Yamaha RX-V1900 + Kef 2005.3 or Denon-1909 + Kef 3005SE

[admin_exported]

A conundrum for the What Hi-Fi team - I have approx £1300 to spend on a speakers and amp. Which combo would work better from the ones above, which can be had (with some haggling) for that amount? Obviously the ideal would be the Yamaha with the Kef 3005SE but I can't afford that! Am I better off spending more on the amp or the speakers? Many thanks!
P.S. Is a replacement for the 2005.3s imminent - they appear to be available via mail order which is always an ominous sign for Kefs...

 

[Gerrardasnails]

amita:A conundrum for the What Hi-Fi team - I have approx £1300 to spend on a speakers and amp. Which combo would work better from the ones above, which can be had (with some haggling) for that amount? Obviously the ideal would be the Yamaha with the Kef 3005SE but I can't afford that! Am I better off spending more on the amp or the speakers? Many thanks!
P.S. Is a replacement for the 2005.3s imminent - they appear to be available via mail order which is always an ominous sign for Kefs...

I would get the much better amp and lesser speakers. You can then upgrade your speakers when you can. They will hold their price better than the amps as well.

 

[Clare Newsome]

The KEF KHT2005.3 speaker package is new this year - so no replacement due for sometime.

And personally, if I had @£1300 to spend on an amp/style speaker package, i'd go for the Yamaha 863 and the bigger (3005SE) KEFs - sure you could get those for just over £1300, and they're an excellent balanced pairing.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks both of you for your replies - food for thought indeed...

Great mag and website by the way Clare, keep up the good work!

 

[Anonymous]

Clare

I was thinking of getting the KEF 3005SE and upgrading my amp (Yamaha DSP-AX630SE). Currently I have a splitter box to provide 4 HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs (TV + Projector). Can I get away with the Yamaha 863 and feed this into my splitter box (I have an 18 meter cable run to the projector) or should I invest in an amp with two HDMI outputs. At present all my HD content is via Sky (I am waiting for the cost of HD DVD's to come down before investing in an HD DVD player).

 

[Anonymous]

That's a bold question! I'll get me coat......

I'd save a tad more and get the RXV1900 and 3005SE's. But i'd also give the new Quad Lite 2's a go as well. But if it's just for movies, try the Miller & Kreisel K1 package - that with an RXV1900 comes out to about £1350.

 

[Clare Newsome]

2oldtwoday:
Clare

I was thinking of getting the KEF 3005SE and upgrading my amp (Yamaha DSP-AX630SE). Currently I have a splitter box to provide 4 HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs (TV + Projector). Can I get away with the Yamaha 863 and feed this into my splitter box (I have an 18 meter cable run to the projector) or should I invest in an amp with two HDMI outputs. At present all my HD content is via Sky (I am waiting for the cost of HD DVD's to come down before investing in an HD DVD player).

Ditch your TV and just watch via the projector - works for me!

But if not, a two-output AV amp with plenty of inputs is a much better bet - then you can sell your splitter box to add to your kit-fund. I'd look to see if there are any Onkyo 905's left - last time I looked, Richer Sounds were selling them for the bargain price of £799..... Awesome with the big KEFs (and with headroom for a future speaker upgrade).

 

[Anonymous]

Clare

Many thanks for advice.

I have had a look at the Onkyo but unfortunately it is a big beast (h194mm) and I only have a maximum of 190mm space between my racking (without even leaving any room for air circulation). No doubt all the amps with 2 HDMI outputs at the moment are on the larger side. Will using the splitter box, linked to the Yamaha, lose picture quality as the picture has to go through another process or is it just an inelegant solution? Perhaps I should just upgrade to the KEF's and wait for the market to produce smaller amps with 2 HDMI outputs?

Peter