I have seriously considered these but decided not now and bought another new Trek Domane bike. My wife who is very tolerant would freaking explode!
Just saw the posts about the 30 % off! Real glad I bought mine in the summer now! Oh well, sounds like a great price for those who are interested.
There is no comparison between the LS50 and the REF 1 other than if you have the money you replace the LS50s with the REFERENCE 1's
I was thinking the same, but the MRSP is £6500 and most online listings have them at £4995 or £4550 which is 30% off. So maybe the discount is global? If it’s 30% off £5000 then I will order a pair tomorrow! Be good to get some clarification! [edit] Or is it a US only promotion?
Not even close. LS50 is a killer speaker (I plan to keep mine for life), but Reference 1 is leagues above in refinement and also ability to project a massive and defined soundstage. And apologies for all the hyperbole. Just trying to share my experience.
They are listed under the Specials section on the website. KEF January Specials Shoot me a PM if you have any specific questions and I'll help anyway I can.
Just looked at the KEF website and $5600 looks like a pretty good deal compared to the $8000 list price and I would definitely spring for the rosewood but alas I'm kind of tapped out from some recent Hi Fi upgrades and probably wouldn't be looking at those till the spring. Snooze you loose applies here. But I'm enjoying getting used to the R3s I just picked up and I think I can easily stick with them for a while.
My main listening room is 12 foot wide by 15 foot long with 9 foot ceilings and I run my Reference 3s with 35 watt tube mono-blocks. I can take the speakers to extreme volume levels, if I choose, without issue, but tend to listen in the mid 70s peaking into the low 80 dB levels. As mentioned there is a frequency area in which the speakers resistance drops to 3.5 ohms. For this reason, like Echos Myron, I use the 4 ohm taps. I have tried the 8 ohm taps and really haven't heard a difference in sound, but still believe the 4 ohm tap is the correct one to use. My Reference 1s are powered by a tube receiver that produces 35 watts. The room has similar measurements to my main music room, however this room is not treated for sound and the speakers play wonderfully there. I do not push the volume in this room due to it being my office. I also use the 4 ohm taps. I believe it is about the transformer size and how tubes run verses solid state that allows lower powered tube amplifiers to push the Reference Series without issue. I don't believe you should go much below 35 watts though. My mono-blocks have a switch that I can up the power to 75 watts but choose the 35 watt Triode setting because I like the way the mid and upper end sound better in Triode vs. Pentode (Ultra Linear). In addition I hear a deeper sound stage in the Triode setting and I love the way the Reference Series really excel at developing a wide, deep and high sound stage when the recording allows this.
I get how you feel, been there done that. What is worse is if they also upgrade drivers, box design, ports etc. Just a change in color is OK in my book. I just don't want the Reference Series that I own to become an "old" design too soon, otherwise I will be longing for the new and improved. That being the case if they really did improve the sound, but that seems hard to believe possible, at least if the prices stay approximately the same. Its nice to think some other people may join the KEF Reference Series family due to this changing finish line price drop. I guess KEF decided to drop the Rosewood and Walnut finishes due to "Green" issues. My understanding is these wood finishes are from more rare trees that take longer to grow. I could be wrong on this assumption, just speculation. I have the Rosewood finish on my 3s and it is stunning. My 1s are the piano black finish which still is attractive but certainly not as unique or special as the Rosewood.
By the way, the Muo portable Bluetooth speaker is also on sale and it is fantastic sounding and at $149.00 a steal!
Thanks for the detailed reply. In summary it sounds like you’re saying I should be fine. I did just notice that the specs for the LS50s also state nominal impedance of 8 ohms but dropping to a minimum of 3.2, just like the Ref 1s, and the LS50s sound excellent in my room with the Primaluna. In fact, they produce a lot of bass even with the ports fully plugged. I measured the room response using REW software and calibrated mic and I have a bass hump even with the ports fully plugged. With the ports unplugged the bass is too much. I wonder given this if I’ll have too much bass with the Ref 1s?
The bass from the Ref 1 is very different from the LS50. It can really hit you in the chest. There are also tubes to tune the bass response. Ideally the Ref 1's should be as far out from the front wall as possible. I believe the KEF instructions recommend at least a foot out. Mine are over 3' out into the room and it is a fairly large room. The Reference 1 is a pretty big speaker, but I think it will fit in your room.
Thanks echoes. Here’s a photo of my room showing current placement of LS50s. Plan is to drop the Ref 1s in the same place. As you can see the LS50s are toed in. Measuring from the middle of the back, I have them almost exactly one foot from the front wall. Hopefully that’s enough space.
That should work great. Note the Ref 1 will sound better with zero to very minimal toe in. I also found the midrange took about 2 months to open up. Although they have a lot in common with the LS50 tonally, the frequency response is different in that it is basically ruler flat. Nice looking room and gear btw.
For sure, it's a testament to the speakers that I'm not *that* upset I did get 10 % off of my purchase as well so not the end of the world. Somewhat relatedly, I sent my Rogue Cronus Magnum II in for the III upgrade so am looking forward to getting that back later this month. Also, as per some recommendations on here have asked Rogue to set the amp to 4 ohms versus 8 ohms. We'll see how that affects the character of the Ref 1's. @Dorian75 , I also made the switch from the KEF LS50's to the Reference 1's. I think you'll be very happy with the upgrade. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to help. Some of the more knowledgeable members here might be of more use though! Great looking room and setup.
