KEF, ProAc, Monitor Audio and others

I've auditioned The KEF Ref 3, the Proac D48R, the Vandersteen Treo CT and the Vandersteen Quatro CT.  It is difficult to imagine you wouldn't be happy with any of these choices.  I chose the Vandersteen Quatro CT.  If you like the Treo CT you will probably love the Quatro as it is essentially a Treo with built in subwoofers with a very flexible ability to tune them to your room.  The Quatro is the only Vandersteen above the Treo that is still within your price range. Both the KEF and the Proacs are great as well...just slightly different flavors.  

I can't consider the Quatro CT for two reasons-- no place to hear then within 400 miles and the power cords present a problem.  As you say, I still have some great options.  Still can't find a place to hear the KEF Reference 5 but I may call KEF for help.  Liking the KEF Reference 3, Proacs and possibly the Montor Audio PL300II at this point.   

Brownsf,

Great to see you took our original  advice to go out and listen and seek out some of the best modern loudspeakers.

We are a KEF dealer and the Ref 3 are superb and are often overlooked by many audiophiles who feel that the larger speaker companies don't build as good a product as the smaller more boutique companies.

The KEF's are more precise with a more well defined sound stage then the Monitors, the Monitors are a bit softer sounding with the new AMT drivers, also the KEF's are a more slender cabinet also with the KEF's  you have a bit of room control with the different ports.

Other great loudspeakers to look at are the Legacy's if you can find them.

Personally I think the KEF's  are  a better overall design then the Proacs.

The new Paradigm Persona's are also quite amazing and do some things better then the Kef Ref 3 they are a bit more expensive for a comparable model which would be the Persona 5F, they are stunning looking and have an incredibly holographic sound stage with very deep tight bass, the other issue is that with the high tech Beryilium  drivers they have great resolution than other similar systems.

You should try to determine what kind of sound you like more warm and rich sounding, the Vandersteen, Legacy camp, or the higher resolution camp, KEF, Proac, Vivid, Rahido.

Good luck and happy listening.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

I have the ProAc D48R on order. I liked the ProAc sound when I auditioned various loudspeakers. The Spendors D7/D9s are also beautiful sounding loudspeakers. I liked the KEF Ref 3 at AXPONA 2015, but was not moved by the sound. I believe it was very neutral. I blame the very large room they were in, for that. If you choose Dynaudio, make sure you have a powerful (and high quality) amp.

When you would be aware of all the different properties sound is being formed at, you would have a totally different opinion about the speakers you would like and even would want to buy.

I have done thousands of test in almost 20 years. This is where I earn my money with. I do not see it as work or hobby. It goes so much further than that. Most products and even brands are not capable of creating all the different properties sound is being formed at.

The great thing about music and sound is that all the different properties of it can influence our emotion. And that is why people will always prefer that sound and stage what owns the most different properties.

When you want to reveal all the information of the recording you need an audio system what is able to reveal all the information of the recording.

But........most products and brands in audio are incomplete in properties and this is even based on facts. This means you cannot add what is missing. When a property or different properties are missing the sound and stage will always be incomplete.

When you listen to most systems the facts proof again that in almost all situations they are incomplete. Even when you listen to loudspeakers and brands in loudspeakers you will hear that most are incomplete.

I test each individual product first on DNA. Because I need to know which properties are there. When you create audio based on properties you come so much closer to how music sounds in real. Beside this it also proofs that the level in emotion and intensity is so much higher when a systems can reveal all the different properties of sound.

When you test both the Kef Referende and even Blade on stage depth, you will hear that the stage is rather flat and undeep. It even misses more properties on which sound is being formed at.

I did many shootouts between a 2D and a 3D system. All people prefered a 3D stage. This is very easy to explain. Our hearing can hear sound in a 3D spectrum. That is why it is insane that over 99% of all sold audio systems are still 2D.

In our world 2D is when a system or speaker can build up less than 1 metre of stage depth.

First you need to know all the properties of the speaker you are interested at. You need the right amps, sources, conditioners and cables to create all the different properties sound exist of.

But each single person on this planet will always choose that system what can reveal all the different properties of which sound and music are formed at. They always use the words that it is more intense, emotional and attractive to listen to. Most even call it addictive and you can see this back in the level in use of an audio system. Many say often; we can’t stop listening. This is being created by the fact that when music influences our emotion more, it creates also a different demand.

That is why we will give demoes in 2018 with real conservatorium students to explain how instruments and voices sounds in real. And what real 3D sound is and how it influecnes our emotion. We also want to show people how small and direct both voices and instruments sounds in dimension. We call it intimate focus of voices and instruments.

So we can proof that working by Tru-Fi is superior in realism and most of all that the emotion compared to any audio system what has been created by trial and error is so much more intense.