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KEF 55S
KEF 55S
MSRP: $ 200.00

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Rating
Reviewed by:
poochanga
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
February 20, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

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Review 1 of 5

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Hyperfi - I thorough

Summary:
Having auditioned the Kef 60s with the Model 80C centre I had decided that this would be the ideal home Cinema set-up for me to complement my Kef Concerto 1 fronts. However, when I phoned to purchase the equipment fate had dealt me a great hand! I was advised to try the 55s as the 60s were out of stock. I was quite sure they would not match up, as the 60s had been accoustically matched to the 80C by the Kef manufacturers. Boy was I wrong!!! These little gems blew me away as I stood stunned in my hi-fi heaven! The sheer power and vocal clarity produced by the 55s defies science. These tiny speakers are living proof that "beautiful things really do come in small packages".


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Rating
Reviewed by:
Peter Torkelson
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
December 22, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

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Review 2 of 5

Price Paid:  $130.00 from On-line Auction

Summary:
Outstanding sound quality for the money! The wife wanted a small unobtrusive speaker that wouldn't break the interior decor, but I wanted first class music reproduction, especially acoustic guitar. I feared there was no common ground. Not so!

I stumbled onto these KEF's and am never looking back. Wow! Latin guitar explodes with vibrance and realism. I am hearing flaws in my cds that I never heard before. I can hear people breathing.

How about vocals? Tracy Chapman sounds like she is standing in my living room. The clarity and accuracy (realism) is incredible.

I listened to more expensive offerings from B & W, Boston Acoustic, Definitive and others. Some were too bright, others were dark, some where patently pathetic. Not the KEF's. They are ideally balanced with crisp, but not painful highs, and warm, but not dull midtones.

The KEF's have a sweet spot, but is is broad, deep and not sharply edged (you can sit 5 feet off center or 10 feet back and not feel cheated.)

*I added a KLH sub from Costco for $100, tweaked the crossover to more closely meet the bottom end of the KEF's response range and shazam! an impressive sound field emerged.

If you want $1000 sound, spend the money. If you want strong low midrange without a sub, buy a significantly larger speaker. Otherwise these will keep you smiling... all the way to the bank.

Strengths:
Very precise imaging. A small surround speaker that can actually play music without falling flat. Not too bright, not too dark -- perfect

Weaknesses:
Needs subwoofer support* But what do you expect from such a small box. Goes a little shallow when the volume is low (like for background music).

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha, Bose


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Rating
Reviewed by:
Justin
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
November 15, 1999

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

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Review 3 of 5

Summary:
A great little speaker with 105db sensitivity. Currently I am using these for the surround channels of my home theater setup and they are much better than the advents I had previously. Look for them online and you should be able to get an unbelievable price.


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Rating
Reviewed by:
Jason L
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
October 14, 1999

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

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Review 4 of 5

Summary:
I too got my KEF's at an online action.. I expirimented by replacing my Bose Acoustimass cubes with the KEF's just to see what it would sound like, and guess what? The KEF's have taken a permanent residence. They are leaps, bounds and miles better than the Bose cubes! And not much bigger, so they still fit on my little speaker shelves without a problem..


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Rating
Reviewed by:
Ken Matthews
( an Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
October 4, 1999

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

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Review 5 of 5

Summary:
I picked up four of these little guys cheap on an online auction. I have been impressed with their perfomance. I use 2 for rears and 2 for my center channel in my humble HT setup.


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