The Right Amplifier

A few years ago I picked up a pair of KEF q150 speakers for my small listening room, at the time I had them paired with a NAD 7125 amplifier. When I first fired up that pairing I was a bit dissapointed in how bass-heavy everything sounded. I learned that the KEF’s came with some foam baffles that I could put in the back of the speakers and that helped a lot. I ran that setup for a couple of years.

Yesterday while cruising FB marketplace I came across an older Cambridge Audio amp for cheap- the 340a. I wired up the speakers and at first was shocked at how much less power the Cambridge had from a sheer volume perspective but, that said, the room is so small that it’s plenty of power, just much much less than the NAD.

But more importantly, the overall frequency response is light years better than the NAD. I was able to take the foam baffles out of the back of the KEF’s. The high end is a little less brittle than the NAD which just makes the overall stereo imaging feel that much better.

People rave about the KEF’s. I was honestly a bit dissapointed with them and was always keeping my eyes out for possible replacements but paired with the right amp, they are a killer pair of speakers, especially if you can find them used.

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