Opinions on KEF EGGS please

azzo

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Still undecided on what speaker package to go for.
Shortlist is KEF EGGS and Ruark Vita 50
Can somebody give their opinion on what they sound like
at LOW volume as this is what I will be listening to. (Not by choice obviously)
A bit worried about the sub on the eggs not coping well at
low volumes.

Thanx Azzo
 
PS Also on my shortlist could be 5 B&W 600 S3 sats (All wall mounted) and one of the B&W active subs?

Anu comments would be greatly appreciated as decisions are
difficult.
Azzo.
 
Seeing that you are considering the Kef Egg's I think you should demo the JM Labs Sib & Cub package, as you can get them for a similar sort of price.

When I was looking for a speaker package I demoed both the Kef Eggs and the JM LABS package, and the JM Labs IMHO seemed to have the edge. The Sub with the JM Labs package is a lot better than that with the Kef Eggs.

Although I ultimately went for the Gallo 5.1 set-up, I would have chosen the JM Labs over the Kef's.
 
Also consider the Energy Take 5.2 package. I demo'd the eggs and if big effects are your thing then they're just fine, but I found that they went to pieces for music and I wasn't overly impressed at low volumes either. Maydepend on the amp its paired with - I used a Marantz SR5300.

I'm very pleased with the Energy speakers so far - a much warmer sound imo. Similar prices too,
 
had my 6 eggs for the last year and im very pleased with them.
I power mine with a Denon 3802.

I was a bit disapointed with the kef Sub though so sold it at cost :) and replaced it with a REL Strata III which is MUCH better.
 
OK, a bit more about my set up,
Will be using a SONY STRDB-840 amp, which I am happy with.
I will be using for home cinema only and my room is
8ft wide, 13ft deep, the screen will be across the 8ft wide bit.
Smaller speaker will naturally suit this room and again, will
be listening at LOW volumes only.
Now I can get the eggs for 625,
I will check out the JMLabs and the Take 5.2, they now come
in a nice wooded finish. In you opinions are these £200-300 better
than the eggs, or just marginally?
The gallos are just too expensive.
Thanx.
Azzo
 
Just seen a piccy of the JM LAbs and they look kinda cool.
Also, am I confusing the Take 5.2 with something else.
I'm sure they were available in a silver/wood finish too.
Azzo
 
Photo's do not really do the justice, you have to see them in the flesh, they are easily as big as the Kef Eggs. And the build quality is first class.

I have just seen them for £799.99 on www.hifibitz.co.uk but you may be able to get them cheaper.
 
For home cinema, the eggs would probably be fine (I need to use about 50% movies 50% music as I'm not fortunate enough to have a dedicated room). The Take 5.2 does now come in Maple/Silver - this is what I just bought.

I do suspect though that the eggs need to be driven hard - not something you could do at low volume. That said though, the comment above about the sub may counter the issues I had with the kefs.
 
I would also consider the Elac Cinema 3 system which got good reviews when priced at £1200 but can now be purchased for aroound £900. I demoed these against the eggs and they were far better especially fo music.
 
Eggs always sound flat and lifeless to me. Perrdl where did you get a demo of the Sib and Cub set-up? I'm still interested in hearing these.
 
I demoed the Sib & Cub in Worcester where I live. Can't remember the name of the shop......I think its just "Worcester Hi-Fi".

I was impressed, They do make the eggs sound a little lifeless as you say, but that could be because I have only heard the eggs with the supplied sub. I'm sure that they would sound a lot better with another sub.

Neither of them are up to the standard of the Gallo's though!!!

I'm sure that you agree with that!!!
 
So, the if the eggs need to be driven hard to sound good. (And I have only heard them driven hard, and they do sound good.)
then what about the Take5.2 and JMlabs Sib+Cub, which
are now both contenders, Do they need to be driven hard
or are the lively at low volumes. Also how well are these things
made, you know cabinet finish, terminals, grills etc. 800 is my absoulte limit so the elacs are out of the running.

Thanx
Azzo
 
I think the JM Labs have really good build quality

There are loads of pictures on here, to give you a better idea.

http://www.focal.tm.fr/gb/home/sib-cub/index.htm

As for sound quality I can't really give an accurate comparison at low volumes, because I tested them at a similar levels, which was quite loud. Sorry.

I think you would be wise to demo them before you make a purchase though.
 
Originally posted by perrdl
Neither of them are up to the standard of the Gallo's though!!!

I'm sure that you agree with that!!!

I'm listening without the sub at the mo (only a month or so to go... think I'll order a thick granite disc for it to sit on this week) but the sound is still incredible. I've watched bits of We Were Soldiers R3 DTS on them over the last couple of nights and they have left me smiling from ear to ear. The performance of the MPS-150 sub is simply stunning tho and I can't wait to own it.

It does sound as tho the JMLabs are a good bet tho for azzo as I haven't heard a negative report yet (granted only a couple of people here seem to have heard them). azzo remember the Gallos can be bought in sections... I'm only running three up front at the mo as I certainly couldn't afford to buy a £1,300 5.1 speaker package in one go. I haven't regretted my decision for a second.
 
I agree with you James, the Gallo Sub is amazing, far better than I expected. It was a hard decision to part with so much money, but I don't regret it at all.

Where are you going to get the granite disc from, and how much is it going to be, as I am very interested in getting one for myself.

As you say Azzo won't go far wrong with the JM Labs package, but I am sure he will wonder, after a while, if he should have waited another couple of months and gone for the Gallo's.
 
I guess it all comes down to cost and priorities.
The gallos are twice as much as the KEFs (for example)
Do they really sound that much better?
I mean you could by some serious equipment with the
change left over.
Azzo
 
Yes it is all down to priorities but I`am sure you can get better then the eggs wiyhout spending to much money. I was very disappointed in the Kefs when i demoed them and would imagine that the JM labs would be better. I have never heard the Gallo system so can not comment on them.
 
Azzo,

You really need to demo the Gallo's and the JM Labs package, and considering where you live it should not prove to hard. This is the only way that you are going to be able to decide whether or not the extra cash is worth it.

I personally think it is, but others would no doubt dispute this.
 
The one thing I have noticed (and this before the speakers are even run in) is that the Take5.2's sound excellent at low volume - low enough to have my 6 week old baby sleeping in the room I was playing it in!.

At the end of the day, all you can do is demo a few things and decide what sounds best to you. I really wanted to get the eggs and was very disappointed when I demo'd them. I'd not even heard of Energy before the guy in the shop recommended them.

As for build quality, they feel pretty solid to me but I'm not sure how you measure these things.
 
xio, now we are talking, they sound good with a baby in the
room. Thats what I am after.I guess you can measure build quality by how solid they feel and whether you expect them to
look and feel as good in 5 years time.
Azzo.
 
this whole low level thing is a little confusing, surely you'd be better off with a decent pair of headphones (that's what I use when I can't listen at decent levels)... after all home cinema is supposed to be listened to at a reasonable level!:devil: How many quiet explosions and gun fights have you heard!?
 
What you are failing to understand is that some of us have neighbours. How can you enjoy 5.1 sound with headphones?Please don't answer that one. The problem is that I already have
large floor standers in a small room. These speakers need to be driven hard to sound good. In fact a lot of speakers do. Thats why I am after a sub-sat package. So I can play them gently and still get high quality sound with good channel seperation. A lot of people evaluate speakers on how good they sound at high volumes. A lot of good speakers sound great at high volumes, but just don't deliver at low. Thats why i am asking the question.
Azzo.
 
I have the Kef eggs/sub and regularly listen at low volumes.( only to TV though with DPLII from my denon 3802)

The eggs sound fine. As I am lazy I leave the sub on auto power on/off. The sub gets confused at low volumes and keeps switching itself on/off.

I would guess if you set it to manual it would be fine.

The sub does still add something even at low levels.

HTH
 

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