About KEF R3 book SHelF Speakers

     KEF R3 Book Shelf Speakers.

Part of the company’s premium R series, the R3s provide an outsized chunk of the pricier Reference 1’s engineering content and sonic performance at a fraction of the cost.

And that's a winning combination. The R3s are sensible all-rounders. They’re with expertise sonically balanced and work well across a large variety of systems, however, provide them a top feed and that they can deliver a sound ok to fret most stand mounters below the 2 grand marks. this is often one to shop for with confidence.

KEF R3 review

Earlier this year, we tend to review KEF’s mighty Reference one stand mounters. These speakers delivered a performance therefore complete that even that hefty £5000/$8000 tag began to look entirely reasonable.

however regardless of however nice worth, it is, such a product can invariably be out of the reach of most, so that’s wherever the new KEF R3 stand mounters return in. a part of the company’s recently introduced premium R series, the R3s supply an outsized chunk of the Reference 1’s engineering content and sonic performance at a fraction of the cost.

KEF’s distinctive Uni-Q driver array is at the guts of those speakers. whereas it should seem like one drive unit, it's a two-way arrangement wherever the speaker system is positioned right within the throat of the midrange driver. This isn’t simple to try to do properly, however, such a configuration is claimed to enhance dispersion and integration.

The Uni-Q array style has been unendingly refined since the late Nineteen Eighties and this latest generation is that the twelfth iteration. It uses a 25mm metal dome tweeter with a 12.5cm aluminum midrange unit and options a bunch of detail refinements to the motor assembly, suspension, and drives unit structure to scale back distortion and improve performance over earlier versions.

Build.

The R3s are a triangular design, with a zealous bass driver. Such a configuration means every driver – tweeter, midrange, and bass – is often optimized to figure in its specific waveband and tuned with less compromise than a two-way various would demand. The trade-off tends to be the larger price and guiltiness of making an attempt to mix 3 drive units to work as a cohesive whole. That’s why most rival corporations don’t trouble at this level.

The R3’s bass driver uses a 16.5cm hybrid aluminium/paper cone that aims to combine rigidity with good damping characteristics. It’s a ventilated style to assist with dynamics at high volume levels. The bass is tuned by a rear-firing port. This port uses a constant type of versatile construction as KEF’s extremely made LS50s, that the corporate claims reduce resonances and distortions.

The KEF’s sensitivity is rated at a median of eight7dB and nominal resistance is claimed to be 8 ohms, tho' a minimum price of 3.2 ohms recommend that electronic equipment with a small amount of grunt would be good. we tend to use our reference £15,000 Gamut D3i/D200i pre/power combination for a lot of this check – its output of 220W per channel creates the KEFs sing. The Rega Elex-R (£950, 72W per channel) are some things a lot of doubtless to partner the R3s and will well too.

we tend to just like the speaker’s clean appearance. however, even here the choices are created on performance grounds. The formed trim around the Uni-Q driver doesn’t simply make the front panel look balanced by reverberant the dimensions of the larger bass driver; it additionally helps to scale back optical phenomenon effects at the cupboard edges. That slim front appearance is good and offers benefits in rigidity and dispersion. Overall build quality is terrific. The enclosure feels vastly rigid due to some clever bracing techniques that mix reinforcement with damping. On the outside, these speakers look stylish and are ended beautifully. All the sides are crisp and also the gloss finish on our black samples is lovely. Of course, £1,300 remains plenty of money, however, these speakers look worthwhile and a lot of. The R3s are offered in gloss white and a more ancient walnut.

Compatibility

Despite being relatively slim Associate in Nursingd compact boxes – the KEFs stand merely 42cm high – the R3s are capable of delivering an honest amount of bass weight and authority. In our room, they, therefore, and most balanced well far from all walls.

we'd recommend positioning them a minimum of 70cm into the area as a good beginning point. The UNI-Q array disperses the sound in an exceedingly wide and consistent manner, so alignment angle towards the listening position isn’t as essential because it is with most typical rivals if you wish to pinpoint stereo imaging. we tend to begin serious listening once everything is dialed in properly, that doesn’t take long due to the KEF’s well-balanced presentation.

Sound

We begin with Delawarebussy’s Clair De Lune and enjoy the R3s’ wonderful midrange clarity and skill to render the refined dynamic nuances of the piano with delicacy. The KEFs capture the natural acoustic of the recording superbly, showing a grade of insight and detail resolution means on the far side most rivals.

Despite all the analysis, it remains a musical performer, one that focuses the listener’s attention on the message rather than the mechanics of replay.

we have a tendency to move onto one thing larger scale within the style of Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator OST. Here the KEFs show the flexibility to come up with lots of sonic scale and authority. The R3s sound a lot larger than they are, delivering a superb stereo soundstage that's well organized, precise, and nicely focused. That stereo image remains stable and convincing even once we have a tendency to move off from our favored listening position. It’s here that the benefits of the Uni-Q are clear.

Tonally, the presentation is balanced and natural. There’s no stress of any specific band to create the speakers sound additional fascinating or exciting. That’s right down to the first recording. This even-handed nature means the speakers make sense reception across a good range of recordings and refuse to favor any specific style on top of another.

this can be brought home once we hear Eminem’s classic Marshall Mathers LP. It’s a skinny and arduous recording – one thing the KEFs make utterly clear – however they create the foremost of the hard-charging rhythms, that pretty rolling bassline on The means I'm which haunting Dido vocal sample on Stan. The R3’s midrange performance impresses again, delivering Eminem’s speedy outpourings with nimbleness and clarity. There’s lots of punch and attack once the music demands.

Verdict

The R3s are sensible all-rounders. They’re with expertise sonically balanced and work well across a large variety of systems, however, provide them a premium feed and that they can deliver a sound ok to stress most stand mounters below the 2 grand marks. this is often one to shop for with confidence.

SPECIFICATIONS

Sensitivity: 87 dB/w/m | Impedance: 8ohms | Max power handling: 180W | Biwire: Yes | Dimensions: 42 x 20 x 34cm (HXWXD)

Pros

Exceptional insight and resolution

Balanced and entertaining sound

Excellent build and finish

Cons

Nothing at this price