500 price point), but also work well with more budget designs. The 608 will work fine with them.

 

[bob.g]

mmm, an interesting thread to follow, as I've sort of shortlisted either the Kef T or Arcam Muso speakers, both in a 5.1 setup, as an upgrade from my Bose Acoustimass 15 system.

 

[chris hollands]

Thanks for all the advice guys,i have a few demos booked for Tuesday so will let you know how i get on...

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Thanks Chris...that would be very useful for others interested in the range.....

 

[chris hollands]

Been and had a demo of the Monitor Audio Bronze BX5.1 System. First impressions were how good the BFX rears were,made a real difference to the surround.Did not think the system as a whole was as good as the Kef Q setup i demo'd last week but hey, it is a £1000 cheaper!!( the Kef demo i had consisted of Q500 Fronts,Q200 Centre,Q800 Dipoles and Q400 Sub.)

Explained to the guy in the shop i wanted a bit more punch and atmosphere , so he exchanged the BXW-10 Sub for the RXW-12, WOW,what a difference , much more atmosphere,punch ,low end growl, felt it in the stomach rather than just hearing it!! All for an additional £230 on the package price.

I was there for hours so did not get to demo any others , but for the money i think this could well be for me. I wont get my money to fund the purchase for a few weeks( Xmas bonus) so will probably demo the Kef T series just to put my mind at rest but still like the idea of a full size speaker package.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Your getting close to B&W 684 territory, price wise......

Thought about demoing that?

 

[chris hollands]

Hi Pistol Pete1 , yea, would seem an obvious choice other than the fact my Sofa is flush with the back wall so i am really compromised for space,the B&Ws just would not fit,the MA BXFs are quite a good compromise because i can wall mount them and they are only 12cm deep. Even the KEF Q800 Dipoles are a better option but even they are 18cm deep.I also want everything to match so the B&W floorstanders with M1 rears just is not for me.

guess im too fussy !!!

Im open to suggestions!

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Fair enough.......but......

Rear speakers are not so critial when it comes to tonal matching......

How about using the MA BXFX's at the rear, and trying the B&W 684/HTM 62 combo with them? If all are in black (assuming that is your colour choice), it'll only be a small badge on the speakers that don't match....

Reason I suggest this is that I will be keen to try this set up, once I get to my demo later this week (hopefully), as I'm in a similar situation in terms of layout of lounge......

It's just a thought, anyway.......

 

[gazmend]

I have the T305. Not yet set up, but i need an amp for them. Any ideas on the yamaha rx-a1030 since i just installed it on infinity cascade speakers, and it sounds amazing previous to my pioneer, mutch more detailed.