(^54) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
test report
resulted in an almost perfect fix,
and the disc’s vocals now sounded
compelling. (And yes, the program
includes Nessun Dorma, the go-to
aria for every movie in the past 10
years that includes an opera scene.)
MOVIES PERFORMANCE
How to Train Your Dragon is one of
my favorite animated films. For me,
a movie’s music score is second
in importance only to its plot and
dialogue. The KEF system beauti-
fully carried John Powell’s terrific
soundtrack for the film. The brass
fanfare when Hiccup first rides the
dragon Toothless had an impres-
sive snarl, and quieter scenes, such
as one in chapter six where Hiccup
makes his first friendly approach to
Toothless, were equally entrancing.
Oblivion is an underappreciated
sci-fi classic with a whip-smart
soundtrack. Watching the standard
Blu-ray version with 5.1 sound, the
KEFs grabbed on and wouldn’t let
go. From the roar of engines to the
synthesizer-heavy score, they kept
my aention riveted. The perfor-
mance of the R2c center was also
more modest kick drums, the KEF
system’s bass was consistently
rewarding. The drums that open
Toto’s “I Will Remember” made me
sit up and take notice. And while the
sound of pipe organ didn’t rale the
room, that’s an almost impossible
feat in my space. What the paired
Kube12bs did provide on the
audiophile warhorse Pictures at an
Exhibition, as transcribed for organ
and performed by Jean Guillou on
the Great Organ of the Tonhalle
Zürich, was a degree of scale and
weight that would satisfy the pipe
dreams of all but the most extreme
organ fans.
The KEF system excelled on solo
vocals as well. Elvis Presley’s cover
of “Fever” sounded warm but not
mushy. Holly Cole’s “Train Song,”
another audiophile warhorse,
struck a de balance between
vocals and acoustic bass, and so
did “My Treasure,” with bassist
Mads Vinding accompanying Sinne
Eeg. (Never heard of Sinne Eeg? If
you like female jazz vocalists, check
out this Danish singer’s recordings.)
The Animusic Blu-ray disc is a
stunning combination of quirky
computer animation and 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio multichannel
music (much of it synthesizer-
generated). My favorite track on
the disc is a bonus from an older
Animusic release, Aqua Harp, that
features harp, chimes, bowed string
bass, and more, all played by invis-
ible hands. The KEFs brought this
track and other music from the disc
to life in simulated spaces ranging
from the familiar to the wildly
reverberant.
Another disc I listened to was
An Evening with Puccini, a concert
Blu-ray with 5.1 DTS-HD Master
Audio that was recorded in 2015 in
Milan’s famed La Scala and features
the German tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
The orchestra here sounded superb
on the KEFs, especially in the instru-
mental interludes. The vocals came
across as a bit too-forward and
edgy at high levels, but I’ve heard
this before with other speakers, so
I can’t lay the blame on the KEFs.
Using the Marantz pre-pro’s
graphic equalizer to slightly
pull down the levels at 2kHz
and 4kHz on the center channel
R 5 5.25 in hybrid aluminum cone woofer
(2), 5 in aluminum cone midrange, 1
in vented aluminum dome concentric
tweeter; 10.7 x 42.2 x 13.5 in (WxHxD
with terminals and plinth); 60.2 lb
R2C 5.25 in hybrid aluminum cone woofer (2), 5 in
aluminum cone midrange, 1 in vented aluminum dome
concentric tweeter; 21.7 x 6.9 x 12.1 in (WxHxD with
terminals); 37.3 lb
R 3 5.25 in aluminum cone midrange, 1 in vented
aluminum dome concentric tweeter; 10.7 x 42.2 x 13.5 in
(WxHxD); 60.2 lb
R8A 5.25 in aluminum cone midrange, 1 in vented
aluminum dome concentric tweeter; 10.7 x 42.2 x 13.5 in
(WxHxD with terminals); 9.8 lb
KUBE12B SUBWOOFER 12 in driver; 300-wa class-D;
sealed; RCA stereo line-level in, speaker level in; low-
pass crossover, phase, fixed EQ (3 presets); 15.5 x 16.1
x 16.1 (WxHxD); 45.4 lb
KEF's R5 tower
speaker (at left)
features the
company's
12th-generation
concentric Uni-Q
driver. A similar
concentric array is
used in KEF's R8a
surround/Atmos
speaker (below).
Specs
KEF R5 SURROUND SPEAKER SYSTEM
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