I’m the client that Dave mentioned above that preferred the Kef R11’s.
Over the last two months I think I’ve heard every speaker on the market in the $3k - $4k range. Paradigm Prestige, Quad Z4, Elac Adante, Focal Aria 936, GoldenEar Tritons, ProAc Response 2, Revel (not sure of the model), Tekton Electron (non SE), and I’ve owned the Vandersteen 1ci and own the 2ce Sig II’s.
For me, the Kef R11’s have everything I’m looking for-- plenty of detail in the top end without sounding too forward or etchy. Clarity in the mid-range, and a taut low end that doesn’t sound flabby or one-notey. They image exceptionally well and are just very exciting speakers to listen to.
I spent about 3 hours at Dave’s house last Friday and after a long conversation ended up purchasing the Kef R7. I mentioned my concerns to Dave about having a smaller room that tends to get overloaded with bass very easily. So he steered me toward the R7 over the R11.
I just hope that R7 has all of the magic that I heard in the R11! As a side note, had I not heard the R11’s, I think I could be pretty happy with the Elacs or Quad Z4 as well. The Elac is a formidably large and heavy speaker though. The Quads are stunning to look at. But the Kef’s in piano black, which I chose, are no slouch either!
Shout out to Dave who is always generous with his time. At his suggestion, I brought up my Belles Aria amp and he had a BlueSound Node 2, and a Mytek DAC, so it was an apples-to-apples comparison to what I use at home.
Can’t wait to get my new speaks in!
To the OP, I heard the R3 at a different dealer located near my house. Obviously, being a monitor they lacked bottom end, but imaged like crazy both width and particular depth. For me they would need a sub, but that could be a pretty magical pairing.
Cheers,
-Joe