KEF, the loudspeaker company that has made sure that every audiophile on Planet Earth knows about their Blade loudspeaker, held a premier of sorts: the first showing of the KEF R900 ($5000/pair). The results were mixed. I’m a little unclear about the amplification—I was told that it was a Chord CPM 3350 integrated—but whatever it was, paired with a Chord Chordette DAC, Parasound Halo CD-1, and Wireworld cabling, I was surprised to discover that the CD player produced much smoother sound than the PC running J River Media Player.
Offering up my CD of the Bobo Stenson Trio playing “Send in the Clowns,” I noted lovely overall tonality, but a bit of tinny-ness on top and booming on the bass. I wanted to listen more, but the sound of the second KEF room next door was way too loud for lingering.
