KEF KC62
Subwoofers
Oh my, what is that? A minuscule black cube that is heavy as a black hole and has two concentric drivers firing in opposite directions. The cube is all aluminum with only masking rims around the drivers being plastic. The cube is stylish, smooth, and looks like an aircraft engine.
Function and form
The KC62 is a subwoofer, and it does exactly what you expect from a subwoofer. The point is that its contribution is comparable to much bigger subwoofers. The compact dimensions of the KC62 facilitate the placement in the locations that would be no-go for a fridge-sized sub.
Bass management
The bass is what you deserve, and it is what you get. Antolini’s drums (Knock Out 2000) blasted through my room, and the kick drum had the punch and power which possibly could not be generated by a rather small box. The KC62 is a very clean subwoofer and the bass guitar was beautifully textured and deep. Japanese Kodo’s Akatsuki is a showcase of big drums and the KEF sent them to my room with roaring power, as if I was visited by a god of thunder. The plucked double-bass was pleasantly dry, its body was pleasantly three-dimensional, and its strings were strings, rather than muddy sounding ropes.
Clarity & delicacy
The timpani in Saint-Saens’ Bacchanale (Exotic Dances from Operas) were physical and visceral, the sounds were perfectly separated, and the KEF was exceptionally fast so the monumentality was not masked by the bass overhang. The electric bass guitar from a Accuphase sampler was a bit softer and boomy to my taste so I decreased the cross-over setting by 5dB and, voila, the bass became contoured again. The KC62 provided more fidelity to a piano too, just by adding low fundamentals that were necessary to build the credible size of the instrument.
Tonal accuracy
As much as I loved the KEF’s contribution in the acoustic and classical music, it became indispensable in rock. Geezer Butler’s bass in Evil Woman (Black Sabbath) acquired fuller, rounder and even more menacing sound. The more complete bottom-end projected into higher octaves through its harmonics, so the electro-acoustic guitar in Raven Black Night (Gov´t Mule) showed better dynamic impact and, once again, acquired better body.
Spatial resolution
Not only did I like the small KEF KC62 – I liked it very much. I hope that KEF will implement the innovative solutions into one of the bigger subs, perhaps even with a built-in DSP. That would be a killer. Until then, the KEF KC62 is all we have and there are many reasons to buy one:
- It is compact
- It is a piece of industrial art
- Its output is really audible from 20Hz, KEF does not overstate the claim
- Its set up and dialing in are easy
This text is an abridged version of the full review published here: KEF KC62.
Recommended resellers
Perfect Sound Group, Praha, tel. +420 722 960 690
Manufacturer's website: http://www.kef.com
Associated components
-
- Sources: Accuphase DP-720, DiDiT DAC212SEII, XDuoo X10TII
- Amplifiers: TAD-M2500
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Ansuz Signalz C2, Krautwire MAX Pro, Krautwire Numeric Digital, AAI Mestoso XLR, AudioQuest Dragon Zero | Bass, InAkustik Toslink, AudioQuest Carbon USB
- Loudspeakers: TAD Evolution One E1, Sonus Faber Gravis I
- Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Denali, Stromtank S-1000, Ansuz Mainz C2, AAI Maestoso, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2, Synergistic Research SRX, Block Audio Snakeblock
Gallery
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