HI everyone -
I may have a chance to audition a pair of KEF Blade 2 speakers.
Does anyone have any experience or comments about these?
I’m not really familiar with the KEF sound and currently have a pair of B&W 802D (first diamond generation)
Thanks in advance…
3 years ago I used a blade 2. They are very, very good speakers.
Main advantages:
-beautiful mid range. Voice rendering is rather fantastic
-very good and controlled mid-bass. The woofers integrate very well with no discontinuity on the cross overs
-excellent dispersion, contributing to a very wide sounstage and not requiring a lot of toe-in. The sweet spot gets quite big too
-beautiful to look at
-main shortcomings
-highs are a bit too mellow. Could be more present. I think this will strike you right away, coming from B&W. You really will have to decide which kind of treble you prefer
-sub bass is kind lacking. Could use more extension.
Overall, very good speakers for the money. You can play any kind of music and be satisfied.
To my taste, a lot better than anything b&W has to offer.
Stellar review on Stereophile, with JA summing up as a textbook speaker. On another article, he said he could very well retire with a pair of blade II in his listening room.
Should you want more details, drop a note.
I listened to them paired with the vivaldi stack, pass labs xp30, and audio research ref160m.
Have fun on your audition!
Excellent review. Love the way they look. I own Reference 1s with a pair of RELs.
i understand where your coming from. my 802D’s tend to be bright sounding and fatiguing after awhile. I’m not sure if the new D4’s will be as well, but I’ve heard some 700 series and couldn’t listen to them.
So i am fearful that listening to something toned down some, will come across as dull after living with the 802’s
if you think to B&W fatiguing, like me, there is a great chance you will love the kefs. They are definely not dull. To get a better tweeter, you really have to up the range (for me, B&W will never get any close to kef`s tweeter, let alone better ones). Stereophile review for the D4, to me, was pretty bad. Even brighter then before. look at these paragraphs:
both the 804 D4’s measurements and its sonic signature indicate that achieving a classically flat and neutral tonal balance à la Floyd Toole’s writings was not the design team’s primary goal.
The extreme toe-in recommended in the manual reduced the audibility of the excessive treble, though the speaker’s high-frequency balance will make system matching more difficult than usual. And combined with the speaker’s high impedance in the mid-treble, it will make tube amplifiers sound overbright
The Bowers & Wilkins 804 D4’s measured performance is enigmatic, with positive aspects—the relatively high sensitivity, the superbly quiet enclosure, the well-controlled dispersion, and the excellent pair matching—that must be set against others, like the demanding impedance, the excessive high frequencies, and the resonances in the port’s and upper-frequency units’ output
And happy cake day!
wow, at first I thought it was because I had the first generation of the Diamond tweeter.
I was thinking that by the fourth version they would have calmed that sizzle down some.
There seems to be a fine line between resolution and brightness
Indeed there is.
For me, it is like setting your TV set to cold temperature. At first, you seem to see it all, all the details and nuances and all the brightness you want. After a while, you feel your eyes hurting.
Happy Cake Day!
Many of us find B&W bright.
I was at an audio store in Illinois to listen to Estelon speakers. (They were extremely wonderful!) the store had a single pair of Blade 2s. We talked about them and the owner stated he has never been able to sell a single pair. He has his original pair offered at a steep discount. No interest from anyone. He said the list price is $25k. He had a pair of $20k Estelons next to the Blades. Huge difference in favor of the $5k cheaper Estelons. I didn’t ask to hear the Blade2s. I have read the glowing reviews and it puzzles me. In my opinion they are quite homely and I wonder how effective four five inch woofers could be. Hmmm. They are near in price to the new PS Audio Speakers which look quite a bit more substantial. Hmmmm.
Estelons are the new fever. Several product of the year awards. I know at least 5 people that traded in their Wilson’s for Estelon. Including one that had the XLF (another with the Sasha DAW, and another with Sabrina X). Another friend traded a Magico (I never liked the Magico, but anyway, I digress).
Never listened to them Estelons (all this pandemic restrictions). But those who did could not “unlisten”.
I was listening to a $58K pair. Diamond tweeter unlike Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Tweeters. (Not painful. Quite the opposite) 5 inch midrange and 8 inch woofer. The speaker system delivered a wide, deep, and tall soundfield with excellent imaging… Vocals were some of the best I have heard. Bass was extraordinary. Not as in “for 8 inch woofers”, just plain old extraordinary. It was full range sound with zero evidence that it was coming from the speakers. I basically swooned. I listened for the better part of an hour and couldn’t come up with a single nit to pick. They sounded better than my Wilson Yvettes, better than almost every speaker I have heard. It had a sound that I think you could enjoy for 24 hours at a time. Non-fatiguing for certain. If they are the latest rage it is extremely well deserved. I wish I had reason to buy a pair. I might even like them better than what I have now.
And their top of line models look amazing! Glad I didn’t see and here them!!!
What speakers are you referring to?
Probably these
I think you’ll like them better than. The B and Ws. The Blades are quite good.
Hi Paul -
I’m looking at the Blade 2 (the smaller version). As I’m reading on the internet, I hear that they are very amplifier dependent and difficult to place in a room. Can you comment on that?
Btw, halfway through your book, and am enjoying it…
My experience: the dispersion patter of the uni-q with its wave guides, combined with the force-cancellation setup of the woofers make them easy to position. You make indeed plug the bass reflex port and position them near the front wall. Just give the beasts 2-3 feet at the sides so they can project their wonderful soundstage.
As for amps, they will be no harder to drive than your B&W.
That’s good to know. I’m driving my B&W’s with a pair of Classe CAM-200 monoblocks.
Also, the only other speaker that was under consideration were the Focal Sopra 3’s. I know everyone says they sound completely different from the B&W’s, but I thought they kindof sounded similar.
Any thoughts?
Please don’t tell our English friend Steven about these, he will absolutely hate them. No designer in their right mind puts the tweeter below the midrange!
Why do you suggest that i may need to plug the bass reflex port and position them near the front wall?
Sorry. I believe I wasn’t clear. It’s is not a suggestion, but rather an option, should you not have space available tomposotion them further from the wall