KEF R3 Bookshelf Speakers - Best Buy $1,699 - MSRP $2,199
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- KEF R3 Bookshelf Speakers - Best Buy $1,699 - MSRP $2,199
Average Guy HiFi Rating - 45/50 = 90%
Sound Demo Link -
Average Guy Hi-Fi - KEF R3 vs. Klipsch RP-600M Demo
• Average Guy Hi-Fi - KE...
KEF R3 Walnut
Type: 3 way bookshelf, bass reflex
Frequency Response (-6 dB): 38 Hz → 50,000 Hz
Recommended Amplifier: 15 watts - 180 watts
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 87 dB
Bass Driver: 6.5" hybrid aluminum
Super Cell Aerated Polypropylene
Midrange: 5" aluminum cone Uni-Q
Tweeter: 1" vented aluminum dome Uni-Q
Grille: Magnetic metal frame
Dimensions (inches): 7.9" W x 16.6" H x 13.2" D
Weight: 30 lbs. Each
MSRP - $2,199/pair
Where I Purchased - Best Buy
Price Paid - $1,699
Condition - Brand new with warranty
Quality - 9.5
These feel like very high-end speakers, no doubt about it. Everything from the finish, the density of the cabinets, quality of the speakers components, all the way down to the binding posts and the grill.
Do they feel $2,199 expensive, that will all depend on you, but they would have been worth the full price if they weren’t on sale.
Sound - 9.5
These are very good sounding speakers! They seem to be very neutral across the vast majority of the frequency range.
The soundstage and the mid-range are my personal favorites but the bass is pretty awesome also.
MSRP Rating - 8
This is where I knew these speakers wouldn’t score quite as well, especially considering some of the crazy deals that I’ve come across.
Not a bad score or anything but there’s definitely been better deals over the years.
Aesthetics - 9.0
Just beautiful speakers! I love the color combination of the walnut and the aluminum and plastic parts, very mid-century modern which is a style that I’ve always loved.
Price Paid Value - 9.0
I usually like to wait for sales that are around 30% - 50% off MSRP but after a ton of research, I realized these wouldn’t go that low so I jumped once the sale hit.
Excellent deal, just not the greatest deal ever.
Average Guy HiFi Rating - 45/50 = 90%
Final Thoughts -
These are very high build quality, beautiful sounding speakers.
In my small room, the Uni-Q seems to be just perfect. The soundstage is large and highs are articulate and refined.
Not cheap but like I mentioned, I’d buy them again tomorrow, if I needed to.
Equipment Used -
CD Player - Oppo BDP-93
Preamp - Emotiva XDA-2
Amplifiers - Emotiva UPA-1 Qty. 2
Surge Protection- Panamax M5100-PM
Subscriber Count At The Time Of This Video - 7,474
I have Q150s and love them. I can only imagine how good these are!
I love Kef speakers.Keep doing the good job.
can't go wrong with the KEF products
I have a pair of entry-level Kef bookshelves. The Q-100 I bought on sale in 2015. I got them after seeing a blind test for best speaker under $500. The Q-100 was retailing @ $599. It was the “Upgrade Choice” of all for another $100. I bought them for $299 and have no regrets. Kef produces quality products. I could feel that when I was unboxing. Those R3’s look nice. I’m sure they sound even better. Congratulations 🎉
The kef q100 was my first high quality speaker. I have since moved on to KEF R100, ls50 Meta, E301 and R2c
Great to see you back in my notifications!
Great to be back in your recommendations:)
Thank you for the continued support, my friend!
Nice shout out! .. Loved his review also. Kudos.
The R3 are superb speakers
Yayyyyy we got the video! Happy to hear that you're enjoying the KEFs!
I want to hear those JBL HDI1600s too, I heard some JBL 4309 in my room and didn't care for them. That's the beauty of sound, everyone has different tastes.
Haha! Yes, this one was looong overdue. I’d go to bed regretting just putting this one together.
Now that I got it out, it’s been my performing very well.
I’m definitely lusting those 1600’s, just need to let my poor wallet cool after these RELs and R3’s:)
Wow we got some kefs I love the R11 version of these speakers
The R11’s are beautiful! Realistically, outside my budget but that doesn’t mean one can’t dream… Haha
Dustin, I owned the Diamond 12.2, 12.4, Polk R200, R700, OG LS50 and now own the Chora 806, 826 and Aria 906. What a revelation, everything else sound veiled in comparison, details just being thrown at you effortlessly. All the speakers I mentioned above measure rather excellently, they either have great on axis, LW or PIR, but what sets the Choras/Arias apart is the ultra wide dispersion characteristics; it holds 60 degrees all the way to nearly 12khz. Quite a few people (in ASR) have prefered the Choras to the R3 for just this reason, Harman has shown majority of people prefering wide directivity speakers and lots of lateral reflection over narrow directivity ones, hence why Revels are designed that way.
Oh and did I mention how great the Choras/Arias are at detail retrieval despite measuring neutral-ish? Second to none. Give that a go, they will surprise you. Meausurements of the Chora/Aria can be found on ASR, Soundstage Network and Stereophile.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us all. It sounds like you have owned/own some spectacular speakers. I’ve always wanted to get my hands of Aria 906, since I’ve read so many good things about them.
Revel and JBL HDI are tops of my current list but my list seems to constantly change. I guess you could say I have a problem, but then again, sounds like you might suffer the same problem. Haha
@@blazermdx i cant go to anything outside of Focal after this, Im basically screwed. Where do I go after the Aria? The left nut costing Kanta and Sopra. But on a serious note, you wont need to go to the Arias, the Chora is good enough to school all the other speakers on detail retrieval and clarity. In fact I like the 806 more than the 906, the 806 is livelier and not as warm. The Choras are a way newer line up too.
Love the terminator mask in the background
Erin is a BEAST!
He’s an absolute treasure in this hobby!
I keep my videos very basic but I just love Erin’s honesty, knowledge and detail. My favorite UA-camr!
I almost can’t watch my videos, after I’ve watched a few of his. Haha
Cheaper speakers I'd be curious about Wharfedale or Paradigm Monitor series.
Hey Dustin, I think you should replace the Klipsch with the Polk R200. I'm sure it's on your short list already. But I think you'll be very happy with them. My other recommendation would be the Arendal 1723S bookshelf, but that might be a little out of your budget, since you just splurged on the R3s.
You are one of my favorites:) thank you again for the continued support, my friend.
You’re right, the Polk R200 are at the very tippy top of my list.
If I have enough beers, I might just order them.
Thank you again!
@@blazermdx then I need to bring over a keg of your choice, and we'll grease the wheels on that next speaker purchase 😉
Would it be unfair to compare this with Sonus Faber Lumina II's?
I have these. My end games speakers. Moved up from the Yamaha NS-555. Way better.
Wharfey 4.3 are same price, or cheaper. But you do you!
I have very limited space and experience with Wharfedale speakers but I really do like the EVO lineup.
Maybe I’ll buy some Wharfedale EVO bookshelf speakers, for my RP-600M replacements.
Thanks for stopping by!
maybe I am cheap poor frugal bastard, but I have psychological barrier for speakers at $ 1k. Too much money for me after that. I really really want to buy some Revel speakers some day, but the economy is not on my side these days.
Trust me, this purchase was a massive mental hurdle for me also, and a long time in the making.
On the used market, $1K will get you some absolutely amazing speakers. I get your stance.
In this economy, I might have put this purchase off but I bought there a few months ago, when things seemed a little more stable.
My thoughts on the economy and home audio will probably be my next video. Just some Average Guy thoughts on the subject, anyway. Haha
Revel Concerta series are 30% off right now.
I too am a CPFB 😆 Thanks Dustin for another video. I've been checking regularly and also going back through your old stuff. Love your commentary.
"Cheap poor frugal bastard"
aka
Smart individual
;)
I listened to this review on my R3's. I ate Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches for *months* to own these. It was the right decision. Full stop.
Ramen noodles and R3’s, it sounds like we are cut from the same cloth. Haha
I remember eating powered potato soup for about a month, to help me save up faster, to purchase a Rythmik FV15HP, when they were initially released. Gotta do what you gotta do:)
Your other Klipsch speakers the THX speakers you were talking about are specifically meant for home theater not for music.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that I purchased these for a KL-650-THX LCR replacement. I’m mainly using these speakers for home theater and video games.
In a larger room, I’d probably have stuck with the 650’s but in this smaller room, these R3’s are definitely my choice.
But now I want to try JBL HDI 1600. It never ends. Haha
Had a question for you If you had a $300 budget for your home office 12x12. I want to add a "sub" to a 2.1 set up (Klipsch rp600m). My choices are the B&W asw608, Martin Logan 700, Velodyne Minivee or SPL series 2 (10") or lastly Sunfire HRS 8. I watch movies and play Reggae & Hip Hop from my slim Marantz Av NR1609 receiver. Im definetly into a more quality refined sound as im in my mid 40's now. I'm a subscriber & respect your opinion.
Hey Dustin, Have you ever gotten speakers from Accessories4less? I’ve seen some KEF towers on there for a good price (well cheaper)and I’ve always liked the sound concentric drivers make. So I’m leaning towards KEF or ELAC. Unless there’s something else you might recommend. Thanks for another solid video.
I’ve bought about 3 very nice, refurbished receivers from accessories4less and I had excellent transactions every time.
I would not hesitate buying more speakers, subwoofers, receivers and speakers from them again.
In fact, for how much I promote accessories4less.com online, they would be a great sponsor🤔 Haha
🤠 Tannoy Gold also have single point source drivers.
Great video! I just got the same speakers for lcr what would be a good match for surround’s for these?
Congrats on the new speakers, excellent choice!
I’m using some low-profile Atlantic Technology surrounds, due to space restrictions. But if I had the room, I’d probably go with LS50’s or another pair of R3’s, which I’ll probably end up going with, if I move to a larger place.
There’s other options that are less expensive, like the KEF Q series, that I’m sure would be a great fit also.
What I hope you enjoy your new speakers!
@@blazermdx thanks Dustin great work love your content!!
the r3 are fantastic,i luv them,and they look awesome as l r mains,..centre if required but also for surrounds,its overkill,...save your cash,use q150 or q350 for surround duty....depending on your room size.....
Those walnut k3s match your hair. :)
You should compare them to the Elac Unifi Reference! I have the R3s for my main system, but I'm looking for a pair for a second basement system. I'm curious how close Elac can get in SQ to the R3's.
I would be really curious about this, as well. I was in between R3's and Unifi References and went with R3's. Comparison is still a mystery to me..
this is the first one they shouldhave made meta, already got 5 stars all over the place the meta would be a no brainer
With how many R3’s they sold, I’m definitely with you.
Now that I own the R3’s, I hope the Metas aren’t that large of an improvement. Haha
I’d love a new modern color option, like the new blue LS60s
The R3 Metas have to be very close to launching
How about comparing them to their little brother the r100?
I’ve never owned the R100 but I’d love to listen to them at some point.
Thank you for the suggestion!
@@blazermdx I own the R100, E301, LS50 meta and r2c. And they are are all very good. The R100 are in my sterio setup. I compared the r100 with the ls50 metas and there was a very clear difference. Im curious to know if it would be worth it to upgrade from the r100-r300 and to know if a sub is necessary.
Going back in time, how do you feel about these vs the PSA line of speakers, such as the MTM-210
I loved the PSA MTM-210 but they were just too large for this small room. These R3’s were much easier to place properly and were very easy to get dialed in, due to the large sound stage.
In a larger , dedicated room, I’d probably go with the 210. They have the ability to get very loud, very easily and they are dynamic.
Still love these KEF R3’s though!
Can you do Martin Logan motion 15i and 35i .. when I heard in person in BestBuy Martin Logan 15i is sounded very closer to R3 and it cost 50% less
Thoughts about using burson funk for near field listening?
I think Erin is an honest Dude. But, I can't take the MEASUREMENT boys seriously. Too many speakers that are NOT FLAT sound phenomenal to me. So I take those measruements with a grain of salt.
MUSIC cannot be measured. Even LIVE music VARIES greatly. ROOM, AMPS, furniture, drapes, carpet, ones EARS. OMG! WHO can MEASURE all of that. And tell YOU what YOUR ears will hear or like, lol!
Sorry Erin. Go to go with MY ears!
Everything you mentioned can measured, not one's ears but everything else is absolutely possible. And we are not talking about live music, we are talking about the accuracy of music reproduction which is a totally different subject. Its ok to like unflat and coloured speakers, but that is not a reason to diss objective data. Just because you dont use the data provided to your advantage doesnt mean others are not finding measurements useful. No one is disregrading actual listening, it starts with listening and ends with listening but measurements greatly compliments the process.
These were on sale for this price months ago and I missed it... Said if they went back to this price I'd buy them. Oh boy. Lol. The only wrench in that is that a few weeks ago got triangle bro3 on sale and love them, so now I want to try the comete or comete 40th anniversary. $1700 and $2500 respectively. Gulp. High price for them in the US but the bro3 are butter makers and I am too curious what triangle does with more dollars.
Decisions decisions
I’ve always been quite curios about Triangle speakers. I’ve missed out on a few good 2nd hand deals, it’s one of the few brands that I have zero experience.
I’m with you, it never ends! Haha
@@blazermdx the bro3 are (or were) on sale $399. I know you just got the beauty r3s there but for $399 the bro3 are all smiles. They aren't perfect, but of course you knew that already!
What they do well... Mmm delish! Highly recommend.
Smooth, but dynamic. I'm also JBL Klipsch ELAC and sonus faber owner and I can't pry myself from these triangles (for now lol)
now. you also give the cheap Sony's 9.5 for sound. is this rating an absolute or in relation to the price point?
That’s one reason I’m not totally sold on my scoring system. When I set my ratings, they are in relation to the price point of the speakers. Not ideal since I have 2 categories specifically for price.
I’m open to other ways of scoring the gear but so far, this game s the best way I could come up with.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hello can you speak about the differences between these R3 vs Polk LSIM 703, being they are both a larger 3 way stand mount speaker ? I have the LSIM and thinking about trying the R3. Thanks
I really wish I would have kept the 703’s, so I could run them next to the R3’s but I had to sell them to buy other equipment:/
I really liked the 703’s but I ultimately sold them in search of something with a larger soundstage. These R3’s have a way of sounding much larger than they really are, even more so than the awesome Polks.
The R3 also integrated into my system easier, especially when it comes to placement. They just sounded good, right away.
With all of that said, the 703’s are awesome in their own right. Can you audition the R3 next to your Polk?
To my ears, the R3 are the better speakers but we all have different ears and rooms.
These are 1K euros now!
I have a Polk LSiM system and looking to upgrade. Is the KEF a better sound?
That’s a tough one! Are you talking about the LSiM 703?
If you are, those are also amazing speakers. Great build quality, excellent value and amazing sound.
Between the KEF R3 and the Polk LSiM 703s, I’d lean towards the R3’s but it’s very close. Can you listen to them before buying?
Your ears are different than mine but either option is a great option
While these speakers do sound pretty good they do not sound like $2,000 plus speakers not even close.
I’ve owned hundreds of speakers and these bookshelf speakers are some of my absolute favorites.
Now I’ll agree with you, these definitely aren’t worth $2K to many, like me a couple years ago, but they just checked all of my boxes.
Truth be told, I only have about $2K into all 3 that makes up my LCR. Still very expensive and it definitely hurt to buy but I’d make the purchase again, if I needed to.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, that’s exactly what I want for this channel!
Wooooooooooooooo
I’m back! Haha
Wharfedale Evo 4.2
You’re the second person to offer Wharfedale as an option.
I have very limited Wharfedale experience but I’m definitely doing more research.
Thank you for the suggestion!
@@blazermdx I’ve heard the Evo 4.4, the sound was better than the B&W 707s. Much better balanced (less bright top end). I think it’s the folded electrostatic tweeters. Very clear but gentle highs that roll off into into infinity. Just saying 🤓😀.
Imo unnecessarily overpriced
Get R300's...save 1000,-...be happy
They won't sound much worse, if at all
Hey, I totally get that perspective. The R300’s are the the predecessor of the R3’s, so when I was doing my research, I ran across many people that feel the R300’s sound nearly identical.
I always buy used speakers, so I kind of splurged on these. Plus, I think these R3’s look better:)
Thanks again for stopping by and taking a he time to comment!
R300s are discontinued. Kind of hard to recommend a product that isn’t being made. Sure you could get used ones but some people like new speakers when they’re spending $$$$
@@tylerhackman6832 not on this channel ;)