Advice neede for purchase of KEF R3 (meta)+ subwoofers

[Geertidow]

Dear fellow members,

I am in need of some advice. I have recently moved and now have a relatively large audio/movie area (7 meter x 3.5 meters) within a larger u-shaped living room.
One 'leg' of the U is used for audio.
I moved my old (and highly appreciated) Focal Chora 816 with a custom subwoofer with them together with a Wiim pro, minidsp flex + Hypex amps.

We are considering building a cabinet against the wall where two subwoofers can be placed in (with a soft screen before them) and two bookshelf speakers on that cabinet.
These speakers would then be approximately 30 - 50 cm from the rear wall.

The listening distance is approximately 3-4 meters from the speakers.

Could this be done with the KEF R3 (meta) as a bookshelf speaker or are these for a smaller room. Can these be combined with a pair of SVS 2000 pro subwoofers?
Overall I'm very happy with the sound of the focals (with some EQ) but in the new larger room it's difficult to get the spacing right (as in, not hearing the speakers but the sound).

Happy to hear some thoughts.

 

[Chagall]

The R3 Metas should work very well, especially with two subs. While KEFs might initially sound a bit darker compared to Focals, that's more about their flatter, more neutral tuning. Focals tend to have a more lively top end, so it can take a bit of time to adjust. I have the R3 (non-meta), and the only thing I don’t love is they can sound a bit narrow in terms of soundstage.

Is this room going to be mainly for music or movies? And how loud do you usually listen?

 

[raindance]

Note that the R3 is tuned for close wall placement and sounds fullest this way.

 

[Chagall]

Note that the R3 is tuned for close wall placement and sounds fullest this way.

Yes, but 20cm (backside of the speakers) from the wall minimum with the port open.

But if he's using 2 SVS, then I would put plugs in Kefs and crossover 80 - 120 hz and wouldn't worry about the distance from the wall.

 

[Oddball]

Not to spoil the party but placing subs in cabinet might lead to unwanted resonances, despite the soft screen. Might not, but there is really no way to tell.

Crossover management is in deed a separate issue. But that is what is determined by in-room measurements and preferences. Crossover beyond 80hz is not really recommended to the best of my understanding unless there is no other way to make it work with the gear in the room.

While the room is not that large, the listening distance is so it will depend on the SPL needed for the setup.

 

[PashkaTLT]

@Geertidow please share your experience with R3 + subs. I'm thinking of the same setup (R3s + 2 subs).
Do you think R3s are enough, or you think you'd prefer speakers with a bigger (8") woofer?

 

[Chromatischism]

The benefit of two subs is you can spread them apart. It's tragic seeing people put them together.

 

[Geertidow]

@Geertidow please share your experience with R3 + subs. I'm thinking of the same setup (R3s + 2 subs).
Do you think R3s are enough, or you think you'd prefer speakers with a bigger (8") woofer?

In my set up the combination of 2 R3 meta with 2 SVS 2000 pro are simply stunning. I have a rather large living room in a U shape so my MLP is in the middle of one of the U ends.

If I look at all the measurements I've done I can't really explain why, but going from 1 to 2 subs (front corners) did something nice to the sound.

In my room the KEF R3 meta lacked bass to use only the R3, but in a smaller room I doubt if it's necessary.
Finally, if I couldn't afford one or two subwoofers or if I did not want to do the integration I would've been absolutely satisfied with only the R3 metas.

I hope this helps.

 

[PashkaTLT]

In my set up the combination of 2 R3 meta with 2 SVS 2000 pro are simply stunning. I have a rather large living room in a U shape so my MLP is in the middle of one of the U ends.

If I look at all the measurements I've done I can't really explain why, but going from 1 to 2 subs (front corners) did something nice to the sound.

In my room the KEF R3 meta lacked bass to use only the R3, but in a smaller room I doubt if it's necessary.
Finally, if I couldn't afford one or two subwoofers or if I did not want to do the integration I would've been absolutely satisfied with only the R3 metas.

I hope this helps.

Thank you. That's helpful. May I ask what speakers you had before R3s and how do R3s compare to them?

 

[Geertidow]

I had the Focal Chora 816 with a custom sub. Was satisfied, but my wife had a strong preference for a no tower setup after we moved to a new house.
All in all this new setup is a big step upwards in how well I can here the bass notes separately and the vocals do sound nice, but I would have been happy with the Focals too.

 

[JeremyFife]

Dear fellow members,

I am in need of some advice. I have recently moved and now have a relatively large audio/movie area (7 meter x 3.5 meters) within a larger u-shaped living room.
One 'leg' of the U is used for audio.
I moved my old (and highly appreciated) Focal Chora 816 with a custom subwoofer with them together with a Wiim pro, minidsp flex + Hypex amps.

We are considering building a cabinet against the wall where two subwoofers can be placed in (with a soft screen before them) and two bookshelf speakers on that cabinet.
These speakers would then be approximately 30 - 50 cm from the rear wall.

The listening distance is approximately 3-4 meters from the speakers.

Could this be done with the KEF R3 (meta) as a bookshelf speaker or are these for a smaller room. Can these be combined with a pair of SVS 2000 pro subwoofers?
Overall I'm very happy with the sound of the focals (with some EQ) but in the new larger room it's difficult to get the spacing right (as in, not hearing the speakers but the sound).

Happy to hear some thoughts.

First thought (apart from "nice speakers" ) is that the benefit of multiple subs is that you place them somewhere in the room to help manage room effects. It's rare that keeping them together is the best option.

You can model this without rearranging furniture in the free software REW, which you may already have. Move the subs around, see what the predicted impact is.

Obviously, aesthetics and the practicalities of living matter too. Perhaps don't start off by assuming that both subs will be in the same place

 

[Geertidow]

I have done all of that, and the double front position gave both good results and were practical. Furthermore, for hifi I have a strong preference for everything front based.

Basically they are two subwoofers underneath the speakers.

 

[Chromatischism]

I am into getting the highest fidelity from my system, and in every room I've set up in, the center front + rear method as also found by Earl Geddes gave the best bass.