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KEF R3 in a nearfield setup - amp pairing

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Nov 23, 2020
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Hi there,

Which of you are using or have used KEF R3 in a nearfield setup? I already got a pair in my living room and I am considering buying another pair for my work desk (they are deeply discounted now).

I am wondering what is the cheapest amp I can get away with not to compromise sound quality. I have a loxjie a30 on my desk but I am afraid it's not exactly up to the task.

The alternative I am considering is going the genelec 8030c route and not have to worry about amp pairing.

Any experience with this?
 
OP
T
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In terms of...?
Not enough power? High noise/distortion? Lack of features?

First, identify what's troubling you, then the answer will be clear.
Well,

those are fair questions. I am slightly concerned about power capabilities and more concerned about SINAD. But I don't plan on listening louder than 80-85dB from 2m away.
 
OP
T
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Try EigenTakt based amps. You can switch input buffer off.
Well,

I do have a purifi based amp in my living room and it's great. But I am not spending another 1500 Eur for a desktop setup amp :D

Thanks for the input though.
 

Harryharryharry

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I have the r3.

I originally powered it with Hypex nc252 which was good, lots of power.

I then replaced that with topping pa5 which felt like a big sound quality improvement.

I'm powering it for now with the aioyama a07, which does very well for £80 and gives good sound but has some hiss and is definitely not up to the pa5.

If you're buying a speaker as good as the r3 I'd say do it justice and get the pa5.

Topping support is responding and fixing and problems you may or may not have so I don't see that as a big problem.
 

tifune

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Well,

those are fair questions. I am slightly concerned about power capabilities and more concerned about SINAD. But I don't plan on listening louder than 80-85dB from 2m away.

What's the SINAD of your room?
 

YSC

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Hi there,

Which of you are using or have used KEF R3 in a nearfield setup? I already got a pair in my living room and I am considering buying another pair for my work desk (they are deeply discounted now).

I am wondering what is the cheapest amp I can get away with not to compromise sound quality. I have a loxjie a30 on my desk but I am afraid it's not exactly up to the task.

The alternative I am considering is going the genelec 8030c route and not have to worry about amp pairing.

Any experience with this?
Wonders what's the discount price on them, in HK they are still like $2200 a pair
 

maverickronin

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I have Kef R3's on my desk.

I started with an Aiyima A07 as a temporary measure while waiting for a Buckeye NC252MP. I didn't really notice any difference, but I wanted to keep everything balanced for maximum resistance to ground loops so I didn't mind spending the extra money.

Buckeye doesn't have an NC122MP model, but if you're in Europe, the Audiophonics NC122MP would be a good choice.

The Topping PA5 would be perfect if it was reliable.

The Topping LA90 is more money, but doesn't seem to have the reliability problems of the PA5.
 
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