Help me Pick my new speakers

**volks** · October 12, 2016, 06:23 PM

Its that time again................Time to switch up my speakers...........I am considering a few............The Kef Ref 5 or the Kef Blades.........The Focal Sopra 3 and the Wilson Yvette...........Help me pick my new speaker........Views/Opinions are more then welcomed

**Alpinist** · October 12, 2016, 06:44 PM

Hi Volks,

While you're at it, I would give the Vandersteen 5A Carbon a listen. Very fine sounding speakers.

Best,
Ken

**joeinid** · October 12, 2016, 06:46 PM

I'm reading the KEF Blade Two's are supposed to be amazing. Not sure about price and if they are in your range.

**volks** · October 12, 2016, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Hi Volks,

While you're at it, I would give the Vandersteen 5A Carbon a listen. Very fine sounding speakers.

Best,
Ken

I would not mind at all, but no dealer around me

**volks** · October 12, 2016, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by joeinid

I'm reading the KEF Blade Two's are supposed to be amazing. Not sure about price and if they are in your range.

Yes Joe the Blades and Blade 2 are both in my range and I have heard them and they sound wonderful with the right gear and a BIG room(for the Original Blade)....the Blade 2 is more forgiving of room size.

**Mike** · October 12, 2016, 07:53 PM

Focal Sopra 3 or KEF Blade 2.

I, and many others, were not a fan of the Yvette's at RMAF. To be frank, they drove me from room each time. Not sure if the bright edgy sound was attributable to the Nordost cables or VTL or the Yvette's, but the combo could peel paint.

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**volks** · October 13, 2016, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Mike

Focal Sopra 3 or KEF Blade 2.

I, and many others, were not a fan of the Yvette's at RMAF. To be frank, they drove me from room each time. Not sure if the bright edgy sound was attributable to the Nordost cables or VTL or the Yvette's, but the combo could peel paint.

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Mike whats the bass like on the Focal Sopra 3?

**Melbguy1** · October 13, 2016, 07:29 AM

Magico S3 Mk2 when it comes out

**Mike** · October 13, 2016, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Melbguy1

Magico S3 Mk2 when it comes out

If that's an option, YES!!!

**Mike** · October 13, 2016, 07:35 AM

Originally Posted by volks

Mike whats the bass like on the Focal Sopra 3?

You really hear the difference between the Sopra 2's and 3's in the lower midrange area. Spec wise, it doesn't look like the Sopra 3 goes much lower than the 2, but when you hear the 3, with its bigger cabinet, you really hear more pronounced, more present bass.

But if Magico S3 Mk2 is an option (since you're in Canada, talk to Mark Jones of Audio by Mark Jones in Ontario), that's the way to go!

**Anatta** · October 13, 2016, 08:35 AM

http://www.dynaudio.com/home-audio/contour/contour-60/

**aardvarkbark** · October 13, 2016, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Mike

...I, and many others, were not a fan of the Yvette's at RMAF.

and herein lies one of many problems with your query.....

Another attendee on another forum spoke of how the Yvette's actually sounded better than his Sasha's at RMAF.

and many comment about how something sounds horrible at a show, but then they go back the next day, and something has been changed and now things sound fantastic.

I recently changed my amp and now my speakers suddenly sound phenomenally better. So, clearly, I couldn't have properly talked with you about my speakers a couple weeks ago.

You need to sample speakers with the electronics you expect to connect to them. Otherwise....waste of time.

**Mike** · October 13, 2016, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by aardvarkbark

and herein lies one of many problems with your query.....

Another attendee on another forum spoke of how the Yvette's actually sounded better than his Sasha's at RMAF.

and many comment about how something sounds horrible at a show, but then they go back the next day, and something has been changed and now things sound fantastic.

I recently changed my amp and now my speakers suddenly sound phenomenally better. So, clearly, I couldn't have properly talked with you about my speakers a couple weeks ago.

You need to sample speakers with the electronics you expect to connect to them. Otherwise....waste of time.

Yup - that's why I said - could have been the Nordost cables, could have been the VTL, etc. But, myself, and many others (hopefully some of those will chime in here) found the combo to be very aggressive, bright, forward, etc.

If a manufacturer is demoing new speakers, they should work hard to ensure the ancillary components and cabling are a good match IMO. In this case, it was not.

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**La Dolce Vita** · October 13, 2016, 11:51 AM

I heard the Blade 2's again at RMAF. I can attest they are truly astounding. Highly recommended...

**Mike** · October 13, 2016, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by La Dolce Vita

I heard them again at RMAF. I can attest they are truly astounding. Highly recommended...

Heard what?

**volks** · October 13, 2016, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by La Dolce Vita

I heard the Blade 2's again at RMAF. I can attest they are truly astounding. Highly recommended...

I agree with you there about the Blade II............Blade 1 is excellent speaker as well.......just needs room to breathe.

**Randy Myers** · October 16, 2016, 03:23 PM

Yea, I would be going Blade 2's if I were you. Another one that might be worth considering is the MBL. A fellow club member has a pair.... wow... my MC stand mounted (Wolfgang's later, lower design) have made me not even worry about getting the Reference 1's (for the time being anyway). Eventually would love to get either MBL or Blades

.

**Penthouse-D** · October 16, 2016, 04:06 PM

I agree with the S3 recommendation. It may be a while until the Series II is out. If price is an issue, You may want to consider the current version used. I've seen a few pairs for sale. I think they are a great value. I've had Q5's, S5's(loved) and my current S3's. All around the 3's are by far, the greatest value for the $$$.

**j3brow** · October 16, 2016, 04:20 PM

Tough choice Michael. The Sopra 2 and Blade 2 both have my attention as well. Problem is I have no way of hearing either speaker in my area

**La Dolce Vita** · October 16, 2016, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by j3brow

Tough choice Michael. The Sopra 2 and Blade 2 both have my attention as well. Problem is I have no way of hearing either speaker in my area

Of course everything is system dependent but... I just heard Sopra 2's last week at RMAF - being used in the Rogers High Fidelity room. I also heard the Blade 2's in another room with Parasound gear. To my ears, it was not remotely close... I'd go with the Blade 2's. It all depends on what you like though.

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**j3brow** · October 16, 2016, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by La Dolce Vita

Of course everything is system dependent but... I just heard Sopra 2's last week at RMAF - being used in the Rogers High Fidelity room. I also heard the Blade 2's in another room with Parasound gear. To my ears, it was not remotely close... I'd go with the Blade 2's. It all depends on what you like though.

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there you go. That is very helpful. Stands to reason given difference in cost. I have fallen in love with the Blade 2 aesthetics ... strange how that happens, for last few years, since Blade was introduced, I didn't care for it. Now, I like the small footprint and slender width.

**Mike** · October 16, 2016, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by j3brow

there you go. That is very helpful. Stands to reason given difference in cost. I have fallen in love with the Blade 2 aesthetics ... strange how that happens, for last few years, since Blade was introduced, I didn't care for it. Now, I like the small footprint and slender width.

And their side firing woofers cancel each other out which results in near zero cabinet resonances. The blue with the blue single source driver is beautiful.

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**Paul** · October 16, 2016, 10:50 PM

Hi Volk, If you going to keep the Mc set up have you ever consider the Dynaudio C2 ? I always love the synergy with Mc

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**wisnon** · October 17, 2016, 07:18 AM

Here are some nice ones:

**Mr Peabody** · October 18, 2016, 11:14 PM

You did ask for opinions, so here's mine.

I've heard the Blade 2 & Ref 5, I prefer the Ref 5, but the Ref 5's were driven by better electronics, the Levinson 585. I thought the Ref 5 was easier to listen to and more engaging. The Ref 5 did seem to accentuate the midrange, where I'd say the Blade 2 seemed to have a more flat response by comparison.

I've heard Wilson two years in a row at Axpona, twice driven by D'Agostino and once by some tube gear that I have forgotten the name, I have to say none of the auditions impressed me, I was left wondering what all the buzz was about I heard in the past.

I love the MBL speakers but all my auditions was driven by MBL gear.

The Magico sounded great. Not sure what the model was, seeing it was at a show I'd guess one of their better ones.

I heard the Sopra driven by Sim audio, it sounded good, I thought they had the Focal sound but more refined and easier to listen to. An audition with Pass gear was not as impressive for some reason. Could be set up, but I wonder if the Sopra is a good match with warm leaning electronics. Mike may be able to shed some light on that.

Mac seems to be teamed up with Sonus faber now. I've heard SF localing and although they sounded alright to me I wasn't a fan. I heard a couple systems of the SF & Mac, I was really surprised at how good the SF did sound and the synergy with Mac. SF also sounded good driven by Jadis.

And, if I may add to the list, you might be surprised at how good the JBL 4367 sounds with the purity & dynamics it brings.

all good stuff

**Mike** · October 18, 2016, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

You did ask for opinions, so here's mine.

I've heard the Blade 2 & Ref 5, I prefer the Ref 5, but the Ref 5's were driven by better electronics, the Levinson 585. I thought the Ref 5 was easier to listen to and more engaging. The Ref 5 did seem to accentuate the midrange, where I'd say the Blade 2 seemed to have a more flat response by comparison.

I've heard Wilson two years in a row at Axpona, twice driven by D'Agostino and once by some tube gear that I have forgotten the name, I have to say none of the auditions impressed me, I was left wondering what all the buzz was about I heard in the past.

I love the MBL speakers but all my auditions was driven by MBL gear.

The Magico sounded great. Not sure what the model was, seeing it was at a show I'd guess one of their better ones.

I heard the Sopra driven by Sim audio, it sounded good, I thought they had the Focal sound but more refined and easier to listen to. An audition with Pass gear was not as impressive for some reason. Could be set up, but I wonder if the Sopra is a good match with warm leaning electronics. Mike may be able to shed some light on that.

Mac seems to be teamed up with Sonus faber now. I've heard SF localing and although they sounded alright to me I wasn't a fan. I heard a couple systems of the SF & Mac, I was really surprised at how good the SF did sound and the synergy with Mac. SF also sounded good driven by Jadis.

And, if I may add to the list, you might be surprised at how good the JBL 4367 sounds with the purity & dynamics it brings.

all good stuff

Excellent post.

Agree on Sopra's with overly warm electronics. I prefer something a little more linear. They are really smooth sounding.

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**Dr Tone** · October 19, 2016, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

You did ask for opinions, so here's mine.

I heard the Sopra driven by Sim audio, it sounded good, I thought they had the Focal sound but more refined and easier to listen to. An audition with Pass gear was not as impressive for some reason. Could be set up, but I wonder if the Sopra is a good match with warm leaning electronics. Mike may be able to shed some light on that.

I wouldn't drive Focal with anything other than warmer sounding components. They are fast and have a bump in the top end.

The top end sizzle and aggressiveness might impress at shows for short periods of time but don't make enjoyable longer listening sessions.

At least that's my experience as a former owner.

**bthomas9** · October 19, 2016, 03:47 PM

Are you planning on keeping your Mac gear? That may make a difference in my opinion. But in order of my listening preference...

1. Magico s3 mk2 - if you can wait a few months (theory but have owned s1 and s5mk2)
2. Blade 2 (extensive listening)
3.
4.
5. Sopra 2 or maybe original s3 (own sopra 2's)

Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like the Sopra's but they don't compete against the blade 2 or mk2 magico's. But at their price point, they are very hard to beat imo. I've used Devialet, Hegel, and VITUS amps and I think all would match up well with any of these. I may lose my audiophile card for saying this, but I have very little experience with Mac gear. My 2 cents

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**volks** · October 19, 2016, 10:27 PM

Had a chance to listen to the JBL S4700 today ........Not my cup of tea......a lot of people like them, but the sound and look of them does nothing for me.

**Paul** · October 19, 2016, 11:31 PM

Just curiosity , What didn't you like about them ?

**volks** · October 21, 2016, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Paul

Just curiosity , What didn't you like about them ?

Hi Paul. I felt the bass impact wasn't as deep as I was thinking it would go with that huge driver. The Highs were somewhat fatiguing and the fit/finish to me don't seem up to par with the asking price .

**Mike** · October 21, 2016, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by volks

Hi Paul. I felt the bass impact wasn't as deep as I was thinking it would go with that huge driver. The Highs were somewhat fatiguing and the fit/finish to me don't seem up to par with the asking price .

Have you had a chance to compare the Focal Sopra 3's with the Blade 2's?

**Audiophilehi** · November 29, 2016, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by Anatta

http://www.dynaudio.com/home-audio/contour/contour-60/

Have you listened to the Contour 60's or has anyone else had the opportunity to listen to them?

**volks** · November 30, 2016, 12:11 PM

I will be making my decision today actually.

**volks** · November 30, 2016, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Mike

Have you had a chance to compare the Focal Sopra 3's with the Blade 2's?

No I never had the chance.

**volks** · November 30, 2016, 06:55 PM

Today I ordered the Kef Reference 5's in Satin Walnut Finish. I used to have the Kef Ref 207/2's . Excited about having Kef's Flagship Ref again

**Mike** · November 30, 2016, 07:13 PM

Congrats Mike! Those are beautiful looking and sounding speakers.

**j3brow** · November 30, 2016, 07:26 PM

Woohoo! Nice pick .... which color? Love that blue driver.

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**volks** · November 30, 2016, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mike

Congrats Mike! Those are beautiful looking and sounding speakers.

Thank You Mike

**volks** · November 30, 2016, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by j3brow

Woohoo! Nice pick .... which color? Love that blue driver.

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I ordered Satin Walnut Finish.

**j3brow** · November 30, 2016, 07:30 PM

Congrats Mike, beautiful speakers. Welcome back to KEF

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**bzr** · November 30, 2016, 09:12 PM

Ahhh, nothing like the smell of new speakers in the morn, congrats!

**Audiophilehi** · November 30, 2016, 09:16 PM

Congratulations on the new addition!

**Audio 1** · November 30, 2016, 09:36 PM

Awesome!! Enjoy - they are superb speakers.

**volks** · November 30, 2016, 11:57 PM

Thanks Guys

**volks** · December 13, 2016, 11:12 PM

My new Kef Ref 5's will be arriving this friday

**Randy Myers** · December 14, 2016, 01:31 AM

Originally Posted by volks

My new Kef Ref 5's will be arriving this friday

Awesome... huge congratulations!

**ben** · December 15, 2016, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by volks

My new Kef Ref 5's will be arriving this friday

Congrats! We would like to see some pic of your new speakers

**motberg** · December 17, 2016, 08:47 AM

Congrats! the Ref 1 is currently at the top of my list - may come true in a few months with some luck...

**Mr Peabody** · December 17, 2016, 11:18 AM

Hopefully Volks will pull himself away for a short report soon

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