KEF R3 Speaker Review

[Streamc]

Some little birds saying R serie is being discontinued and new R3 Meta coming at February 2023. Not that suprising if true as there is some good deals for the R serie currently.

Bird name is Stig.

 

[Dbassist]

If R3 Meta uses the 12th gen uni q driver then what sets them apart from the reference 1? Only the bass driver?

Each Uni-Q generation is a family of drivers - the one in R Series is not the same as the one in LS50 Meta, which is not the same as the one in LS60, which is not the same as the Reference/Blade one. It's pretty clear from the white papers there are significant differences in construction. In fact, I think R Series was the first speaker with 12th generation.

 

[Opal]

Each Uni-Q generation is a family of drivers - the one in R Series is not the same as the one in LS50 Meta, which is not the same as the one in LS60, which is not the same as the Reference/Blade one. It's pretty clear from the white papers there are significant differences in construction. In fact, I think R Series was the first speaker with 12th generation.

Ah i see. Dint know there was a significant difference. As they all share the same technology and theory. In fact i was all along curious as to why the reference 1 is 4 times more expensive than the R3 and LS50 Meta when the mids and highs should have roughly the same sound signature.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

looked really good, but maybe correcting up to 700hz is a bit much, looks got above schroeder frequency isn't too good an idea

I ended to correct left and right channels alone not by single point measurement, i don't have the graph but sounds much better the correction. I also did the correction up to 700hz. No problem with that to be honest. I'm amazed how good it works.

 

[Dbassist]

Ah i see. Dint know there was a significant difference. As they all share the same technology and theory. In fact i was all along curious as to why the reference 1 is 4 times more expensive than the R3 and LS50 Meta when the mids and highs should have roughly the same sound signature.

Same theory, and some same technology, but not totally. I worked for a KEF dealer for a couple of years after finishing university. It was described to me that each driver in a generation were like cousins - there'll be some similarities, but just as many differences.

 

[muad]

Ah i see. Dint know there was a significant difference. As they all share the same technology and theory. In fact i was all along curious as to why the reference 1 is 4 times more expensive than the R3 and LS50 Meta when the mids and highs should have roughly the same sound signature.

Either way, I'm hoping they retune the R3 meta to sound like the ls50meta. Not sure if anyone really cares about the meta material itself.

 

[Stigo]

I got the R3’s. Does the speakers get better sounding if not running full range? I see people crossover @ 70-80Hz. Yeah, i dont do that.

 

[tw 2022]

I got the R3’s. Does the speakers get better sounding if not running full range? I see people crossover @ 70-80Hz. Yeah, i dont do that.

in theory it should..i would cross to a decent sub if i had one or if one was in easy reach of my budget...

 

[3125b]

Does the speakers get better sounding if not running full range?

Well, I don't have the R3, but the R5 and a sub. I run the speakers full-range with plugged ports, maybe I'll try crossing them over at 80Hz properly, but subjectively they don't struggle to begin with.
I recently added a sub to my nearfiled monitors crossing them over at 60Hz, and there I would say it made a positive difference to take the load of the midwoofers of the monitors.

 

[Stigo]

in theory it should..i would cross to a decent sub if i had one or if one was in easy reach of my budget...

i've considered a sub but maybe i should look for an speaker upgrade instead. The R3 plays well but i think i'll go for bigger or other speakers. Have to think about it for an while. would like to try kef ref but it’s something about the price that doesn’t fit my budget.

 

[tw 2022]

i've considered a sub but maybe i should look for an speaker upgrade instead. The R3 plays well but i think i'll go for bigger or other speakers. Have to think about it for an while. would like to try kef ref but it’s something about the price that doesn’t fit my budget.

Maybe think about bmr monitors if you are in the U.S. they really don't need a sub in a small/ medium room.they have.real bass... Or maybe some floorstanders....

 

[Stigo]

Maybe think about bmr monitors if you are in the U.S. they really don't need a sub in a small/ medium room.they have.real bass... Or maybe some floorstanders....

I live in europe Yes, i’ve to digg a little and see what i find. Need to buy some second hand this time i think. But i’ve to stay with the R3s for a little longer since i recently took an amp upgrade.

 

[Stigo]

Well, I don't have the R3, but the R5 and a sub. I run the speakers full-range with plugged ports, maybe I'll try crossing them over at 80Hz properly, but subjectively they don't struggle to begin with.
I recently added a sub to my nearfiled monitors crossing them over at 60Hz, and there I would say it made a positive difference to take the load of the midwoofers of the monitors.

Yes, i dont know. Maybe i’ll bring my amp to the store and hear both R7 and R11 on it, just to listen how it sounds. Anyway, will keep the R3’s no matter what.

 

[Streamc]

I got the R3’s. Does the speakers get better sounding if not running full range? I see people crossover @ 70-80Hz. Yeah, i dont do that.

What amp do you use now?

 

[Stigo]

What amp do you use now?

Hegel h390

 

[SiamXIII]

Currently drive them with Topping LA90 and they sound amazing, except most heavy metal genres. Well they benifit from adding second LA90 and use them as monoblocks?

 

[Burgunder]

These cost 1000 euros for the pair in Germany these days, and I must say that I'm tempted even though I'm pretty satisfied with the Kef R100s that I've had for the last 2 years.

 

[SiamXIII]

These cost 1000 euros for the pair in Germany these days, and I must say that I'm tempted even though I'm pretty satisfied with the Kef R100s that I've had for the last 2 years.

This is killer price!

 

[ThatGuy1337]

Hi - long time listener, first time caller. Got a new pair of R3s the other day. The woofer on one has some pretty deep grooves. Not certain, but I think my daughter caused it while trying to pick it up while it was covered in the thin white foam wrap. Very bummed.

A few questions:

1. How much do you think this will affect sound quality?
2. Regardless of the answer to (1), I think I want to replace it (will have a hard time knowing it's there!); I assume it's not economical / feasible to try and repair?
3. Assuming it's not worth repairing, I'd buy a new one, then sell the old damaged one. I could either buy an individual R3 for $999 or a pair for $1,770 (both CAD, both new). Am I better off buying a new pair and selling the ones I currently have (since there's a larger market for pairs), or better off buying the individual one and selling the damaged one individually? Effectively - how much do you think I'd get for a damaged single vs. one damaged + one good pair? (I suppose this might be too hard to estimate.)
4. Am I missing anything?

I'm in the Toronto area.

Thank you for any and all advice!

 

[digitalfrost]

Haut parleur KEF R3 blanc

Haut-parleurs, boomer, woofer,uniq, uni-q, medium, tweeter KEF, centre technique agrée par KEF depuis plus de 20 ans

setelec-shop.fr

Haut parleur passif KEF R3 noir

Haut-parleurs, boomer, woofer,uniq, uni-q, medium, tweeter KEF, centre technique agrée par KEF depuis plus de 20 ans

setelec-shop.fr

Haut parleur KEF R3 cuivre

Haut-parleurs, boomer, woofer,uniq, uni-q, medium, tweeter KEF, centre technique agrée par KEF depuis plus de 20 ans

setelec-shop.fr

Just replace the woofer.