KEF KHT3005 (black)
Manufacturer: KEF Audio Ltd. Part number: KHT-3005B
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theater performance.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
KEF KHT3005 (black) price range: $1,499.00 - $1,749.95
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: David Carnoy
- Reviewed on: 06/06/2006
The good: The KEF KHT-3005 is one compact, beautifully designed speaker package with solid aluminum satellites that feature unique driver technology to produce incredible clarity. Meanwhile, the equally astounding dual 10-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer delivers ultradeep bass.
The bad: Finicky setup required to produce best sound.
The bottom line: KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theater performance.
User reviews
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This is the best small speaker system I have heard.
by colwoods on August 23, 2006
Pros: Even my wife thinks that it sounds and looks good - and that is really saying something.
Cons: None - except that the brochures/manual are a bit 'ordinary'. I have read that the speaker terminal connections are a bit difficult but I didn't have a problem with them at all.
Summary: I purchased the KHT3005 system (black) early July 2006 and although very good from the start, improved even more after run-in. I only have them hooked up to a budget ...
Summary: I purchased the KHT3005 system (black) early July 2006 and although very good from the start, improved even more after run-in. I only have them hooked up to a budget priced receiver (Panasonic SA-XR25) but the sound is very impressive - mainly used for watching movies and music dvds such as The Eagles and Bee Gees - but they also sound much better than my previous systems with music/cds. I have had quite a few small speaker systems over the years (have to stay with small speakers due to wife factor), the previous being some JBL sats coupled with a Rel Quake. I thought they were pretty good, but none are in the same league as the new Kef eggs. The impact of the new (enlarged) Kef 3001 centre speaker leaves all previous ones way behind. All of the 'eggs' are very clear and detailed and I am now hearing mid range tones with music dvds and cds that I have not heard before.
The big surprise packet, however, is the Kef HTB2 3000 series sub. Due to my wife's total dislike of the look of subwoofers in the lounge room, in recent years the sub has been hidden/placed in the front corner of the room behind a lounge chair (don't laugh). I have tried a number of subs including Rel Quake, JBL, Dali. I have read that you can put a sub anywhere in a room because the bass/sound in non-directional. Not correct for me. 90% of the time in the past I could tell the bass was coming from the front corner of the room (which annoyed the hell out of me). The new Kef sub is unbelievable. You cannot see it and anyone who walks into the room doesn't know it exists because it's behind the front corner lounge chair, but the bass is terrific and sounds as though it is coming out of the centre and front speakers. I have not experienced a sub before that blends so well with the speakers. It is also the tightest sub I have had yet, and really comes to the fore with music. I have it facing diagonally out of the corner (behind the lounge chair which is also placed diagonally). Bass boost on the sub is set to '0' and Phase is set to '180'. Bass cut-off filter on the receiver is set to 100Hz. The Kef sub doesn't 'rattle' the room like some larger ones I have had in the past but it is easily the best sounding and best performing sub I have had.
In summary, as you can tell, I am delighted with the new Kef 3005 system, so much so that I went to print with this 'user opinion', this being the first user opinion I have ever done and submitted.Updated
Some months ago I upgraded my amp/receiver to the Panasonic SA-XR700 and after playing around with the various amp settings during that period I changed the speaker size for Center, Front and Surround from 'Small' to 'Large' (everyone knows that if you have small speakers such as the KEF eggs you normally set the speaker size in the amp to Small and that is how I had them set from when I purchased them). However, I can tell you that the result by setting all the speaker size to 'Large' is an even greater soundstage throughout the room than before. Seeing that I set the speaker size to Large I was a bit worried that insuffient bass would go through to the sub so I played around with the Bass Boost on the sub by upping it from 0dB to +3dB. I have subsequently put it back to 0dB because it blends so beautifully with the speakers at that level. As I have said before, you cannot see the sub in the room because it is hidden (thanks to my wife) behind a chair, but you can hear heaps of bass that sounds like it is all coming from the center and front speakers. In summary, try the amp speaker size setting at 'Large' rather than 'Small' for all speakers. In my case it is terrific and has improved the soundstage even further. I am toying with the idea (if it doesn't lead to divorce as I have not mentioned to wife as yet) of trying a Yamaha amp with the speakers as I have always had a soft spot for Yamaha amps. If I do I will report back with the result.13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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KEF 3005 series speakers can beat up your speakers
by jgsims on October 15, 2006
Pros: Awesome sound, great clarity, amazing how so much can be going on as background music talking and sound effects and can be so crisp while all playing at the same time
Cons: Only had it for one day, Haven't found any yet.
Summary: Maybe I'm not the best to give a professional opinion, because I'm not. The only other system I've had was a $350 Kenwood HTIB. I thought it ...
Summary: Maybe I'm not the best to give a professional opinion, because I'm not. The only other system I've had was a $350 Kenwood HTIB. I thought it was pretty good. Well its about 4 yrs old and was ready to upgrade. I never really knew how to set it up to get surround sound. I had this system set up and calibrated, while running through an Onkyo 604 reciever I bought. I was blown away and the more I listened the more I was blown away. I truly feel like I have never heard a movie before. I put in Serenity (yes I'm a browncoat, and if you haven't watched that movie you should). I have seen this movie probably 30 times, I can almost rehearse the dialog. As many time as I've seen this movie after hearing it on this Kef and Onkyo combination I tuly feel I have never heard the movie before. It is simply amazing the quality of sound and how much can be going on at once and everything is so crisp. Chainlinks on chains moving sound awesome, the doors sliding shut from left to right while the lock latch connects its just truly amazing.
Even at high volumes it's just crisp.
I started to take these back because I just really spent to much money this close to christmas. Sorry kids rudolphs nose went out and Santa hit a mountain.
I do not regret the money I spent for this system, it is worth it.9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply put...WOW!!!
by thejuice7 on April 17, 2007
Pros: Awesome sound in a small package
Cons: speakers position can't be locked at the base, expensive
Summary: My fiance and I just bought a new Sony Bravia television and needed a sound system to go with it. I was dead set on buying the traditional floor towers ...
Summary: My fiance and I just bought a new Sony Bravia television and needed a sound system to go with it. I was dead set on buying the traditional floor towers as I have never been convinced that small systems can put out superior sound. Simply put I was wrong. These speakers are amazing! I took the time to dial in the speakers with the room (20 minutes) and then sat back in awww when I first heard this system. The sub is huge and the sound is crisp and well defined. While this speaker package is expensive, it is well worth every penny.
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Pefect! Huge Sound.
by mdcapitol on February 19, 2007
Pros: Huge sound for such a small package.
Cons: Dont have any.
Summary: I am very picky, and this system rocks. I am truly impressed with this system. The subwoofer shakes my entire house. I think if I turned it all the way ...
Summary: I am very picky, and this system rocks. I am truly impressed with this system. The subwoofer shakes my entire house. I think if I turned it all the way up, it would break my windows! I have the system hooked up to a Pioneer AV Receiver. Buy if you have the money.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Quality engineered
by southc101 on June 12, 2007
Pros: Clean crisp sound, smooth bass, great looks, built in stylish mounting hardware
Cons: NO GLOSSY WHITE
Summary: The build quality is superior, KEF proves this by offering a 5 year out of the box warranty. This is not an add on warranty or store purchased warranty; this ...
Summary: The build quality is superior, KEF proves this by offering a 5 year out of the box warranty. This is not an add on warranty or store purchased warranty; this is a manufactures warranty right out of the box, awesome! The sound rivals that of some full size high end speakers that I've come accross. You will not be dissapointed. BUY THIS SYSTEM NOW!
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One great compact system !
by prabirdas on May 17, 2007
Pros: Excellent clarity and depth
Cons: Still cannot replicate big speaker sound
Summary: This system rocks ! I gave up my JBL speakers for them and I don't regret my decision one bit. Granted the JBL had more punch but these speakers have ...
Summary: This system rocks ! I gave up my JBL speakers for them and I don't regret my decision one bit. Granted the JBL had more punch but these speakers have better clarity and take up much less space. All in all, an excellent great looking and great sounding compact speaker system.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My lady and I are over the moon
by Limewood on October 16, 2007
Pros: Highly recommend these!
Cons: None at all
Summary: Bought the KEF KHT 3005's 6 weeks ago, must be the best packaged bit of kit I've seen, each speaker was wrapped in its own sock then in ...
Summary: Bought the KEF KHT 3005's 6 weeks ago, must be the best packaged bit of kit I've seen, each speaker was wrapped in its own sock then in contured foam.
My wife loves the look of them too. Hooked them up to my new Onkyo 605 receiver, we could not believe how good they sound and the sub is unreal, no big heavy thumping noise just mello and perfect.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply Amazing
by craztech on December 5, 2007
Pros: Superb sound, solidly build
Cons: need a receiver with crossover management features to blend sub with satellites
Summary: This system replaced my prior 5.0 set up (ran lfe out the mains) comprised of Klipsch klf10 mains, Klipsch reference center and rear surrounds. The Klipsch speakers were wonderful ...
Summary: This system replaced my prior 5.0 set up (ran lfe out the mains) comprised of Klipsch klf10 mains, Klipsch reference center and rear surrounds. The Klipsch speakers were wonderful sounding but I no longer wanted to devote the floor and wall space for them. I went looking for a new system but did not want to sacrifice sound quality and volume for the smaller size. After reading reviews in several places I decided to purchase these and am so glad I did. Even hooked up to my ancient Yamaha Rx-V995 receiver these produced huge, clean audio on par with speakers many times their size and price. My only complaint was that I did not have a way to manage the crossover point on the Yamaha receiver so getting the sub to blend well with the surrounds was virtually impossible...only so many place you can place a subwoofer. Even with this one draw back with my first movie "Starwars Episode I" the speakers produced an excellent sound stage in the front and rear. The scene with the pod race was incredible! The detail was right on and made you feel you were really there (as much as that is possible). I have since upgraded my receiver to one that offers crossover management and was able to get the sub to blend in almost seamlessly with the surrounds. I feel these are well worth the money and would recommend them to all!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome sound and design!
by poiter86 on July 27, 2007
Pros: Huge sound in a sat/sub combo. Great build quality,
Cons: They're not cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for in this case!
Summary: The Kefs produce great sound definition and look fantastic at the same time. The centre speak is just awesome and handles everything that is thrown at it. The sub is ...
Summary: The Kefs produce great sound definition and look fantastic at the same time. The centre speak is just awesome and handles everything that is thrown at it. The sub is fantastic, but took a little bit of testing with the Amp & placement to get an output i was happy with for the room. If you're thinking of getting them, just do it, you won't regret it! Kef KHT 3005/ Yamaha RX-V861/ Yamaha DVD-S659/ Hitachi plasma.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Incredible!!!!
by rrg1231 on April 15, 2009
Pros: Gorgeous, unbelievable sound, Small foot print,
Cons: None for me....
Summary: I have always been BIG speaker snob and have always poo-pooed compact systems, My old Audio speakers have been with me for 30 years AMT 1B's these are still ...
Summary: I have always been BIG speaker snob and have always poo-pooed compact systems, My old Audio speakers have been with me for 30 years AMT 1B's these are still rocking speakers. So I went on a mission to find a surround system to replace my old stuff, I didn't currently have a Home theater system, and I'm not easy to sell, so I auditioned dozens ( I won't name names but all well known) of systems and was pretty much convinced that I was not going to find a compact system that I could appreciate. But I sat down in a demo room in front of a Denon AVR ??? and a set of KEF 3005's and was blown away. The salesperson gave me the controls, some CDs, DVDs, and I ran them through their paces. I was absolutely in awe, these were awesome. So I biought them and a Denon AVR 5803A to power them, by the way an awesome AVR. At home however I was still impressed but not as much, But with some experimentation and tweaking I was soon evry happy, I have had these for 15 months now and have tweaked them even further, 1 crucial adjustment was adjusting the crossover for the sub and tweaking the cut frequency, phase and boost settings, I was able to get the sub to blend seemlessly with the Satellites. The Imaging is precise and the soundstage is huge, female Jazz vocals are smooth as silk and vocals in general are convincingly natural.the sweet spot in my room is about 8 feet across. This is some thong my old ESS AMT's could not even come close to. I also added the Speaker stands for the fronts Left and Right so that I could easily move the speakers around and have them at perfect height. I did however burn one up The Denon can push 170 watts to all 7 channels and I got a bit carried away 1 day, unbelievably I smelled burning electrical before the speaker started to distort! But KEFs 5 year warranty I went back to the retailer and they gave me a new speaker on the spot!! Yeah! I absolutely love these speakers and would definetly recommend these.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: KEF Audio Ltd.
- Part number: KHT-3005B
- Description: The 3000 series is the revolutionary result of harnessing nearly 50 years of experience in creating technically innovative and beautiful loudspeakers. KHT3005 is an extremely high performance, yet room-friendly home theater system, which raises both the design and performance benchmarks in the category of elegant home theater speaker packages.
General
- Product Type 5.1-channel Home theater speaker system
- Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Details Satellite speaker : 4.9 in x 5.9 in x 9.6 in / 4.4 lbs, Active subwoofer : 17.3 in x 7.7 in x 15.4 in / 24.9 lbs, Center channel speaker : 11.8 in x 7.3 in x 5.1 in / 5.7 lbs
- Enclosure Color High-gloss black
Speaker System
- System Components Subwoofer, 5 speakers
- Speaker Type Active subwoofer, passive satellites
- Connectivity Technology Wired
Speaker System Details
- Speakers Included 4 x Satellite speaker - 2-way - 100 Watt - 70 - 55000 Hz - 8 Ohm - Wired, 1 x Center channel speaker - 3-way - 100 Watt - 65 - 55000 Hz - 8 Ohm - Wired, 1 x Active subwoofer - 250 Watt - 30 - 250 Hz - Wired
- Driver Details Satellite speaker : 1 x Woofer driver - 115 mm - UNI-Q, 1 x Tweeter driver - 19 mm - Aluminum
- Driver Details Center channel speaker : 1 x Woofer driver - 115mm - UNI-Q, 1 x Tweeter driver - 19mm - Aluminum, 2 x Bass driver - 75mm
- Driver Details Active subwoofer : 1 - 250mm
Miscellaneous
- Remote Control None
- AV Furniture None
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Power AC 120/230 V
Battery
- Type None
Product series
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Manufacturer: KEF Audio Ltd.
Specs: home theater speaker system, High-gloss black, Active subwoofer, passive satellites, 100 Watt, 250 Watt
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Manufacturer: KEF Audio Ltd.
Specs: home theater speaker system, 4.9 in x 5.9 in x 9.6 in, High-gloss silver, 2-way Active subwoofer, passive satellites, 88 dB, 100 Watt, 250 Watt
Manufacturer info
- KEF Audio Ltd.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse KEF Audio Ltd. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.kef.com
- Address:
10 Timber Lane, Marlboro, NJ - Phone: 732-683-2356
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