Kef Reference 1

[regeHA]

Now you are just drooling.
Your music chain is pretty decent

Right. Look at all that silver and the cabinet finish.

Will tempt just about anyone.

 

[mpw]

I agree, however can you provide names of any of the dealers/distributors of these products who has a demo model that they can provide for a review. In my experience there are very few D&D's in India who can provide any equipment let alone affordable ones for reviews/demos. They just don't simply stock them.
It was our goal when we started Hifitoday.com, to try and review equipment at the 2 lac and below level, but it has been very difficult to get equipment limited to this level. I have been in touch with over 20 D&D's but have not been very successful. Anyways we will strive to get more affordable equipment, but we will also, on ocassion, review the higher priced products as well. Regarding the pricing of products relative to market of origin or US etc., I will not debate, ultimately it is the prerogative of the D&D and the buyer who will decide if it is for him or not.
Cheers,
Sid

pricing is the prerogative of the distributor - there are no 2 ways about it.

If the distri feels they have a market at Rs 8.5 lac ( as an example ) - then who are we to say anything ?

The point that was being made was that the audience for hifitoday may not belong to the 8.5 lac per pair of speaker category.

Atleast we seem to be having a conversation on it.

regards

 

[sidvee]

pricing is the prerogative of the distributor - there are no 2 ways about it.

If the distri feels they have a market at Rs 8.5 lac ( as an example ) - then who are we to say anything ?

The point that was being made was that the audience for hifitoday may not belong to the 8.5 lac per pair of speaker category.

Atleast we seem to be having a conversation on it.

regards

so because the market is predominantly say 1-2 lakh range, shall we avoid anything in the 5- 10 lac range. just like car magazines, since alto or whichever maruti is the bestseller they should avoid all the luxury brands at 50l and above. or any field for that matter. you dont think any readers are curious what lies at the higher ranges? and what about trickle down. sales of the reference series will subsidize say the ls50, so would we not want to explore and understand how that expensive tech. sounds?
Cheers,
Sid

 

[mpw]

so because the market is predominantly say 1-2 lakh range, shall we avoid anything in the 5- 10 lac range. just like car magazines, since alto or whichever maruti is the bestseller they should avoid all the luxury brands at 50l and above. or any field for that matter. you dont think any readers are curious what lies at the higher ranges? and what about trickle down. sales of the reference series will subsidize say the ls50, so would we not want to explore and understand how that expensive tech. sounds?
Cheers,
Sid

they would be more curious to know what lies in the next bracket and not what is hard to reach.

What is hard to reach belongs in showrooms and to people who can afford it .

a. would not have read hifitiday or any hifi mag for that matter

b. they will take their chauffer driven car to the dealers and let their cheque book do the talking

c. people who can afford - are largely motivated to buy because they can afford and not because of the musicality ( more often than not necessarily )

d. people who read hifi mags are always looking to the next level and the next tweak and the next drop of juice from their system or 1 level up. They know that what is expensive need not satisfy them always. And this is a fact that cannot be disputed.

anyways thats what I think and thats fair enough.

Your views may be different and thats fair enough too..

regards

 

[sidvee]

Anyways - Guys this is a superb speaker, a shining example of what research and technology can achieve. If you get the chance try and audition it. I am sure in the future lot of this tech. will trickle down to more affordable price points.
Regarding Hifitoday.com, the past 8 speakers that we reviewed had a mean price of 1.4 lac, lowest starting at 40k so I believe we are going in the correct direction. Yes on occasion we will review some quite expensive models but that will not be the rule, only an exception.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Right. Look at all that silver and the cabinet finish.

Will tempt just about anyone.

I must say, the rosewood finish that I got for the review was simply outstanding. I saw the black finish at the show, but this was a clear step up.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[jls001]

Yes on occasion we will review some quite expensive models but that will not be the rule, only an exception.
Cheers,
Sid

More power to you :thumbsup:

We do need some rich diet once in a while, though our daily subsistence may be daal-chawal

 

[raghupb]

I for one truly believe in trickle down theory. It happens all the time in other industries, automotive, computer and even in AV.
Case in point, KEF has successfully incorporated Uni-Q into many of their product lines; from the "affordable" Q series to the "reasonably hi end" R series and of course the Reference series.

Localized professional reviews (meaning for Indian buyers) at various price points is always welcome because volume buying happens at the lower end.
The team at HiFiToday cannot keep reviewing items available on HiFiMart since it will suspiciously border on marketing
I guess this is why the team strives to strike a professional balance.

A brutally honest review can only come from people who are not associated with any products or sites.
I am sure there are a few knowledgeable AV gurus on this forum who would love the opportunity to listen to something different and give an opinion.

To the guys at HFT, keep it coming. It is difficult for you guys to get distributors to agree for a review; there is always fear of negative commentary and legalese.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[regeHA]

We do need some rich diet once in a while, though our daily subsistence may be daal-chawal

I work with a few Chinese and Koreans and they never eat noodles, chow mein, noodle soup, etc. Not even wonton. They however dig into Indian food and especially tiffins with gusto even relishing them. I however find the Indian tiffins abroad suck. Having stayed in Chennai (Madras back then) we don't get sambar and dosa overseas like we do back at home. For them its different from what they eat daily and that makes it good.

Kind of like ghar ki murgi daal barabar.

If anything we need more expensive stuff reviewed, cause we rarely get a chance to listen to them.

Every chance I get when traveling abroad, I don't bother with Marantz, Onkyo, Yamaha or Sony. Even if I'm not buying I still use every opportunity to listen to a Linn, Wilson, Sonus Faber, Naim, ATC, Focal, Revel, etc. We don't even get some of these brands back home and yes they would be out of reach for 99% of folks, but that's one reason why an audition, a YouTube video, or a review would help us appreciate them anyways.

 

[Fantastic]

Youtube can never give a proper perspective of what the sound is really like. The mic will screw up the sound as will the subsequent digital compression and unknown electronics in between. Additionally most guys have their computers hooked up to 'computer' speakers and not the home hifi !
BUT it's nice watching these videos sometimes ,often to see the other equipment around etc.
Always spend time at hifi show rooms when abroad ! Check out what discs they use, and hear them too. Then get a copy and play it when you are back and see how they compare with what you heard ! Can be very revealing ! Your system which you though was average might actually be very good !

 

[regeHA]

Youtube can never give a proper perspective of what the sound is really like. The mic will screw up the sound as will the subsequent digital compression and unknown electronics in between.
BUT it's nice watching these videos sometimes ,often to see the other equipment around etc.

Agreed.

But I do follow some channels like this guy, https://www.youtube.com/user/hosoken007/videos.

Amazing equipment on display and yes they sound exceptional even on YouTube.

 

[sidvee]

To the guys at HFT, keep it coming. It is difficult for you guys to get distributors to agree for a review; there is always fear of negative commentary and legalese.

Cheers,
Raghu

Thanks Raghu - much appreciated. For others, I feel I need to reiterate a couple of important points. The time of the reviewers at Hifitoday.com including me is totally voluntary i.e; we are doing this strictly for the passion of music and the hobby. Yes there are fringe benefits - like getting to enjoy the likes of Kef Reference 1 for a few weeks, but there is also the labor involved, following up with D&D's, lifting heavy speakers, electronics in and out of our systems, packing them, waiting for the drop off, pick up, writing the actual review, proof reading etc. Secondly Hifitoday.com is entirely subsidized by Hifivision.com and the site owner as a service for the 50,000 members of Hifivision, so each review is absolutely an independent and fair evaluation of the equipment under review without any duress from a manufacturer or distributor or even a boss - at-most I send a couple of reminder mails to the reviewers to get their reviews done and sent to me for editing. In today's environment where so many print magazines are folding due to lack of financing from advertisers etc. we stand free from these pressures. Ultimately we hope to be able to get some volume of reviews going every month in a range of price points. Thanks for reading our reviews.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Rajeshh]

@Sidvee great review of the Kei Reference, yours was the only good one i could find on the internet
I am in the market for one, but i am also looking out of the Andrew Jones designed ELAC Adantes, which haven't been launched yet.
I am looking to do a A/B compare before pulling the trigger.
The amp will be a Peachtree Nova300

 

[sidvee]

@Sidvee great review of the Kei Reference, yours was the only good one i could find on the internet
I am in the market for one, but i am also looking out of the Andrew Jones designed ELAC Adantes, which haven't been launched yet.
I am looking to do a A/B compare before pulling the trigger.
The amp will be a Peachtree Nova300

Thanks Rajeshh. Yes please audition before you decide.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[ssf]

Keep the reviews coming. If we cannot buy, we can dream can't we. Much appreciated.