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The Onkyo is kindof tricky when doing music and a 5.1 setup is even trickier because I can't just run a stereo signal and get left/right because left/right is 2 channel native, not 2.1. When I've found settings that work best for the music, I am very happy with the sound. Hardwood floors and plaster walls are great for jazz, and I love how clear the acoustic bass sounds in the mix. That may be the best test actually because that instrument runs a wide range of frequencies. I've run plenty of Coltrane, Stereolab , and live Yes through the system, and again, with the right processor on the Onkyo, I am very happy with the sound.
It was my satisfaction with my larger KEF speakers that convinced me to order the KEF T305 system. Whenever we invite friends over for a movie, they usually comment about the quality of the audio, and try to find where it is coming from. The speakers are in plain sight, but no one expects that something so small can sound as good as a real movie theater.
Our Review Ethos
5 of the 22 reviewers have substantial overlapping product review history. This is within an acceptable range and it does not appear to be significantly affecting the overall rating for this product. They may be slim, but the T301 and T301c boast heavyweight build quality. Their faultless construction offers a rigidity and robustness that should stand them in good stead for life in the living room. The front panel of these 600mm-high speakers is almost entirely covered in a cloth grille with glimpses of black aluminium down the sides and gloss-black at the bottom.
I can see people being tempted, due to the T-2's slender dimensions, in sliding it behind a sofa. I feel that would tend to absorb some of the upper bass, that the package as whole requires if it's not to sound slightly hollow. So, it's best to take advantage of it's shape to make sure it's squeezed in up front and there's no reason why you can't position it sideways. That also saves you having to look at another bloody blue LED. It's red when in standby and blue when awake but I guess I'm getting used to being a lone voice on the AV beelzebub that is blue LEDs.
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The little midwoofer doesn't sound so clear in the lower register of the male voice, making some guys' vocals sound a bit bloated or congested. Melodic bass lines tended to plod a little; electric bass notes lacked some of their characteristic growl and punch. An average person would think the T305 sounds great with music, but I doubt audiophiles would be impressed. I had always been reluctant to have a separate sub because most .1 systems I'd heard didn't sound natural, but this setup does.
That said, it's quite discrete and at least it is right at the bottom of the cabinet. I have been a KEF proponent for more than 2 decades with floorstanding speakers, a subwoofer and surround sound ceiling-mounted speakers in our family room since the late 90s. We recently finished our basement and I wanted to continue with KEF as the sound system for both big screen entertainment media as well as surround sound audio. The T305s were the perfect solution for an "on-wall" product that comes awfully close to floorstanding system in terms of sonic excellence. I could not be more pleased with the results - great balanced approach for the audiophile as well as the AV junkie.
T101 Satellite Speakers
Assembly is pretty logical and I was up and running with all five speakers in about half an hour flat. It immediately struck me that mounted on the dedicated stands, the T301s are rather tall, standing in at a combined height of 140cm. This places the tweeter at a lofty 110cm above the floor whereas my, not exactly low, sofas place my ear at 90cm above the floor. Clearly the T101s would knock 17cm off that total height, but would still place the tweeter at the same level. To my mind, this is rather high - The stand could be a comfortable 15cm shorter to suit the average seated ear level, but there are upsides.
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That said, I don't regret getting the 305 in the least. I actually got another set of 2 to run 7.1 but selling the house within the next year and I'd really rather go into drywall than plaster...sounds great as-is anyway. Sure, the T301s, like any £250 speaker, have their own set of compromises, but as an even handed reproducer of all programme types, there's very little to complain about and much to like. They aren't a spotlight on mid range expression, but they are very consistent in their even handed presentation and have a remarkable dynamic capability. That makes them an easy listen, with movies or music, at all volume levels.
I mounted these using wall brackets directly to studs in my wall. Rumbles my entire room like I'm in a theater seriously. I only watch 4k Atmos movies now and my son plays his VR with the system. Don't be turned away by the critics saying you cant get good sound from thin speakers. All too often, clever engineering can deliver as many compromises, as solutions, to the problems it claims to counter. I've lost count of the times I've heard an 'invisible' speaker, where you ultimately excuse it's distinctly average reproduction with a qualifying "But it is very flat/small/pretty/etc".
The issue is not so much that that T-2 is lacking, but that the T301s are capable of performing out of their skin. The T101s would present less of a challenge, perhaps a better match, but the T301s have a significant extra SPL/dynamic capability that means a single T 2 is a bare minimum. If there is a weakness, it's that natural levels of mid range detail are slightly restrained, which can suck a little of the passion out of vocal expression. However, I found that the T 305s, yet again, enjoy the chance to stretch their legs with a bit of added volume and they open up quite nicely if you have the chance to listen at reasonable, if not excessive levels.
When I played the Blu-ray Disc of the recent Star Trek movie, I promptly forgot I was listening to a skinny set of on-wall speakers. Of course, such feats are to be expected of a larger system, but in a system this small they're a real achievement. The front and rear speakers can be installed in three different ways.
Talking of music and as no review of mine is ever complete without it, I'm pleased to report that the T 305 system is a qualified success. The pin point placement of movie effects, transfers to the more more subtle landscape of stereo with aplomb. The height of the stand mounted fronts, underpinned by the smooth integration of the T 2 subwoofer, gives a remarkable sense of scale to the presentation. The soundscape is high and wide, giveing a convincing illusion of extending beyond the speakers, if not a huge distance behind them, but placement within those bounds is pin point.
Tonally, the T 305s are neutral, which delivers clear differentiation in instrumental timbre and rather than projecting vocalists into your lap, keeps them nicely proportioned between the speakers. Treble is very clear and clean, giving cymbals a nice sheen, but resisting the urge to make them sound splashy and indeed, sibilance is natural, without over emphasis. This all makes for a refined listen, which at first acquaintance, can make the T 305s sound a touch restrained, but is really just a lack of boom and tizz, engineered in to impress on a quick demo. The good news, is that this is the first public outing of the full 'phat' T 305 system although, perhaps I should choose my words more carefully. The dimensions, when seen from the dead ahead, are nothing remarkable in the world of satellite speakers. In fact, they're actually quite large in terms of height, compared to even a sizable book shelf speaker.
But what marked the T Series out, was the excellent freedom aural location ie, the satellites pull off a real disappearing trick. Given these speakers' form factors, it'd be logical for KEF to engineer them more for home theater than for music. The system sounds fine for music; I put in many hours of listening to two-channel stereo CDs and always enjoyed it. However, it's not as involving as a serious music listener would probably want. The treble sounds a little soft, as if the tweeter starts to roll off above about 10 kHz; the acoustic guitars that begin Steve Earle's country classic "The Devil's Right Hand" lacked their usual sparkle.
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