Please help, friend wants to know if he's getting ripped off on KEF speakers (1 Viewer)

[Wayne Shiu]

Hi everyone. My friend just bought a new condo in NYC and is looking to have a home theater system setup. The installer recommended KEF speakers for his setup. He'll be using the speakers about 10% for listening to music, 40% watching movies, and 50% watching cable TV. The installer said he would sell the speaker package below. My friend doesn't mind paying this much for speakers, as long as it makes that big of a difference over infinity's, polk's, etc. Are these speakers worth the price and is he getting ripped off with these prices? My friend is a casual listener and definitely not an audiophile. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2 KEF Q5 - floor standing speakers (left and right) $850
1 KEF HT2001 - wall mounted egg speaker $200
2 KEF Q2ds - side wall mounted surround speakers $550
1 KEF PSW-1000 - 8', 100 watt powered subwoofer $350

 

[ScottCHI]

that's what i paid for my q5s. i don't know about the others, but i'm sure you can check some of the other prices online. that's a curious center channel choice, btw.

those other manufacturers will have comparably priced speakers, as well. whether one speaker sounds better than another is pretty subjective and not something i'd look for an answer to here, necessarily.

your friend really needs to go speaker shopping on their own.

 

[JohnSmith]

The salesman recommended a Egg for centre? He's nuts!!

Since Kef's are now made in China I would not buy them (the were made in UK in the past, then production moved to Belgium). IMO look for another make now. Kef have gone downhill. :-( The subwoofers aren't that great either, SVS's are far far better.

Can't say whether anything about the US prices though..

 

[ScottCHI]

why?

 

[Tony Genovese]

Probably because he's a jingoist, but that's just speculation. Kef and Celestion have been owned by Taiwanese for many years.

 

[JohnSmith]

I own Lexicon, NHT - couple of gens old- speakers & a SVS too. Who designs & produces these??
I also own as British speakers (Kef, which just happen to be before the sell-out) and a pair of Ruarks.

At first taking advantage of cheaper goods aboard was not effecting our local companies- we were making the most of it, jobs weren't affected by it. It's got to the stage now where practically no engineering/electronics goods are made in the UK. Everything is being sold off, or now imported. These blue collar workers now have to get jobs stacking shelves.

And how many times have I seen Xenophobics threads on avs? (Only buy American speakers)

Did you not see I put down Kef's subwoofers?

 

[Tony Genovese]

I did say probably. It's a fact of life that low tech jobs are going to China...Americans crab about all the jobs going abroad but most don't want to pay for locally produced goods. Walmart didn't become the biggest company in the world by happenstance. Americans flock there to buy the cheap, Asian made stuff that makes up the majority of what they sell.

 

[Joe Hsu]

Weird...a family friend's son just bought a $900K condo in NYC. Now I realize that it's quite a common thing...just struck me odd is all.

As for the pricing, they seem to be fairly close to what we could sell them at, but I can't confirm 100% since I'm not at the store.

Lastly...I love the little eggs and all, but I also don't understand why he would suggest that for a center with Q5s as the mains.

 

[Tony Genovese]

And to get back to original question, it doesn't appear your friend's getting ripped off.

 

[Wayne Shiu]

Thanks for the timely responses, guys!

 

[Shane Martin]

While it doesn't appear he is getting ripped, I'd suggest a better center.
True but that doesn't mean I have to support it. Walmart sells alot of P&S too