KEF IQ9'S, B&W 684, KLIPSCH RF-82 which 1????

[demazi]

hi all just wondering if any knows much on these speakers i gota 2k lim for fronts oh and by the way i live in australia so nearly every is double da price here then in usa so i have a 2k lim i was thinking the kef iq9's , b&w 684 or the klipsch rf-82 all of there are 2k down here if you had to pick one of these which would it be.....ps ive gone and heard them all but i just dunno which 1 to get they all sound great just need someone to give me a lil push out the door if u no what i mean

[MacDaddyOJack]

Well if you have heard them all and you like them all, then I would say that looks are next. I would put the B&W's at the top for both looks and sound quality. I'd put the Klipsch's last for looks and sound quality so if you're asking my opinion, get the B&W 684's.

[prerich]

Based on looks - heres my rankings

1. B&W
2. Kef
3. Klipsch.


in that order.

[JJ]

As a proud owner of 683s, and having listened to Klipsch, and knowing a little about KEF, I would rank them exactly like prerich there.

1. B&W
2. KEF
Distant 3rd. Klipsch

684s are $500/ea here in the US, more or less.

I highly recommend them!

[jomari]

all three brands are amazing quality speakers, depending on their particular lines, since ive owned klipsch for quite sometime, as well as B&W's, im pretty much biased. Ive always liked keffers to, and as mentioned, its a great selection.

id prefer to prioritize the sonic quality instead of choosing it for its 'looks' tho, but thats my preference. as long as they are timbre matched, and within the same line, id be happy to consider all of them.

[rded]

to the OP... Mate why limit yourself to the 3 brands??? There are better speakers IMHO for the price than the 3 you mentioned. But if you're set on the 3 you mentioned, then I guess B$W well be the more "sound" choice.

[sokrman14]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

As a proud owner of 683s, and having listened to Klipsch, and knowing a little about KEF, I would rank them exactly like prerich there.

1. B&W
2. KEF
Distant 3rd. Klipsch

684s are $500/ea here in the US, more or less.

I highly recommend them!

agree

[allstar780]

I have to say that KEF speakers sound thin to me... they don't stack up to klipsch or B&W in my opinion... I've listened to the kefs and the B&Ws, and basically own the same klipsch... and I can say that I would prefer the B&Ws out of all three, and the klipsch coming in second

[prerich]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

As a proud owner of 683s, and having listened to Klipsch, and knowing a little about KEF, I would rank them exactly like prerich there.

1. B&W
2. KEF
Distant 3rd. Klipsch

684s are $500/ea here in the US, more or less.

I highly recommend them!

Oh and just incase anyone misunderstood me - I was taking into consideration that the OP likes the sound of all three speakers. Sound wise my choice would be....
Exactly how I rated them for looks

[bigpapy]

KEF I love my KEF's

[Beta Man]

I'm a happy B&W owner....... but I don't understand how all three sounded "equally good" to you..... when they all have different audio qualities.... I think you should listen them all again, and for an extended period of time......


I wouldn't even consider asthetics until you spend some more time listening.

[allstar780]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'm a happy B&W owner....... but I don't understand how all three sounded "equally good" to you..... when they all have different audio qualities.... I think you should listen them all again, and for an extended period of time......


I wouldn't even consider asthetics until you spend some more time listening.

Indeed Beta... if you ask me the B&W yellow Kevlar® drivers are ugly as sin... but when I decide to get rid of my klipsch, which i think are beautiful, B&W is the first company on my list

I was a bit offended that people ranked KEF above Klipsch but it is entirely personal and the OP should, as stated, spend some quality time with the speakers, get to know them a little better.... maybe invite them over to his house

[JJ]

Originally Posted by allstar780

Indeed Beta... if you ask me the B&W yellow Kevlar® drivers are ugly as sin... but when I decide to get rid of my klipsch, which i think are beautiful, B&W is the first company on my list

I was a bit offended that people ranked KEF above Klipsch but it is entirely personal and the OP should, as stated, spend some quality time with the speakers, get to know them a little better.... maybe invite them over to his house

What?! Blasphemy! I love those drivers, they're gorgeous to me. PS, Allstar, love how you put the Registered mark on them.

I never listened to KEF, just going by what I've read on the forums.

I have no idea how he thought that Klipsch and B&W both sounded the same. Is that what Beta said?

[allstar780]

Kevlar® is a Dupont registered trademark... those sneaky corporate devils are watching your every move.

In all seriousness though... take a listen to some KEFs if you get a chance JJ... they have nice highs, decent mids, but the lows are almost non-existant in my experience... but they're one of those brands you can use to wow your non-av friends with "I just listened to some KEFs" sounds a bit exotic

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by allstar780

Kevlar® is a Dupont registered trademark... those sneaky corporate devils are watching your every move.

In all seriousness though... take a listen to some KEFs if you get a chance JJ... they have nice highs, decent mids, but the lows are almost non-existant in my experience... but they're one of those brands you can use to wow your non-av friends with "I just listened to some KEFs" sounds a bit exotic

I actually would buy the Kefs out of all 3. I agree with this assesment above. The Kefs he is looking at have great highs and the mids are very tight. On most Kef speakers, that are not the nicer towers, the lows are always a little light. Kef makes this speaker for a home-theater experience, as well as listening at 2.1 channel. IMO, they are made to be used with a sub, hence Kef giving you great quality in the high and mid range, and letting the sub finish the bottom out. B&W has a great speaker too, but the Kef will give him a better movie experience. The problem on all 3, is can you afford the center channel???

[prerich]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I actually would buy the Kefs out of all 3. I agree with this assesment above. The Kefs he is looking at have great highs and the mids are very tight. On most Kef speakers, that are not the nicer towers, the lows are always a little light. Kef makes this speaker for a home-theater experience, as well as listening at 2.1 channel. IMO, they are made to be used with a sub, hence Kef giving you great quality in the high and mid range, and letting the sub finish the bottom out. B&W has a great speaker too, but the Kef will give him a better movie experience. The problem on all 3, is can you afford the center channel???

It also functions like a point source speaker with the tweeter mounted on the mid-range - no mater where you sit time/phase relationship will be the same (phase coherent i think is what its called ). The B&W's top end is just sweet. As far as Klipsch go - I like the heritage series (with tubes or warm solid state gear) - the RF series never really impressed me (and I was listening with Aragon amps) - just a little over aggressive for my taste.

I have listened to the Kef's before and the series above - they do sound nice, but all three do sound different. B&W's and Kef being the closest (both have that british sound) Klipsch are by themselves (well - I haven't heard many other horn loaded speakers before) but like I said - I do love the sound of the Heritage series with good tubes or warm solid state (the La Scalas gave me chills in Spain - should have jumped on them then).

[Slicker1]

B&W, the other two companys sold out years ago.