Help, i'm really struggling, currently i've got some old KEF Q30 that I would like to update, but modern KEFs give me a headache, what has happened to them? I heard also the latest Monitor Audio and I found myself tiring of them really quiet quickly. Q acoustic did nothing for me and Dynaudio was just boomy with bass all over the place, not nice. Si here i am, a bit lost, modern speakers seem to be voiced for home cinema with a lot of boom and tizz, where i'm really after something that i just can unwind to that has a more old fashioned sound, what's out there.

Musically I like acoustic music, some jazz, some blues.

Hi Fox,

Welcome to the forum,

I also find alot of modern speakers voiced a little forward & quite a tiring listen!

A few more details would help though, what other kit are you going to use the speakers with? What size is your room? What sort of budget are you thinking of? New or 2nd hand? Floorstanders or standmounts? with this info I'm sure you'll get some suggestions.

They were really nice the Q30 I really liked the sound they made, I heard them many moons ago with an arcam alpha 1 CD player and a Cyrus III, a lovely big sound, and I agree about modern day kef, to be more precise the iQ range are they called, they sound so wrong, looked nice enough though. I actually heard some of the very old reference range from the 90s era as well and they sounded pretty good too.

I dont know what the Kef Q30's sound like, but I have heard Kef's Reference 207/2 and the Blade concept speaker and really liked them. To my ears they sounded very natural and easy listening. Prehaps their lesser speakers dont have the same voicing.

My first Hifi system from the Bootsale had a pair of Kef Coda 3's, so I guess I've grown up on the Kef sound.

You might want to try Spendor speakers, or Harbeth (although I have never heard their speakers myself)

I've only ever listened to B&W 805'S and found them too laid back for my taste. If that is the B&W sound then you might like them.

I was/am very impressed with the small Harbeth P3ESR standmounds ... I would not call them laidback though!... would love to get a pair, but a bit pricey and funds don't allow me to get them (yet)

and on the other side of the spectrum, If you are after older sounding speakers that are fairly cheap, the old B&W DM2 (1st version) are OK, and can be bought cheaply on ebay (paid £50 for mine) ... these have the same tweeters/supertweeters as the old Spendor BC1, but have much better bass as they are transmission design .... connect a decent amp with 100watts+@8 ohms, and you may be pleasantly surprised

yeah Harbeth are really nice, I don't know that model but I heard some big Harbeth with some LFD amp and it sounded sweet indeed.

I've had some Sonus Faber in the past, Just some concertinos and they are really nice speakers for small room, build is top draw and they excell with vocal, acoustic styles of music and simple arrangements, I think they'd be a treat with Copland amps, audio analogue, and unison research as you've already listed, I'm sure that would sound a lovely combination.

The Spendor SP1/2 were a lovely little speaker, much better than the S6 range, but I've heard the latest incarnations from Spendor are meant to sound really good by all accounts.



The A5, looks nice.

the current spens, anf the models they replaced are smooth, rather than laid back, but, sorry, I meant BUT, you must listen to them with the amps you are thinking of. The A5, and S5e need some serious grunt behind them, and the bigger brothers need a amp with good damping to keep a grip on the Bass end. They can, when well partnered have a seriously magical sound on vocal and accoustic music.

Is the old head honcho at Audiolab who did the original Audiolab amps still the designer or working at Spendor?