KEF R11 Meta Tower Speaker Review

[anphex]

I am 90 % sure it's the flare issue. KEF should have briefed Amir about that. ANd they should take more care in actually fixing this fixture or send out a PSA/write into the user manual. Either of these ways would be fine, but doing none of those is pretty lenient from KEF.

Btw the Reference also have a plastic ring. Once I read about that shadow flare topic I tried it on my Ref 3 at home and jup, they also could be pushed in by 1mm at some places. Guess metal/wood + plastic don't work well together during shipping.

 

[Marin]

Great speaker and engineering! I wonder, because of the height of the tweeter, does one need to sit relatively low to the ground? Because the vertical directivity is very smooth and relatively wide, I don't think it will result in a change in tonality. But I wonder if at the least it'll make the phantom image relatively low too, when one would sit a bit higher than the tweeter?

The tonality won't change if you sit 2 or more meters from the sound source, but it will definitely sound like all the singers are actually dwarfs, and that is if you sitting no more than 90cm.That is the biggest problem that people are complaining with this speaker.

 

[Marin]

Yes, if I had not discovered this forum, I would have been sad that I don’t have the money for References. But now I know I can buy speakers which are having enough capability to eq and having low distortion to have sound of any speaker in the world. Do I need the blade sound ? EQ it! Do I need the sound of magicos ? EQ it!

I hope this is a joke. If not

 

[Marin]

My R11 has none of these issues and its directivity is excellent. Blades have the same characteristics. So they are equal. You are paying $$ for looks!

Every speaker has this to a greater or lesser extent, you can't cheat the laws of physics (action, reaction, etc.).
As stated here by the people who designed this little masterpiece.
EVERY SPEAKER HAS ITS COMPROMISES....

 

[Marin]

I'm not even convinced there's an issue here TBH. All I see is an REW sweep for the two speakers, presumably in different positions. Any difference in frequency response could well be the result of room modes, particularly at the low end.

Oh and how does it exist, haven't you seen the sound membrane acting out of control and heard a 66hz bass note that doesn't sound right at all?
Most likely the voice coil is no longer properly centered in the slot and is tearing at the sides.

 

[Crosstalk]

Oh and how does it exist, haven't you seen the sound membrane acting out of control and heard a 66hz bass note that doesn't sound right at all?
Most likely the voice coil is no longer properly centered in the slot and is tearing at the sides.

two speakers playing 66hz tone would sound exactly the same, provided there are no harmonics on both of them. There is no slow 66hz and fast 66hz. Acting out of control means there would be a measurable harmonics associated to it.

 

[Marin]

two speakers playing 66hz tone would sound exactly the same, provided there are no harmonics on both of them. There is no slow 66hz and fast 66hz. Acting out of control means there would be a measurable harmonics associated to it.

Did you hear the sound that speaker makes?
You don't need REW to know and hear that there are unnecessary tones (harmonics) there.
I didn't mean any slow bass?I was referring on the movement of the membrane.It doesn't go up and down like a piston, but more like a fan.LOL I don't know how else to say it. You can see that if you look at the space between surround of membrane and the ring which surrounds here...on video number 2.
KEF itself saw this and without thinking twice replaced that bass driver+ UniQ driver which showed no signs of damage.Bravo KEF

 

[dasherzx]

anyone heard this and the genelec 8351's before? do you get the same effect of coaxial drivers?

 

[Marin]

anyone heard this and the genelec 8351's before? do you get the same effect of coaxial drivers?

I don't know about Genelec coaxial drivers but whole internet is full of blown out KEF UNIQ driver's especially the one that doesn't has separete woofer.
The woofers are also very thin aluminum mine dented from the mere touch of my glasses hanging from my neck while I was dusting.
The speakers worked and one hit of bass was enough
I would never again buy KEF speakers more for care and pampering than for playing with authority.
The old designs didn't have these problems. I don't know if the reason for the drop in quality and manufacturing changes is the Chinese owner who produces mostly batteries?