KEF The Reference 3

 KEF 

THE REFERENCE 3

LOUDSPEAKER

REVIEW

 

I'm just going to say it.

THESE ARE THE REAL DEAL

I've listened to hundreds of speakers. I've made speakers. I've studied speakers inside and out. Countless hours of listening test. Looking for the one speaker that can have proper tonal balance, imaging, bass extension, low distortion, and just plainly execute the music and nothing but the music.

KEF has done it very well with  

THE REFERENCE

This particular review is of the THE REFERENCE 3 but I'm sure The Reference 1 and 5 are just as impressive as the 3 in every way.

  

 The Reference comes in matched pairs that are made by a single master technician and comes with a frequency response chart of your pair. Each pair takes about 8 weeks from order to delivery and are made in Maidstone, Kent United Kingdom.

 

 The base is a very heavy cast metal and the spike hardware are absolutely stunning

 

My set is in Satin American Walnut but KEF has Various Finishes and special edition Kent Foundry finishes as well. The fit and finish is flawless.

These are heavy. I repeat that, THESE ARE HEAVY. At about 113lbs each, these are very sturdy. Knock on the cabinet and you get a nice solid thud. Very well braced indeed. 

The Front baffle is a aluminum/resin composite for increase rigidity. The brushed aluminum really gives The Reference 3 a modern classic look. These will look good in just about any room or decor.

The drivers look out of this world. The woofers are a smooth concave surface with the surrounds hidden. Very beautifully done. The UniQ driver for the mid and highs are the heart of this speaker. You would think a metal dome and metal midrange driver would sound harsh and ring like a dinner bell. NOPE. 

They are extremely smooth sounding and have just the perfect tonality. The coincidental arrangement of the tweeter and midrange produce a solid and stable stereo image. The crossover between the mid and high is perfectly coherent.

The bass drivers are only 6.5 inch. Most speakers with 6.5 inch woofers suffer when trying to produce bass articulately. These are not your typical 6.5 inch woofers. KEF has produced a 6.5 woofer with an exceptional motor to give this 6.5 woofer enough excursion and control. 

The Reference 3 has two rear ports per speaker and KEF supplies you with a short set and long set of ports. This allows you to adjust the bass to suite your environment. I have mine with the long ports as I am placing the pair close to the rear wall and my listening space I not large. The ports are made from a rubber foam like material. This allows for flexing and contouring to reduce turbulence in the port.

 The Binding Post are first class. You have the option to bi-wire or not. If you don't bi-wire, you do not need to go looking for wire jumpers. Just simply twist the middle knobs for single connection.

I currently have The Reference 3 in a 5.1 Set up with a ONKYO TXNR1010. One of Onkyo Surround Receivers with the Music person in mind. It has a direct mode and hefty analog connections for CD and Phono. I find the power on this receiver to be a good match for the KEF.

I have tried The Reference 3 with other 2 Channel amp and of course there are slight sounds differences but the overall sound signature of  The Reference is there. I feel these speakers are quite flexible with amplification as long as it is decent and has enough current to drive them.

The source I mainly used was a Marantz UD7007 and Digital files from a NAS Drive.

To sum things up.
There is a reason why these are called THE REFERENCE and that is because it a speaker that others will have to measure up to.

Go have a listen and be ready to purchase a set.  At $13,000 a pair for The Reference 3, it's a bargain.

Audioquest Nighthawk Review

Audioquest Nighthawk Headphone

The much anticipated Audioquest Nighthawk headphone. AQ first entry into the highly competitive fullrange audiophile headphone market. 

Does it live up to the hype?

First off, the packaging. VERY GOOD. High class packaging. Padded case and plenty of room inside for ease of storing.

 The Construction of the headphone is well made. Nothing flimsy. The ear pads are plush and the headband is nicely padded with leather or leatherette material on top. Very comfortable and doesn't feel heavy or straining on your head.

The Brown color "Liquid Wood" in my opinion looks ok. Maybe a little  too natural looking for me. Definitely not a fashion piece but don't think AQ was going for that.

The Earphone is actually suspended by the headband. Very smart idea. Thumbs up to AQ.

The rear has 3D printed opening. This is what AQ calls semi open back. Looks very cool up close and great use of modern tech. Being semi-open back, these headphones do not isolate as well as other headphones such as closed back ones. Better make sure your room is quiet as well.

 The headphone has two 2.5mm Mono Plugs. One L and one R. Detachable cable is great for untangling. 
I'm sure AQ will be making future cables for the Nighthawk.

There are two cables supplied along with a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adapter. 

The thicker cable is clearly the one meant to be used

The other is a generic cable and of course you can do a comparison and see why cables matter.

So how do these sound?

Wide sound stage is the first thing I noticed. Warmish sound signature and easy non-fatiguing mids and highs. Bass is deep and smooth but didn't find them as tight as I'd like. Instruments sounded clear and you can tell distortion is very low. 

Sometimes I feel like the Nighthawk lacks subtle details due to the emphasis on the lower mids and bass.

Listening to The Beat Goes On by Patricia Barber, the background instruments feel a tad lacking.

Overall, I wouldn't call these Reference headphones but they are very enjoyable to listen to. For those who like a warmish tone and just want to get lost in the music for hours, then the Nighthawk is that kind of headphone. Load up the playlist and a glass of wine with the Nighthawk and enjoy.

It's a headphone with it's own character. I think it will appeal to the audiophile crowd but it's definitely not for everyone.

I mainly listen to these on my PC with the Audioquest Dragonfly which I like very much.