KEF R3 Meta (Walnut, Pair)

And that better speaker is the Reference 1. I own LS50 Metas, had them for a year. Thought the R3 Meta would be the same but with more bass. No, it's better in every way, and the 50s were already amazing. There are no words to describe the in real life sound (you won't hear it in YouTube no matter how nice your earbuds, its just not possible), other than sheer perfection, sublime ultra refined highs that are soooo smooth. Upright bass? You can hear the eczema on the players fingers.. ultra resolution with a very very exciting and thrilling presentation. They are also beautiful! Pics are no justice. And BUY the stands. They are expensive but the speaker *bolts into* the stands. That kind of rigidity, on top of filling with sand, comes in very very expensive speakers and you get that here with the stands. Tightens everything up, look amazing. I have the Indigo Blue with the white stands and it looks very nautical! Very yacht racer, very high end. I am a kef customer for life now. Have 10 other pairs of speakers: Magnepans, Miller and Kreisels, CSS 1TDX Superior, but nothing beats these with the Kef stands. Orchard Audio Ganfet monoblocks, Gustard X26Pro Dac, Topping Pre 90, Schiit Lokius EQ (they need EQ in my room), and 2 RSL Speedwoofer 10s. Heaven!

These speakers offer sound clarity that will make you appreciate music in a whole new way. The indigo gloss color is beautiful too. Still loving these speakers nearly a year later.

These R3 Meta speakers sound articulate, etched, detailed, a little laid back, and not too bright like many dome tweeter speakers (I prefer ribbon tweeters). I did however find them to lack midrange warmth and extension, and they exhibit a compressed soundstage with a pin pointed presentation; so basically they do not disappear. Furthermore, they cannot be played pleasingly at low volume and they start to get lost when the music gets loud and busy (like Rock or Metal); which is unlike other stand mount speakers I own or have heard. It seems to me that the drivers do not have much travel compared to non metallic drivers so that could explain them getting lost. I think this somewhat sharp metallic sound is likely from the metallic drivers but whatever it is...you clearly do not hear the natural midrange timbre, warmth, and texture in instruments like the acoustic guitar, violin, piano, or stand up bass as I do from my stand mount 3 way Legacy Audio Victoria LE. Woodwinds resolved thru the R3 Meta are also lacking in naturalness and sound flat. Even if you not listen to this type of music, it clearly indicates something is missing from the speakers. In the contrary, Brass instruments such as trumpet, trombone, and sax are well resolved and sound pretty good and I found Wynton Marsalis jazz and blues thru these speakers to be pleasing at moderate volume. Electronic music is also pretty well conveyed thru the R3 Metas.I powered the R3 Metas with 3 different amplifiers including the Ayon Spirit III Class A tube amp, Cambridge Audio Edge A, and Anthem Statement A2 and like many have mentioned, these speakers are not efficient and even a Class A tube amp could not bring out the midrange warmth that is lacking. Some will like the sound especially if you prefer resolution and the Kef sound, and they are a good value for the price. If you prefer the warm, natural, and believable sound from the likes of Sonus Faber, Legacy Audio, B&W, Wharfedale, and Tannoy and or can spend a little more then I expect these may not be for you. Finally, I was disappointed when I received these $2,200 speakers and learned they are made in China and the basic sharp edged cabinet (wood grain) spoke of money saved in aesthetics. As a positive they are heavy and the drivers look very nice, matched well with the wood finish, and are of high quality. The binding posts are also rock solid. In summary, I would probably like the Kef R3 Meta more if I did not have several speakers that sound significantly better; so I have returned them for a refund.

These really are great speakers. I demo-ed them once in a story and liked them but wasn't certain so I bought these here and bought another pair of speakers for about the same price so I could side-by-side test them. It was close but the clarity and imaging of these speakers won me over.

As 4ohm speakers, these will put more of a load on AVRs and weak amps than many other speaker, but if you give them the power they're wanting?Fantastic.I powered mine originally with a Topping PA5 II, and then connected them to Fosi V3 mono blocks, and both make these sound fantastic. Also used a sub - these dig deep for bookshelves, but they are still bookshelf speakers. Paired with those, and the R3 Metas are very natural / neutral sounding speakers, very detailed, and very fun.And on the point of accuracy - clean articulate bass is such a wonder, and even if these don't go down to 20Hz, the bass they do reproduce is such a pleasure to hear. Jazz and classical are often suggested to make these shine, but EDM and Lofi is just as fun. Tool is a good time on these speakers too. Good stuff.FYI - there are bolt holes on the bottom for mounting (M8 sized bolts IIRC). If I had a complaint, it's that the speakers are tall and thin, and might be prone to being knocked over. I wouldn't want that to happen to nice speakers, but you can bolt these down, so no worries.

I love them. I can hear all the individual instruments and the vocals sound great. They sound like much more expensive speakers. They’re a real bargain.Do not point them directly at you place them about 15 degrees. Otherwise they can be bright.

i have LS50 wireless and loved it. i wanted something more audiophile grade and the KEF R3 sounds even better. I coupled them with Cambridge audio CXA81 MKii and they just sound incredible. The clarity and sound stage are amazing. they sound bigger and more immersive than LS50. I'm glad I got this setup instead of LS60 which was the other option i considered.

After spending significant research time, I chose the R3 metas and glad I did. The sound is frequency balanced and relatively precise. Good sound stage. I listen to jazz, rock & classical: all sound great. The only negative is that, as bookshelf speakers, they benefit from a subwoofer, especially for bass lovers like me.