New KEF R Series

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by DyersEve726, Sep 6, 2018.

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  1. RC2257

    RC2257 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI
    I'm thinking about upgrading from LS50 to 2018 R3s and came across this same video. I thought it was painful to watch. Your criticisms of the review are much more constructive and polite.
     
  2. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    I'd agree as well. His methods are a little off-the-mark for me. And his penchant for anime girls is kinda creepy.
     
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  3. BlueM

    BlueM Active Member

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Lebowski, Like I said before give the Monitor Audio's a try. What you also should try, is the wireless version of the LS50. much more bass. I like them diffently more that the "normal" LS50.

    Still want something bigger. The soundstage of the LS50 (normale or wireless) is still to small for our living room. I think in a small room the LS50W is just perfect.

    I will wait until the end of februari for the Britol show. Maybe new speakers from other brands will be launched.
     
  4. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Thanks for the input. In a possibly interesting turn of events I have decided to buy either the R5 or R7. Leaning towards the R7. There were aspects of both that I liked, and the fact that my ears are conditioned to the sound of the LS50 did not help any of the contenders. I need to get this decision over with and get on with my life!

    I've tried more than once to use a subwoofer, but I just do not like it. None of the speakers I've heard are perfect (not even then the LS50) but nothing is going to be for the money I want to spend.

    The dealer has a decent trade-up program, so I have up to year to listen to the new R's and if I don't like them I can trade them in for full credit towards something else (something more expensive, of course).
     
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  5. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    The video from the camera mounted on his head makes me dizzy.
     
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  6. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Thought I would update again, even though it’s been a while.

    In a possibly even more surprising turn of events what I actually purchased was a pair of R700!

    I was at the dealer, told him I wanted the R7, but was feeling like something was amiss all along. So at the last second I said stop, get me the 700. All along I was not loving the new R series, despite what everyone else seems to think.

    Of all the things I auditioned, I was most drawn to the R900, but they were a little bit too much for my room. And the R500 were not enough.

    So hopefully the R700 are right in the sweet spot. They arrived at the dealer several days ago but I haven’t been able to pick them up yet. Hopefully I will on Tuesday.
     
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  7. Eamon

    Eamon Forum Resident

    Nail on the head.
     
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  8. Eamon

    Eamon Forum Resident

    A man after my own heart. These are what I have. I use a Roksan k3 to drive them.
     
  9. Eamon

    Eamon Forum Resident


    Might be academic now but maybe ls50w is for you?
     
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  10. bluesaddict

    bluesaddict High Tech Welder

    Location:
    Loveland, Colorado
    I'm thinking of getting a pair of R5's for my system. I listen to vinyl with a little bit of CD's but for the most part it will be vinyl. My amp is a 35w tube amp and I would like to know if they would be a good match. I also roll in and out my Fisher 500c (30w) from time to time.
     
  11. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    For $3K I would recommend a gently used set of Harbeth C7ES3. In fact my dealer has my old set that I just traded in a few weeks ago on the A/G site now. A much, much much better sounding speaker, completely musical, natural and captivating and will work better with your amplifiers as well. No contest.

    Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 | Speakers | Chicago, Illinois 60641 | Audiogon
     
  12. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Off the top of my head I’d guess it’s not a great match. But you should try to demo them. Depending on your room and listening habits who knows...
     
  13. bluesaddict

    bluesaddict High Tech Welder

    Location:
    Loveland, Colorado
    I prefer floor standing speakers over ones that need stands, but that's just me. I did go and look at them..... very nice.



    Why do you think not such a good match? Yes, I'm trying to get a pair to demo.
     
  14. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    My experiences with KEF speakers leave me with the impression that they like a lot of... something. Whether it’s actually current or power (or both) I’m not sure.

    I’m also willing to bet the rated sensitivity of 87dB is a bit optimistic.

    I recently replaced my LS50 with a pair of R700 and have found that they really shine with the big, heavy 150 wpc amp I’ve been feeding them with.

    Keep in mind I have limited experience with tube amps. Also, I’m not trying to dissuade you from the KEFs. I like their products and would love to hear your impressions if you can find a pair to demo.
     
  15. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    I cannot speak to the "R" line but the "Reference" series plays very nicely with my two tubed amp/integrated. The mono blocks 38 Watts the integrated 33 Watts. No issue with power with either my Reference 2 or Reference 3 speakers. I paired the Reference 3s with a solid state 400 watt mono block amplifier and preferred the tube mono blocks over it. The SS did have more omph in the bass but not so much that I felt the tubes were needing help. The tubes had a nicer mid and upper end so the slight bass disadvantage was not worth worrying about. Each amp solid state or tubed are designed differently so I can't speak to yours. As mentioned an audition is always worth the hassle. I dragged my mono blocks to the dealer because I always heard the KEFs need SS power but that wasn't the case in my situation.
     
  16. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Someday I’m gonna get a pair of the Reference series. Someday.
     
    mds likes this.
  17. bluesaddict

    bluesaddict High Tech Welder

    Location:
    Loveland, Colorado
    I was out and about looking at speakers today and stopped at a local shop Audio Alternative (link Home ) to see what he had in my price range (no KEF). He brought out The Triton Five from Goldenear and I must say they sounded really good. Going to bring my tube amp over and some vinyl to see how they sound. :D Still trying to get a demo on the KEF speakers. :agree:
     
  18. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Too bad, those Harbeths are some of the finest sounding speakers available.
     
  19. doug_s.

    doug_s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    maryland
    curious - do you still have the ls50's? can you return the r700's? it is not that i have heard the r700's, but i do have a pair of ls50's, (among other things), and i have found that they excel - in both large rooms and small - with subwoofers, if done right. and reading this thread, including your specific experiences, makes me think you might really like the ls50's in your room, w/subs done right. (i found this thread searching for info on the new kef 'r' series...)

    now, many folks have issues with subwoofers, (like you did). but, if you do it right, you won't. what's doing it right? two things, basically - use an active outboard electronic crossover, and cross the main speakers with it, as well as the subs; and use a pair of subs in stereo. this won't break the bank. you can get a really nice pair of rythmik powered subs for ~$1000-$1200, and a really nice marchand outboard x-over for ~$700. of course, if you can diy, you can save on the x-over. or, you can buy used - both subs and x-overs, and save that way. and there's other similar quality subs/x-overs in other brands; i was just using what i know to be good, as an example. if you really want to pressurize a huge room, of course, you may want larger subs, and you could easily drop $4k or more on a pair, if shopping new.

    my experience w/most speakers, and some more than others - like the ls50 - is that they really should be crossed over to get the best out of them w/subs. whatever minute resolution you might be losing by running them thru an active x-over, (and it really is minute, if even noticeable at all), is far outweighed by the benefits of your main speakers and amp(s) not having to deal with the lower frequencies. i have a second system in my ~26x28 dining room, with a pair of smaller yamaha servo subs, and the only speakers i can use w/them are my custom dillon acoustics ego's, which are sealed, and whose frequency response drops like a rock at ~80hz. the ls50's sounded only so-so there, even w/the ports fully plugged, and the yamaha subs crossed over at 100hz:
    [​IMG]
    (those subs, btw, are nothing to sneeze at; i used them to good effect in a 16x24 room, actively crossed over to a pair of coincident victory's, and the set-up was very nice indeed.)

    and another thing about active subwoofing - it's something that you will be able to use with all your future speaker upgrades. until, of course, you make that big move to speakers that already include their outboard subwoofers as part of the package. :D

    while my ls50's now reside in my bedroom system, here's a pic of them in my main, (~26x38) room, where they sounded simply fabulous. but i think the piega p5 mkii ltd's are a hair better, and they really weren't being utilized to their best potential when they were in the bedroom. :D but, the ls50's were in the main room for over a year before i made the switch... ;)

    [​IMG]

    ymmv,

    doug s.
     
  20. bluesaddict

    bluesaddict High Tech Welder

    Location:
    Loveland, Colorado
    My R5's arrived this past Monday so the Fisher 500c got to start to break them in. For only 30 watts its doing a fine job getting them to sing (70dB). On Friday my tech call and said my McIntosh C28 preamp was ready to pick up. Right now the setup is Rega P6/Ania/ Fono McIntosh C28 into PrimaLuna ProLogue Four. I think both systems do a fantastic job with these speakers. The bass is full/rich and room filling. Mids are super smooth with not a hint of harshness at this point. The tweeters deliver the highs better than my Klipsch Quartet. I really looking forward to getting more hours on them to hear how they settle in.

    Right now playing Ann Wilson - Immortal 180g pressing...…. I'm impressed with the sound so far. :agree:
     
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  21. aarons915

    aarons915 Member

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    I realized I never came back to share my thoughts about the new R series. For people who don't know, I've had the LS50 for almost a year now and they are the best speakers I've had so far. Being curious about the new R series I checked them out a few months ago, first the R3, then the R7 at a later date. I was kind of surprised but I actually wasn't that impressed with them and remain happy with the LS50's. I find the new R series a bit too laid back for my tastes, they all measure with a slight downward tilt from the bass to the treble. Also, as others have stated, I find male vocals better on the LS50 and I attribute that to the 3 way design and splitting the vocals between the woofer and midrange, it just doesn't sound as natural as the point-source presentation of the LS50.

    The LS50 aren't perfect either of course but this past year I've made a few tweaks that make them damn near perfect for me. First, subwoofers are required, not only to produce what the LS50 cannot but you really want to keep the cone excursion to a minimum so that they can play loud and distortion free. I vary between 80-100Hz with 4th order slopes, if I only had 2nd order slopes I'd be between 100-120Hz. Some have noted that they can be bright and I am sensitive to fatigue as well but I have found a few EQ filters really smooth the highs out without dulling their character. There is a peak around 800Hz that I cut that makes vocals sound better, they sound a bit "honky" sometimes without this filter. The brightness is mostly from a peak around 2.3kHz, I cut about 2.5db there and 1.5 db around 5k, all of these filters are using detailed in-room measurements but they correspond to anechoic measurements as well. Using just these 3 filters, there is no fatigue or "hardness", they retain their character without the edginess. The last thing I do is point them straight ahead without any Toe-in, most people think they sound best about 15 deg off axis, this is confirmed with measurements that show directly on axis has elevated treble from 2-5k, this is of course preference but I think most people would prefer them this way.
     
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  22. matteos

    matteos Stereotype

    Location:
    US
    Any boom is from poor setup in the room. I’ve owned the R500s R300s and R900s. No boom out of any of them. The R900s are some of the best speakers I’ve ever heard at any price.
     
  23. matteos

    matteos Stereotype

    Location:
    US
    You obviously like the Spendors. Get the spendors it’s only $600 more.

    Otherwise you will not be fully happy. You will sell whatever you buy for a loss and end up with Spendors at some point anyway. Decisions like this you can’t settle.
     
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  24. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Thanks for the suggestion, but that was a pretty old comment, LOL. I ended up buying the KEF R700 a couple months ago and am really enjoying them. Coincidentally my friend bought the Spendors and they lived at my house for awhile. Ultimately, once I tried them home, I didn't really like them as much, so I guess I dodged a bullet.
     
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