EXPIRED: EOI/FT: KEF R3 speakers, 2 weeks old

[sfdoddsy]

Item: KEF R3 speakers
Location: Surry Hills, Sydney
Price: $2700 or non-silly offer
Item Condition: Basically new
Reason for selling: Not sure
Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only
Extra Info:

 

I bought these brand new a couple of weeks ago as part of a complex trade.

 

The idea was to get better speakers than my LS50s that are still wife approved.

 

The R3s fulfill both those criteria. In fact my wife prefers the look. 

 

Sonically they have much better bass (better than the PMCs and Tritons that I recently tried) similar midrange and better highs.

 

They measure absurdly accurate, and sound that way too. There's a reason they are What HiFi's Speaker of the Year and generally considered the pick of the R range.

 

But I think I'm only going to be satisfied by going back to open baffle.

 

So I'm EOIing them.

 

I don't usually buy new speakers and it will bug me to take too much of a loss, so if there isn't much interest I'm OK keeping them.

 

They are, naturally, basically new. I have the boxes and bits and the receipt.

 

I paid $3200. You could pay less.

 

In spite of the above, since I am a speaker **** I am open to trades. I'd especially like to retry Sonus Faber Grand Pianos or something with a RAAL tweeter.

 

 

 

Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Edited September 16, 2019 by sfdoddsy

[COFFEE_Lover]

What stands are those?

[Demondes]

Hmm, will open baffle pass the wife test?

 

will we also see some open baffle speakers up for sale here in a month or 2?

 

good luck

[sfdoddsy]

The stands are cheap-ass adjustable height ones I got on eBay. They are the only ones I could find with 450mm height that look like wood (for WAF).

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Home-Theatre-Bookshelf-Hi-Fi-Speaker-Stands-45-70-75-106CM-Height-Adjustable/142821131269?hash=item2140cd8405:m:maA6yMTGH2QgZgt2Gn54HTg&frcectupt=true

 

 

I sit (or rather flop) very low. The usual 600mm stands are fine for something like LS50s, but not so much for a taller speaker like the R3s. They have excellent vertical dispersion but I'd still prefer to have the tweeter closer to ear level.

 

My previous tall and wide 3 way open baffles have indeed failed the WAF test (hence these), but I have a cunning plan.

 

I'm going to build stand-mounted sat/sub OBs that look just like LS50/R3 but have a separate sealed woofer section I shall tuck under the entertainment unit.

 

She'll never notice.

 

If she does, I'm going to go full stealth and incorporate a couple of Tymphany LAT drivers into H-frame speaker stands.

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by sfdoddsy

[audiohifiaudio]

My advice is to burn in the speakers for at least 2 to 4 weeks. You need to get atleast 100 hours before pulling the pin. Never be in a rush. You may find that these speakers are keepers. Best of luck

[PKay]

The other thing I would suggest is trying some good quality stands.  I’m not sure that you would be getting the best sound from those stands. 

 

I recently sold my Partingons to @Jeffo Geeand they made a big difference in his setup. 

[Jeffo Gee]

Yes and its been stated before in numerous reviews the appropriate stands can make all the difference

[Gordon Macfarlane]

If appropriate stands are out of the question then try raising the front of the speakers relative to the back. I have done this in the past using washers or nuts and it does tend to open up the sound when the speakers are placed to low. Make sure to use blu-tak between the back of the speakers and the stand so they can't slip backwards off the stands.

PS: get rid of those awful gold plated plugs and wire the cable directly to the socket, this can also help to open up the top end.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Ozcall

[sfdoddsy]

Thanks for all tips. I'm very happy with the sound, and the stands have them at the height I want.

[Festooned]

You could also try some Usher Mini Dancer X Diamonds if you come across a pair? They're quite a large standmount but the presentation is big and lush - very different from the LS50s and the tweeter/treble balance is much better than the Dynaudio S1.4LE (bright) or LS50s I had - which I found quite dry sounding - though that might also be from the missing lower frequencies. At around 2k s/h they'd also put a wad of cash in your pocket over what you have.  I haven't heard these but the previous iteration of standmount 3 way from KEF was also quite accurate and studio-monitor like in its balance. I'm very happy with my Ushers.  Oh, they also have threaded holes in their bases (like the dyns) which I think is a necessity - since I bolt stuff to heavy metal stands. 

WRT the KEFs, the cosmetic change from B&W/Tannoy-like box-circular-supertweeter stack back to classic box from the previous model is curious. I hated the the look of the last one - perhaps I wasn't alone. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by treuben

[Lil Caesar]

Ok I’ll be the spoil sport here.  

 

Have had the R3 since Xmas and they are the best 3-way compact speaker I have ever heard.  And as the OP suggests,  very flat - virtually a monitor.

 

BUT - they will never compare to the truly open response and in-room dispersion that is delivered by an open baffle design.

 

 

[sfdoddsy]

Bingo!

 

[aishahriar]

I've had the R3s since June this year and couldn't agree more, hard to beat them for SQ and WAF in this price bracket. Only dilemma is grill on (and protect the drivers from inquisitive little fingers) or grill off (and display the Uniq driver and shadow flare in all their glory)