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I thank the KEF engineers for developing this system. Another contributing factor to this ability, is the lack of cabinet colouration. The composite enclosure is very inert, because of the materials used, but also because of the lack of cabinet panel area to actually resonate. Either way, the nett result is that you really only hear the drivers, which delivers precision, out-of-the-box imaging.
The tweeter design must be damned robust, because KEF uses a very low 1.7 kHz crossover point. Most tweeters would distort or self-destruct with a crossover point that low. It could be action from the platform, personal decision by the review author, part of an entire account closure, even some data error on our part, etc. We counted 22 reviews for this product over the span of 3,557 days, an average of 0.0 reviews per day. If these reviews were created randomly, there would be a 99.9% chance that we would see 1 or fewer reviews on any given day.
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5 of the 22 reviewers have substantial overlapping product review history. This is within an acceptable range and it does not appear to be significantly affecting the overall rating for this product. They may be slim, but the T301 and T301c boast heavyweight build quality. Their faultless construction offers a rigidity and robustness that should stand them in good stead for life in the living room. The front panel of these 600mm-high speakers is almost entirely covered in a cloth grille with glimpses of black aluminium down the sides and gloss-black at the bottom.
The ease score is the average rating for all reviews that a given reviewer submits. The average ease score for reviewers of this product is 4.2, while the average ease score for reviewers in this category is 4.2. Voices are clean and pure, rhythms are water tight and the intricate detail handling means instruments are accompanied by the subtle sounds of the person playing them, such as breaths and nails on guitar strings. Using the front speakers as a stereo pair isn’t advisable, however, as they lose the warmth and punch afforded by the subwoofer – possibly the only time we lamented the lack of more voluminous cabinets. It’s joined by a 25mm tweeter that has been vented to achieve clearer midrange sounds. The T101 rears are a two-way design, using a single 115mm midrange driver and 25mm tweeter.
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No issues though, just the materials bending and flexing. The final piece of the system is the new T-2 subwoofer. Following the lead of the satellites, the T2 is a less than micro 37cm on a side, but is only 18cm deep. Further more, all cable connections, which means a two pin reversible mains lead and a single RCA phono connection, are housed in a recess on the base of the cabinet. 18cm deep in this case, means 18cm - Not 18cm plus cables.
There was no such trouble with the slightly higher average levels of movies and music, even when more sedate fayre, without guns, bombs, death, etc, was the order of the day. Output in general from the T-2 subwoofer is actually pretty impressive, considering it's internal volume. But the T205 is about more than flat-out muscle-flexing. During quiet passages the speakers create an immersive soundstage by filling it out with subtle details, and this is most apparent during Avatar’s frequent forest expeditions. You’re plunged into a cloud of chattering creatures, softly rustling foliage and swirling, other-worldly effects that some inferior systems struggle to reproduce with the same level of clarity. Whether it’s quiet or loud, action scene or talky bit, high-frequency reproduction is mesmerising.
T101 Satellite Speakers
In total, we found that 11 reviews (or 50%) are within an overrepresented word count group. This is an excessively high number of reviews in overrepresented word count groups. 12 of the 22 reviewers have had at least one of their past reviews for another product deleted. This is an excessively large percentage of Take-Back Reviewers which may indicate unnatural reviews. Was about to get the Bose 5.1 speakers when I was introduced to Kef and the rest was history. Kef gives you High Definition sound to complement your HDTV.
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That said, I don't regret getting the 305 in the least. I actually got another set of 2 to run 7.1 but selling the house within the next year and I'd really rather go into drywall than plaster...sounds great as-is anyway. Sure, the T301s, like any £250 speaker, have their own set of compromises, but as an even handed reproducer of all programme types, there's very little to complain about and much to like. They aren't a spotlight on mid range expression, but they are very consistent in their even handed presentation and have a remarkable dynamic capability. That makes them an easy listen, with movies or music, at all volume levels.
And, from my research, weren't anywhere near 2x better. I placed the order and never questioned my decision. Thus, the ‘lifestyle’ speaker was born to assuage domestic bliss and although some very small and cute designs have resulted, they tend to sound exactly just that – small. The problem is big sound requires big drivers and for the most part, the only way to shrink the depth of a driver, also shrinks its effective diameter.
The issue is not so much that that T-2 is lacking, but that the T301s are capable of performing out of their skin. The T101s would present less of a challenge, perhaps a better match, but the T301s have a significant extra SPL/dynamic capability that means a single T 2 is a bare minimum. If there is a weakness, it's that natural levels of mid range detail are slightly restrained, which can suck a little of the passion out of vocal expression. However, I found that the T 305s, yet again, enjoy the chance to stretch their legs with a bit of added volume and they open up quite nicely if you have the chance to listen at reasonable, if not excessive levels.
As my room naturally delivers a fair old modal boost down in the low 30Hz region, I found the effect made the bass a bit thick and ponderous, preferring the more neutral sound of the flat setting. On a final note, I did find that the 'Auto On' did seem to be a bit hard to wake up. Normal day-to-day TV viewing seemed to be insufficient to keep the T-2 awake. The opening and closing credits of Eastenders woke it up, but sleep was it's preferred state in between. Some may not blame it on that score, but it's a point worthy of note.
I won't even get started on the PS3 games...as much as I want to. It was hard to justify the price because I'd never sunk more than about $500 in a home theater speaker system and most of mine have just been amassed over the years . The center channel is going to be the workhorse of any multi-channel setup, and with the accompanying sub it sounds great. I don't think it's necessary to get matching satellites so if you wanted to go for the smaller rear speakers, you'd probably be fine. Those don't normally handle as much as the fronts anyway.
As far positioning goes, the front and rear speakers sounded best toed in to point at the listening position, placed about 15cm out from the wall. Given that the T301s only add another 3.5cm of depth to that, the overall projection into the room is very little indeed. As the T 305 system followed some man sized floorstanders, the nett visual impression was of an empty room by comparison. If they were white, they would have been all but invisible. The centre stood on the top shelf of my rack with the prop stand set to tilt the T301c back.
Klipsch Reference R-625FA 5.1 Home Theater Pack, Black Textured Wood Grain Vinyl
But what marked the T Series out, was the excellent freedom aural location ie, the satellites pull off a real disappearing trick. Given these speakers' form factors, it'd be logical for KEF to engineer them more for home theater than for music. The system sounds fine for music; I put in many hours of listening to two-channel stereo CDs and always enjoyed it. However, it's not as involving as a serious music listener would probably want. The treble sounds a little soft, as if the tweeter starts to roll off above about 10 kHz; the acoustic guitars that begin Steve Earle's country classic "The Devil's Right Hand" lacked their usual sparkle.
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