KEF R3 Meta Review: Affordable Hi-Fi Excellence
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- čas přidán 17. 07. 2024
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Learn more about the KEF R3 Meta here - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/kef...
In this video, we review the all-new KEF R3 Meta bookshelf speakers to help you decide if these deserve a place on your shortlist.
Listening Set-Up:
KEF R3 Meta - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/kef...
Rega Elicit Mk5 - www.rega.co.uk/products/elici...
Roksan Attessa CD - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/rok...
0:00 Intro
0:23 R-Series Overview
1:59 Need to Knows
2:37 Design
4:28 Setup
7:05 Sound Performance
12:10 Comparisons
14:42 Our Thoughts
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![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](/img/n.gif)
This wa s a great review. These small snippets of music you have included gave me the sense of what sort of bass performance I can expect from these speakers. And despite this is just compressed youtube sound, I can tell that these will deliver more bass than I could ever need in my tiny 1 bedroom flat.
Thank you! I've been awaiting a youtube review for ages. lol
Could the R3s be the true Game Changer I’ve been looking for?
Would love to know how the R3 compares to the Reference 1 speakers
Which receiver will best match the R3 Meta speakers. Would also like to connect the sub KC62
Great review, am looking at a pair for mainly connect to TV for movies - would an amp in £1000 range be suitable ?
Hai since you know the meta and no Mata please help me . I am thinking to get r3 meta and i currently have r7 non meta . Is it a upgrade or no ? My room is small so the bookshelf is good enough size wise .
I have had the LS50s in my setup followed by the R3s. I had a few months crossover with both the LS50 and R3 speakers, so I had a lot of time for comparison. My first impression of the R3 speakers in my system was: Why would anyone buy the LS50s???? (short of space considerations) Especially, after hearing both speakers back to back in the same system. Seriously, as great as the LS50s are, the R3s sound better in every single way in my reference setup. For 25% or so more money, with the R3s, you get a much more massive 3 way speaker that seriously is better in every single way... And if you have the system to optimally drive the R3s, and I am not talking about a $1500 integrated amp plus a $1000 CD player... I am talking about an audio computer optimized for music (Roon) plus an amazing Roon endpoint feeding an amazing digital volume control (Mini DSP Studio) using DIRAC room correction, feeding a great DAC (I use a Gustard X26PRO), feeding one of the greatest solid state amps money can buy (DSONIC 600wpc 2 channel Class D amp - Seriously, if I could find a solid state amp that was better, I would own it), feeding the R3s sitting on nice Sound Anchor stands... All I can say is this setup is music magic. Add a great Subwoofer using the digital sound X-OVER in the Mini-DSP and adding an another Gustard X26PRO DAC to decode the lower frequencies... And you get even greater music magic. Seriously, the R3 speakers are so transparent, I can easily use them to evaluate new gear, cables, cords, you name it in the signal chain!
One day I will get in the R3 Metas to compare to my R3s. I would love to hear the differences.
Thanks for the insight, it’s much appreciated.
Came here for the speaker review which I really appriciated, but can you tell me what the sidecabinet is please and where you got it?
3:46: I think you cannot place it the way shown here as it needs distance from the wall, right?
Is the R3 Meta any good at low volume? I listen to my LS50 meta at low volume and I'm happy with them, however I could use more bass and would prefer not to use a sub.
Yes, in our testing, they sounded very full at lower levels, and we were extremely impressed with the bass response.
I own a pair of the R3 Metas and can honestly say they one of the best speakers for playing at low volume - they maintain really good clarity and punch.
Is the placing (away crom a wall) also important at lower volumes?
The only comparison, that was needed was between R3 and R3 Meta. The price difference is significant and - if you have a good amplifier - the sound is almost the same. The LS50s are a lower model, so it is obvious that they will sound worse.
Hey folks! Hello. Right now I have a Music Hall Ikura turntable with the Ortofon 2M blue, Accuphase E211 and B and W cdm 1 SE. I want to change the speakers. I was thinking about the B and W 606 S3 or the Dali Rubicon 2 but the reviews on the KEF R3 Meta make me wonder. I listen to mostly jazz from 60's mono to present day, instrumental hip hop, Brazilian and sometimes Genesis and prog rock. I want wide 3d imaging and soundstage with detail. I would like to hear your opinions on the speakers you think will make me cry, with joy of course! Budget around 2200. Thank you so much in advance. Cheers.
would the Naim NAIT XS 3 be a good pairing for these?
Do they sound good pushed right up against again s a wall on a sideboard?
For near field desktop which is better choice ls50 or r3?
I bought a pair 3 weeks ago.. So just running them in, they just get better and better..
Sound fantastic once dialed in with your amp. Money well spent, I wonder what the comparison is between the 705 S3's and R3 Meta's.. Have I made the right decision??? Hmmm
Don't second guess yourself. You made the right choice
I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy the KEF R3 speakers, but in any case, I also want to use them to connect to the TV since they'll be in the living room, and I need something to make the experience as painless as possible (I'm not the only one at home). The Bluesound Powernode seems like the best solution for connecting them and being able to use them for both music and the occasional movie or TV show. Is there any other alternative that's slightly better than the Powernode but just as easy to use?
We always recommend the Sonos Amp as the app is much more streamlined, and has more regular updates, however the Powernode provides Bluetooth and higher streaming qualities so it really depends what your non-negotiables are
Honestly, you can have the best of both worlds by getting a Bluesound Node (a Powernode without the amp section) and the best class a or a/b amplifier your budget can afford.
That way, you get all of the connectivity conveniences like HDMI, Bluetooth, streaming with Spotify/ Tidal connect etc, but you aren't restricted to limiting the speakers performance with the underpowered amplifier of the Powernode as seen in this video.
You also get the added advantage of being able to get significantly better amplifier should you want one in the future while keeping your Bluesound set up. Or then upgrade your DAC/ streamer without throwing out your Amp.
It's less convenient to get them separately but more financially manageable and flexible to upgrade if you keep your DAC/ streamer and Amplifier separate.
I would appreciate a comparison between the old R3 & the R3 Meta. I have always liked Kef speakers, but when I auditioned the R3 I was disappointed in their performance on vocals, which were clean & bright but thin. Barbara Streisand just did not sound like her.
I intend auditioning the R3 Meta, but the nearest ones are over 2hrs drive away.
It would also be nice to know how far are them from the reference 1 meta.
Kef r3 (non meta) definitely have full bodied vocals for me (and technically, just check the frequency response on ASR). Maybe the electronic wasn't good enough to drive them.
These speakers need quality high current application. I’m running the Rega Aethos into my non meta R3…sounds bad ass! REL subwoofer fills out the lower end and off to the races you go!
Are these “reference caliber”?
My introduction to the channel and I subscribed in the first sixty seconds -- terrific content, terrific presentation, especially terrific pride-of-craft. Pretty clear even at this early stage that nobody on this channel is about to pronounce 'toroidal' as if it had four syllables, or 'NAD' as if it only had one -- both of which are seriously beginning to annoy me. So kudos. Now onto my question:
How would the R3 Metas stack up against the Amphion Argon 1? At first blush that's not a price-appropriate comparison but I'm hearing a great many reviewers talk about how far the Argon 1's punch above their weight. Specifically I'm looking for a speaker that sounds great off-axis and at low to remarkably low volumes, and the big woofers on the KEF's make me nervous that perhaps they're going to need higher SPL's to get organized. The X-factor is that my very first audiophile purchase was a pair of KEF C-80s, and I loved them long time -- so I *should* be biased in that direction, all other things equal. (Though in fairness that was several generations of products ago.)
Thank you for the feedback, unfortunately, we haven't heard the Amphion Argon 1 on the same set-up in the same room, so it will be hard to comment. The R3's Meta does have the KEF signature sound, if you loved your KEF C-80s, you should enjoy the R3 immensely. However, this is a comparison we may film in the future, so thank you for the feedback.
@@smarthomesounds What is that minimal-house track at the beginning of the sound demo? Shazam thinks it's the David Tort remix of a Fleetwood Mac tune called "I wanna be with you everywhere" but I found that on CZcams and it didn't sound the same.
What about Bose? How do these compare against the Bose lifestyle LS48? The LS48 is a $4,000 system that includes a media center, 4 jewel 💎 cube and one center channel speaker system, also includes a 10” subwoofer!
What about a direct comparison of the r3 vs r3 meta?
Thanks for the feedback, this is something we are thinking of filming.
Would I get away with mojo 2 with these instead of dedicated amp? Or is this a silly question?
I love my powernode but wouldn't expected it to be good enough to get the most out of these anyway
It’s does a surprisingly good job. We are always impressed with the powernode 👍
@@smarthomesounds well I'm using them on my b&w 707 s2 and it's enough for them
Name of the first track on sound test?
I'm deciding between this and polk r700 floorstander, what's your opinion my room is medium 7 by 5 m
Why would you choose tiny speakers like these Kef for a room that big?
Most KEF reviews GLOSS OVER THE BI WIRE CONCEPT-what’s the advantages? I can look it up myself but you should add it in your review.
Hello, how do the speakers sound with some rock please?
Any chance you will review the R5 or R7 Mets? Thanks!
Yes this is something we are thinking of doing.
👍👍
Kef house sound is typically not my preference. I prefer buchardt, harbeth, and dyn audio but perhaps need to try this one out if the treble is more balanced.
The secret is very high quality amplification. They have so little distortion that they will really let you know how good your downstream components are.
I was like you buy the key was quality amplification. I sold my Harbeth M30.2 for Ls50 Meta. I'm using it with a Martin Logan subwoofer. I'm seriously thinking of getting R3 Meta now.
Hi nice vid a locking for the kef r3 or kef r3 meta or ls50 meta I will pair white the Sonos amp and sub 1gen for home cinema use between the r3 and r3 meta have a big difference? The ls50 meta cheaper but egnouph? Thanks.
Hi, how did you decide in the end? I also have the sonos amp + dali oberon 5. i want to go to ls50meta instead. I also have an svs sb3000 subwoofer. Living room is 20qm big.
@@hadouken2123 Hi , very simple arc +2era 300 end sub . I think I will buy 2 sonos five end sub for music et turntabel
Ive seen another video that the woofer cones can be very easily pressed/ damaged. Is this true ?
maybe in loud environment, where people tend to increase the volume
This is fantastic. Would love to see a comparison between these and the reference 1 meta please.
The R3’s are a 4ohm speaker. I’m shocked the Rega does the trick at 8ohms. Is the Rega designed to handle 4ohm speakers?
Yes, it does.
105 W per channel into 8 Ω
127 W per channel into 6 Ω
162 w per channel into 4 Ω
Thanks. I did not know the Rega was designed for 4ohm loads.
I’m running the Rega Aethos into my non-Meta R3 speakers. Great combo. These things devour power. I’ve heard audio shows have these hooked up to the Hegel H390 ….nuts, but this is a speaker where amplification will cost more than the speaker to get the most out of it…but soooooo worth it! Using a REL sub to fill out the bottom end.
What was the outcome of the pairing with the bluesound power node ? I play all my music via Plex (local flac files). Is there a better suggested streamer/amp for these speakers?
I wondered the same thing before. I have both now and can say not much of a difference if you have a decent dac on your receiver. The biggest difference is if you are using a computer to do the digital conversion. Then you might notice quite a difference. I could really take it or leave it personally didn't notice much of a difference and I'm using plex on a fire stick. I also have an external dac on my computer though and not using the internal card because I noticed a difference there for local pc play.
I have all the mentioned Kefs. The Q350s do bass better than LS50 meta with good soundscape and image at about half the price. For starters; The Q350, (not Q150) is my recommendation. Skip the LS50s and save up for your R3Ms next purchase. That's my (experienced) story and I'm sticking to it ! Nep in Florida
Always do opposite of what a Florida man tells you to do. So skip R3Ms and save up for LS50s. And don’t stick to this (inexperienced) story.
£5000 is a bit high. I say something like Topping DAC and Hypex NC252MP will go perfectly with it. Bringing it down to under £3000.
Good Review. Yeah the New R Meta lineup closes the gap to their Reference Lineup even more.
Yes that’s good suggestions, we will continue to test the speakers with the different set ups.
@@smarthomesounds comparing to reference 1 meta would be really nice also.
@@smarthomesounds I am definitely looking forward for it. As one of my friend plans to purchase These speakers. So am looking to get him Topping DX5 + Hypex NC252MP amplifier. If possible can you test something similar if not same setup over time.
theyre gifts anyway so any price is fine, yeah low would be great and suit 'gift' title
but there must be some 'filter' so that they can reach 'correct' people, not sure ofc everyone want them haha
Hi, How would you compare the R3 Meta against the LS50 Meta + KC62?
Both great set-ups but while the R3 couldn’t compete with the frequency range with the KC62 we preferred the R3 sound profile. But again depends on your current Amp as you Will get more out of the LS50 set-up with a more budget friendly amp.
Haha! My exact setup (with the latest Powernode). Was looking to ask the same question, thanks!
Vs unifi reference?
I'd bet the Unifi Reference performs very similarly for less than half the price.
A good speaker can play great sound with low volume.
Man if you have compared to ls50 wireless ll
I’d like to see a direct comparison to the new Ref 1 Meta. Close?
Why would you like to see this? The reference is three times the price so it’s apples and oranges.
@@mpi5850that’s a good comparison to see if its really worth 3x price
How are they for Hip-hop?
Very good, we tried some old school as well as modern hip-hop. Bass response was fantastic.
@@smarthomesounds Thank you guys, very appreciated
Perfect for hiphoppy and electronic music. Will need to pair with likes of Rega or Hegel...
Well affordable is relative.
But that word is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
try the Polk R200, you'll be shocked - very linear speaker...and costs way way less...ask yourself - do you really need that extra 5%
Cope 😂
i like the pk0, sound well, again, earbud
Good job…but something other than compressed party/house/pop crap would be a better test for these 😂
Well that’s ONE way to use banana plugs!
Bi-Amp! Not bi-wire...
Wow they sounded great! My Bose headphones made them sound even better
Well they sure are purdy but I'll stick to my 1985 Boston acoustics A40V's
Didn't even have them on stands? Lol
Do they have to be on stands?
@@robertreid9079they sound better on stands. Virtually all “bookshelf” speakers do. You want the tweeter at close to ear level and heavy stands reduce vibration of the speaker which can affect sound. You want hollow stands that you can fill with sand.
@@Kami84 I do have the tweeters set at ear level.Not sure that spending over £600 on matching stands will make it a worthwhile purchase. I listen to most of my music through naim uniti atom headphone edition with focal utopia headphones using KEFs with TV and listening with friends. After saying all this I probably will get KEF matching stands at some time as I will be able to move them around the room easier. Thanks for,your advice. 👍
shame these speakers are so FUGLY - at least from my perspective. the blacks look better with the grills on
those are expensive but i've put in my head... well deal with your head, those are speakers
bass reflex, no thanks. i have and need subwoofer.
He says affordable 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I love all these CZcams gurus. Dispensing pearls of wisdom to their watchers. How did we navigate through life without their recommendations/suggestions. What qualifications might the gurus have to support all of these ideas/opinions? My guess is none!!!!
We have tested 1000’s of pairs of speakers as this is our job so I should imagine this is more than the average person. Our opinion is not right or wrong it is our opinion and you are entitled to your own. Most people find this helpful as it helps them to narrow down their selections. For us CZcams is great as you can get to see & hear many’s people differing opinions as frankly who thinks they know it all 👍
@@smarthomesounds Good for you.
It's about time you reviewers start comparing apples with pears. This review is like an advert paid for by Kef for their R3 meta. I am doubtful you can even hear the so-called detortion that the little disc is meant to absorb. The meta disc is probably marketing bullshit for Kef to add an extra 10% to the price. The price increases on the new R series speaker are eye watering. Same cabinets and poor bass. Watching your review was a waste of time because it wasn't critical. You mention what hi-fi who always give 5* reviews to their biggest advertisers. I would like to see the crossover out of the speakers to see if they have good quality crossover parts with tight tolerances considering the price Kef charge for these speakers.
Thanks for the comment, we are totally with you that specs alone don’t make a good product, and people get too hung up on them. when we listen to these products we don’t really care about Meta or other technologies we just care about the how the music sounds and enjoying it. We then dig deeper to try and understand why it sounds better etc and as these sound better than the predecessor so we have to talk about Meta and the other new technologies added as frankly how else would these have sounded better than the predecessor’s. Also the mentioned crossover is updated with learnings taken from the reference range.
I somewhat agree with you but your attitude is cynical. The meta material has published white papers with measurable results. Is it essential? No. And you can get a nearly identical experience purchasing the old model for a fraction of the price. Unfortunately, I think that every manufacturer is reissuing old models with higher sticker prices. So KEF prices are in line with the competition for better or worse. It’s your choice whether you want to blow mountains of cash on the latest models or be thrifty with discontinued products at a fraction of the price. I’m in love with my Closer Acoustics OGY and would love to compare them with KEF R3. At least you know that the money was spent on the craftsmanship and parts.
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q Cynical maybe, but the amount of market rubbish put out by manufactures who make these claims are trying to make the consumer believe the difference is night and day when it is not. Try and find a picture on the web of the R series crossovers, new and old model, look on CZcams and try and find a video about the crossovers, I have looked and can find nothing. Why don't kef show a picture of the crossovers to see what you are getting for your bucks in that department. That's what makes me cynical, what are they hiding.
Wrong. R3 discounted now new at £900. No other speakers like that at that price. You do not have to get the Meta range. No KEF is light on bass either, they just need an amplification like the above Rega. You must be a Cerwin Vega guy and that is another thread. By the way, reading various HiFi platforms, more nerds switch to KEF than any other speaker brands.
@@jerryminus7252 I have the R11's and drive them with a Musical Fidelity M6si 220 watts per channel a £2500 amp and they are light in Bass, they tune them at 46hz -3db as not to step on the toes of their reference series, B&W do the same with their 7 series. Tuned right for the size of the cabinets the speakers are capable of going deeper, really my R11's should go down to 40hz -3db or slightly lower. I take no notice of the looser -6db, back in the day speakers were always measured at the tighter -3db. As I said the tuning is deliberate as not to step on the toes of the reference series that go deeper. I am a bit sick of these slim cabinets they use these days to look nicer in a room, slightly wider cabinets and then they could use 8" bass drivers and go deeper. They charge a lot but don't deliver in the low end where they should.
These boxy looking speakers no matter how good they sound are just ugly.
They do look better in the flesh but we prefer the active range styling from KEF. But that’s a completely different category.
@@smarthomesounds - the active range look exactly the same, unless you’re talking about the LS-60.
Get Blades and skate off.
You just got a different taste then. I find them beautifully constructed.