So confused - 3005SE or 5005.2 are the better speakers?

[admin_exported]

I've had so many contradictory answers to this i'm completely at a loss now!

Kef themselves have advised me:

"KHT3005SE are the better sounding system due to newer drive units and larger enclosures, producting a broader frequency range".

Roy Jowett:

"5005 has more drivers but they are smaller and so have less displacement. The 3005 will give a better soundstage with more depth due to this".

Several other retailers and users have stated that the 5005's sounded better upon demoing and with them having 3 drivers each (and being more expensive...) i'd have imagined they should be better?

So which is it?!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well here's our opinion - 3005SE and 5005.2 reviews; both tested in the same price range...

Remember, bigger and pricier doesn't always mean better.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, I was hoping you'd come along!

For my £1,000... are there any other sets I should consider? (Please bear in mind however that I am only interested in a lifestyle set like the Kefs!) How do you rate the Kube 2 sub against the HTB2SE? Obviously have seen that the 5005's with the kube 2 can be bought for £750 - seems like a good deal?

Thanks

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'd demo the KEF 3005SE package against the B&W MT-25 - each have their strengths and you may prefer one over the other. I'd forget the 5005s - we really weren't impressed.

 

[Anonymous]

How about if the 5005's were the same price?

 

[Frank Harvey]

The KHT5005 actually has 4 drivers in them, not 3, whereas the KHT3005 uses 2. Yes, the larger driver of the 3005 will help, but I feel this is cancelled out by the UniQ driver and the flanking bass drivers. I would also argue that the cabinet volume on the 5005 is actually a little more.

The 3005 is a great package, and used with a good quality £1,000 receiver (give or take a few hundred) is enough for most people, but have found in demos that the 5005 performs better overall, again, as long as a god enough receiver is used. The differences would be minimal using a £500/600 AV receiver.

 

[Anonymous]

This is what I don't get - how can there be such a polar difference of opinion between these? Surely the additional drivers and smaller volume on the 5005's VS the larger drivers and larger volume of the 3005's results in one of them being "better" than the other? You can't both be correct surely?!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well i'm not a dealer keen to sell you a higher-priced product

Also, we tested the 5005s with a range of receivers; didn't make a difference - they still disappointed. Remember, it's not how many drivers a speaker has, it's how they integrate them (or not) that can make a big difference in sound. Ditto integration with the subwoofer in a sub/sat package is key to the overall performance.

 

[kinda]

Not a dealer an can unequivocally say that to my ears in demo the 5005s were better than the 3005SE. Much more detailed and also musical, and didn't seem to give anything away to the 3005s in other respects.

In fact with a PV1 sub the 5005s were better than the MT-30 in my opinion, and very close to the Tannoy Arena, but not quite as good to me.

BTW was using with a Marantz SR6001, RRP £700.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Ah, but we haven't heard a sub/sat package yet that hasn't sounded better with the PV1 in tow rather than the packaged sub.....

 

[kinda]

Well, can't confirm that, as I didn't feel the need to try a different sub with the Arena, but I didn't mean to give the impression that the 5005s only with the PV1 were better than the 3005SE.

For me the 5005 was much better than the 3005SE as above, in the standard configuration. What I was saying was that with a better sub the 5005 became more impressive. I think the satellites are really impressive, but the sub lets it down a bit, though only really noticeable with music.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm also not trying to sell either the 3005 or 5005 on this forum as dealer agreements prohibits me to

If it were my money, I'd be buying the 5005's as they've impressed me more than the 3005's.

One of the advantages over the 3005's is that the 5005's use exactly the same speaker all round - which gives better, seamless integration between them. Whenever a different centre is used, it'll always end up in different results. Films are mastered on speaker packages that use exactly the same speaker all round.

I do think that the cabinet volume of the 5005 is larger than the 3005's - maybe KEF can confirm either way. Smaller drivers are generally faster and more agile than larger ones. The 5005 cones are lightweight aluminium (like the new Q series), whereas the 3005's are not.

Horses for courses - some might prefer the 3005's, some the 5005's. All I can convey is what I have heard.

 

[Anonymous]

The volume is smaller on the 5005's --> 1.4 Litres

3005's --> 1.8 litres.

Can agree on the consistent speaker around the whole 5.1 array - can only imagine this is an advantage.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Just demo them already!

There is no right or wrong - only what sounds good to YOUR ears, with your favourite discs.

 

[bigboss]

I personally preferred the 3005s to the 5005. It's best to demo them both & decide for yourself which sounds better to you.