At shows only
I have heard the blade, blade2 and Kef reference 1 and 3 at shows only. The reference1 and 3 are wonderful as are the blades. I think the blade2 and blade MAY surpass the reference in a large room. However, the side firing drivers in the blades (and deeper bass) may limit them to large rooms. I think all of the reference models sound great. Right near the top of speakers in the 'real world' ultimate level.
I can tell you that there was a little 'funniness' to the blade at one show that seemed to me to be related to the side woofer interacting with the room. As for the comparison to B+W I would agree that the sound is 'different' slightly than Kef. However, I have heard that Kef is easier to place in the real world do to the uni -Q. I don't own them to confirm this though. YET.
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