KEF KHT1005.2 review

Kef’s shiny black egg-shaped satellites ooze style.

The front speaker is designed to sit horizontally rather than vertically, but is otherwise identical to the others. They feel extremely well built and are easy to connect. Unlike most of the speakers we’ve seen, which have binding posts that have to be screwed down on to the wire, these use spring-loaded posts that can be pushed down to allow the speaker cable to be inserted and clamped into position. This makes initial setup a lot easier.

The speakers don’t come with connecting wire, but five wall-mounting brackets are provided. The brackets are designed with the same kind of attention to detail as the speakers. They screw on to the speakers’ bases and follow the lines of the speakers to produce the effect of perfect ovals suspended on your walls. The only downside is that they provide little room to angle your speakers towards your chosen listening position.

The satellite and front speakers produce a clear, well-balanced sound with a bright treble. It’s not very distinctive and lacks the power of some similarly priced sets such as Teufel’s Motiv 3 speakers, but the speakers’ clarity makes for a pleasing listening experience.

We struggled to get decent bass out of the set. After running our AV receiver’s automated surround-sound configuration program and adjusting the subwoofer’s volume and low-frequency cut-off settings, bass tones were still quiet and underpowered. This lack of power was particularly noticeable when we played music with heavy, low-end beats, while explosive sequences in films also lacked their expected thunderous rumble.

Kef’s KHT1005.2 speakers look and feel beautiful and sound reasonably good, but their underpowered bass and balanced and unexciting mid-tones means they’re not great value. You can save money if you’re prepared to compromise on their looks and shop around for the silver-grey version, which we’ve seen for up to £130 less. However, Tannoy’s cheaper SFX 5.1 set produces a more exciting sound and costs half the price.