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Thanks! As a owner of this speaker for nearly a year, follow your tips on toe-in / positioning / port setup, SQ improved significantly. Your tips help people from misuse their gear, which is not uncommon.
I can REALLY appreciate your articulation of the sound quality. You never come across as pretentious. Those test results often back up what you are hearing. Thank You!
Keep the costly stuff coming, please. LOVE THIS review style, Erin. The substantive comments on what you HEAR are deeply valuable to me (and I'm sure others). They also happen to literally mirror my own in completely different spaces. Never be afraid to relay what you hear... you're trusted by us. 👍🔥❤️
This has become my go to review channel. Amazing information, combining state of the art measurements and technical information with listening observations. Well done, I wish you all the success
Great job, Erin. Been hoping someone would review this one for a long time. It really looks like a legitimate competitor for the Kii 3s, D&D 8C's etc. Lower distortion than both of them to boot, though it does require a sub to reach into that lowest octave. Just about as good as something like this can be, I think.
I had UA-cam running in the background and then I heard your musical intro and at first I just felt excited and my mood became more positive but I couldn't place the channel until I walked over to the computer. Then I was like yeah that makes sense. I had a Pavlovian response to your catchy jingle. Thanks for making my day.
Great review as always Erin. Just for ref Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) were supplying frequency response print outs with each speaker back in the 70’s which meant they could pull up the response for the individual and match a replacement driver years down the line.
What I am happy about the most is that your channel is getting better views which is absolutely deserving!!! This is helps both, not just you but your ardent supporters like me as well!
Awesome work, man. I’m way below the price level of this KEF, but your channel content in general and the website info have provided me with a LOT of powerful knowledge to select my loudspeakers. It’s really essential to be able to cut through so much of the BS we see around in this industry and the, say, prose in the “journalism” that covers it. Keep up the excellent work. I’ve just made a donation! Cheers.
Once again, you've done it...you made another great compelling video complete with useful information. However, please stop worrying about the length of your videos. The information and insight that you provide hold our attention so stop apologizing for what we came to the channel for. Keep up the great work, and congratulations to your daughters on her science project.
Thanks for this. After you reviewed the Bose 901 and admitted you had fun with them it became apparent you are very open minded and honest with your impressions.
Just an FYI for the community and yourself, if you care to check it out, you can see the effects of tube length in WinISD. 1) open WinISD and get whatever driver you want to play with setup for a vented enclosure. 2) after you have got the enclosure roughed out, along with any filters added to the model, etc., go to vent and set a fixed circular vent size (like 3 or 4 inches or whatever for your project) 3) flip over to the box tab. Leave the size of the box the same and only change the tuning frequency. 4) flip back to the vent tab and notice the change in the length. In the last driver I modeled, I had a 3" port with a recommended 4.27" length when tuned to 100Hz (using a pro driver with high sensitivity on a 6.5" Eminence driver). At 90Hz, it recommends 5.79" in length on the port. This can vary with drivers, but is an easy way to see how tuning is effected by port length. Also, sometimes, you want to tune the speaker higher to get better performance. Why? As you try to dig down low to the edges of what the woofer can handle, you also make the driver act under different load conditions that can approach the X-max. As the driver moves closer to X-max, the linearity of the driver movement is less. That lack of linearity can cause distortion and artifacts (as well as moving closer to bottoming out the driver). By tuning the speaker higher, you reduce the effects of approaching X-max, thereby lowering your distortion overall on the driver, having more linearity, and a cleaner sound (or that is my understanding of it). But, a speaker is not the whole of the system. Here, the different vent lengths also took into account boundary effects of the room in which you place the speaker. They varied the port length to take into account how it would interact near a wall versus in the middle of the room. That is beyond where I'm currently at on simulations and modeling, but it is awesome to see this being taken into account. But, that's my two cents.
Played with it long time ago, but my current drivers require very long ports, so I switched to PR (smaller box too). There's also soft from German loudspeaker company, possibly Visaton, that calculates modes inside enclosure. But I'm not sure if it does port length resonances. There are probably other ones.
A bit late but great review as with everything else you do. Wasn't able to demo in my area but your review helped me decide to purchase the Ref 1 for my L C R channels 3 months ago and I'm simply loving it. Upgrading from the Dali Euphonia MS4, I didn't think the sound would be as much of an improvement, glad I was wrong. Money well spent and these should carry me over the next decade or so. Thank you again 🙏
Love your passion and honesty Erin , also a Phil Collins fan , brilliant ! Brand X has some of his best drumming 😅 Just purchased Kef R3 Metas because of your review and are absolute loving them , listening to some early Nitin Sawhney albums and it’s like fireworks on a beautiful landscape, awesome !!!😅
I had the privilege of a personal tour of the KEF factory, including their test chamber that measures off the production line and their anechoic chamber by the main Jack Oclee-Brown Head of Acoustics, KEF back in 2015. I have a pair of old non-meta Reference 1's.
I have heard good things about Kef loudspeakers, but looking at the design I was unconvinced. This review goes a long way toward getting me to try Kef.
I like what I see in this review. The fact that KEF offers port tuning is a nice touch - no two rooms sound the same. The listening window is 'stinking' flat, much better than R3. If I just could audition a pair, since Erin's comment on soundstage depth and layering is very favorable. I think KEF also listened what people said/think about R3 to make this model. Erin, BTW how do they compare to March Audio Sointuva (Purifi/SB) you have reviewed earlier this year.
Guys, I watched this review so many times and finally pulled the trigger on a pair of Reference 3 Meta. I tought the "small" bump in price compared to an extra woofer (less distortion) and a floor standing design (no stand needed, more bass extension) compared to the Reference 1 Meta was worth it. Let me tell you, it's end game. It's all you ever going to need. Pair it with a KC92 sub and the system can't get any better. It serves you any song on a gold platter. If you are saving for speakers, the KEF Reference are your thing to go for for sure.
I definitely don't mind you reviewing the higher end stuff (especially if it's competently designed). I probably wouldn't be in the market for a pair of 9k bookshelves...but 5-7k floorstanders are definitely worth considering for me (Kef, Elac, Revel, etc). Might even be interested in something a bit crazier like a Spatial M3 (but subjective reviews only aren't going to cut it). RMAF going away kinda hurt...really wanted to listen to a bunch of these.
You mentioned that you preferred the tonality of the KEF to the Ex Machina. Would you please elaborate on the sonic differences between the two? Thanks and great review!
I have always wanted to know what the difference between this one and the R3. Oh and Erin the R3 is 2200 dollars now. Erin based on your testing and listening could you say the Ref was 6800 dollars different or better than the R3? The Ls50s were a one trick pony in my room, highly fatiguing and the R3 were not.
0:42 "Why are you reviewing more costly stuff?" That's like saying no to a hot date! Even if it leads to nowhere. At least you got to experience it! Right? 🙂 Its kind of like going to the Space Needle for Brunch. You do it just to experience it. One of the things I'm sad about I missed out on? Taking a flight on the Concord. I did see it land. But I never got to take a ride. It was the last time it ever flew into SeaTac. Life is short. Take some chances. You never know if you may get the Chance to experience it ever again.
I just pulled the trigger on a pair of Reference 3 Meta after listening to them in a store. I compared them to the Blade 2 Meta side by side and these actually had the upper hand against the blade in my opinion. Excited!
Dear Erin, I always enjoy watching your reviews. May it is possible to share on your homepage further songs you are using for your reviews? I'm want to create a "Erin's Audio Corner Test Tracks" playlist on Apple music for sharing with your other subscribers. Greetings from Germany!
The below list is borrowed from one of Erin's previously published reviews: My demo music: I auditioned these speakers numerous times over the span of a few weeks. While the list below is my primary auditioning music, I ultimately listened to many, many more tracks spanning various genres. Title Artist Album Enjoy The Silence Depeche Mode Best Of Depeche Mode, Vol. 1 Higher Love Steve Winwood Back In The High Life (MFSL UDCD-611) 24K Magic Bruno Mars 24K Magic Magic The Cars Heartbeat City (MFSL) Everlasting Love Howard Jones The Best of Howard Jones Kodachrome Paul Simon There Goes Rhymin’ Simon Everybody Wants To Rule The World Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair (2014 Deluxe Edition - Disc 1) Know Your Enemy Rage Against The Machine Rage Against The Machine (Hybrid SACD) Doo Wop (That Thing) Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Tell Yer Mama Norah Jones The Fall Don’t Save Me HAIM Days Are Gone He Mele No Lilo Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu and Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus Lilo And Stitch Wrapped Around Your Finger The Police Synchronicity Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel So Feel It Still Portugal. The Man Woodstock Free Fallin John Mayer Where The Light Is Whiplash The Swampers Muscle Shoals Has Got The Swampers
music.apple.com/de/playlist/erin-s-audio-corner-test-tracks/pl.u-BNA6v0VTpkbbRD Apple Music Playlist based on the answer of "Tony Gutermuth" + the three songs used by Erin during this video. Have fun.
I do not find this KEF Ref1 to be an "expensive speaker". Properly set up I think it would be quite satisfying in most higher end systems. I will gladly put this on my short list.
You interpretation of meta is correct. If anybody has ever played with those little ball maze toys as a kid, it's literally that attached to the back of the tweeter housing. The maze "halls" are calculated lengths and folds to absorb the backwaves from the tweeter. Thus less distortion. But for anybody wondering, think" ball maze toys" and attach it to the back of a woofer magnet. That's what it looks like.
Yeah it's actually a stacked/cascaded array of tuned helmholtz resonators that are used to nullify the resonances of the tweeter, but across a wide spread of frequencies. And it TOTALLY looks like that little ball bearing/BB maze toy! Lol. Really cool tech!
Wow great review. I’m gonna have to go to a demo room to check them out. How would you say they compare to the Perlisten you reviewed that are in similar price range?
Awesome review Erin! Thanks so much for this. Keep it coming at all price ranges. I can only afford entry level speakers in the $300-500 range, but I still like reading about and hearing samples of TOTL and SOTA designs.
Love your channel man. Great reviews and great attitude. I can’t stand audiophile music either. However for reviews I think maybe you should listen to some well recorded jazz and classical just to see how those instruments sound. No offense man. I don’t mean it in that manner. I always find that pop music sounds larger and more impressive because of the instruments used and the recording techniques. When I listen I also put on some pop music but put on some well recorded classical and jazz to see the tonality/timbre of the instruments as a benchmark of how real they sound. Cheers man. Good stuff.
These are supposed to be a R3 related design with a warmer signature and less of an upper mids/treble bump. I'll be curious to see how it compares against the R3.
@ErinsAudioCorner I have a feeling comparison between R3 Meta and classical Reference 1 has been avoided deliberately because the price difference wouldn't hold. What are your thoughts?
One thing I think is interesting is the evolution of thinking on cabinet diffraction by the more technically competent speaker companies over the last ~15 years or so. If you look at the speakers that represented top-tier engineering back then - KEF 20x/2, Revel Ultima, Vivid, TAD and Pioneer EX, NHT xD, GedLee, Grimm, JBL LSR 6-series studio monitors - they were all quite curvy or often had big roundovers or sculpted baffles. I'm not sure there's a 90 degree angle or for that matter a flat plane on my Revel Gem2's! But today everyone except Genelec and Vivid seem to have gone boxy: 201/2 to Ref1/Ref1M, Revel Studio2 to F328Be, JBL 6328 to 708, and so on. While fashion, production costs, and bass efficiency (cabinet volume) play into that, what's notable to me is this boring box shape with nothing but a slight waveguide flare around the concentric driver does not seem to suffer from the diffraction effects.
Very good point. Personally, I think I like a speaker with rounded edges but it's not a deal breaker. I imagine that it's also cheaper to make a square box work as opposed to the cost of a rounded cabinet.
There is a lot more to the new Reference line that just the "Meta" material part of it; even though the Meta part takes the headline, its a complete revamp of the design. KEF's lead designer goes into depth: ua-cam.com/video/dq6WyYDFyxI/v-deo.html
Indeed. I don't like my videos to be a re-hash of the marketing/engineering. If people want to know that, they can go to the manufacturer's site (or, in this case, their UA-cam page).
Erin, just wondering (and don’t take this the wrong way), if you own a $100,000 Klippel analyzer, how can a $9000 pair of speakers be out of your budget?
Excellent review as always. A bit rich for my blood, though the R3 Meta should perform similarly whenever it comes out, without the same level of build quality.
Hi Erin, great video! I am very curious curious about this speaker compared to the Revel Performa 226Be? You also seemed like the Revel. Note, I would be crossing both speakers at 60-65 Hz. Thanks in advance!!! Mike
Going watch this on the big screen while i eat lunch :) Can't wait for the meta to trickle down just a bit farther to the r series. Will edit when done watching. Edit: that distortion results are amazing for a bookshelf speaker. I'll be really excited once you get the r series meta as then we will be able to compare to the old model and this model. I think it's pretty cool they have different ports that they provide. Would be cool if they had a plug that worked without the need for either of the ports to be in there.
There is no R3 Meta yet. The Blade and Reference Series were the first to get the Meta treatment after the LS50 Meta, and those are just hitting the market now . The R and Q series Metas won't be introduced until later this year.
Hello my friend... firstly congratulations on your videos, they have helped me a lot in choosing my speakers... I would like your opinion on the timbre of two speakers... I want to upgrade my home theater speakers and of stereo sound, but I only have one room... I want to buy the KEF Reference 1 and the others I want to put from the R series, central and surrounds... do you think it will make a significant difference in timbre by putting the front Reference and the others from the R series? Thank you
Hi Erin, great review as always even though i will never hear this speaker in my lifetime...way to rich for my blood. And btw 'I don't care anymore" i agree one of Phil Collins' best tracks. Although i personally prefer 'I cannot believe it's true". Probably his best solo album.
Erin, let's say this was crossed over to a sub at 100hz do you think for dynamics the woofer would still struggle at 97db? Or do you think kef reference 3 would be better and just take the hit on some cancellation from 2 woofers?
Thanks for the review! As a fellow dealer, We can definitely confirm that Kef Reference 1 META Bookshelf Speaker is an incredible speaker that delivers exceptional sound quality. It features a 5.25-inch Uni-Q driver and a 1-inch vented aluminum dome tweeter, which works together to produce a detailed and natural sound. The speaker also has a sleek and modern design, with a black gloss finish and a curved front baffle. Additionally, the speaker is compatible with a range of audio equipment, making it a versatile choice for any home audio system. And as a fellow dealer, We can definitely vouch for the quality of Marantz products. If you have any other questions about the Kef Reference 1 META Bookshelf Speaker please feel free to ask!
Thanks. So, for IMD, I usually only test that with drive units because I can do it in the nearfield. With a speaker, you need to be far enough away for the components to sum. When doing that, you get room interaction. I try to avoid having to provide measurements that need caveats that the general public won't understand. Thus, my reticence for providing loudspeaker IMD. I've been toying with the idea again, though.
This is in Genelec 8361 territory, which has the only results from amrim that made him act like a child. So in the battle between: 8361, the 8c, the Ref 1 Metas, the Sointuva’s, or the Kiis… *What would Erin choose?*
They're all different enough in principle (Kii & DD8C are cardioid, the others are not), necessary equipment (Kef is passive, the others are not) and dispersion patterns (namely, Kef & Genelec being concentric with nearly identical vertical & horizontal and likely somewhat more narrow (though, I haven't compared the data so take that with a grain of salt)). So, asking me which one I would choose is like asking me to choose between my favorite ice cream flavors. It just depends on my mood at the time.
@@ErinsAudioCorner so I have the interesting problem of being in a gigantic room, 15+ feet from each side wall with 25’ ceilings, listening distance at 15’…do you think cardioid bass matters in this situation? Also, thank you for your feedback 👍👍👍 currently using Hales Rev 3s and Pass Labs amps
Sweet, aren't they? Solid design to begin with, refined more and more, gen 12 now. Impressive low distortion, and no compression exhibited(!) up to 102dB in the coax unit ... those are killer, well executed motors.
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Thanks! As a owner of this speaker for nearly a year, follow your tips on toe-in / positioning / port setup, SQ improved significantly.
Your tips help people from misuse their gear, which is not uncommon.
Glad it helped!
Please keep reviewing the high end stuff as well. I think its super interesting to compare its performance with the budget stuff
I agree there is not enough high reviews out there.
I guess the only way to help Erin keep reviewing high-end stuff is that someone loans him 😢 It's hard to loan high-end stuff from the manufacturer.
Probably the best speaker review I have ever watched. Please keep up the great work 👍
Thanks, man!
I can REALLY appreciate your articulation of the sound quality. You never come across as pretentious. Those test results often back up what you are hearing. Thank You!
Thank you very much!
Keep the costly stuff coming, please. LOVE THIS review style, Erin. The substantive comments on what you HEAR are deeply valuable to me (and I'm sure others). They also happen to literally mirror my own in completely different spaces. Never be afraid to relay what you hear... you're trusted by us. 👍🔥❤️
Fact is that the lower priced stuff has been reviewed to death. This is a refreshing change.
Agreed
Yep, fully agreed!
This has become my go to review channel. Amazing information, combining state of the art measurements and technical information with listening observations. Well done, I wish you all the success
This is the speaker I will buy used in 15 years. :-)
Only 13 more years to go 😂
Insane speakers. KEF are amazing as always.
Great job, Erin. Been hoping someone would review this one for a long time. It really looks like a legitimate competitor for the Kii 3s, D&D 8C's etc. Lower distortion than both of them to boot, though it does require a sub to reach into that lowest octave. Just about as good as something like this can be, I think.
So glad to see these getting measured and reviewed. I've been curious about them for quite awhile. 🍻
I had UA-cam running in the background and then I heard your musical intro and at first I just felt excited and my mood became more positive but I couldn't place the channel until I walked over to the computer. Then I was like yeah that makes sense. I had a Pavlovian response to your catchy jingle. Thanks for making my day.
Rock on!
Bedankt
Great review as always Erin. Just for ref Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) were supplying frequency response print outs with each speaker back in the 70’s which meant they could pull up the response for the individual and match a replacement driver years down the line.
Yes, my vintage B&W Matrix 805s came with their own anechoic response graphs and were matched to within .25dB of each other.
What I am happy about the most is that your channel is getting better views which is absolutely deserving!!! This is helps both, not just you but your ardent supporters like me as well!
Awesome work, man. I’m way below the price level of this KEF, but your channel content in general and the website info have provided me with a LOT of powerful knowledge to select my loudspeakers. It’s really essential to be able to cut through so much of the BS we see around in this industry and the, say, prose in the “journalism” that covers it. Keep up the excellent work. I’ve just made a donation! Cheers.
Kef R series sound close at a fraction of the price.
Your reviews are amazing, I just discovered your channel! Thanks for the measurements, too! Nice gear!
Kef reference range speakers are just beautiful.
I am sure there will be a tone of reviews over the next few years on this speaker but doubt any will be as compressive as this review. Well done
Once again, you've done it...you made another great compelling video complete with useful information. However, please stop worrying about the length of your videos. The information and insight that you provide hold our attention so stop apologizing for what we came to the channel for. Keep up the great work, and congratulations to your daughters on her science project.
10-4.
I really liked your indepth descriptions in this video review! You really seemed to like these speakers..
Thanks Erin! I love the review of the higher priced speakers too!
Thanks for this. After you reviewed the Bose 901 and admitted you had fun with them it became apparent you are very open minded and honest with your impressions.
Finally someone reviewing this
Just an FYI for the community and yourself, if you care to check it out, you can see the effects of tube length in WinISD.
1) open WinISD and get whatever driver you want to play with setup for a vented enclosure.
2) after you have got the enclosure roughed out, along with any filters added to the model, etc., go to vent and set a fixed circular vent size (like 3 or 4 inches or whatever for your project)
3) flip over to the box tab. Leave the size of the box the same and only change the tuning frequency.
4) flip back to the vent tab and notice the change in the length.
In the last driver I modeled, I had a 3" port with a recommended 4.27" length when tuned to 100Hz (using a pro driver with high sensitivity on a 6.5" Eminence driver). At 90Hz, it recommends 5.79" in length on the port. This can vary with drivers, but is an easy way to see how tuning is effected by port length.
Also, sometimes, you want to tune the speaker higher to get better performance. Why? As you try to dig down low to the edges of what the woofer can handle, you also make the driver act under different load conditions that can approach the X-max. As the driver moves closer to X-max, the linearity of the driver movement is less. That lack of linearity can cause distortion and artifacts (as well as moving closer to bottoming out the driver). By tuning the speaker higher, you reduce the effects of approaching X-max, thereby lowering your distortion overall on the driver, having more linearity, and a cleaner sound (or that is my understanding of it).
But, a speaker is not the whole of the system. Here, the different vent lengths also took into account boundary effects of the room in which you place the speaker. They varied the port length to take into account how it would interact near a wall versus in the middle of the room. That is beyond where I'm currently at on simulations and modeling, but it is awesome to see this being taken into account.
But, that's my two cents.
Played with it long time ago, but my current drivers require very long ports, so I switched to PR (smaller box too). There's also soft from German loudspeaker company, possibly Visaton, that calculates modes inside enclosure. But I'm not sure if it does port length resonances. There are probably other ones.
@@pliedtka understandable. Right now I'm trying to figure out the best way to move forward because I will be swapping woofers in a 3- way build
I am delighted to see you so delighted about these =)
These measurements are amazing out of the box. I have to admit I just watched becaue of the shirt.
Really enjoyed your in depth reviews! Fantastic. Really like the hi end speaker reviews.
Thanks for your review. Learned a lot!
A bit late but great review as with everything else you do. Wasn't able to demo in my area but your review helped me decide to purchase the Ref 1 for my L C R channels 3 months ago and I'm simply loving it. Upgrading from the Dali Euphonia MS4, I didn't think the sound would be as much of an improvement, glad I was wrong. Money well spent and these should carry me over the next decade or so. Thank you again 🙏
Amazing review. A cut above the rest thank you
Love your passion and honesty Erin , also a Phil Collins fan , brilliant !
Brand X has some of his best drumming 😅
Just purchased Kef R3 Metas because of your review and are absolute loving them , listening to some early Nitin Sawhney albums and it’s like fireworks on a beautiful landscape, awesome !!!😅
I had the privilege of a personal tour of the KEF factory, including their test chamber that measures off the production line and their anechoic chamber by the main Jack Oclee-Brown Head of Acoustics, KEF back in 2015. I have a pair of old non-meta Reference 1's.
Good review!. It would be nice to see a review of Focal Sopra N°1 and Revel M126Be.
I have heard good things about Kef loudspeakers, but looking at the design I was unconvinced. This review goes a long way toward getting me to try Kef.
It would be nice to have a tier between the '3' and the 'reference'.
I like what I see in this review. The fact that KEF offers port tuning is a nice touch - no two rooms sound the same. The listening window is 'stinking' flat, much better than R3. If I just could audition a pair, since Erin's comment on soundstage depth and layering is very favorable. I think KEF also listened what people said/think about R3 to make this model.
Erin, BTW how do they compare to March Audio Sointuva (Purifi/SB) you have reviewed earlier this year.
I was wondering this myself.
I like the Kef more, overall. But the Sointuva is also about half the price.
Guys, I watched this review so many times and finally pulled the trigger on a pair of Reference 3 Meta. I tought the "small" bump in price compared to an extra woofer (less distortion) and a floor standing design (no stand needed, more bass extension) compared to the Reference 1 Meta was worth it. Let me tell you, it's end game. It's all you ever going to need. Pair it with a KC92 sub and the system can't get any better. It serves you any song on a gold platter. If you are saving for speakers, the KEF Reference are your thing to go for for sure.
excellent review as usual, also like that min impedance above 80hz add.
I definitely don't mind you reviewing the higher end stuff (especially if it's competently designed). I probably wouldn't be in the market for a pair of 9k bookshelves...but 5-7k floorstanders are definitely worth considering for me (Kef, Elac, Revel, etc). Might even be interested in something a bit crazier like a Spatial M3 (but subjective reviews only aren't going to cut it). RMAF going away kinda hurt...really wanted to listen to a bunch of these.
Great review! Easy to follow, good job Erin!
Thanks!
You mentioned that you preferred the tonality of the KEF to the Ex Machina. Would you please elaborate on the sonic differences between the two? Thanks and great review!
I did a review of that speaker when I was I with AVS Man O Man that speaker is great! Costly! but great.
I have always wanted to know what the difference between this one and the R3. Oh and Erin the R3 is 2200 dollars now. Erin based on your testing and listening could you say the Ref was 6800 dollars different or better than the R3? The Ls50s were a one trick pony in my room, highly fatiguing and the R3 were not.
0:42 "Why are you reviewing more costly stuff?" That's like saying no to a hot date! Even if it leads to nowhere. At least you got to experience it! Right? 🙂
Its kind of like going to the Space Needle for Brunch. You do it just to experience it.
One of the things I'm sad about I missed out on? Taking a flight on the Concord. I did see it land. But I never got to take a ride. It was the last time it ever flew into SeaTac.
Life is short. Take some chances. You never know if you may get the Chance to experience it ever again.
I just pulled the trigger on a pair of Reference 3 Meta after listening to them in a store. I compared them to the Blade 2 Meta side by side and these actually had the upper hand against the blade in my opinion. Excited!
Dear Erin, I always enjoy watching your reviews. May it is possible to share on your homepage further songs you are using for your reviews? I'm want to create a "Erin's Audio Corner Test Tracks" playlist on Apple music for sharing with your other subscribers. Greetings from Germany!
The below list is borrowed from one of Erin's previously published reviews:
My demo music:
I auditioned these speakers numerous times over the span of a few weeks. While the list below is my primary auditioning music, I ultimately listened to many, many more tracks spanning various genres.
Title Artist Album
Enjoy The Silence Depeche Mode Best Of Depeche Mode, Vol. 1
Higher Love Steve Winwood Back In The High Life (MFSL UDCD-611)
24K Magic Bruno Mars 24K Magic
Magic The Cars Heartbeat City (MFSL)
Everlasting Love Howard Jones The Best of Howard Jones
Kodachrome Paul Simon There Goes Rhymin’ Simon
Everybody Wants To Rule The World Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair (2014 Deluxe Edition - Disc 1)
Know Your Enemy Rage Against The Machine Rage Against The Machine (Hybrid SACD)
Doo Wop (That Thing) Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Tell Yer Mama Norah Jones The Fall
Don’t Save Me HAIM Days Are Gone
He Mele No Lilo Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu and Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus Lilo And Stitch
Wrapped Around Your Finger The Police Synchronicity
Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel So
Feel It Still Portugal. The Man Woodstock
Free Fallin John Mayer Where The Light Is
Whiplash The Swampers Muscle Shoals Has Got The Swampers
@@tonygutermuth9347 Thank you! 🙂👍🏼
Thanks, Tony!
Here is a link to my Spotify playlist:
open.spotify.com/playlist/0gBVe7rwdZojX41LakrUUy
music.apple.com/de/playlist/erin-s-audio-corner-test-tracks/pl.u-BNA6v0VTpkbbRD
Apple Music Playlist based on the answer of "Tony Gutermuth" + the three songs used by Erin during this video. Have fun.
I do not find this KEF Ref1 to be an "expensive speaker". Properly set up I think it would be quite satisfying in most higher end systems. I will gladly put this on my short list.
"Don't Worry Be Happy" is one of my top reference songs. It's a great recording with low compression.
You interpretation of meta is correct. If anybody has ever played with those little ball maze toys as a kid, it's literally that attached to the back of the tweeter housing. The maze "halls" are calculated lengths and folds to absorb the backwaves from the tweeter. Thus less distortion. But for anybody wondering, think" ball maze toys" and attach it to the back of a woofer magnet. That's what it looks like.
Yeah it's actually a stacked/cascaded array of tuned helmholtz resonators that are used to nullify the resonances of the tweeter, but across a wide spread of frequencies. And it TOTALLY looks like that little ball bearing/BB maze toy! Lol. Really cool tech!
I remember that toy! Wow! Flashback!
They are nice and it nice to see a review of high end equipment something I can't afford
Wow great review. I’m gonna have to go to a demo room to check them out. How would you say they compare to the Perlisten you reviewed that are in similar price range?
Great t-shirt :)
Another great video Erin, I am curious about the internal bracing and damping the Kef Meta series use
They probably have info on that in their whitepaper which should be on their website, IIRC.
That dynamic linearity… ❤❤❤
Amazing. Love high end
❤ this review.
Awesome review Erin! Thanks so much for this. Keep it coming at all price ranges. I can only afford entry level speakers in the $300-500 range, but I still like reading about and hearing samples of TOTL and SOTA designs.
Love your channel man. Great reviews and great attitude.
I can’t stand audiophile music either. However for reviews I think maybe you should listen to some well recorded jazz and classical just to see how those instruments sound. No offense man. I don’t mean it in that manner.
I always find that pop music sounds larger and more impressive because of the instruments used and the recording techniques.
When I listen I also put on some pop music but put on some well recorded classical and jazz to see the tonality/timbre of the instruments as a benchmark of how real they sound.
Cheers man. Good stuff.
Now we need to see the Arendal 1723 S THX 🙏 ☺️
The updated results for the 1723S bookshelf looks quite good. Appears there was a defect in the previous tweeter. 😳
These are supposed to be a R3 related design with a warmer signature and less of an upper mids/treble bump. I'll be curious to see how it compares against the R3.
I loved The non meta reference, I’d love to hear that
@ErinsAudioCorner I have a feeling comparison between R3 Meta and classical Reference 1 has been avoided deliberately because the price difference wouldn't hold. What are your thoughts?
One thing I think is interesting is the evolution of thinking on cabinet diffraction by the more technically competent speaker companies over the last ~15 years or so. If you look at the speakers that represented top-tier engineering back then - KEF 20x/2, Revel Ultima, Vivid, TAD and Pioneer EX, NHT xD, GedLee, Grimm, JBL LSR 6-series studio monitors - they were all quite curvy or often had big roundovers or sculpted baffles. I'm not sure there's a 90 degree angle or for that matter a flat plane on my Revel Gem2's! But today everyone except Genelec and Vivid seem to have gone boxy: 201/2 to Ref1/Ref1M, Revel Studio2 to F328Be, JBL 6328 to 708, and so on. While fashion, production costs, and bass efficiency (cabinet volume) play into that, what's notable to me is this boring box shape with nothing but a slight waveguide flare around the concentric driver does not seem to suffer from the diffraction effects.
Very good point. Personally, I think I like a speaker with rounded edges but it's not a deal breaker. I imagine that it's also cheaper to make a square box work as opposed to the cost of a rounded cabinet.
There is a lot more to the new Reference line that just the "Meta" material part of it; even though the Meta part takes the headline, its a complete revamp of the design.
KEF's lead designer goes into depth:
ua-cam.com/video/dq6WyYDFyxI/v-deo.html
Indeed. I don't like my videos to be a re-hash of the marketing/engineering. If people want to know that, they can go to the manufacturer's site (or, in this case, their UA-cam page).
@@ErinsAudioCorner True, I like how you distance yourself with the OEM in your reviews and tell it for what the end product really amounts to.
Erin, just wondering (and don’t take this the wrong way), if you own a $100,000 Klippel analyzer, how can a $9000 pair of speakers be out of your budget?
Excellent review as always. A bit rich for my blood, though the R3 Meta should perform similarly whenever it comes out, without the same level of build quality.
Hi Erin, great video! I am very curious curious about this speaker compared to the Revel Performa 226Be? You also seemed like the Revel. Note, I would be crossing both speakers at 60-65 Hz. Thanks in advance!!! Mike
Going watch this on the big screen while i eat lunch :) Can't wait for the meta to trickle down just a bit farther to the r series. Will edit when done watching. Edit: that distortion results are amazing for a bookshelf speaker. I'll be really excited once you get the r series meta as then we will be able to compare to the old model and this model. I think it's pretty cool they have different ports that they provide. Would be cool if they had a plug that worked without the need for either of the ports to be in there.
How do you compare it to March Audio’s passive Purifi based spesker
If you could choose one for life would it be this, or the Revel f226be?
well done, i auditioned the kef ref 1 meta today; needs avery good amp, something like the hegel h 190 works well
When you said 98 db level, was that dba or dbc? Thanks. Also were you comparing the R3 meta or R3 regular. Thanks
There is no R3 Meta yet. The Blade and Reference Series were the first to get the Meta treatment after the LS50 Meta, and those are just hitting the market now . The R and Q series Metas won't be introduced until later this year.
unweighted SPL. midrange.
Erin. When you coming out with the EAC floorstanders?
Tomorrow! 😂
@@ErinsAudioCorner can you be my friend and talk to me sometimes about audio
I like your tff shirt. What speaker is the best when playing tears for fears?
Trick question. The answer is: any of them.
Hello my friend... firstly congratulations on your videos, they have helped me a lot in choosing my speakers... I would like your opinion on the timbre of two speakers... I want to upgrade my home theater speakers and of stereo sound, but I only have one room... I want to buy the KEF Reference 1 and the others I want to put from the R series, central and surrounds... do you think it will make a significant difference in timbre by putting the front Reference and the others from the R series? Thank you
Definitely go with the Ref 1 as your center if you have the room. That's how I have it and the panning is seamless. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Hi Herin,i'm looking the rdference 1,now I use the R3 with audiolab monoblock. Is really a big change the Reference?? Saluti dall'Italia 😇
Hi Erin, great review as always even though i will never hear this speaker in my lifetime...way to rich for my blood. And btw 'I don't care anymore" i agree one of Phil Collins' best tracks. Although i personally prefer 'I cannot believe it's true". Probably his best solo album.
They do look real nice in that finish
A bit surprised to see sharp corners on an 8K speaker but otherwise impressive.
Erin, let's say this was crossed over to a sub at 100hz do you think for dynamics the woofer would still struggle at 97db? Or do you think kef reference 3 would be better and just take the hit on some cancellation from 2 woofers?
Once the R3 meta is released it will be interesting to compare them to this Reference!
Thanks for the review! As a fellow dealer, We can definitely confirm that Kef Reference 1 META Bookshelf Speaker is an incredible speaker that delivers exceptional sound quality. It features a 5.25-inch Uni-Q driver and a 1-inch vented aluminum dome tweeter, which works together to produce a detailed and natural sound. The speaker also has a sleek and modern design, with a black gloss finish and a curved front baffle. Additionally, the speaker is compatible with a range of audio equipment, making it a versatile choice for any home audio system. And as a fellow dealer, We can definitely vouch for the quality of Marantz products. If you have any other questions about the Kef Reference 1 META Bookshelf Speaker please feel free to ask!
Thx. Good review
Wide is in part due to how the material has been recorded. So just don't listen to "Don't worry, be happy", find a wide stage song.
Would really like your opinion on the new r3 meta and maybe comparing it with this one (like, is this one worth more than 4 times as much).
Great review, I always appreciate your thoroughness and explanations.
Any thoughts of measuring IMD?
Thanks. So, for IMD, I usually only test that with drive units because I can do it in the nearfield. With a speaker, you need to be far enough away for the components to sum. When doing that, you get room interaction.
I try to avoid having to provide measurements that need caveats that the general public won't understand. Thus, my reticence for providing loudspeaker IMD. I've been toying with the idea again, though.
Hi, I have the Dynaudio Contour 20, do you think this Kef R1 will sound much better?? Thanks!!
This is in Genelec 8361 territory, which has the only results from amrim that made him act like a child. So in the battle between: 8361, the 8c, the Ref 1 Metas, the Sointuva’s, or the Kiis… *What would Erin choose?*
They're all different enough in principle (Kii & DD8C are cardioid, the others are not), necessary equipment (Kef is passive, the others are not) and dispersion patterns (namely, Kef & Genelec being concentric with nearly identical vertical & horizontal and likely somewhat more narrow (though, I haven't compared the data so take that with a grain of salt)). So, asking me which one I would choose is like asking me to choose between my favorite ice cream flavors. It just depends on my mood at the time.
@@ErinsAudioCorner so I have the interesting problem of being in a gigantic room, 15+ feet from each side wall with 25’ ceilings, listening distance at 15’…do you think cardioid bass matters in this situation? Also, thank you for your feedback 👍👍👍 currently using Hales Rev 3s and Pass Labs amps
Cool t-shirt.
And with a GR $550 kit make it a really good speakers because 8000 plus isnt enough for it to be Phenomenal because Gary says so
What are the link adjustments for on the back of the speaker?
To enable/disable bi-amping.
Erin! Please review KEF Q series floorstanders for us poor people :(
Erin a product like this would make a nice long term subjective reference for your ongoing evaluations.
Your "Stig"
Absolutely top class review - well done!
Thanks for the review, this can be a good comparison with the KEF LS60. Cheers!
Tears for Fears were really great!
Interesting stuff. Thanks
KEFs coaxial high/midranges are just so damn impressive.
impressive and expensive. kinda flat
Sweet, aren't they?
Solid design to begin with, refined more and more, gen 12 now.
Impressive low distortion, and no compression exhibited(!) up to 102dB in the coax unit ... those are killer, well executed motors.