KEF Blade Review by Jeff Dorgay/Tone Audio Issue 58

Andre Marc

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Hello Chaps:

For those interested, Jeff Dorgay's review of the KEF Blades is now
available for download in Tone Audio issue 58. It is on page 91 I believe.

(There are also reviews of D'Agostino, Devaliet, Nagra, Wadia, and more)

I have discussed these speakers with Jeff on numerous occasions. In the past
year or so he has had the Sonus Faber Aida, Magico S5, and a variety of other
very nice speakers come through his room. All were driven by world class electronics
from Nagro, Burmester, ARC Reference, Devaliet,Conrad Johnson, Pass Labs, Wadia, D'Agostino etc.

http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_058.pdf

 

Orb

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Thanks for the headsup, looking forward to reading this months.
Thanks
Orb
 

amirm

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Thanks. Turning an electrostat devotee to a "box" speaker is not easy! :). I listened to the Blade for about 6 month and it is a very satisfying speaker. It has very controlled directivity which makes it more room friendly.
 

mep

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I have remarked more than a few times that even the LS50 has an electrostatic like purity about it.
 

Andre Marc

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Thanks. Turning an electrostat devotee to a "box" speaker is not easy! :). I listened to the Blade for about 6 month and it is a very satisfying speaker. It has very controlled directivity which makes it more room friendly.

Yes, Jeff uses them now as a reference. I have only heard them at shows. I was very impressed, but that is not like hearing them with in one's own reference system.
 

microstrip

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I have remarked more than a few times that even the LS50 has an electrostatic like purity about it.

Mark,

"Purity" is a too vague definition if not explained with a few more words. What aspects are you addressing?
 

MylesBAstor

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I have remarked more than a few times that even the LS50 has an electrostatic like purity about it.

Yeah but is that simply the lack of low end?
 

mep

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Yeah but is that simply the lack of low end?

Nope, because I'm running them with four subs and the purity is still there. I think it's a combination of the driver and the enclosure. See the KEF LS50 wow wow thread for some of my latest thoughts I just posted.
 

mep

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Mark,

"Purity" is a too vague definition if not explained with a few more words. What aspects are you addressing?

Purity in the sense of a very low distortion driver mounted into a very special small enclosure that is not adding garbage to the music. Most people who have owned electrostats understand the type of purity I'm talking about I hope. I equate purity to no box sound and very low distortion of all types that plague many loudspeaker designs.
 

microstrip

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Purity in the sense of a very low distortion driver mounted into a very special small enclosure that is not adding garbage to the music. Most people who have owned electrostats understand the type of purity I'm talking about I hope. I equate purity to no box sound and very low distortion of all types that plague many loudspeaker designs.

While I was waiting for your answer I had the time to look in the Blade measurements published by the german magazine Audio www.audio.de almost two years ago and confirm my memories about it.
The Blade showed a very regular frequency response, with a downward uniform tilt downwards in the axe response, a good think in my opinion. The Blade got an excellent subjective review, but the distortion measurements at levels above 90 dB were deceiving (the distortion levels were almost 10-15 dB worst than the Magico S5, recently tested by same magazine).

It seems that the considering distortion the ear should be the ultimate measuring device! ;)
 

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mep

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Did the magazine say whether the distortion was coming from the cabinets or the drivers? Oh, and let's not forget that the Blades each have four 9" woofers and I would assume the greater distortion would be coming from those 9" drivers and not the uni-q driver. Those four 9" drivers may alone account for the difference in distortion measurements between the S5 speakers and the Blades.
 

microstrip

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Did the magazine say whether the distortion was coming from the cabinets or the drivers?

They referred that it was due specifically from the midrange driver limited excursion - perhaps KEF wanted to emulate an electrostatic!
 

steve59

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1640958341349.png
 

steve59

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all I could find on distortion
 

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