What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
13 AUG 2007
KEF KHT3005SE
Superlative performance, living-room-friendly looks and decent value for money – we rather like it
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Some things get better with time: malt whisky, for instance, or Blonde on Blonde. But in the ever-changing world of consumer electronics, the reverse is often true: in most cases, last year’s must-buy swiftly turns into this year’s has-been.
Loudspeakers, though, are the exception. A properly designed speaker can be competitive for years, and if the basics are right in the first place, a few development tweaks can often be enough to make a good product great.
So it proves here. When we tested KEF’s KHT3005 surround speaker package in September 2006, we were very impressed.
The system was intrinsically ‘right’ in many ways: from its beautifully finished cabinets to the maturity and composure of its sound, it was one of the most desirable 5.1 packages in its class. However, we felt it had one Achilles’ heel: it wasn’t quite thrilling enough – almost as if the trade-off for that mature, refined presentation was a shade too much sonic reticence.
Revised and revitalised
Hence this package, the revised and revitalised KHT3005SE. As you’d expect, it retains many elements of the outgoing ’3005. Each speaker cabinet is precisely the same size, finished in exactly the same high gloss black or silver, and available with the same optional floor stands (£125 per pair).
In fact, at first glance, you’d be hard-pushed to tell any differences between the old and new systems. Since many of the revisions to the new set-up are internal that’s no surprise, but look closer, and you’ll spot the ’3005SE sports a ‘crown-horn’ optimiser over its tweeters, which helps smooth response and deliver greater sensitivity at very high frequencies.
Best make sure you get the grilles off and have a good look before you buy, eh.
A 3005 with attitude
And should you buy? Hell yes. Summing up the KHT3005SE is easy: it’s everything the older 3005 package was – cohesive, balanced, refined at high volumes and blessed with a broad, richly detailed soundfield – but now, it’s also got all the attitude you’ll ever need.
Action movies gain an adrenaline-charged, nitrous-fuelled edge: gunfire sounds more real, explosions more visceral, and the pulsing rock soundtracks so beloved of most Hollywood directors gain just the right amount of in-yer-face excitement. The same goes for music listening: for a system of its type, the KEF package is impressively agile and articulate, with notably improved timing and rhythmic ability.
So – in case we haven’t been transparent or emphatic enough in our praise – let’s sum things up. The old KHT3005 was very good. The new KHT3005SE is sensational. So, that’s Lagavulin, Dylan and KEF, then…
Click here to watch our video review of the KEF KHT3005SE.