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KEF R3 Meta - Review & Measurements by Erin

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the forum, I've been reading about it for years but I finally decided to join. I was thinking of upgrading my system because the weakest component of my system which are some Wharfedale Denton 80th speakers. They never convinced me 100% and now seeing the measurements I know why.
Taking into account my tastes and budget and the measurements I've seen here and from Erin:
Kef ls50 meta with a KC62 subwoofer
Kef R3 meta

For a small living room of about 20m2, do you think the R3 meta will be too much for my living room? I suppose I'll have better bass extension and I'll be able to not use a subwoofer unlike with the LS50 meta which, seeing the measurements, seems almost essential to me.
another idea... bmr monitors from philharmonic audio, use the savings from r3 to weigh sub options (but you won't "need" one)...
 
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the forum, I've been reading about it for years but I finally decided to join. I was thinking of upgrading my system because the weakest component of my system which are some Wharfedale Denton 80th speakers. They never convinced me 100% and now seeing the measurements I know why.
Taking into account my tastes and budget and the measurements I've seen here and from Erin:
Kef ls50 meta with a KC62 subwoofer
Kef R3 meta

For a small living room of about 20m2, do you think the R3 meta will be too much for my living room? I suppose I'll have better bass extension and I'll be able to not use a subwoofer unlike with the LS50 meta which, seeing the measurements, seems almost essential to me.
Welcome to the forum!

I have my R3 Metas in a 20sqm living room and they provide a decent overall response. Not at all ‘too much’ for the room. The question is rather if you want to add a sub in addition, not if they are too much :). I can imagine the LS50’s would work well too, but the R3’s should have a bit more kick/foundation down low.

I currently use mine without a sub, but did have an SVS SB-1000 for a while and that certainly added to the experience; lowest octaves for music and of course something extra for movies. (The sub is repurposed to a different system that needed it more). But I am quite satisfied running them just 2.0. Just depends on how much/deep bass you want.

So, for LS 50’s; you might want to add a sub.
And for R3’s; you still might want to add a sub.
 
another idea... bmr monitors from philharmonic audio, use the savings from r3 to weigh sub options (but you won't "need" one)...
Of course! I forgot! I also recently saw a great review on audioholics about this speaker, thanks a lot for bringing it to mind. This speaker will definitely be on my shortlist and I love the retro look. Do you have any real experience with these speakers?
 
Welcome to the forum!

I have my R3 Metas in a 20sqm living room and they provide a decent overall response. Not at all ‘too much’ for the room. The question is rather if you want to add a sub in addition, not if they are too much :). I can imagine the LS50’s would work well too, but the R3’s should have a bit more kick/foundation down low.

I currently use mine without a sub, but did have an SVS SB-1000 for a while and that certainly added to the experience; lowest octaves for music and of course something extra for movies. (The sub is repurposed to a different system that needed it more). But I am quite satisfied running them just 2.0. Just depends on how much/deep bass you want.

So, for LS 50’s; you might want to add a sub.
And for R3’s; you still might want to add a sub.
In fact, of course I want a subwoofer, but my living room is used by many people and I prefer not to put another "gadget" in there, although I do want one. That's why I'm thinking of the KEF C62, which is a small subwoofer for a living room of that size. I suppose sitting about 2.5m or 3m from the R3 is enough? How far away did you separate them from the back wall?
 
In fact, of course I want a subwoofer, but my living room is used by many people and I prefer not to put another "gadget" in there, although I do want one. That's why I'm thinking of the KEF C62, which is a small subwoofer for a living room of that size. I suppose sitting about 2.5m or 3m from the R3 is enough? How far away did you separate them from the back wall?
Same distance as me then, more or less 2.5 meters away. I have them pushed quite close, around 10cm from the (front) wall. You could also experiment with the port bungs/o-rings to tame the bass a bit if you find it too much.

My biggest issue is my seating position right up against the back wall, which really isn’t good for sound quality. But it works well enough as a compromise (and I don’t want to rearrange the entire room for audio purposes only).
Personally, I agree on something like the KC62 - in my case it is not so much about the deepest extension, but perhaps a bit more fullness down low and smooth bass. (also considering I try to be a nice neighbour). I did have to run room correction when I had the SB-1000 to correct (boomy) peaks in the response. I guess the KC62 have some EQ settings on board which helps!
 
Of course! I forgot! I also recently saw a great review on audioholics about this speaker, thanks a lot for bringing it to mind. This speaker will definitely be on my shortlist and I love the retro look. Do you have any real experience with these speakers?
Yes, I heard them at speaker fest AZ 2 years ago... And: Dennis ( the owner) modded a pair of speakers for me...I heard the og r3s at that speaker fest as well.. They are good speakers but I liked the bmr's much better...and Dennis is a great guy that makes sure his customers are happy....I'm really happy I own a speaker he modded ...
 
I had KEF R3 Meta with two subs in a 35sq meter living room. And the subs were really beneficial especially if I wanted to go louder.
But I believe KEF R3 Meta will do the job without subs in a 20sq living room. They also don't have a lot of side reflections if this is a thing to consider in your placement scenario.
I think you should go with R3 Meta no sub to start of, given that a 'clean' living room is also a deciding factor.
And if you see you miss bass or not satisfied, you can add a sub in the future.
Even as an upgrade path, which will not be there with the LS50(which I never listened to)
 
Yes, I heard them at speaker fest AZ 2 years ago... And: Dennis ( the owner) modded a pair of speakers for me...I heard the og r3s at that speaker fest as well.. They are good speakers but I liked the bmr's much better...and Dennis is a great guy that makes sure his customers are happy....I'm really happy I own a speaker he modded ...
Thanks for sharing your experience, I will definitely try to test it, it seems like it could be an end game for me.
 
Same distance as me then, more or less 2.5 meters away. I have them pushed quite close, around 10cm from the (front) wall. You could also experiment with the port bungs/o-rings to tame the bass a bit if you find it too much.

My biggest issue is my seating position right up against the back wall, which really isn’t good for sound quality. But it works well enough as a compromise (and I don’t want to rearrange the entire room for audio purposes only).
Personally, I agree on something like the KC62 - in my case it is not so much about the deepest extension, but perhaps a bit more fullness down low and smooth bass. (also considering I try to be a nice neighbour). I did have to run room correction when I had the SB-1000 to correct (boomy) peaks in the response. I guess the KC62 have some EQ settings on board which helps!
In my case I will be sitting about 2.5m from the speaker and there are still 2m behind me to the back wall. My biggest concern was being too close and also not being able to move the speaker too far away from the wall. I saw that in the manual they recommend a minimum of 25cm and I will have about 22cm.
 
I had KEF R3 Meta with two subs in a 35sq meter living room. And the subs were really beneficial especially if I wanted to go louder.
But I believe KEF R3 Meta will do the job without subs in a 20sq living room. They also don't have a lot of side reflections if this is a thing to consider in your placement scenario.
I think you should go with R3 Meta no sub to start of, given that a 'clean' living room is also a deciding factor.
And if you see you miss bass or not satisfied, you can add a sub in the future.
Even as an upgrade path, which will not be there with the LS50(which I never listened to)
Yes, I really like the way you approach this. I'm going straight for a speaker better than the LS50 and in the future if I'm lacking bass or change a bigger room I'll always have time to add a subwoofer. One question, is there really that much difference between having one subwoofer or a pair of them?
 
2nd sub definitely made a difference. I would not be able to tell you how evident or justifying the space and the cost, but I can tell you it was audible.

How much is this difference is difficult to define as everything is related to the room and the ear. But in theory the more difficult the room, the more a 2nd sub helps.
 
I’ve also got the R3s in a small room and love them. Definitely a more full sound than the ls50, although a perfectly integrated sub could pretty much negate that.

I’d also suggest starting with the R3s and adding a sub later if needed. I’d also suggest looking at the SVS3000 micro if you do look for a sub - it’s very small, much cheaper than the kef, (especially during the big ~annual sales they run) and will sound basically the same once properly integrated.
 
In my case I will be sitting about 2.5m from the speaker and there are still 2m behind me to the back wall. My biggest concern was being too close and also not being able to move the speaker too far away from the wall. I saw that in the manual they recommend a minimum of 25cm and I will have about 22cm.
The speaker isn't going to fail because of 3cm lol
 
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