Stereophile KEF LS60 Blade KLH5

Click pics to enlarge.

Two 60th Anniversaries
Letter from Shenzhen (22-12): My Revamped System and a Fantastical Comparison with KEF LS60 Wireless
Narrow Front Baffles and Side-Firing Woofers

Editor: This article is an odd one. It first celebrates the 60th Anniversary of 2 august audio institutions, and then launch into something that is basically a lengthy commentary on the KEF LS60, which I have yet to hear. And then a portrait of my current revamped main system, the loudspeaker of which bears a semblance to the KEF (hence a fantastical comparison). The sections are well marked out, so skip as you want.

Stereophile 60th Anniversary

Congratulations to Stereophile! I hope it lives on healthily and happily. This Tribute (and Remembrance) by ex-Editor John Atkinson is notable for certain reasons. As JA always does, he honors the greatest audio mind of them all, the astonishingly principled J Gordon Holt, who started the whole thing. No pretense, no bull shit, no oversized ego (hint: HP) and, unlike many writers today, who can wax pages of lyrics when a few paragraphs would do (likes of JV of TAS, whose patrician tones are well-nigh intolerable; RH can be full of hyperbole's too, but he’s at least a technocrat; and JVS, but he compensates a little with his gentleness and sweetness, but, hey, spare us your family bliss OK?).

This article also mentions some of the past era's magazines. They bring back memories. I had subscribed to some of these in the 70's and perhaps early 80's, and can attest that they were not that informative (Julian Hirsch and the likes). I cannot remember why I didn't subscribe to the Stereophile (or early TAS for that matter, not the mediocrity now), perhaps out of ignorance or because of the higher costs. I wish I had!

It’s interesting that over the years many writers have gone back and forth between Stereophile and TAS (not that there is much choice out there). Michael Fremer has just switched to TAS (again; he was there before), whereas quite a bit earlier Julie Mullins had gone the other way. For MF, I don’t care where he’s at. I don’t mind him, but I have no interest in oversized, overweight, overdamped and overpraised turntables (and tonearms) that he specializes in (give me a vintage idler wheel or direct drive anytime). As for JM, it’s gratifying to see how she has blossomed with her industrial reports and show coverage for Stereophile - no longer a puppet of JV.

After JA, I think Jim Austin, technically solid (and even more all rounded in outlook), is doing a solid job as Editor. I look forward to many years to come. Post AD, but with writers like HR and KM and others on board, I am optimistic.

KEF 60th Anniversary

This happened just short of a year ago. KEF had always been important, especially in its early days, as supplier of drivers. I have never been a fan of KEF’s own iconic speakers but, as fan of vintage UK and BBC loudspeakers I recognize their importance. I’m not a fan of the hard to drive Reference 105 series but it likely had left its footprint on the equally iconic B and W Matrix Series (I regard the M801 as one of the best ever; and for lesser space, perhaps the 804 and 805). Then, its T27 Tweeter and B110 woofer, used in the legendary BBC LS3/5A, and ubiquitous elsewhere (including larger variants, as in KEF’s own 104AB, with its equally iconic passive radiators, later to be deftly and famously employed by Swiss Ensemble Reference and that Italian master, Franco Serblin). I personally think KEF deliberately killed the B110, as its success and demand stood in the way of company development (does not make enough money). History aside, back to present times. For the past decade and more, KEF had concentrated on their Coaxial (Uni) drivers, interestingly preferentially used in their upper echelon products. As a fan of coaxials (Tannoy of course; but also vinatge Altec, Jensen etc) I paid attention. I even once owned the LS50 and wrote about it, and even have written a brief KEF Overview (here).

LS60 Wireless

In conjunction with their 60th Anniversary Celebration KEF rolled out their 6000 ($/GBP/Euro) loudspeaker that attempts to be all things. It received general critical acclaim (and an EISA award, which is of no great meaning to serious audiophiles). I read about it, and what immediately struck me was how uncannily the LS60 (photos at the bottom) resemble my current reference, the humble Sansui F55 (detailed here).

• Narrow Baffle and Slim Profile Without the Base Plinth, the KEF is 13x32x104cm; Sansui is 14x39x116. This sort of narrow baffle design has its practitioners, as it is appealing for those who want their audio (including AV) to disappear (higher WAF). German Audio Physic (not bad) is a good example. Proac is another example - their iconic Tablette and its derivatives (including Minitowers) were very popular in the space-challenged households of Hong Kong. This kind of design always generates holographic images but is less fleshy, and bass tends to be quite shy in at least the smaller models. Personally, I prefer the fleshier sound of a wide baffle, examples of which are, size for size, BBC LS designs and their offsprings (primarily UK). But I am making do with my Sansui here.

• Coaxial, Tweeter and Midrange Being a Tannoy fan, I am a follower of Coaxials, and had once owned the LS50 (and heard some of their R series), but, good as it is, it never captured my heart. I’d rather have the LS3/5A than the LS50. But KEF’s Coaxial Drivers are not to be scoffed at, as I had heard them (here) perform well in the much higher-end Blade (second-in-line, but more in-line with KEF than the top Muon). While my Sansui emphatically does not sport a coaxial, it does use the next closest configuration, my favorite D’Appolitto Array (also favored by numerous designers, as in Proac, Alon etc), although in the case of Sansui it’s a pseudo- iteration (one more midrange added, not an uncommon design). In terms of total radiating surface, particularly the midrange, the Sansui is multiples of the KEF. The KEF’s coaxially mounted tweeter is a 1.9 cm aluminum dome, whereas the Sansui is a 3 cm fabric. The KEF midrange is 10 cm aluminum, whereas the Sansui is 3x8 cm, which is about twice the surface area of the KEF.

• Side Firing Woofers Of course, with a narrow front baffle, one way to increase bass output is to mount the woofer(s) sideways. Audio Physic had used that in several of their models. Usually woofer(s) are mounted only on one side, as in the case of my Sansui. But the KEF is unusual in that they have (small) woofers on both sides. My experience, as in the case of my Sansui, woofers firing towards the sidewalls is better than firing inwards, for clarity and agility (The KEF has DSP though). In terms of surface area, KEF’s 4x 13.5cm is close to the Sansui’s 2x 20cm. It’s also interesting to me that the KEF woofers are placed very high. I’d venture otherwise the midrange would lack power.

• Placement and DSP It’s funny that even the reviewers don’t comment much, if at all, on this VERY important aspect. Even with DSP available, shouldn’t one just try to place the loudspeakers with traditional skills first and then try DSP? No. Not any of the reviewers. So much for professionalism.

• Amplification The KEF basically uses electronic crossover and separate amps that are built in (Class D). In my case, the closest comparison is the Aiyima T9, being a Digital Amp. Much less power, but then my Sansui is vastly more efficient.

• Wireless and Digital Ability Basically, the LS60 houses a full-featured Streamer with full connectivity (only display is on the App). It’s telling that the Wireless platform does not support the highest resolution (384). It begs the question, even if it does, would you rather use Ethernet for the best result, lest you be left with nagging doubts? Mind you, I am not at all a high-res file owner or Streamer and don’t in general think much of upsampled material. For people like me, my Aiyima does just as much useful things. Having a Feature is not at all equivalent to the likelihood of using it, especially in this case.

• What about Analog Input? There’s a pair of RCA Input. Just like my Aiyima, this would go through digitization. Want to put a turntable on the floor and connect it with a phonoamp and RCA cables? That’ll ruin the looks!

• Cordless? The whole Raison D’Etre of such a loudspeaker is to give the appearance of no cords. But is it possible? Each LS60 needs one power cord. Should it be placed close to front wall, the power cord may not be intrusive. BUT, if you, like me, like to have the loudspeakers in room, then the power cords are almost just as conspicuous as loudspeaker cables. And this is not to mention that sometimes you want to try using the other inputs (say, your nice red book CDP via its coaxial output) and that’s even more awkward situation (maybe put the CDP on a stool and connect it with a cable?).

• Who Is It For? Ultimately, that is the question. It is NOT for a dedicated audiophile’s main system. BUT, perhaps for his second system. It’s likely too expensive for an entry level audiophile to move up to from, say, Audioengine or Schiit. I’d wager KEF would make a more humbly priced version for more people.

This is not at all an article to lambast the LS60. Rather, the opposite, it intrigues me a little even if I’d not use it. Most of all, its physical profile reminds me of my Sansui. But there’s no escape that you get a lot of stuff that you will NOT use. As I don't use Streaming platforms, I'd like to bring my own device and stream over Bluetooth to hear how it sounds. The LS60 is available in Shenzhen, so I can do it, but I'm not at all in a hurry.

My Revamped System in the Study

If you compare to the old setup, things were not moved that much, but it is nothing short of a major move. BTW, I did it not because of sonic reasons, but because I wanted to change the orientation of my desk 180 degrees to avoid lights shining into my eyes (sun in the morning and reflection from buildings in the afternoon). Now the speakers are In-Room rather than flanking the large IKEA shelf. And I am sitting at the desk facing my loudspeakers, rather than between the loudspeakers as before). The source (usually my Meridian Explorer USB DAC) and Control Electronics (my Revox A720) are at my fingertips.

Most of the time, I use the Revox Combo (with the A722 Amp) and the sound is superb. The musical delivery has not really changed from before, but now I have very good imaging and pretty good soundstage. Although the latter audiophile values are substantial bonbons, they do not at all alter my basic perception of the value of the system.

BTW, since I have everything (sources and controls) around me. The only extraneous things I see (not even when the lights are dim) when I look at the loudspeakers are the speaker cables. For me, they are as “wireless” as the KEF. I have always advocated having everything at one’s fingertips (not just via an app) but that of course necessitates long speaker cables (mine are around 15 ft/5m).

Praise to the Revox A720 Preamp, it has so many features that are useful. It has 2 Switchable Outputs. I use one of them for the Revox amp. The other I attach to a long cable (the excellent crazy cheap Canare 2T2A, report to come) to connect to my APPLause 300B amp I placed between the loudspeakers. Late night, I allow myself a little bit of tube bliss, and it is wonderful (the efficiency of my Sansui allows this). The A720 also has Earphone Outputs (2) that are very decent (just switch off the outputs). I only have my Grado SR80e here so I cannot speak of higher impedance cans, but the result is to my ears better than lesser earphone amps (like the Schiit Vali and Magni that I have). More on these in future articles likely.

All in all, I’m very happy with my system now, but of course I yearn for more things, for no good reason. We’ll see.

More on the Blade (and KLH5) Incidentally, Stereophile just published a report of the recent Blade 2 (here). Also, a few months ago I was keen on the recently revived KLH5 (now, that’s the kind of old-fashioned wide baffle that I like). As usual, the Distributor in HK handles China too. So I contacted Nanpeng-Tech by email and got a prompt reply from Mr Joes Tsoi (first name is not a typo). I was really impressed that he was extremely helpful and subsequently communicated with him via WeChat. From the pictures in his wechat I am sure he’s a very busy man! Now, this company uses Blade in its main AV room. Although the company specializes in AV Installations, from our conversation I can tell he’s a serious and experienced audiophile. Both KEF Blade and KLH cannot be very popular in HK (for their bulk) and so I admire him for promoting these products. I look forward to meeting him someday (perhaps even in China!) HK readers should seriously consider auditioning the KLH5 (I wish I can) and also catch the KEF LS60 there. Below are some pics showing their main AV room and presence at the recent HK AV Show. Solid Folks, Good People.

Nanpeng Showroom. Outermost KEF Blade I, then KLH5, then KLH3 

At the recent HK AV Show. You can catch the KEF LS60 in the innermost position. Everyone wears masks