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New 2018 KEF R series...?

Just saw the what-hifi review of the R3 which seems to be replacing the R300 (Not to be confused with the Ref 3) 

bit confusing name scheme. I suspect a lot of people are going to be confused in the near future.

anyway, what do you guys think? I figure they need a lot of space, I was interested in a Ref 3 for a time (NOT the R3) but I came to the realization I really needed about double the space I currently have. 

alas we are all the victim of our listening areas.
d2girls
audionoobie's avatar
audionoobie
98 posts
 

@tomic601 My room is 13' x 11'. It's an upstairs bedroom in a Cape Cod style home so the walls follow the roofline at about 4' off the floor.

@mrdecibel I'll qualify my statement. I felt that the R3 was somewhat lacking in bass.

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
2,164 posts
 
Joe - sounds like a challenging space, but those irregular surfaces will help w room nodes a bit
..have fun !!!!

hypersonic
3 posts
 
Has anyone had an opportunity to contrast the new KEF R5/R7 with the existing R500/R700 series in the same audition?

If so, are the audible differences significant enough to pass up leftover R500/R700s at a great price?

My space is roughly 15’ x 15’ and I fear that the R700’s bass will dominate the room. I hear that the R7’s have tighter bass control. Has anyone validated this?
d2girls's avatar
d2girls OP
641 posts
 
If you have freedom to move the speakers where you please then you can certainly find a spot the r7 will sound good. I think if there are any problems with placement and sound with the r700, you will have it with the r7. But 15x15 is big enough if you can make it a dedicated room.
hypersonic
3 posts
 
Thanks -

I am sort of stuck here ... there aren't many places locally to properly audition the variety of interesting choices.

These would be strictly for 2-ch audio and I prefer speakers that are open and somewhat lively but not too bright. My current options are:

- KEF R500/R700 or R5/R7
- Paradigm Prestige 85F
- Monitor Audio Silver 300
- Dynaudio Excite x38

I would be driving these with either PS Audio M700 monoblocks or a Parasound Halo A23+, with a NAD c658 as the preamp/streamer.

Any clear winner(s) in the mix. Any others in a similar price range worth auditioning if possible?
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