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Is KEF no longer relevant?

It seems to me that 20 years ago Kef was quite a respected speaker manufacturer. Granted I knew far less back then about audiophilia, but for someone just starting out, that was my impression at the time.

Although Kef still makes speakers in the $5,000 - $15,000 range, they never seem to be the subject of serious discussion here on the 'Gon. These discussions are dominated by a group of the usual 20 or so suspects that we hear about over and over again. And no disrespect meant against that group - they are mostly, if not all, great speakers to be sure. But Kef certainly at one time was a pioneering and extrememly respected brand. What happened? Is this because they lost their "sound" after Raymond Cooke died? (an accusation I remember reading somewhere) Or are they just perceived as a "yesterday's news" brand?

No doubt there are many happy Kef owners out there who may answer this thread telling me how great their speakers are, even by today's standards, and I have no argument with them - I am a former Kef owner and very fond of the brand - but they clearly are not "darlings" of this forum. What happened?
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Showing 2 responses by dbphd

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dbphd
1,616 posts
 
I'm looking at a listing in Audiogon for a Reference 204C, so began looking for reviews and came across this thread. Since my earlier posts, I've replaced the 104/2s with a beautiful pair of rosewood 107/2s, one of the finest speakers I've ever heard. Wondering about the match of a 204C for the center speaker. I using 102s for surround and center now, but I have a couple of 102/2s sitting around, and I could try one of those for a center.

db
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dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Today, I replaced an 80's era KEF Reference 102 that I was using as a center speaker with an R 600C that seems a much better match to the Reference 107/2s. I'll balance levels tomorrow, but it sounds quite good as is.

For music, I still think I prefer the phantom center the 107/2s generate, but I'll do some more listening. The Cary Cinema 11a has movie and music modes, so one mode can be with a center speaker, the other without.

db
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