Advice on Kef R3 Meta speakers + Nord One MP NC252 amp pairing

[PKRankin]

Hi, I'm fairly new to hi-fi. I'm looking to upgrade my current setup and am looking at the following:
kef r3 meta
nord one mpnc252 stereo power amplifier
tisbury mini passive preamp ii
pro-ject phono box ds3b
Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II cartridge
pro-ject x1b turntable

I like a highly detailed and neutral sound, leaning just slightly to warm, to avoid harshness. I've used ai to compare specs, measurements and prices, and have arrived at this, which I think will give me the sound I'm looking for, but I'm unsure. I believe all of this is highly neutral, apart from the cartridge which is slightly pushes forward the midrange, for a bit of warmth. I want to know if anyone has experience with the kef, nord pairing, as while the measurements and specs appear to fit together well, I worry that this pairing could sound shrill or unnatural. Thank you

 

[peng]

Hi, I'm fairly new to hi-fi. I'm looking to upgrade my current setup and am looking at the following:
kef r3 meta
nord one mpnc252 stereo power amplifier
tisbury mini passive preamp ii
pro-ject phono box ds3b
Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II cartridge
pro-ject x1b turntable

I like a highly detailed and neutral sound, leaning just slightly to warm, to avoid harshness. I've used ai to compare specs, measurements and prices, and have arrived at this, which I think will give me the sound I'm looking for, but I'm unsure. I believe all of this is highly neutral, apart from the cartridge which is slightly pushes forward the midrange, for a bit of warmth. I want to know if anyone has experience with the kef, nord pairing, as while the measurements and specs appear to fit together well, I worry that this pairing could sound shrill or unnatural. Thank you

As you said, amps like the nc252mp are neutral/transparent, so if you want what you might consider warm sound, you probably should consider using EQ. Trying to find an amp to give you a specific sound will be tough, you can just go by what they claimed in their marketing info.

 

[PKRankin]

It's not really a full on warm sound I'm looking for. It's more neutral, but leaning very slightly to warm. are nords considered harsh at all? thanks

 

[PKRankin]

as long as I'm avoiding outright brightness or harshness, I'm happy. would pairing an aluminium voice coil like the kef with a class d amp result in sibillance, or harsh, unntatural vocals?

 

[MaxwellsEq]

are nords considered harsh at all? thanks

Welcome to ASR.

Nord build amplifiers around Purifi and Hypex amplifier boards. So you are actually asking "are Hypex NC252 amplifier boards harsh". The answer is no. They are neutral and transparent whilst operating within their specified capability

 

[vsch]

Kef R3 Meta with Hypex 252 (or any other well-engineered amp) are certainly excellent.

In my experience (and already suggested by @peng ), room correction / EQ makes a substantial difference.

One route is to use a miniDSP Flex as a preamp, together with a UMIK-1 mic for measurements to create PEQ filters in REW. If you prefer something more automated, you could add the Dirac Live license, which offers a semi-automatic correction workflow. The miniDSP Flex can also serve as an active crossover, allowing precise time/phase alignment if you later add a subwoofer (which I’d recommend). Not sure whether a turntable can be connected directly — I only use digital sources.

Another -- potentially more cost-effective -- option is to go with an AVR like the Denon AVR/AVC-X3800H instead of a miniDSP + separate amps. These probably have enough power for the R3 Meta at reasonable SPL, include room correction (@OCA ’s A1 Acoustica is phenomenal and semi-automatic on compatible Denon/Marantz units), handle active crossover duties for integrating a potential future sub, and most models have a phono input.

 

[PKRankin]

awesome, thank you very much. I like to keep my signal path analogue though so even though it'll be more expensive I think I'll get room treatment and continue with the components I was planning on. Glad to know it's a good pairing

 

[Nopiano]

I had a fairly similar combination a few years ago of the original LS50 Black Edition, with a Nord One NC500DM MKI Dual Mono Stereo amp. The warmth you seek will essentially be from the KEF’s which have a more extended bass than my LS50s. It should be a very nice combination, with quite a bit of scope to fine tune with toe-in and speaker stands, to mention just two aspects.

 

[PKRankin]

yeah, I've heard about 10 degrees off-axis ought to do the trick

 

[peng]

awesome, thank you very much. I like to keep my signal path analogue though so even though it'll be more expensive I think I'll get room treatment and continue with the components I was planning on. Glad to know it's a good pairing

I doubt you can find a high quality power amp that is designed to have what you may consider a warm, or slightly warm sound. Even if they are specified to have that “warm” sound, they may be too warm or not enogh warmth for you anyway, most are just going to be marketing hype/BS, trying to get people to buy the product. You can however, find something on tbe preamp side that may just do it for you. For example:

The C55 apparently has the analog equaliser option:

McIntosh C55 Solid State Preamplifier

The C55 Preamplifier is a pinnacle of sonic excellence designed for audiophiles, music enthusiasts, and dedicated McIntosh fans alike.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

In tve lower price range, something like Schiit may have something:

Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA

www.schiit.com