What makes a SPEAKER the BEST? KEF R11 Meta Review! All around speaker
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2024
- 🎯 KEF R11 Meta bit.ly/3A72HY4 • bit.ly/3UPOhFs
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► COMPARABLE TOWER SPEAKERS
Bowers & Wilkins 800 D2 N/L/A
Klipsch La Scala bit.ly/36bPQVb
Beolab 90 dealers only
Martin Logan F100 bit.ly/3xgyXql
Polk R700 bit.ly/3ZjQ06z
Wharfedale Elysian 4 bit.ly/3NQur8o
DefTech Dymension D80 bit.ly/3Z3Owhk
► TESTING THE R11 META
POWER
Technics R1000 bit.ly/3bcE3fi
Audiolab 8300XP bit.ly/3FnlrWs
Crown XLS bit.ly/CXLS1502
Marantz Amp 10 bit.ly/3LW50nB
Marantz AVP 10 bit.ly/426QYVW
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miniDSP SHD bit.ly/42cFLCE
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Klipsch In Ceiling amzn.to/3VFWD28
TURNTABLE
TT2 bit.ly/3tWwdxd
SUBWOOFER
Klipsch 1000SW bit.ly/3kMK3km • bit.ly/3ZUCaYw
MUSIC
Moby amzn.to/2FQDzf6
Apple Music Piano Chill
A Perfect Circle amzn.to/3YXcIlj
Beastie Boys bit.ly/3HKowRw and bit.ly/44w0OSN
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Blind Melon amzn.to/3JCMoEB
Anyma amzn.to/3Thcyn0
Sylvan Esso bit.ly/3peYXlj
NIN bit.ly/3HKSMeZ
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Top Gun: Maverick amzn.to/3RnEfbv
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TCL XL 98” amzn.to/3kbj4hB
Apple 4K TV: amzn.to/3em0YUp
SPEAKERS STANDS + CABLES
IsoAcoustic Feet bit.ly/3x6nk4W
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Room EQ Wizard
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What makes a SPEAKER the BEST? KEF R11 Meta Review! All around speaker
► KEF SPEAKERS - KEF R11 META REVIEW
00:00 R11 META REVIEW
00:26 KEF R11 META SPECS
01:23 KEF R11 META AMPLIFIER RECOMMENDATIONS
02:14 DESIGN AND BUILD
03:11 R11 META SETUP AND PLACEMENT
03:48 KEF R11 MEASUREMENTS
04:43 KEF SOUND
05:24 R11 META BASS
06:06 KEF MIDRANGE & TREBLE
07:22 KEF SOUNDSTAGE
08:09 R11 META DYNAMICS
09:04 KEF SPEAKERS HOME THEATER
09:39 SPEAKER COMPARISONS
09:47 KEF R11 META VS BOWERS & WILKINS 800 D2
10:23 KEF VS KLIPSCH // KEF VS BANG & OLUFSEN
11:22 MARTIN LOGAN VS KEF SPEAKERS
11:47 POLK R700 VS KEF R11 META
12:25 WRAP UP - ALL AROUND SPEAKER
12:51 KRISTI’S THOUGHTS
13:29 F100 VS R11 META
17:00 KEF VS WHARFEDALE
18:42 KEF VS DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY
21:26 R11 INTELLIGIBILITY
22:05 QUESTION OF THE DAY
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► MY REFERENCE AUDIO AND HOME THEATER SYSTEM
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Audiolab bit.ly/3ZhPw1q
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Polk bit.ly/3LtiF1N • bit.ly/3RcQR5Z
Q Acoustics bit.ly/3b0IbQ2
MartinLogan bit.ly/3xgyXql
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Budget amzn.to/3DD0UJX
Reference bit.ly/3xsoe9M
TURNTABLE
TT2 bit.ly/3tWwdxd
TVs
OLED: bit.ly/3AzeD6y
LED: amzn.to/3ygOW7S
QLED: amzn.to/3biyRXu
HOME THEATER
Receivers: bit.ly/3n2lTje ($) bit.ly/3DyHEjb ($$)
Soundbars: amzn.to/39hJ1Xz ($) bit.ly/3OS72nG ($$)
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#KEF #HIFI #SPEAKERREVIEW - Věda a technologie
my wallet regrets watching this video.
^ me every time I open Zillow. :)
@@KristiWright Second
Buy the older r series instead.
But your ears will be so happy trust me the R11 are the best speakers I have heard
@@JohnTwo1 is there a huge diffrence? And what about q950(bigger woofer for example)?
WOW. This is a rare occasion where a video transcends being a review due to the excellence of a product and we get the privilege of seeing an expert with decades of experience being genuinely moved.
For me, this is all you can ever ask for from the entire Hi-Fi pursuit or the review genre overall.
Personally, I've fallen in love with active speakers lately, but this is a reminder not to overlook the passive/ separates segment.
Thanks for the fantastic video, as always!
Active speakers can be really wonderful. If not for the channel, (as I'm more of a minimalist by nature) I might go that route and call it a day. Thank you so much for the view!
Demo’ing KEF LS60’s at the moment. So I get it. 👍🏼
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Sooo, the LS60 comparison is… 🫣(suspense)🍿
These look absolutely gorgeous. Even at that size. But credit has to be given where credit is due. You guys have the best looking home theater equipped living room I have seen on YT. The way you guys curate the look for each review is just top notch. The interior design part of equipping a living room to make it look as good as it sounds is something I'd really like to see more of.
❣
Thank you for an informative video. Your excitement for this speaker goes beyond words. Have a great week, Andrew and Kristi.
So glad to see you finally reviewed the R11. I 100% agree with your review and I only have the regular R11s. I love mine so much and don't regret selling my Klipsch Cornwall's one bit!
The speakers are absolutely beautiful and that matters to me.
Thank you Andrew and Kristi for the imformative review of the R11 Meta. I've had my original R11's since 2019 and enjoy listening to them. They are mated with a pair of REL S510's.
Great review and comparison. Hope to see R3 Meta review in the future. Thanks for sharing.
I love the enthusiasm. This channel never ceases to deliver!
You are so kind. Thank you.
My thoughts on the KEF R11 Meta that I purchased for my vacation home. First of all your review was spot on!! My listening room is about 13'x13' raised wood floor basically empty room with good sized rug in the middle. Driving the KEFs with my MAC7200 w/DA2 (HDMI). First listening experience was way too much room reflections so I added some peel and stick acoustic wall treatment. which tamed the room significantly. So after adjusting the KEF's positions. WOW, do they sound amazing!! Very good tight bass extension, better than I expected. Mid-range - crystal clear vocals. Highs are great well matched with the mid-range, great imaging and sound-stage. I also added a pair of SVS SB1000 Pro subs but for most music the subs are not needed. Oh, BTW I'm using SVS sub rubber feet on the KEFs, looks and sounds great! Again thank you so much!!
Yep. Heard the Reference 5 meta and basically couldn’t stop listening. AMAZING
We haven't heard those but thanks for sharing your experience.
Got myself the Kef r2c center channel and am blown away, can't imagine what these sound like! Would love you guys to review the r3/r3 metas, see how they stack up!
Cheers
I had been anxiously waiting for this review since I saw them sitting in the background of your live session. Thank you for the review. I was already leaning toward Kef R-series and your review put the final piece in place to solidify that decision. Hegel H390 + Kef R11 + Rel T7/x. Build in process.... :)
Great take on this loudspeaker. Thank you both for your efforts.
Caught this on the big screen and all one can do is like. Thanks, and I am beyond the moon on seeing the Marantz seperates.
Fascinating review. I have the R3 pre meta…curious to hear these beauties in person. Kudos. Keep em coming…
You hit the nail on the head on Two things I noticed when I first listened was the huge soundstage both high wide and deep you can hear pianos playing in the far-back and a stand up bass coming down low in the front it's like watching a live concert with a round stage you can hear all the instruments in the back. it's amazing the next thing I heard was that it reminded me of the original klipschorn I heard of when I was a kid I remember when the salesperson turned it up and it engrossed the entire room.
This speaker gives you all of the fine details while also filling a large room with sound emulating a live performance.. I'm so glad I chose these over the B&s and Focals
BTW these and most KEFS Open up after about three months of normal hours of listening.
you need to turn them up pretty loud to get them to loosen up in that time period but after that you'll be able to listen at low levels and enjoy them just the same.. At least 120 wpc and 10 gauge ofc wire is recommended
This video resulted in swaying me to take the plunge and pick up the R3 Metas. Picked them up yesterday and have been listening non-stop since. These are some amazing speakers at their price point. I really appreciate your videos and your thoughtful approach to HiFi. Back to listening now!
That's awesome. I'm glad you're enjoying your new speakers.
Thanx u guy's, I'm a big fan of kef, I've had my model 3's since the late 90's,never once thought about swapping them out.bravo!
I bought La Scalas because of your review, LOVE them
Martin Logans are my absolute favorite speakers. Thank you for such an in-depth review of these speakers. I'll make sure to get a better mic for my reviews as yours is crystal clear.
For me, I watch your videos to stay up on things and it’s soothing. You guys do an awesome job and love hearing you work. But to answer your question, these don’t matter to me at all. I have motion 60xti series and those are end game for me unless I win the lottery. They already were over budget and hands down are the best speakers I’ve ever heard. Keep in mind, I don’t go to high end stores because ignorance is bliss. Keep up the great work and have a great day!
Awesome review! Would love for you guys to review the R3 bookshelves if you can.
Your reviews make me smile.
You bring the fun to HI FI reviewing. Keep it up guys.
Thank you, Paul.
After owning & enjoying brands including Wharfedale, Dynaudio, B&W, and Focal, my KEF R3 connected to the Rega Aethos, to my ears is incredible. Add in a sub, and wow! The R11 is def an upgrade path one day and so happy to hear how impressed you were with it. Cheers to a great Sunday!
Thank you so much for the kinds words and support. Sal! We hope to see you on the next one!
Your presentation is some fine craftsmanship Team! Always. 😊
Months ago I was begging you two to review KEFs R Series cause I bought R3's (x4 + R2C Center + KF92 Sub) and I'm glad you finally got some in. I have the gloss white and everyone who comes over says the speakers are gorgeous.
15:57 I remember the good old days where there's that loudness button in a full-tower stereo system back during the 90s. The speakers' height matched the stereo equipment that has a radio, a CD player, a cassette tape player, and a very sleek-looking design. And some tower stereo equipment has a subwoofer. I remember a subwoofer that had two vertical meters that lit up in red. Man I love that. I miss those old times. But now I only listen to music on my computer connected to my home theater receiver, which then hooks up to my JBL Stage A180 floorstanding speakers.
Of course, nothing beats having that nostalgic feeling of having a full tower stereo equipment with two tower speakers put to each side. But I definitely need to dedicate a room for two-channel listening.
I own the KEF R3s. I absolutely LOVE them! I even got to test the R3 Metas. I could definitely tell the difference As I mixed non META on left and META on the right. I will eventually upgrade to R11s Meta or LS60s
Oh I'm so much in love with the bang & Olufsen A9.. it was a bit of a stretch but I bought two of them because it's an absolute must if you want the finest of audio sound in your home hey Andrew thank you very much for introducing the world to the b&o a 9s
Great review, great channel. Kef r3 are also crazy good... hard to beat at 2k pair! As a 50+ yr old i do need touch more high freq, so they are still not my forever speaker.
Our Sunday is almost over. Greetings from Germany!
Well, better late than never. Hope you had a good day!
Hallo!
They look spot-on in your room!
I live 5 miles from KEF facility in Maidstone and they have always blended aesthetics with function to my mind 👍
Their design is always on point.
Hi guys, thanks for the review. Your video drew my attention to the R3 Meta since I don’t have enough space for tower speakers.
I would really appreciate it if you could review these.
My kef r11 meta's finally arrived. I have them hooked up with a Tube amplifier! O m g. They rock! They are way better than the Wharfedale Elysian 4's i had.
Morning all, KEF will be the next upgrade to my living room system, although a bit less expensive than these 😊
Which KEF speakers are you contemplating picking up for yourself?
I'm currently running Def-Tech Studio Monitor 350's so probably one of their less expensive bookshelf units in the Q line. I'm getting ready to buy a Cinema 60 AVR next week, replacing my 10 y/o Marantz NR-1402. 4K here I come! 🤘
First off, as always, another great review. I'm looking to upgrade my speakers between now and the new year. I went to two local stores yesterday to audition speakers. The Kef R11 were spectacular. I was very surprised with how good they were. They bested the Martin Logan F100 playing metal. However, I did slightly prefer the F100 overall. I found the F100 to have better separation and soundstage. It's very close, though. I also have the Sonus Faber Sonneto V on my short list. What a fun hobby!
R11s definitely look absolutely amazing. Epic review. The Meta tech is pretty cool as well.
Excellent review thank you 👍🏽. I also have trouble hearing dialogue so Kristi’s comment about dialogue clarity is very helpful for Me. The R11’s are a more affordable dream speaker compared to the Elysian 😁
Just bought the original Kef R11s on clearance for 50% of the price of the new Metas. I think that was a great deal. Couldn’t afford the new version, but Kef appears to have hit a home run with the new Metas.
Great review. Glad Kef finally gave you a set for review.
Another fantastic video, thank you so much! What's the image on the screen in the background? it's so lively.
Excellent video. I kinda figured this new line would be pretty excellent
Great comparison between the Martin Logans vs Kef, thanks guys
I’ve had my KEF 104/2 for 30+ years with many changes to source front end & other similarly spec- ed speakers. They are the one constant in my rig - I love em!
KEF = WCS (world class speakers)
Wow JJ, amazing to hear that someone else than myself owns an old pair of Kefs... I have the 103/4 ...and I have them since the mid 1990's.
Truly one of the most attractive speakers I've ever seen! Great review as well!
Thanks for the great review. I have the KEF LS50 Meta and they are great. Also have the KIM from FinkTeam down in my basement,Oh boy these are the speakers you`ll never let go. Hope you could review them in the future! 🙂
Great review team thank you. I was at Best Buy and had the higb end room to my self for an hour using a
5 k Marantz receiver and comparing Martin Logan B& W high end and
the Kef Q 750 which goes for $1800 a pair. I was really impressed I c a n only imagine what the R series sounds like
The R3 non meta sat at the top of my speaker rotation for awhile. It did everything I wanted, especially with detail retrieval and imaging.
I later fell in move with ls50 meta, assuming at first this was a simple refresh of an existing line, offering the smallest of upgrades. But the refinements were uncanny.
Fast forward to the r3 meta and I think KEF really went all out on these, offering stunning improvements over the previous non meta R series. Kef once again reclaims the throne.
Andrew just said monolith I am so happy to hear that.. some speakers deserve that name in sound
I purchased R11's in white ..great looking and great sounding ......love them
Late to the party today! Lots of weekend projects.. always down for a speaker review
After waiting for almost a year I have finally taken ownership of KEF Reference 1 Metas and I can whole heartedly say that it was worth the wait and I may never want another speaker in my lifetime. Would love to see you get the chance to review something from the Reference Meta line.
Hi, if you can answer it will be great Which amp do you have, how is the ref 1 at low-level volume listening, 55 db, is it fair enough? What about mid-bass? I heard that they are playing like floor speakers instead of average shelf speakers I heard they sound big enough to fill up small to medium space, do use a sub, and if yes which one
I have them...
I love them. The imaging and the soundstage and just how amazing these things present music is really something to behold. I have mine paired with the Rotel Michi X3 I stream using a blue sound node 2i and I augment the base performance with a REL s510 sub
I don't know how I could get any better
I'll tell you how. Get rid of that Node 2i and get a Zen Stream with a iPower X and you will immediately notice what you were missing...
Since you asked, the Blue Sound Node 2i is the weak link in your set up.
Another Great Review! I always appreciate your comparisons . After purchasing the KEF R3s and center, with a LS50 sorroundds (at huge discount), I am definitely a KEF fan now. I feel they have great build quality, sound stage and sound depth. I connected my KEFs through my Marantz Cinema 40 and have fully enjoyed the music and the movies, especially with my dual subs. Now looking at EverSolo DMP-A6. Any thoughts?
Having lived with the R3 for a while now, I have occasionally had wonder lust about other speakers. Given my medium sized room, great sub integration via Dirac and dynamic power from NAD, it is gonna take something special to get me to open my wallet. The best part, I got these the first time KEF briefly discounted them in their long production run, basically the same price as LS50s. Your comment on setting them up and just being happy lands.
Great review. I'd love to see you take a look at the reference meta line too. I think you'd actually say 'ok that's it i'm done' if you had a pair of those in the house lol.
Hello Andrew and Kristi. Awesome review. I can't wait to see what you think of the Marantz AV 10 !!!! Have a great day/week.
Great review of the R11 speakers. I would very much like to see a review of the R7s as I think many people would likely choose them as they are not as imposing and many of us must consult with the esthetics comity prior to purchase.
I am not an expert, but I believe the main different between the two given the specs is the bass.
Excellent review of the R11 towers. Kristi being the surrogate representative of your viewers is always my favorite part of your (together) review. Kristi, thank you for extracting more detail info and needed caveats from Andrew when comparing speakers.
Thank you, David!
This channel is clean!!!
I have the "normal" R11, and think they are not far off, very happy with it. Nice review. I also change the feet by aluminum machined legs, as the original legs are ugly.
I’m an LS50 and LS50 Meta owner. I thought I wanted a vintage vibe and more ‘character’ for my next speaker like Klipsch Forte IV, KLH Model 7, Mission 770, Wharfedale Dovedale… etc but I may have to reconsider. My favourite local dealer recently picked up KEF.
Yet, another impressively professional review👏👏👏
Wow, well done for this review! Had a pair of white KEF R7's a few years ago and they were my return to high end audio. The R11's were already great speakers back then (almost sounded like their Reference line). Have already heard the Reference 5 Meta and Blade 2 Meta and they were also really great! (definition, power, bass, timing, etc.)
About those R11 feet, try a pair of Auva (70 or 100) speaker isolators from Stack Audio. They look (IMO) better than those IsoAccoustics and also seem to perform better in terms of sound....;-).
I’ve got R3 Metas and it’s head and shoulders above old R line - so happy you got these in the end. Before getting them I thought I need to fork out £££ to get KEFs reference but tried these and immediately got the end game feeling for fraction of the cost. I miss absolutely nothing when it comes to performance. I can only imagine how R11 metas push this even slightly further.
There are some pros and cons of metallic woofers - precision is a pro but the downside is not getting this prolonged sounds like drums. Metallic woofers stop it too quickly.
Best performance for me was R3s with Arendal 1723 S1 subs (more importantly non metallic woofers) - Arendals give me realistic drum slam while KEFs give that precision razor sharp soundstage. Absolutely glorious. Have got now R3 meta, R6 meta, R3s, ls50 meta, Arendals and ci200rr for Atmos - and this setup stopped wanting me for more, filled the void, fed the curiosity.
Hi, thanks for sharing that. Could you share how R3 meta is better than R3? My complaints with R3 are that the highs are rolled off, making poor recordings tolerable but requiring brighter amps to be more resolving. And they don’t disappear in my room as well as the LS50 meta. And certain recordings can have a weird metallic timbre (especially snare drums). Does the R3 meta address any of this?
@@jharismaiden well because KEF speakers are pin point sharp when it comes to soundstage - they will expose any soundtrack imperfections more then those which are much less. In simple terms R3 meta is a child born out of R3 and Ls50 meta - wonder kid that is better because it combines best out of the parents. In that way it’s much different speaker altogether compared to old R3s. Not sure if I had a problem with R3 disappearing - ls50s for sure did, and so do R3s metas. Positioning and avoiding early reflections is the key - using bungs if too close to wall as well. Slight toe in, like Andrew mentions, worked best for me as well. I’m using class G amp at the moment - which add nice little decay - especially good with metallic woofers. However used to have Purifi amps and those were razor sharp imagining - very holographic.
I definitely have to add these speakers to my list. I hope you're able to get the GoldenEar T66 in for review when they come to market.
Hi Andrew and Kristi. Thanks for another great review. What do you think of these speakers and Rotel Michi X3 series 2 combo? Is the Rotel to powerful?
Just purchase the r3 meta
Luv these speakers. My room is smaller at 16x15. The r3 is perfect for me.
Hey! Pretty new to the channel, and am loving it (I also work in mental health and was REALLY impressed by your video addressing that stuff when you obviously don't have to). Dude, your top 5 speaker list is a master class in diversity - it's like if someone asked "What different kinds of speakers are there?" Your top 5 would cover almost all of them (except planars, electrostatics and all those variations, which have never really convinced me): Fully active with built-in room compensation? Fully horn-loaded? Crazy materials? Separate compartment for tweeter? Coaxial? You got it all covered. And the R11s are by far the most affordable. I am starting to think that some of those who dislike KEF have been hearing them with insufficient power. I needed something simple, so my main system is the Kef LS50 Wireless 2 with 2 KC 62 subs (I listen at about 7 feet, so this suits my needs perfectly. My only other component besides a TV is a U-Turn Orbit turntable). With the subs, my KEF system is rocking a pretty ridiculous 1380 watts per channel (!), significantly more than even the LS60s' 700. If KEF throws that much power at their active speakers, that should tell us all something. Personally, I love my setup, and could see being happy with nothing but KEF gear for life. Just get the right amp (or go active) and they sing!
The crossover points would be interesting to know as well on these Kefs Andrew...?
Thanks for another great review.
I have listened to the former R11 and LS60 but how would you compare the current two speakers (cost no object - sound only)?
You will mention many differences but there is a rationale behind this so I am curious about the sounds.
Thanks for this review of the KEF speakers. I would love to own them. At this point I have KEF Q900 speakers paired with a PrimaLuna Integrated with EL-34 tubes. The Q900 has 91db sensitivity, higher than the R-11s. The KEFs are a wonderful match with tubes.
Love the review and you guys nailed it. For as much as I would want to demo these for keeps I have some reservations. 1. their size and the lack of lower frequency limitations. With 4 base drivers on each I expect more and having to get sub to fill in the 30hz gap is disappointing. Again for a speaker of this size and cost 2. For as great as they may sound on a critically listening level they don't seem to be "fun" speakers for everyday use like the Klipsch RF7 III's , Arendal 1723's, Perlisten R series or the new Martin Logan Motion XT F100's. But I digress... 3. Thanks again guys for the outstanding and honest review you made it less stressful for me having to order them ✊🏼 The journey continues. Oh this hobby is nerve wrecking 😂
Parasound JC1 mono blocks are a match made in heaven for these speakers. The bass control is that of an authoritarian dictator and 25watts of pure class A makes the vocals very sweet, yet open and detailed with extended nuances. The LS50s love the JC1s too. I was blown away how loud and clean the LS50s can go (in a large room) when hooked to an amp that can keep the single tiny driver perfectly controlled. I was amazed how these little speakers could pump out so much (tight) bass in a big room? The LS50s are really 4 ohm speaker, because they dip to 3.5 ohms over a very broad range (700Hz to 5kHz). Coupled with 85db sensitivity, they suck the life out of most amps long before reaching their full potential.
Whyyyy did I buy the LSX ii’s?!! Really loving the KEF sound on those and what Andrew said about the F100’s compressing depth is spot on. Has me thinking about selling the ML’s. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands, but pretty sure I would have went with the R11’s if I had to do it all over again.
Great job as always. Thanks for posting.
Appreciate you tuning in today!
For me it was 15" JBL Eon Speakers. I could not believe a speaker could play that loud and so well. I was 12 years old but that has always stayed with me.
Great in depth review!
Great job guys! other than the feet, those are some of the best looking speakers I have seen in your space!! I can see how you would want to keep them.
@Abominable That is an excellent idea. It’s time for fluffy feet.
I have had kef ls50 Originals, The Metas, now I am considering upgrading to the r7's. I was going to consider the R5's but the only speakers that I could audition were the R3 or the R11 and I figured the R3 was too small of an increase in choice. So I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the R7 and I think I will be extremely happy!
I have the R11 using a cheap tube amp for music and wow do they ever sound good I can listen to to them all day zero fatigue from the warm sound the tube amp produces you can pick one up for less than a 1000 from china hifi
Thank you very much for the great review, it will probably be my next speakers. I'm planning to buy the kc92 or the rel s/510 do you thinks the R7 meta will be enough or should I go with the R11 ?
Great review would love to hear you review a Vandersteen speaker in the future.
Growing up in the 90s and 00s as a bothering Stereophile, B&O had always been more avant garde furniture than hi-fi equipment. Good to see that they can make such a remarkable piece. B&O has always been premium $$$, so $4000 is not out of their norm.
Now if we can get our hands on that second unit 🤫.
You're right... in my journey, I've now spent about the same amount as a pair of these on my main system. No regrets... I've enjoyed and is still enjoying several classic quality pieces from Marantz, Infinity (when it's still independent), Bryston, Linn, KEF, Rogue and Audiolab. Can't always afford top-of-the-line models, but always loving what I've got.
Happy joyful journey, everyone.
Great video guys....I love Kef, but i don't have the amp power to do 4 ohms justice so i went with monitor audio which a great.
I demoed these in Best Buy. At first I was listening intently. Then I started smiling. Then rocking out. Thanks for the review.
same. just wish ppl who worked there new more or how to switch between speakers better!
@@chinmeysway I had encountered a salesman who was an audiophile himself, last time, and it had gone better for me. The demos were flawed at times when other people were doing them.
Having had the original r11 for a few years now, I can agree the r series is one of the top performing speakers of all time for me.
In the 80's I had a KEF 104.2 Reference series. Great speakers.
I sold audio in the 80’s and when I first heard the 104.2 speakers I like Andrew in this review had a transformative moment and bought a pair ASAP.
After viewing this video I went out and listened to a pair of R11 Metas and was blown away on the details and sound stage. The mid bass was crazy good. It left me wondering what the Reference 3 Meta or Reference 5 Meta sound like. I too would really love to find a “last stop” speaker. I have also heard great things about the Bryston line of speakers. Anyone that can contribute on this that has listened to these in comparison I am very interested in hearing what you have to share.
Nice to hear from you. Sunday saved! !;-)
Whew! Thanks for joining us this morning!
I got the older Kef R700 and love them.
Amazing review and job with the comparison's between levels of speakers! The KEF R11's have been on my shortlist of upgrades from the R700's. Kristi, you are getting some serious chops. Over the years, you two have grown in your interplay and I personally find variation in your views to well encompass my personal tastes. Thank you again, I really appreciated this review from the others I have seen for this speaker. From your question, I LOVE the look of the metas but have serious concerns about their longeveity as you see a lot of posts where there is physical damage to the Uni-Q drivers due to use. I fully accept it is likely that people are seriously pairing/using them incorrectly, but the failure rate seems higher than other medium-lower/upper range speakers. This has really turned me off from their brand personally.
Not a KEF fanboi, but here's just one data point: I have a pair of Soundfield Audio SAM1s that use a 10th gen KEF Uni-Q driver, and it's been playing for 6-12 hours a day for over 300 days each year since 3Q 2011. And I will crank these to near reference levels for a few hours each week. Still perform as new in 2023. Maybe KEF is slacking off?
Thanks for the excellent review. Got 'em a couple of days ago. Paired with the marantz cinema 50 and the nad c298 using eversolo a6 they are magnificent. The q acoustic concept 50's while nice are no where in the same stratosphere.
I absolutely agree with you about the KEF R11 🎉🎉🎉🎉I have the KEF Non-Meta and I love it!!!! I recently replace the KEF R2c with the R6 Meta center speaker. R6 Meta has the same size drivers as the 11s and it is worth it. If you think about getting new front speakers, KEF should be at the top of your list.
I think I'd like these R11 Meta's but that doesn't mean everyone should have them at the top of their list.
Are you home theater or music oriented? Both?
What genre's do you like?
How much room do you have?
What's your budget?
And probably 37 other variables.
We all have unique tastes, preferences and use cases. That's why there are so many brands in audio.
I still like the Wharfdale Elysians better. Kristi… thank you for including that comparison!!! ❤ Now I wonder how much better the Kef reference 5s are compared to this!!
Another great review!! Wonder how they compare to McIntosh XR100? Thank you Andrew and Kristi!!
Great review, I love Sundays :) hopefully they will send you the R7 meta as this would more likely suit my space and wallet 😊
They don't generally have the time to review two speakers of the same line. They usually sound similar with predictable differences. If they work for you, get'm!
@Andrew Robinson thank you for comparing to the Polk. I have an older pair of Polk "towers" and if i upgrade, was very much considering the 700s based on price and your reviews, so this was HUGE in helping, now wishing for that "lottery" so I can try these!
Get those 700's. The difference between what you have and the 700's is likely much greater than the difference between the 700's and the R11's. Enjoy what you can afford. Everything else is irrelevant for now at least.
First of all thank you for all your reviews. After seeing this review I’m thinking about replacing my q750’s to the R7 meta and using the q750’s as rear speakers for my home theater. So hope they sound a bit the same as the R11’s
Thanks for the comprehensive and well thought through review! How do they compare to the QA Concept 500?
I loved the part where Andrew says "if you have the means....DO IT!" 🤗
Great video, while i'll probably never hear the r11 meta's just in case they spoil all other speakers for me forever it does make me interested in the lower end of the series I would like to demo the r5 meta towers and the r3 meta bookshelves