I used to work for Kef and Celestion in Ipswich UK, I was Quality Control and I did test every tweeter for frequency response, I listened to every one with a sine-wave sweep and matched them into pairs. The owners shut the factory and moved most production to China, not sure how the QC is done these days but I can attest to the care I took back in the day.
@@oscarjung5405 Hello Mate, 2003. The company moved to a much smaller site on the other side of town. They retained a small production line to satisfy Marshall who wanted their drivers to be made in the UK...not sure if that is still the case?
@@iseeolly9959 Thanks. I was wondering how far I had to go back to get som KEFs made in the UK, but that might be a bit too far :) but always interesting to hear thoughts from insiders!
@@oscarjung5405 It's even more complicated than that....the drivers/tweeters/crossovers for Celestion and Kef were made in Ipswich and China/Japan even back then, some made by our company but some were made by the likes of Sanyo...we did QA tests on drivers imported from China...the Kef factory in Maidstone installed the components into cabinets for Celestion and Kef brands. The lower end stuff was entirely made in China and I would pull some from the warehouse and test the packaging (dropping it from 1m onto the floor) and would have a listen to them..... 20 years ago my ears could hear up to 17.3kHz, doubt they are as good now! We also made drivers/tweeter/crossovers for other companies like Rogers and B&O. The best HiFi speakers I ever heard at the factory (we had a legacy collection) were the Celestion Kingston, so difficult to manufacture...the cab's were easy to mark/damage. They sound wonderful and were probably the last Celestion Speakers actually made in the UK (I'll stand corrected if wrong!..no probs).....looking back, they were a bit ugly! The Kef Reference 203 were nice (a little bass light though) and nearly all the bits were made in the UK...it took ages to work-out how to install the UniQ tweeter into the middle of the drivers Kapton former without it rubbing....I was never too sure if the Hypertweeter on top had that much of an effect, I was told that even though you couldn't hear it, the harmonics effected lower frequencies (?) ....truth is that the factory didn't have a CD player or amp that went over 22kHz anyway ! Cheers mate.
Have had the KEF R3 for half a year, and I can confirme Steves view on these speakers. They really gives you a bit of high end musical performance, and I consider them really god value for the money you have to pay for them. I use them with Hegel H360 and Hegel HD30 dac, and if the quality og the signal you feed them with is good, the quality of what they reward you with, is really good. I also find them best firing straight out into the room. You sacrifice a minor focus in the centerstage, but you get a much greater soundstage, and the speakers dissapeare in the soundstage. I think it is safe to call these speakers highly recommended.
I thought at 64 it was time to settle for the music set-up which would do me for the rest of life. So I thought about the components which had given me the most listening pleasure for my Classical and Jazz taste over the last twenty or so years. So speaker: Celestions, the 15, the 40'w and the 60, Leaks, the 2060 and the 2030, Kefs, the Concerto, the celef, the Cadenza. Australian make Audio Definition. Amps Quads, Sansuis, A goodmans 150, various Japanese models. I ended up with a Quad 30 preamp, 405 power amp a Denon DVD player for CD's and a set of Kef Concertos. I have the Audio Definitions currently playing trough a Nad which I quite like. That will be enough I think. I also had thousands of vinyl at one stage but I won't be venturing there anymore. The old hearing has lost a lost off the top and I have to put up with some fairly muffled listening sessions these days and the extreme care I took with LP's can't be guaranteed any more.I only buy CD's now. I first understood the "sound stage" through a pair of Leak 2030's and heard the most precise rendering of the Human voice through a Pair of Leak 2060's coupled with a pair of Kef Concertos. These memories everyone who delves seriously into music will create for themselves. I hope many young people look beyond the catchy dross thrown at them commercially and search for themselves through the rich musical culture of the past to find the music which as time goes on will live with them and will help create the recollections of loved ones and places and experiences that are entirely their own. The comfort music gives as the Autumn of life relentlessly troops on cannot be understated. Anyway, the gear might not be the very best but they're names I am entirely grateful to for having gifted revelations of beauty to me through the years. Good listening to all.
I wanted to write exactly the same sentiment. Steve really captures the terms and ideas I would want to tell someone about great speakers. I find it a relief to listen to him because we're on the same wavelength. Thank you Steve.
I bought a pair of KEF R3s last January and have been thrilled with them every single day. They SHRED the LS50s (and I'm saying this as someone who loved/loves the LS50s).
Appreciate the endorsement on these. Question: Z- Riews claimed that these R3s LOST BASS after break in??? Any consent on that or experience with that on yours?? Curious
Alexander Scott i owned the ls50 and R3 at the same time on the same room and electronics. I agree the R3 shreds the LS50. And zeos' assesment of the R3 is bullshit. What lost bass is he fucking talking about? Theres more bass in the R3 than my previous Dynaudio Focus..
I've had my R3s for almost a year and the bass is excellent, more like bigger floor standing speakers than stand mounters. I saw that review, too, and I'm baffled. I think the Whathifi review is more accurate.
Same experience here after 9 months of ownership. Substantially Better than a pair of Ls50's I had. The bass is solid, although not very deep (totally disagree with that Zeos guy). The only thing I disagree with Steve, is that I think the Ls50's can get brighter than this. Otherwise his review is spot on. Hope this helps someone.
Im gonna chalk Zeos' review, regarding loss of bass as a set up and room acoustics issue! I see he basically sets up his speakers in same basic locations (in front of open doorway), likely NOT getting solid bass from one or perhaps both of these speakers, also placed on high stands!?? Probably what that is
Thank you Steve for your comment about ohms I’ve had these for a year and running on 8 ohms and was looking at options for getting more bottom end , I just changed to the 4ohms post on my primaluna classic & oh my these baby’s jumped out and gave me a big old beer hug 👍👌🤘✌️
Great review Steve! Would love to hear a discussion on Speaker Toe🦶-In!.. It has been my experience that for some reason speakers with Concentric drivers sound their best with very little toe-in. I’ve experienced this with several KEFs and a pair of Thiel 3.7.
I bought a pair of thee a few weeks ago. So far, I like them a lot. I have some new equipment on the way, to go with them. Together, it should all sound fantastic.
I had to watch this again. To me, this video of Steve talking about this thing, it's an inspiration to those of us who build speakers nothing as good as this thing. But it creates inspiration. I probably will never hear speakers this good. But hearing Steve talk about them, I have a feeling of what I should aim for, when I build my own, on whatever budget I have. Steve brings poetry into the audiophile space, he uses words like juicy. It's inspiring.
Love your presentation! Different the from Zero Fidelity's take on their imaging. I'm guessing rooms, placement, electronic and source material all play a huge role. Not to mention subjectivity. Thanks!
KEF provides good value for money, and always has, especially top-of-their-line models. If you don't have scratch for new S O T A, get older KEF coaxial similar size model (back to 1980's C-95) and you will not be disappointed with smoothness and precision in the price range of used gear. Older model might lend itself to DIY bi-amp or tri-amp with digital crossover, with usual advantages and caveat of digital. Only complaint possible is lack of house quake that a refrigerator size Altec or JBL brings.
We are Using our R3s (white) with Marantz sa8005 player and kinki studio ex-m1 mk2 and special handmade silver core cables and they sound freakin good.. We are just re-listening every music we listened earlier.. Highly recommended all components, R3 are very deep in bass, hard to explain. :) we are happy
I've got the R7s in the walnut finish. (... managed to get an 'open box' pair for £1750, instead of the usual £2600). I'm happy with the speaker - great sound-staging. What surprises me though, is Mr Guttenberg's avid appreciation of the quality of the finish. Mine looks more like formica than a real wood veneer. Does anyone else have one of the new KEF Rs in the walnut finish & wish to offer an opinion ? These speakers do prefer an amp with power to spare, it seems. My Creek Evolution 100A claims 110W into 8 ohms / 170W into 4 .. but feels as if it's coming up a little short. The amp does drive two pairs though (A+B) - so am intending on getting R3s to put at the side of my living room with the R7s at the front. I used to have Dali Opticon 6s at the front & Zensor 7s at the side .. and that sounded very good to me - so hopefully the KEFs will work well in tandem too !
Nice to know you have the Cayin amp.. I do have a Cayin CS-55A paired with Buchartd S400 and Marantz TT 15S1 very pleased.... How do you like the Cayin ?
@@sergioj55 I also have a CS-55a, which I love. I eventually swapped the stock Cayin kt88s for Gold Lions. Wow! Such an amazing difference. I’m just now waiting on delivery of my R3s. That turntable is terrific. Made by ClearAudio. How do you find the inbuilt Cayin phono stage?
Medium listening room 25 m2 : Have the KEFs R3 with their Stands (all white) + Mytek BROOKLYN DAC+ DAC / PREAMP + ROKSAN K3 POWER AMP, and they are biwired (ECOSSE Cables) ... WOAW ! Love the sound 🙏🏻 They HIT and Imaging is FANTASTIC ! Source : NUPRIME CDT-10 CD Transport, or MacBook Air + Audirvana + SYNOLOGY NAS 2 x 4TB for "Hi-Res" Files. Couldn't be happier at this time 😋
So appreciate your reviews!!!...like reading a great book....I need to listen 2/3 times because your reviews are chalk full of insight, experience and information. Thank You!!!
Hi, Steve. Always thanks for your honest reviews. I've been looking for 3-way bookshelf speakers including these R3 and Elac Adante.. And recently I found Wharfedale released new Evo lineup and there's REAL (= in my prejudices) 3-way bookshelf 4.2 model which has a AMT tweeter, a dome midrange and a 6.5 woofer! If you have any chance, I want you to review that Evo 4.2!!
Thanks Steve very much. Following your review, I decided to go with KEF R7 and I am happy with my choice. I pair it with Rotel RA-1592 mkii. They sound nice.
KEF R3 are superb, I cannot recommend them highly enough. I have a used set in a small room 3m x 5m and they are Brilliant. I have a new set in a smaller room nearfield and also good BUT need to be 1.5 metres away to hear bass. These wipe the floor with SVS Ultra bookshelf although ultra bookshelf tweeter is superb. Nearfield I suggest you need min 1 metre apart and min 2 metres away from them. I also have ATC SCM 11 which are a superb speaker. KEF R3 bass is deeper and is slightly more dynamic. Detail of KEF R3 is also very good, very detailed.
Got these today alongside Naim atom. 8ohm 40W per channel and 72W 4ohm per channel. When I have it set to 60% it sounds really loud and they truly work in harmony.
@@Michael-xz1nk Yes and I actually don't believe in the 40w I think is around 55w in reality. When I said 60% I actually blow the speakers. Listening level in a very BIG room is at 20% high volume 35%, very high 45% and destroying speakers and ear level 52% and above. When I listen normally I have it set at 27% and I retrieve all the detail and soundstage that I seek.
I now own these and they are spectacular with another recommended product by Steve, the SVS sb-4000. This combo leaves you wanting for almost nothing and the integration is seemless.
That was a great assessment Steve. I have the R900s with JC1 mono blocks (and the LS50s) and I noticed the same things you noticed. Basically the R series plays what it hears upstream. I only have neutral amps, preamps, DACs.... ,but I would imagine that anything bright or harsh would show it's shortcomings through these very detailed speakers. I have a lot of decent speakers, but even with a 150watt Parasound amp driving the R900s, that was the first time I heard a realistic kick drum and the sax sounded like it was live in my room. With the JC1s I probably put 300watts to the R900s and they seemed to beg for more tight,natural, powerful bass. Unlike many speaker when you turn the volume UP, the treble doesn't get shouty. This is with neutral gear, so I'm sure it would be biting with bright components upstream. These revealing speakers don't need bright equipment to reveal the tiniest nuances in the recording. The separation is amazing. That said, don't buy the R900s unless you have a big room (they will overpower your room with bass). If people like the LS50s, they will love the R series. The highs are silkier and and smoother with the R series tweeter and the R3/300 and up will have much better bass.
You can EQ the base lower if you have a good DAC or integrated unit that can do it, or use some sort of room correction if it is supported by one of your upstream components. Doing this also has the benefit of lowering the load on your amp and lets the driver focus on higher frequencies.
As always thank you for the review Steve I have the R300s and I love them. Do you think it's worth upgrading to these from the R300s or there's not enough difference to justify the cost?
Of course all us R300 owners are wondering this same thing... R300's are awesome. I'm happy with mine and my only upgrade path would be to the REF 1 if they sounded worth the extra dollars (I've never had the pleasure of hearing them).. I doubt many of us could hear the difference between the R300 and R3.
I have both the r300 and r3. Both are great(!) Speakers.The differences for me are as follows. In comparison, the R300 has a bump in the mid bass and less sub bass than the R3.The R3 therefore seems a bit more articulate in that region. It's flatter. Mids are a bit more present in the R3 than the R300. Vocals are more forward. The upper region is a bit brighter in the R300 than the R3 in my experience. I am nitpicking here though.
Hi Steve, You have listed some of the Components used to review the R3, but can You please give us a " Price Tag " on all involved Components incl. Cable, Speaker Stands, Amps and so on, to put the Result of your Review more in to a Perspective ? And by the way, I bought a Pair of these, but it looks like I have to find a new Amp for them, my 300B push/pull is not happy on them. Thanks, Ralf
Hi Steve, The other I was shopping at Best Buy and happened to find these KEF R3 for a discounted price of $650. I didn't even think twice and pulled the trigger, but now I'm sitting here with a pair of speakers and not much else. Would you please recommend an amplifier/DAC combo to power these speakers in a 2.1ch setup? I mainly stream music, but also have a decent amount of vinyl records and cd's. Budget? Around $1500 for the amp. I know this hobby can get out of hand quickly, but I'm grateful to have someone like you to guide us into the "deep space" that is hifi audio. Cheers!
Its always a joy to listen to your reviews. Recently I bought the Audiolab 6000CDT. I connect it with my Quad Vena II. In the future I would like to replace my Missions 753 with the KEF R3 Meta (. For these speakers I need more "power". I was thinking to replace my Amp for the Audiolab 7000A or add a the power amp Shiit Vidar II. Which option would you advice?
I’ve had mine for a few weeks now. I use them in a fairly large, open, loft-style condo with 12ft ceilings, more hard surfaces than I’d prefer, and driven by a Naim Uniti Star. I like them a lot, but have not quite yet achieved the “invisible speaker” effect that people mention WRT this speaker. That’s fine - I have to do more experimentation, and probably get some room treatments in place. I will say they’re good enough that I have considered upgrading to the Reference 1 which is the cost-no-object version of these guys. But that’s probably silly if I haven’t milked everything out of the R3 yet.
Better sound and better looks but a heavy increase in MSRP.That ladies and gentleman is the central issue at hand.While we are of course grateful to the maestro for his general elucidation of the elements to be contended with this,dare I say is ,core problem still to be addressed
@Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac : what kind of amp do you recommand to pair with those speakers ? Yamaha RN803 is disappointing, Yam CA610 sounds better but is underpowered, Rotel RA714 the same underpower for them. 'd you go for NAD? Roksan ? Yamaha AS2100 ??? Thx for your help
@@zombielandiii2711 It wasn't anything wrong with the kef. I chose Dynaudio Evoke because the tweeter is kinder to my ears. The kef tweeter is harder more in face sound than the dynaudio. Just a personal preference.
Steve: I'd love if you reviewed the R5, the entry level tower version of the R3 at $3,000 / pair. I assume all the detail and texture you describe herein, combined with a tighter, more refined bottom end. Any chance of you reviewing it in 2020? Any R5 owners out there? Any thoughts? Thanks everyone!
I have heard both and really liked the R3 with a Rel sub. For whatever reason the R3 sounded better than he R5. It doesn't make sense but it is true. I heard them in a magnolia audio room in the same room
Thanks for the input. The R3 gets rave reviews. However, I would be replacing towers. I am also not a sub fan. Maybe by the time I am ready to buy, the R series will be updated again? No rush. Just window shopping at the mo.
@@Michael-xz1nk I would normally agree with you about subs but..... if you haven't heard a REL sub paired with a set of high end speakers you really should. The REL sub is not like any other sub I have heard. I absolutely can not stand anything that will muddy up my music or at the very least makes it impossible to balance the sub to the speakers. I can tell you that the general population will not like the Rel sub due to "lack of bass". I will also tell you that I was 100% saying the exact same thing you did in response to adding a sub until I had the opportunity to audition Rel subs. I wouldn't recommend them for movies but for music, they sort of disappear until you turn them off and then you realize why they cost so much. I would highly recommend that before automatically shut that door before it even opens, try to audition one. I promise it's not what you think and I stand by my statement of choosing the R3 with a rel sub over the R5. I also auditioned a pair of magnepan 1.7i with a different model Rel sub. I am madly in love with the Magnepan 1.7i. They are magical but the only complaint I had was even though the bass was there, it lacked "weight". The gentlemen that was taking care of me told me that he knew exactly what i was saying and already had a Rel sub hooked up but off. He turned it on and when he did the weight that I was missing was there. It didn't really add bass and it was the opposite of boomy. That set up was literally the best combo I've ever heard in my life. Number 2 was the kef r3 with......yep.. another Rel sub. Do yourself a favor and audition one.
What you recommended (pre amp, amp) to get full R3 potential ? I think about : rotel rb1552 + rc1572 (may be Schiit tube) + pioneer n50a Thanks for review!!!
@@santiagodelrio8880 PrimaLuna Dialog Integrated, Nord class D monoblocks in the summer because of the heat. The Nords are the best class D I have heard, but the Primalunas are...Tubes!
Julia Hiw big is your room?I am wondering about 7 or 9 for LS50's and don't want to overload the room.Yeah I am wondering also about next step if should be 1 or 2.$4500 I dunnoh if it's worth R3 over R300-thoughts?
@@charleskatz2606 I use this setup in my home office which isnt very big 10 x 10 and it can get a bit much if you dont adjust your levels. It took me about a week to find the right levels but now it's perfect.
I also own the LS50s and to my ear they are detailed and seem best on vocals but kind of glaringly gritty so if Steve thinks they are "warm" hmm. Why not consider the Mag LRS if you got the juice and the space? I got them and they are obviously a whole different thing but do sound good. Driving them with Bryston 4BSST
@@JohnDoe-np3zk Thanks for the suggestion, but I have nowhere near enough room to properly position Maggies - hence my interest in bookshelf speakers. Every space is different, but I don't find the LS50's bright or gritty unless it's the characteristics of the actual recording.
LS50 are in no opened or detailed, and nor is the quite long and complicated signal path of the bryston 4bsst the best way to get the best smooth and detailed sound quality either, never even mind the source component you must using.
Hey Steve nice review. A question on the associated equipment used for the review. Have you reviewed the PS AUDIO DIRECTSTREAM DAC, if so how who you say it compares to the Denafrips Terminator?
How you see this R3, or if saving money LS50, Klipsch 600M with the new AV receiver MARANTZ PM7000N or Denon AVR-X3600H ? I'm in the journey for my first Hifi system and wanna something that really makes me feel complete the next 15 years for turntable, streaming music and some TV-shows (music goes first).
live recordings are so different than listening the live show. After recording mixing engineer adds eq, compression, panning, high and lowpass filters, volymes etc. Then mastering the whole thing :D
What electronics would you pair with the R3 assembling a [digital] system today, with the R3 representing 30% - 35% of the $ allocation? (As reviewed the R3's represent less than 10%). Or is there another way you would approach this?
Hi there. Hope you don't mind me giving my two cents as a random internet person. I recently put together a system around the R3s, and, coincidentally, the speakers ended up coming in at around the price ratio you mention. I went with an Emotiva BasX A-300 as the power amp with the logic that it was "good enough". After all, its THD+N is around 1/10 that of the speakers themselves (thank you, KEF, for giving us that spec), so I think it's clean enough to be transparent in the context of the speakers and, well, a room. My room isn't big, but I get around 90 dB SPL at the listening position (hope I'm remembering that figure correctly) while only drawing 1 out of the Emotiva's 150 watts, so plenty of headroom there. The A-300 also doubles its power into 4 ohms, so the minimum impedance of the R3s shouldn't present a problem. And the amp is well reviewed, even though its very affordable. In truth though, there are so many adequate amps. :-) Call me a heretic, but there are some super-low distortion class D amps these days that look very appealing. But as I say, I still suspect the Emotiva is good enough. DAC/preamp: this one is easy: no one should ever buy anything other than the MiniDSP SHD. ;-) It's a very clean DAC (measured), with around 1/100 the distortion/noise of the amp and 1/1000 that of the speakers, so we have to call that transparent. It also does everything: it's a streamer, it has analogue-to-digital inputs (room-corrected vinyl, anyone? no??), and most importantly, it has Dirac Live, which will completely transform the bass in your room and make orders of magnitude more difference than spending thousands/tens of thousands on boutique electronics. I guess this is kind of a personal choice though: not everyone has the desire/patience for room correction. If you don't want all the features, the topping D50S measures equally well and is much cheaper. I also added two sealed subs to the system (I went with the KEF Kube 12b). The miniDSP has complete control over these (it has four channels out) with independent high/low pass filters and delays on all channels. With room correction, in my room, the system is flat to 10 Hz, but even without the subs, it's flat to 40 Hz, so one could make a very compelling case that the subs were unnecessary! :-) If I were living in the US, I'd probably have gone with SVS for the subs instead of KEF... or skip the subs.
Steve, great review. For HT, I am very strongly considering LS50META LCR. How would you compare the R3? Important to me is clarity listening at low volumes (kids sleeping) and wide sound stage (12 foot couch that is 10 FT from speakers). NOTES - 80% HT / 20% music listening mix - LCR paired with sub - Very excited to be making this purchase and taking my audio experience to the next level!
If you want to be blown away by the width of a soundstage with those R3s try listening to 'Stripped' by Christina Aguilera (seriously!) I'm running KEF Q100 with an ELAC S10.2 subwoofer... sounds really good!
You should hear that album on my old special edition monitor audio gold reference 20 2 and 1/2 way designed floorstanders, biamped with my old avi s2000mi amplifiers and my 24/192 capable linn genki cd players, wired with nordost spm reference rca cables and nordost leif red dawn speaker cables. To be able to Get down and dirty is utterly capable for this system, while not fatigueing either.
Hi Steve, How would you compare this to the Dynaudio Special 40? I have the Xeo 6 and am a fan but am destined to continually sample the audio world. My plan is to pair with a mcintosh 5300 or a Naim Atom. Thanks for your thoughts.
@@Michael-xz1nk Using an Audiolab 8300 with the R5's, open and detailed mids and upper, plenty of strong controlled bass, with an overriding sense of smoothness and refinement. I compared them back to back with 2 other pairs at the time, Monitor Audio Silver 300 - muffled in comparison and not as much bass. Then B&W 702 S2 which were bright and edgy, bordering on harsh. About the same bass as the KEF, but just not anywhere near as smooth sounding across the freq. range and ultimately a very disappointing speaker for the money. - I've seen this criticism of the 700 series a lot mind. So I bought the KEF and not looked back, later added an R2C then some T101's at the rear (I'm using the HT bypass of the Audiolab on fronts obviously)...very happy with this setup now! (Music source is a Bluesound Node 2i - possibly add an external DAC one day but no immediate plans for that).
Richard...thanks so much for your input. I think the Audiolab 800 is only 75 wpc @ 8ohms, unless I am mistaken, so your comments are especially impressive. I have always liked the Monitor Audio Silver 300's and have yet to hear the R5's, since the local dealer does not stock them. I have a pair of LS50's and love the detail and soundstage of the Uni-Q driver. So I'm thinking the R5's could be quite exciting / out of this world, comparatively speaking, as Steve basically pointed out with the R3's If and when the time comes to replace my current towers, the R5's and the Silver 300's will be at the top of my consideration list. Thanks again!!
@@Michael-xz1nk I did my audition probably slightly different to how most would approach things. I didn't set a budget and then listen to several pairs of speakers at that value, instead I chose several speakers at different price points - nominally £1k, £2k, £3k. I chose speakers at those points that I think are arguably amongst the best at those points (and ones l liked aesthetically too) and the aim was establish at what point I didn't hear or perceive the difference I heard to be enough to warrant additional cost. I.e if there was little separating them, the MA Silver 300's I'd have bought, and equally if the B&W walked it then I'd have bought those. The KEF quite literally from the first note had me grinning (as did my Dad who came along too), I instantly knew they were the ones by a mile. I guess I could have then gone on to audition several pairs at the £2k value of the KEF, but honestly I was absolutely sold from the first note. You could say they are a bargain, although they're still an expensive speaker so maybe not the case...! But great they certainly are.
with KEFs you wanna avoid on axis dispersion as much as possible so the wider you toe them clear of walls the better and they're ideally played straight. I go as far as to take them up 4 inches above my head so at no point I'm actually on axis at all and if I were to do a recording and run around behind the volume chsnge it would sound like it was dubbed over
Thanks for the awesome review Steve! I’m curious if you’d recommend pairing them with my Rega Brio amp? Maybe someone here tried this combo already? Thanks in advance! Love your Chanel! Here’s the Brio powers specifications: 195Watts at 230V/220V/115V/100V into the rated load of 8Ω
Cau8 LangMang I just copied power consumption line 🤪 Here’s power output: Power outputs at 230/115V supply voltage: 50Watts RMS both channels driven into the rated load of 8Ω
I sold a set of Wharfdale $7000 Elysians for the R3s and they put them to shame. They’re amazing speakers. I’m driving them with the Rotel Diamond integrated.
Hi! Would you recommend it for classical music (and some pop) over the ls50 meta? Or which speaker would you recommend for classical music? Buchardt Mk2 or Kef R3, or something else?
So today, the kef R3 meta is out, would you recomend the old model if you could buy them at aprox half the price used, would you still buy the new meta model? Especially in my case with a good avr or only 50W stereo amp?
Hi Steve. I've been watching your review of the KEF R3 and I have the possibility to get them just by exchanging my current speakers witch I do not like at all (not happy with them, just that) just adding 300 euros. Are they that good? Thanks for your videos!
There are better, and they are the older metallic silver/gold special edition monitor audio gr20 gold reference loudspeakers, from 2005. 30hz to 30 kHz, a 2 1/2 way design 89db sensativity and 5 ohms maximum impedance. Also best biamped for maximum sound quality and ultimate control and sound quality. They wipe the floor floor with the kef reference, as with regards to their balanced and openness of sound they are capable of.
another great GREAT review, thank you. Im torn between these and the ELAC vela 403. Could you please tell me which ones you prefer and why? they are close in price range, I am looking for a very detailed, crisp , sharp clear speaker. Please Help ...thank you, Adrian
Hi Steve, thank you for excellent review as always. Is pass labs xa25 good match for KEF R3? Or what are the best speakers for the xa25 that you have tested?
Hi Steve, i am interesting to by Keff R3 with SVS 3000 sealed sub , What will be the better match with this speakers? Parasound Halo 2.1 or the Rotel ra 1592 ? 50/50 music and movie.
As an owner of these and spending a ton of time trying to be critical about them, there are the songs that stand out as massive performers and some that don't. As the reviewer highlights, songs with exceptional strings, depth and imaging come through at the top especially (like Old Man): Crazy: All Queen (the imaging on ABTD is absurd on them) Riders on the Storm Sharing the Night Together I Feel Love Walk on the Wild Side Old Man Sympathy for the Devil Amazing: Tom Sawyer With or Without You No Quarter What it Takes Creep Paint it Black Giorgio by Moroder Rocket Man Lovesong Turn it on Again Steppin Out Love Shack All Bee Gees All Floyd All Stevie Wonder All Supertramp Now there are bands I love that didn't shine, and similar to the reviewers comments punk in general for some reason doesn't work, I think is just lack of warmth. In any case, I wouldn't trade these for anything.
@Fat Rat Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm new to owning speakers at this quality level, and so I'm also becoming much more involved with the quality level of the source now (because I can hear the difference). You have to hunt a bit for quality. For example, I will listen to a song on Spotify or Amazon music, and then will grab a FLAC of the exact same song and it will be way higher fidelity. But, now I realize much more so there is a differential between music mastering vs. song writing in terms of how I'm evaluating music the music I like. That statement sounds pretty snobby (for a non-musician to say), but if a song just sounds great that's a thing - equal to any other aspect of music. Trying to find a good copy of 'Requiem For Romance' by NIGHTCLUB; especially track 4 'Dear Enemy' immediately!
I used to work for Kef and Celestion in Ipswich UK, I was Quality Control and I did test every tweeter for frequency response, I listened to every one with a sine-wave sweep and matched them into pairs. The owners shut the factory and moved most production to China, not sure how the QC is done these days but I can attest to the care I took back in the day.
very sad
When did it move overseas?
@@oscarjung5405 Hello Mate, 2003. The company moved to a much smaller site on the other side of town. They retained a small production line to satisfy Marshall who wanted their drivers to be made in the UK...not sure if that is still the case?
@@iseeolly9959 Thanks. I was wondering how far I had to go back to get som KEFs made in the UK, but that might be a bit too far :) but always interesting to hear thoughts from insiders!
@@oscarjung5405 It's even more complicated than that....the drivers/tweeters/crossovers for Celestion and Kef were made in Ipswich and China/Japan even back then, some made by our company but some were made by the likes of Sanyo...we did QA tests on drivers imported from China...the Kef factory in Maidstone installed the components into cabinets for Celestion and Kef brands. The lower end stuff was entirely made in China and I would pull some from the warehouse and test the packaging (dropping it from 1m onto the floor) and would have a listen to them..... 20 years ago my ears could hear up to 17.3kHz, doubt they are as good now! We also made drivers/tweeter/crossovers for other companies like Rogers and B&O. The best HiFi speakers I ever heard at the factory (we had a legacy collection) were the Celestion Kingston, so difficult to manufacture...the cab's were easy to mark/damage. They sound wonderful and were probably the last Celestion Speakers actually made in the UK (I'll stand corrected if wrong!..no probs).....looking back, they were a bit ugly! The Kef Reference 203 were nice (a little bass light though) and nearly all the bits were made in the UK...it took ages to work-out how to install the UniQ tweeter into the middle of the drivers Kapton former without it rubbing....I was never too sure if the Hypertweeter on top had that much of an effect, I was told that even though you couldn't hear it, the harmonics effected lower frequencies (?) ....truth is that the factory didn't have a CD player or amp that went over 22kHz anyway ! Cheers mate.
Have had the KEF R3 for half a year, and I can confirme Steves view on these speakers. They really gives you a bit of high end musical performance, and I consider them really god value for the money you have to pay for them. I use them with Hegel H360 and Hegel HD30 dac, and if the quality og the signal you feed them with is good, the quality of what they reward you with, is really good. I also find them best firing straight out into the room. You sacrifice a minor focus in the centerstage, but you get a much greater soundstage, and the speakers dissapeare in the soundstage. I think it is safe to call these speakers highly recommended.
I thought at 64 it was time to settle for the music set-up which would do me for the rest of life. So I thought about the components which had given me the most listening pleasure for my Classical and Jazz taste over the last twenty or so years. So speaker: Celestions, the 15, the 40'w and the 60, Leaks, the 2060 and the 2030, Kefs, the Concerto, the celef, the Cadenza. Australian make Audio Definition. Amps Quads, Sansuis, A goodmans 150, various Japanese models. I ended up with a Quad 30 preamp, 405 power amp a Denon DVD player for CD's and a set of Kef Concertos. I have the Audio Definitions currently playing trough a Nad which I quite like. That will be enough I think. I also had thousands of vinyl at one stage but I won't be venturing there anymore. The old hearing has lost a lost off the top and I have to put up with some fairly muffled listening sessions these days and the extreme care I took with LP's can't be guaranteed any more.I only buy CD's now. I first understood the "sound stage" through a pair of Leak 2030's and heard the most precise rendering of the Human voice through a Pair of Leak 2060's coupled with a pair of Kef Concertos. These memories everyone who delves seriously into music will create for themselves. I hope many young people look beyond the catchy dross thrown at them commercially and search for themselves through the rich musical culture of the past to find the music which as time goes on will live with them and will help create the recollections of loved ones and places and experiences that are entirely their own. The comfort music gives as the Autumn of life relentlessly troops on cannot be understated. Anyway, the gear might not be the very best but they're names I am entirely grateful to for having gifted revelations of beauty to me through the years. Good listening to all.
You are such a joy to listen to, trying to convey how a speaker sounds, is an art on itself!
I wanted to write exactly the same sentiment. Steve really captures the terms and ideas I would want to tell someone about great speakers. I find it a relief to listen to him because we're on the same wavelength. Thank you Steve.
I bought a pair of KEF R3s last January and have been thrilled with them every single day.
They SHRED the LS50s (and I'm saying this as someone who loved/loves the LS50s).
Appreciate the endorsement on these. Question: Z- Riews claimed that these R3s LOST BASS after break in??? Any consent on that or experience with that on yours??
Curious
Alexander Scott i owned the ls50 and R3 at the same time on the same room and electronics. I agree the R3 shreds the LS50. And zeos' assesment of the R3 is bullshit. What lost bass is he fucking talking about? Theres more bass in the R3 than my previous Dynaudio Focus..
I've had my R3s for almost a year and the bass is excellent, more like bigger floor standing speakers than stand mounters. I saw that review, too, and I'm baffled. I think the Whathifi review is more accurate.
Same experience here after 9 months of ownership. Substantially Better than a pair of Ls50's I had. The bass is solid, although not very deep (totally disagree with that Zeos guy).
The only thing I disagree with Steve, is that I think the Ls50's can get brighter than this. Otherwise his review is spot on. Hope this helps someone.
Im gonna chalk Zeos' review, regarding loss of bass as a set up and room acoustics issue! I see he basically sets up his speakers in same basic locations (in front of open doorway), likely NOT getting solid bass from one or perhaps both of these speakers, also placed on high stands!??
Probably what that is
So many speakers. Only one life.
Thank you Steve for your comment about ohms I’ve had these for a year and running on 8 ohms and was looking at options for getting more bottom end , I just changed to the 4ohms post on my primaluna classic & oh my these baby’s jumped out and gave me a big old beer hug 👍👌🤘✌️
This is truth right here!
I just got these two weeks ago. I finally know what people mean when they speak of soundstage.
What amp are you using? I got them but need a proper amp
pure envy...
@@gustavos366 I use these speakers with a Hegel h190 amplifier. The sound is very impressive.
@@gustavos366 Got them today along side a naim atom. Works like a champ, I put the amp at 60% and the volume gets really load.
@Bryan Dempsen, These are rated at 8ohm (min 3.2), why does he say they need a 4 ohm Amp? I was planning for a 8 Ohm amp
Your passion really shines through, Steve. Now I want to listen to a set of KEF R3's.
Rob Franci
Great review Steve!
Would love to hear a discussion on Speaker Toe🦶-In!.. It has been my experience that for some reason speakers with Concentric drivers sound their best with very little toe-in. I’ve experienced this with several KEFs and a pair of Thiel 3.7.
I have heard good things about KEF speakers for decades now. I have always wanted to audition a full range KEF set.
Gorgeous speakers. Man, the competition in that $2000 speakers price range is downright fierce!
Your correct. I've narrowed it to kef r3 and magnepan 1.7i
I bought a pair of thee a few weeks ago. So far, I like them a lot. I have some new equipment on the way, to go with them. Together, it should all sound fantastic.
I had to watch this again. To me, this video of Steve talking about this thing, it's an inspiration to those of us who build speakers nothing as good as this thing. But it creates inspiration. I probably will never hear speakers this good. But hearing Steve talk about them, I have a feeling of what I should aim for, when I build my own, on whatever budget I have. Steve brings poetry into the audiophile space, he uses words like juicy. It's inspiring.
Even the lowly KEF Q100 sounds real good. Uni-Q is great technology.
Gone are the days when kef’s finish (vinyl) was iffy. I love the sound of older kefs, I’m sure the new ones will not disappoint
Love your presentation! Different the from Zero Fidelity's take on their imaging. I'm guessing rooms, placement, electronic and source material all play a huge role. Not to mention subjectivity. Thanks!
Yet another awesome speaker from KEF.
Damn, I love how you describe this. It's like poetry.
Thanks Steve, we should review the Reference 1 and/or 3, they’re incredible and would probably benefit many of us here, cheers!
Thanks again Steve, your enthusiasm is infectious!
KEF provides good value for money, and always has, especially top-of-their-line models. If you don't have scratch for new S O T A, get older KEF coaxial similar size model (back to 1980's C-95) and you will not be disappointed with smoothness and precision in the price range of used gear. Older model might lend itself to DIY bi-amp or tri-amp with digital crossover, with usual advantages and caveat of digital.
Only complaint possible is lack of house quake that a refrigerator size Altec or JBL brings.
Really like the sharpened-up production on your vids. Better visuals, shot variety etc. Very important for viewers.
We are Using our R3s (white) with Marantz sa8005 player and kinki studio ex-m1 mk2 and special handmade silver core cables and they sound freakin good.. We are just re-listening every music we listened earlier.. Highly recommended all components, R3 are very deep in bass, hard to explain. :) we are happy
You can hear the brass in the cymbals on my R300s with Vinyl playing
I've got the R7s in the walnut finish. (... managed to get an 'open box' pair for £1750, instead of the usual £2600). I'm happy with the speaker - great sound-staging. What surprises me though, is Mr Guttenberg's avid appreciation of the quality of the finish. Mine looks more like formica than a real wood veneer. Does anyone else have one of the new KEF Rs in the walnut finish & wish to offer an opinion ? These speakers do prefer an amp with power to spare, it seems. My Creek Evolution 100A claims 110W into 8 ohms / 170W into 4 .. but feels as if it's coming up a little short. The amp does drive two pairs though (A+B) - so am intending on getting R3s to put at the side of my living room with the R7s at the front. I used to have Dali Opticon 6s at the front & Zensor 7s at the side .. and that sounded very good to me - so hopefully the KEFs will work well in tandem too !
Hi, did you get the R3 speakers in addition to your current setup?
Had my R7’s since they came out.
Pair so well with Cayin CS100A valve amp.
Been so happy with the sound.
Nice to know you have the Cayin amp.. I do have a Cayin CS-55A paired with Buchartd S400 and Marantz TT 15S1 very pleased.... How do you like the Cayin ?
@@sergioj55
I also have a CS-55a, which I love. I eventually swapped the stock Cayin kt88s for Gold Lions. Wow! Such an amazing difference. I’m just now waiting on delivery of my R3s. That turntable is terrific. Made by ClearAudio. How do you find the inbuilt Cayin phono stage?
Medium listening room 25 m2 : Have the KEFs R3 with their Stands (all white) + Mytek BROOKLYN DAC+ DAC / PREAMP + ROKSAN K3 POWER AMP, and they are biwired (ECOSSE Cables) ... WOAW ! Love the sound 🙏🏻 They HIT and Imaging is FANTASTIC ! Source : NUPRIME CDT-10 CD Transport, or MacBook Air + Audirvana + SYNOLOGY NAS 2 x 4TB for "Hi-Res" Files. Couldn't be happier at this time 😋
So appreciate your reviews!!!...like reading a great book....I need to listen 2/3 times because your reviews are chalk full of insight, experience and information. Thank You!!!
Elegant looking and sweet sounding!
Hi, Steve. Always thanks for your honest reviews. I've been looking for 3-way bookshelf speakers including these R3 and Elac Adante.. And recently I found Wharfedale released new Evo lineup and there's REAL (= in my prejudices) 3-way bookshelf 4.2 model which has a AMT tweeter, a dome midrange and a 6.5 woofer! If you have any chance, I want you to review that Evo 4.2!!
I preferred the LS50 Meta over the R3, so I bought a pair with matching stands, sound amazing. I never like the original LS50 but these are so good.
Why did you prefer the Meta's over these R3's?
They hate bass that’s why lol
Thanks Steve very much. Following your review, I decided to go with KEF R7 and I am happy with my choice. I pair it with Rotel RA-1592 mkii. They sound nice.
Hi Steve, what is your take on KEF R3 vs KEF LS50 Meta? Do you think both of the speakers will pair nice with a Cambridge Audio CXA81?
KEF R3 are superb, I cannot recommend them highly enough. I have a used set in a small room 3m x 5m and they are Brilliant. I have a new set in a smaller room nearfield and also good BUT need to be 1.5 metres away to hear bass. These wipe the floor with SVS Ultra bookshelf although ultra bookshelf tweeter is superb. Nearfield I suggest you need min 1 metre apart and min 2 metres away from them. I also have ATC SCM 11 which are a superb speaker. KEF R3 bass is deeper and is slightly more dynamic. Detail of KEF R3 is also very good, very detailed.
Which would be your choice between the Kefs and the SCM 11's if you could only keep one?
Wondering what Steve's speaker of the year will be for 2019...
Got these today alongside Naim atom. 8ohm 40W per channel and 72W 4ohm per channel. When I have it set to 60% it sounds really loud and they truly work in harmony.
Do you feel like you have enough power at only 40 wpc with the Atom / R3 combo in terms of detail, clarity, sound stage? Thanks!
@@Michael-xz1nk Yes and I actually don't believe in the 40w I think is around 55w in reality. When I said 60% I actually blow the speakers. Listening level in a very BIG room is at 20% high volume 35%, very high 45% and destroying speakers and ear level 52% and above. When I listen normally I have it set at 27% and I retrieve all the detail and soundstage that I seek.
Thanks much! Enjoy!
I now own these and they are spectacular with another recommended product by Steve, the SVS sb-4000. This combo leaves you wanting for almost nothing and the integration is seemless.
Like as a Hart. I’m very happy to hear about that recording. I taught piano at Westminster Choir College around 1995. ☺️
I love my 103.2 and my low end C40s matched together For my sit down quiet listening space they just oooooooze out a fantastic sound stage.
That was a great assessment Steve. I have the R900s with JC1 mono blocks (and the LS50s) and I noticed the same things you noticed. Basically the R series plays what it hears upstream. I only have neutral amps, preamps, DACs.... ,but I would imagine that anything bright or harsh would show it's shortcomings through these very detailed speakers. I have a lot of decent speakers, but even with a 150watt Parasound amp driving the R900s, that was the first time I heard a realistic kick drum and the sax sounded like it was live in my room. With the JC1s I probably put 300watts to the R900s and they seemed to beg for more tight,natural, powerful bass. Unlike many speaker when you turn the volume UP, the treble doesn't get shouty. This is with neutral gear, so I'm sure it would be biting with bright components upstream. These revealing speakers don't need bright equipment to reveal the tiniest nuances in the recording. The separation is amazing.
That said, don't buy the R900s unless you have a big room (they will overpower your room with bass). If people like the LS50s, they will love the R series. The highs are silkier and and smoother with the R series tweeter and the R3/300 and up will have much better bass.
You can EQ the base lower if you have a good DAC or integrated unit that can do it, or use some sort of room correction if it is supported by one of your upstream components. Doing this also has the benefit of lowering the load on your amp and lets the driver focus on higher frequencies.
I love that you used the flaming lips version of dark side!
I picked up the previous iteration of these, the R300s. At $900 the pair, you get a lot of what's good in the these for under half the price.
Thanks for the comparison between R3 & LS50, Steve. :-))
Speakers keep getting better!
Can you comment how is Kef R3 compare to LS 50 Meta? Thanks.
Wow, some experience there.. nice review..
Hi Steve, nice review. How would you describe the differences between the Kef R3 and the PMC twenty5.21i from your older Video? Thanks
Hi Sebastian. I heard the 5.21 and 5.22 from PMC last week. They ok, but not that "Giant Killer" , as the Kef R3 is!!
Would be interesting to see a comparison between the R3's and the Dali Rubicon 2
As always thank you for the review Steve
I have the R300s and I love them. Do you think it's worth upgrading to these from the R300s or there's not enough difference to justify the cost?
Interested in thisone too.
I am interested in this too, owning the r300
Of course all us R300 owners are wondering this same thing... R300's are awesome. I'm happy with mine and my only upgrade path would be to the REF 1 if they sounded worth the extra dollars (I've never had the pleasure of hearing them).. I doubt many of us could hear the difference between the R300 and R3.
I have both the r300 and r3. Both are great(!) Speakers.The differences for me are as follows. In comparison, the R300 has a bump in the mid bass and less sub bass than the R3.The R3 therefore seems a bit more articulate in that region. It's flatter. Mids are a bit more present in the R3 than the R300. Vocals are more forward. The upper region is a bit brighter in the R300 than the R3 in my experience. I am nitpicking here though.
@@maarten6234 Thanks for the detailed overview. Appreciate it
Hi Steve,
You have listed some of the Components used to review the R3,
but can You please give us a " Price Tag " on all involved Components incl.
Cable, Speaker Stands, Amps and so on, to put the Result of your Review
more in to a Perspective ?
And by the way, I bought a Pair of these, but it looks like I have to find a new
Amp for them, my 300B push/pull is not happy on them.
Thanks, Ralf
Hi Steve,
The other I was shopping at Best Buy and happened to find these KEF R3 for a discounted price of $650. I didn't even think twice and pulled the trigger, but now I'm sitting here with a pair of speakers and not much else. Would you please recommend an amplifier/DAC combo to power these speakers in a 2.1ch setup? I mainly stream music, but also have a decent amount of vinyl records and cd's. Budget? Around $1500 for the amp. I know this hobby can get out of hand quickly, but I'm grateful to have someone like you to guide us into the "deep space" that is hifi audio. Cheers!
Everything you've said about the R'3s matches up with their actual scientific measurements on audio science review pretty much
Its always a joy to listen to your reviews. Recently I bought the Audiolab 6000CDT. I connect it with my Quad Vena II. In the future I would like to replace my Missions 753 with the KEF R3 Meta (. For these speakers I need more "power". I was thinking to replace my Amp for the Audiolab 7000A or add a the power amp Shiit Vidar II. Which option would you advice?
I’ve had mine for a few weeks now. I use them in a fairly large, open, loft-style condo with 12ft ceilings, more hard surfaces than I’d prefer, and driven by a Naim Uniti Star.
I like them a lot, but have not quite yet achieved the “invisible speaker” effect that people mention WRT this speaker. That’s fine - I have to do more experimentation, and probably get some room treatments in place.
I will say they’re good enough that I have considered upgrading to the Reference 1 which is the cost-no-object version of these guys. But that’s probably silly if I haven’t milked everything out of the R3 yet.
Wait a few years until the update the reference series and enjoy these in the meantime
I’ve just heard R3. Matching them with Nordost speaker cables is a good direction (or even needed)
Better sound and better looks but a heavy increase in MSRP.That ladies and gentleman is the central issue at hand.While we are of course grateful to the maestro for his general elucidation of the elements to be contended with this,dare I say is ,core problem still to be addressed
@Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac : what kind of amp do you recommand to pair with those speakers ?
Yamaha RN803 is disappointing, Yam CA610 sounds better but is underpowered, Rotel RA714 the same underpower for them.
'd you go for NAD? Roksan ? Yamaha AS2100 ???
Thx for your help
I just ordered the R11s. Let's see what the fuss is about. They did tick all the boxes.
I have them with a Luxman L-505-UX, I really like My R11 !
I heard the Kef R7 and I was very impressed. I went with dynaudio evoke 50 instead though. But it had not been a bad choise, or maybe the R11.
Hello! Can you share why you choose the Dyanudio instead ? You say you where impressed. Thanks!
@@zombielandiii2711 It wasn't anything wrong with the kef. I chose Dynaudio Evoke because the tweeter is kinder to my ears. The kef tweeter is harder more in face sound than the dynaudio. Just a personal preference.
Steve: I'd love if you reviewed the R5, the entry level tower version of the R3 at $3,000 / pair. I assume all the detail and texture you describe herein, combined with a tighter, more refined bottom end. Any chance of you reviewing it in 2020?
Any R5 owners out there? Any thoughts?
Thanks everyone!
I have heard both and really liked the R3 with a Rel sub. For whatever reason the R3 sounded better than he R5. It doesn't make sense but it is true. I heard them in a magnolia audio room in the same room
Thanks for the input. The R3 gets rave reviews. However, I would be replacing towers. I am also not a sub fan. Maybe by the time I am ready to buy, the R series will be updated again? No rush. Just window shopping at the mo.
@@Michael-xz1nk I would normally agree with you about subs but..... if you haven't heard a REL sub paired with a set of high end speakers you really should. The REL sub is not like any other sub I have heard. I absolutely can not stand anything that will muddy up my music or at the very least makes it impossible to balance the sub to the speakers. I can tell you that the general population will not like the Rel sub due to "lack of bass". I will also tell you that I was 100% saying the exact same thing you did in response to adding a sub until I had the opportunity to audition Rel subs. I wouldn't recommend them for movies but for music, they sort of disappear until you turn them off and then you realize why they cost so much. I would highly recommend that before automatically shut that door before it even opens, try to audition one. I promise it's not what you think and I stand by my statement of choosing the R3 with a rel sub over the R5.
I also auditioned a pair of magnepan 1.7i with a different model Rel sub. I am madly in love with the Magnepan 1.7i. They are magical but the only complaint I had was even though the bass was there, it lacked "weight". The gentlemen that was taking care of me told me that he knew exactly what i was saying and already had a Rel sub hooked up but off. He turned it on and when he did the weight that I was missing was there. It didn't really add bass and it was the opposite of boomy. That set up was literally the best combo I've ever heard in my life. Number 2 was the kef r3 with......yep.. another Rel sub. Do yourself a favor and audition one.
Guys, I have a Kef R700. What are the nuances of the sound of the new R series, compared to the previous one?
Great review Steve but I still hope you will review the terminator DAC :)
What you recommended (pre amp, amp) to get full R3 potential ?
I think about : rotel rb1552 + rc1572 (may be Schiit tube) + pioneer n50a
Thanks for review!!!
Hello Steve, any chance of reviewing the new KEF R Metas? Especially the middle model among their floor-standers, the R7 Meta?
I’m using a pair of these with a pair of REL T/9i subs, a nice match.
no way, me too. Which Amp?
@@santiagodelrio8880 PrimaLuna Dialog Integrated, Nord class D monoblocks in the summer because of the heat. The Nords are the best class D I have heard, but the Primalunas are...Tubes!
Julia Hiw big is your room?I am wondering about 7 or 9 for LS50's and don't want to overload the room.Yeah I am wondering also about next step if should be 1 or 2.$4500 I dunnoh if it's worth R3 over R300-thoughts?
@@charleskatz2606 I use this setup in my home office which isnt very big 10 x 10 and it can get a bit much if you dont adjust your levels. It took me about a week to find the right levels but now it's perfect.
@@juliaset751 curious. Are you using the Speakon connection with the REL or are you just sending LFE?
Great review Steve. I've been strongly considering the KEF R series as an upgrade from my LS50's. The R3's have a very good reputation.
I also own the LS50s and to my ear they are detailed and seem best on vocals but kind of glaringly gritty so if Steve thinks they are "warm" hmm. Why not consider the Mag LRS if you got the juice and the space? I got them and they are obviously a whole different thing but do sound good. Driving them with Bryston 4BSST
@@JohnDoe-np3zk Thanks for the suggestion, but I have nowhere near enough room to properly position Maggies - hence my interest in bookshelf speakers. Every space is different, but I don't find the LS50's bright or gritty unless it's the characteristics of the actual recording.
@@tjp444 maybe find a store you can listen to them side x side.
LS50 are in no opened or detailed, and nor is the quite long and complicated signal path of the bryston 4bsst the best way to get the best smooth and detailed sound quality either, never even mind the source component you must using.
@@ianjohnhorwood2605 say what?
Hey Steve nice review. A question on the associated equipment used for the review. Have you reviewed the PS AUDIO DIRECTSTREAM DAC, if so how who you say it compares to the Denafrips Terminator?
Thank you Steve , un saludo desde Chile! Is the R3 concentric driver the same as the ls50? Or Q 350?
How you see this R3, or if saving money LS50, Klipsch 600M with the new AV receiver MARANTZ PM7000N or Denon AVR-X3600H
? I'm in the journey for my first Hifi system and wanna something that really makes me feel complete the next 15 years for turntable, streaming music and some TV-shows (music goes first).
live recordings are so different than listening the live show. After recording mixing engineer adds eq, compression, panning, high and lowpass filters, volymes etc. Then mastering the whole thing :D
Steve How would they handle SAY LED ZEPPELIN II... Would they handle the occasional Rock & Roll tunes?
What electronics would you pair with the R3 assembling a [digital] system today, with the R3 representing 30% - 35% of the $ allocation? (As reviewed the R3's represent less than 10%). Or is there another way you would approach this?
Hi there. Hope you don't mind me giving my two cents as a random internet person. I recently put together a system around the R3s, and, coincidentally, the speakers ended up coming in at around the price ratio you mention.
I went with an Emotiva BasX A-300 as the power amp with the logic that it was "good enough". After all, its THD+N is around 1/10 that of the speakers themselves (thank you, KEF, for giving us that spec), so I think it's clean enough to be transparent in the context of the speakers and, well, a room. My room isn't big, but I get around 90 dB SPL at the listening position (hope I'm remembering that figure correctly) while only drawing 1 out of the Emotiva's 150 watts, so plenty of headroom there. The A-300 also doubles its power into 4 ohms, so the minimum impedance of the R3s shouldn't present a problem. And the amp is well reviewed, even though its very affordable. In truth though, there are so many adequate amps. :-) Call me a heretic, but there are some super-low distortion class D amps these days that look very appealing. But as I say, I still suspect the Emotiva is good enough.
DAC/preamp: this one is easy: no one should ever buy anything other than the MiniDSP SHD. ;-) It's a very clean DAC (measured), with around 1/100 the distortion/noise of the amp and 1/1000 that of the speakers, so we have to call that transparent. It also does everything: it's a streamer, it has analogue-to-digital inputs (room-corrected vinyl, anyone? no??), and most importantly, it has Dirac Live, which will completely transform the bass in your room and make orders of magnitude more difference than spending thousands/tens of thousands on boutique electronics. I guess this is kind of a personal choice though: not everyone has the desire/patience for room correction. If you don't want all the features, the topping D50S measures equally well and is much cheaper.
I also added two sealed subs to the system (I went with the KEF Kube 12b). The miniDSP has complete control over these (it has four channels out) with independent high/low pass filters and delays on all channels. With room correction, in my room, the system is flat to 10 Hz, but even without the subs, it's flat to 40 Hz, so one could make a very compelling case that the subs were unnecessary! :-) If I were living in the US, I'd probably have gone with SVS for the subs instead of KEF... or skip the subs.
Steve, great review. For HT, I am very strongly considering LS50META LCR. How would you compare the R3?
Important to me is clarity listening at low volumes (kids sleeping) and wide sound stage (12 foot couch that is 10 FT from speakers).
NOTES
- 80% HT / 20% music listening mix
- LCR paired with sub
- Very excited to be making this purchase and taking my audio experience to the next level!
Perhaps a better question is why would you chose one over the other.
Low level and detailed you might have a listen to Triangle and wharfedale.
If you want to be blown away by the width of a soundstage with those R3s try listening to 'Stripped' by Christina Aguilera (seriously!)
I'm running KEF Q100 with an ELAC S10.2 subwoofer... sounds really good!
Howard Haigh Aguilera? you must not like music very much.
@@PS987654321PS 😂
Howard Haigh Idiot.
@@PS987654321PS 😂😂😂
You should hear that album on my old special edition monitor audio gold reference 20 2 and 1/2 way designed floorstanders, biamped with my old avi s2000mi amplifiers and my 24/192 capable linn genki cd players, wired with nordost spm reference rca cables and nordost leif red dawn speaker cables. To be able to Get down and dirty is utterly capable for this system, while not fatigueing either.
Thanks again. I always look forward to your reviews. With this level of detail do you find that fatiguing?
I wonder what equipment I would need to have to hear Steve Guttenberg sitting ten feet away from the microphone during the recording session?
Great review, Steve. Thanks
Hi Steve, why connect speakers in HF instead LF like it is in a manual?
Hi Steve,
How would you compare this to the Dynaudio Special 40? I have the Xeo 6 and am a fan but am destined to continually sample the audio world. My plan is to pair with a mcintosh 5300 or a Naim Atom. Thanks for your thoughts.
Bought some R5's and think they are incredible too!
Hi Richard....please tell me more? What amp are you using? Thanks!
@@Michael-xz1nk Using an Audiolab 8300 with the R5's, open and detailed mids and upper, plenty of strong controlled bass, with an overriding sense of smoothness and refinement. I compared them back to back with 2 other pairs at the time, Monitor Audio Silver 300 - muffled in comparison and not as much bass. Then B&W 702 S2 which were bright and edgy, bordering on harsh. About the same bass as the KEF, but just not anywhere near as smooth sounding across the freq. range and ultimately a very disappointing speaker for the money. - I've seen this criticism of the 700 series a lot mind.
So I bought the KEF and not looked back, later added an R2C then some T101's at the rear (I'm using the HT bypass of the Audiolab on fronts obviously)...very happy with this setup now! (Music source is a Bluesound Node 2i - possibly add an external DAC one day but no immediate plans for that).
Richard...thanks so much for your input. I think the Audiolab 800 is only 75 wpc @ 8ohms, unless I am mistaken, so your comments are especially impressive.
I have always liked the Monitor Audio Silver 300's and have yet to hear the R5's, since the local dealer does not stock them. I have a pair of LS50's and love the detail and soundstage of the Uni-Q driver. So I'm thinking the R5's could be quite exciting / out of this world, comparatively speaking, as Steve basically pointed out with the R3's
If and when the time comes to replace my current towers, the R5's and the Silver 300's will be at the top of my consideration list. Thanks again!!
@@Michael-xz1nk I did my audition probably slightly different to how most would approach things. I didn't set a budget and then listen to several pairs of speakers at that value, instead I chose several speakers at different price points - nominally £1k, £2k, £3k. I chose speakers at those points that I think are arguably amongst the best at those points (and ones l liked aesthetically too) and the aim was establish at what point I didn't hear or perceive the difference I heard to be enough to warrant additional cost. I.e if there was little separating them, the MA Silver 300's I'd have bought, and equally if the B&W walked it then I'd have bought those. The KEF quite literally from the first note had me grinning (as did my Dad who came along too), I instantly knew they were the ones by a mile.
I guess I could have then gone on to audition several pairs at the £2k value of the KEF, but honestly I was absolutely sold from the first note. You could say they are a bargain, although they're still an expensive speaker so maybe not the case...! But great they certainly are.
Richard: Very interesting approach. Thanks much for sharing!
with KEFs you wanna avoid on axis dispersion as much as possible so the wider you toe them clear of walls the better and they're ideally played straight.
I go as far as to take them up 4 inches above my head so at no point I'm actually on axis at all and if I were to do a recording and run around behind the volume chsnge it would sound like it was dubbed over
Hi Steve, what speaker stands do you use in the video, and what’s the height of them? 24 or 28?
Very intriguing as a KEF owner but no room for them..too big...the LS 50’s are perfect for me...to each their own...
I might consider hawks or new model ones for my small room
Just re-watch this video again 👍
Steve, just curious if LS50META + REL and R3 + KF92, which combo will you prefer? ...mind to share your thoughts?
Thanks for the awesome review Steve! I’m curious if you’d recommend pairing them with my Rega Brio amp? Maybe someone here tried this combo already? Thanks in advance! Love your Chanel!
Here’s the Brio powers specifications: 195Watts at 230V/220V/115V/100V into the rated load of 8Ω
Is there a typo somewhere in that specs?
Cau8 LangMang I just copied power consumption line 🤪
Here’s power output:
Power outputs at 230/115V supply voltage: 50Watts RMS both channels driven into the rated load of 8Ω
Hey Steve, at 4 ohm 100 watt per channel, the Rag 2 *should* work well with these, no? What do you think.
I sold a set of Wharfdale $7000 Elysians for the R3s and they put them to shame. They’re amazing speakers. I’m driving them with the Rotel Diamond integrated.
Hi! Would you recommend it for classical music (and some pop) over the ls50 meta? Or which speaker would you recommend for classical music? Buchardt Mk2 or Kef R3, or something else?
Hi again, Steve. I own a Mc5300 amplifier. Do you think it could be a good match with the Kef R3? Regards.
Of course it is. Its Kef.
So today, the kef R3 meta is out, would you recomend the old model if you could buy them at aprox half the price used, would you still buy the new meta model? Especially in my case with a good avr or only 50W stereo amp?
Hi Steve. I've been watching your review of the KEF R3 and I have the possibility to get them just by exchanging my current speakers witch I do not like at all (not happy with them, just that) just adding 300 euros. Are they that good? Thanks for your videos!
Is there a floorstander version of these?
There are better, and they are the older metallic silver/gold special edition monitor audio gr20 gold reference loudspeakers, from 2005. 30hz to 30 kHz, a 2 1/2 way design 89db sensativity and 5 ohms maximum impedance. Also best biamped for maximum sound quality and ultimate control and sound quality. They wipe the floor floor with the kef reference, as with regards to their balanced and openness of sound they are capable of.
Yes, several.
another great GREAT review, thank you. Im torn between these and the ELAC vela 403. Could you please tell me which ones you prefer and why? they are close in price range, I am looking for a very detailed, crisp , sharp clear speaker. Please Help ...thank you, Adrian
Steve, do you ave a certain type of speaker stand you use with the KEF R3s? How tall are the stands? Brand name? etc.
Hi Steve, thank you for excellent review as always. Is pass labs xa25 good match for KEF R3? Or what are the best speakers for the xa25 that you have tested?
Dear Steve, how do they compare to the LS50 Meta? Which one would you choose? Merry Christmas
Hi Steve, i am interesting to by Keff R3 with SVS 3000 sealed sub , What will be the better match with this speakers? Parasound Halo 2.1 or the Rotel ra 1592 ? 50/50 music and movie.
Thanks for the review Steve. Would Rotel work well with this?
As an owner of these and spending a ton of time trying to be critical about them, there are the songs that stand out as massive performers and some that don't. As the reviewer highlights, songs with exceptional strings, depth and imaging come through at the top especially (like Old Man):
Crazy:
All Queen (the imaging on ABTD is absurd on them)
Riders on the Storm
Sharing the Night Together
I Feel Love
Walk on the Wild Side
Old Man
Sympathy for the Devil
Amazing:
Tom Sawyer
With or Without You
No Quarter
What it Takes
Creep
Paint it Black
Giorgio by Moroder
Rocket Man
Lovesong
Turn it on Again
Steppin Out
Love Shack
All Bee Gees
All Floyd
All Stevie Wonder
All Supertramp
Now there are bands I love that didn't shine, and similar to the reviewers comments punk in general for some reason doesn't work, I think is just lack of warmth. In any case, I wouldn't trade these for anything.
@Fat Rat Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm new to owning speakers at this quality level, and so I'm also becoming much more involved with the quality level of the source now (because I can hear the difference).
You have to hunt a bit for quality.
For example, I will listen to a song on Spotify or Amazon music, and then will grab a FLAC of the exact same song and it will be way higher fidelity.
But, now I realize much more so there is a differential between music mastering vs. song writing in terms of how I'm evaluating music the music I like. That statement sounds pretty snobby (for a non-musician to say), but if a song just sounds great that's a thing - equal to any other aspect of music.
Trying to find a good copy of 'Requiem For Romance' by NIGHTCLUB; especially track 4 'Dear Enemy' immediately!