KHT3005 vs KHT5005 vs B&W MT-20

[McPop72]

Finally narrowed down my choice of new home cinema surround package to one of the above, the best prices I have found being:

KHT3005 £999
KHT5005 £849
B&W MT-20 £900

I would be grateful if anyone has any opinions on the merits of the respective systems before my Visa takes a hammering. I like all of them but the 3005 is definitely the pricier option after buying all the accessories. Very impressed by the quality of the B&W, love the slimness of the speakers in the 5005 and I'm told I simply must go for the 3005!

By all accounts the 3005 blows the other two out of the water - can anyone lend support to this? Slightly mysterious that the 5005 doesn't feature in the What Hi-Fi buyers guide. I'm also wondering how long we have to wait for official reviews of the 3005 system?

[Paul.B2]

Can i ask where you've seen the MT-20 package at £900 please?

[McPop72]

Hi there, I had to go into Technosound in Milton Keynes to negotiate that price and that's providing I buy within the week

To be honest with you, I'm erring towards the KEF 3005 as everyone is saying that it's better than the B&W package with the ASW2

I will be going to listen to both tomorrow as I don't want to make a costly mistake given the money involved!

[Paul.B2]

Nice one. Be sure to post your findings from the demo on here. I for one will be interested to read your thoughts on the 2 packages as i'm erring towards the B&Ws, but not 100% sure.

[McPop72]

Ok, just had a demo of the above systems:

I listened to the KEF system first and was very impressed. The bass sounded thunderous on the opening sequence of the flim I watched and that was just the MGM opener with the lion! The first thing that sprung to mind was the missus would be asking me to turn it down! I thought the bass appeared well integrated into the overall sound field and you couldn't tell where the subwoofer was in the room. As for the centre and satellites I noticed that everything was crisp and sharp

We then switched to the MT-20 with ASW2. Not a massive difference in all honesty but I thought the Kef was crisper and the bass more prominent. You could say that the sound from the B&W satellites is more composed/restrained and I wouldn't disagree with this. Nothing wrong with that, just a question of personal taste

What's good to see is that the stands which come with the Kef system are much improved - a much more solid piece of kit and the speaker sits more snugly at the top the stand as opposed to wobbling about on the 2005 version. I also like the centre speaker - it looks like some thought has gone into improving the quality of this and rightly so given so much dialogue goes through it. The sub is a stylish piece of kit and looks very easy to set up for a novice like myself. I would also want to have it out rather than hidden behind the couch which would be the case with the ASW2

I was erring towards the B&W MT-20 at the beginning of the week having not seen the Kef in the flesh but for the extra £50-75 I have been quoted I think it's going to be the Kef now, the only difficult choice being black or silver. Silver is more suitable for my set-up at this moment in time but the black looks great

One last thing worth mentioning is that two local dealers have said that expensive cable (QED Silver Anniversay XT) is overkill on satellite systems like these, something like Qudos or Vivanco around £2.5/3m will do the job admirably. The kit I listened to was all plugged in with Qudos cable. This saves me a whole load of dosh

I'm no hi-fi buff by any means but I hope this helps

[Paul.B2]

Thanks for that. Out of interest, what amp are you going to be using, and what amp was used in the demo? Denons seem very popular on here, but i'm hoping that my Sony STRDB1070 will be good with either of these systems.

[McPop72]

No worries, I just bought a Sony STR895 AV Receiver with DAB Tuner from Empire for £239 which I consider a steal. Would have bought a Denon for around £300 but considered the Sony to be a bargain

The Amp used in the demo was a high-end Yamaha job, a big mother and probably the £1000 version

I read somewhere that the Kef can sync up with whatever amp you have very easily

Let me know what you end up doing

[The Gooner]

You could consider a diff sub.

I bought the B&W M1s as a 5 speaker package without sub as I didnt like the 20 and couldnt afford a PV1. Settled on a rel quak for now.

[howardmg]

As posted on a similar thread...

I compared the MT20s / AS2 with the KEF 3005 and KEF 2005 at Unilet New Malden last weekend. Had intended to spend only £500 or so on KEF 2005 but after comparing all 3 the choice was easy - the KEF 3005. Much more impressive than 2005 and to my ears at least a step above the MT20s. Shame in a way as I preferred the look of the B&W.

3005s were £850 and think MT20 package was the same.

[McPop72]

Exactly my thoughts, the two things holding up my decision were this and the fact that B&W supply a 5 year guarantee that covers everything

I preferred the look of the B&W but know it would be plain daft to sacrifice the superior sound quality of the Kef. If I bought the B&W I'd always be thinking of what I could have had sound wise

I'm just about to pull the trigger on the 3005, the only decision being black or silver - any thoughts?

[sunsetoneday]

Black

S.

[howardmg]

Black or silver? I'm trying to decide...picking up tomorrow morning

Only thing is black looks very very shiny on the website

[diggler46]

daft question but do you still need an amp with the kef 3005?

Im more drawn to the and b and w's still rthough....

[McPop72]

No worries, you still need to buy an av amp whichever you go for. I recommend you listen to the two side by side before parting with your dosh

I think silver is less conspicuous than black and more likely to blend in to the surroundings. To be honest, unless you've got the sub out on display, the only things you will be looking at face-on which is either colour are the speaker stands. The front of the speakers and grilles are black in any case

I'm edging towards silver - less prone to finger prints showing and the stands won't look like band equipment. Will probably make up my mind whilst in the shop tomorrow

[diggler46]

I'd be fixing mine to the wall...I like the 3 in a row look under the plasma.......trouble is that if plasma is at eye level, speakers are well below.....