KEF KHT3005BL (SE) 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System (Gloss Black)
by KEF
Our Price: $1,999.99
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Category: Speakers
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: KEFBrand: KEF
Edition: Electronics
Model: KHT3005BL (SE)
Color: High Gloss Piano Black
Publisher: KEF
Studio: KEF
Music Label: KEF
Product features:
- 5.1 Surround sound speaker system
- Each satellite features KEF's high output aluminum 115-millimeter (4.5 inch) Uni-Q drivers
- Cast aluminum cabinets with integrated foot stand / wall mount
- Features KEF's patented SST technology for higher sound quality at higher volumes
- 250-Watt 250-millimeter (10-inch) powered subwoofer
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of KEF KHT3005BL (SE) 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System (Gloss Black)
Customer Review: Amazing for the price - especially when bundled!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first surround system I have ever purchased, so I can't compare it to anything except the Bose system I heard in a Bose demonstration room. I AM, however, an accomplished pianist, composer, and audiophile with a world-class, high-end system in a dedicated listening room for vinyl, Redbook CD, and SACD listening of mostly classical music. So, I know how music SHOULD sound when reproduced properly. Of course, movie soundtracks are not just music. The sound effects are equally important. I have to rely on a 40 year old memory of artillery and exploding mortars but, like everyone else, recent memory of thunderstorms and the like. And movie production often uses artificial means of producing many of the sound effects we hear in movies that they want us to hear as the real thing.
Given the above, I can honestly say that the KEF 3005 5.1 system is truly remarkable. I would have never expected the satellite speakers alone to produce the upper base that I hear without the subwoofer. And the subwoofer certainly isn't a true sub given its low end specs and room characteristic that, together, make the low bass a bit boomy and fuzzy. Yet, the system as a whole gives a very satisfying listening experience, with no audible distortion and wide frequency and dynamic ranges when used with a Panasonic BD70V Blu-Ray player and a Denon AVR-3310CI receiver (I purchased the Denon bundled with the KEF system). Violins and brass sound very good. I think that if I added acoustic treatment to our great-room as I have to my listening room, the sound would be even more refined, but the WAF (wife acceptance factor) would preclude such treatment.
The sound of music from the KEF system is not that of my Vandersteen 3a Sigs, but I didn't expect that it would. Still, just considering music, the KEF's provide a musical experience of definite pleasure. You can drive these speakers to volume levels that irk my wife and impress guests without ANY discernible distortion. (Try watching/listening to such Blu-Ray DVD's as 2012, Patton, Knowing, and The Day After Tomorrow for demonstration-quality sound effects that show-off your KEF's!) This is amazing considering their price. But KEF is also a high-end speaker manufacturer that has obviously scaled down size without sacraficing quality of sound. Just to give you an example of how life-like these speakers are, I have found myself asking my wife if she was talking to me when it was the HD TV program that was responsible, and I can't tell you how many times I have checked my Droid for a call that was actually ringing on the TV.
The physical appearance of the speakers with their glossy surfaces and egg-like shape appears much more pleasing to the eye than typical box speakers would and produce less edge-induced distortion. Their ingenious engineering of the small bases, that can be reconfigured for wall and stand mount as well with the changing of just one bolt, is also admirable.
I bought the stands for the 3001 satellites. They are NOT glossy but rather dull black. Still, they look nice with the speakers but are rather pricey at $230 a pair. I guess if you can afford the speakers, you should be able to afford the stands, though. I bought another pair of satellites and stands to get a 7.1 system. It is even better than the 5.1.
My only complaints are two. When using bare wire, attaching speaker wire to the satellites is a bit frustrating for my fingers. I bought some Monster banana plugs that make the connection tasks just plain easy, and I heartily recommend you do the same. Banana plugs also make connection to the receiver a breeze, as well. Second, I find that the center speaker's extra midrange makes the dialog a bit less easy to hear clearly, but that could have to do with other factors such as placement on the surface of my low entertainment cabinet. Wall-mounting it, that would require wall-mounting my Pioneer Kuro 151FD also, might improve the situation.
Do I think I might enjoy the sound of an even more expensive speaker setup? Probably. But I am so satisfied with the KEF (now, 7.1) system, that I am not even considering the eventual purchase of a more expensive speaker system unless I win the Lottery, my wife starts teaching full-time again, or Congress passes a flat tax bill. That being the case, I would love to hear what a second KEF sub would do for the sound. That, however, would require the purchase of a 9.2 receiver, another set of satellites, and ... (pleeeze don't tell my wife)...
Description of KEF KHT3005BL (SE) 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System (Gloss Black)
The KEF KHT3005 (SE) 5.1 home theater speaker system is an extremely high performance, yet room-friendly home theater system, which raises both the design and performance benchmarks in the category of elegant home theater speaker packages. KEF's patented "sit anywhere" Uni-Q driver configuration places the tweeter in the acoustic center of the bass/midrange cone. This creates a single focused audio source that disperses the sound image evenly throughout the room so that everyone enjoys the full richness of music or movie soundtracks. The Uni-Q array in the 3000 series has a completely new design which performs better than ever. Instead of having identical center and satellite speakers like other systems, KEF's created a stunning new dedicated center channel that gives dialogue more weight and clarity delivering cinema-like frontal impact. KEF also added a radical new high performance powered subwoofer. As a system, it certainly puts the 'live' into living room.Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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