KEF - R3 Meta Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Pair) - Indigo

At first, I was skeptical that this speakers will give me the sound I was after due to it size. After many review and a recommendation from a family member who is into audiophile equipment I decided to purchase these speakers on line. Once it was hooked up, I was not impressed with what my ears is telling me. However, after one day of burning in it blows my mind how it sounds and I began to fall in love with these speakers as time goes on. Definitely impressive for a bookshelf speakers that sound so good that you would never expect such sounds can be accomplished for the size and the price. I cannot stop listening to my music once I turn on my system and it sounds much better after burning in period. Highly recommend to everyone who's searching a great pair of speakers at a great price.

Great speakers,good quality and fantastic sound,highly recommended for who care about sound quality ,I set this speaker with Marantz 50 analog and perfect match

I've only briefly had these before the review prompt; if there are any changes, I will try to update at a later time. I'm going to try to be careful for buyers like myself - cost conscious, or first-timers to audiophile-grade speakers, or people switching formats/form factors, or some point in the Venn diagram of all three (we were). These are probably right at the beginning of investment-grade speakers. My guess is that careful use will return 20 years of wonderful play, or more. The build quality is robust and the finish is *stunning* in person; there just aren't photos capable of doing it any justice. It appears they were engineered to last, play beautifully, and built like show furniture. As to play: if you are like us, you are having a difficult time finding these to audition in person, especially through Best Buy (even Magnolia locations). I'm no audiophile nor expert so bear with me. After combing through virtually everything available online and on YouTube, I understand something now about what KEF is on about with the Uni-Q driver, the Meta "filter", timing, etc. Again - NOT an expert, nor do I have the audiophile vocabulary. These sound amazing! They generate a *lot* more bass/low range than you might think by looking at them, depending I think on your expectations, needs and placement. We in fact chose these for this reason after initially flipping over the KEF LS50 Metas. Those, too, actually create more midrange in person than you might think; your choice might well come down to what you like, what you're going to use it for, and your space. We both listen to music and need these for the front soundstage of a modest home theater in a medium-sized family room. The extra mid- and low-range is helpful both for use and space, for us. I think those LS50's would be fine in a smaller room or propped with a good subwoofer cube (we run two SVS SB-1000's as well). These speakers are so *revealing*. My wife the teacher used to be a musician and we are both noting things in recordings we never noticed before. I am very confident it is not recency bias nor wishful thinking. I know that we are playing more music than we used to, reveling in what these speakers do to & for our music. I can recommend these without reservation if you have the means, desire need and space. Their function is amazing and their form leads to an unprecedented sense of pride of ownership.

I own 3 pairs of KEF bookshelf speakers. They each sound a bit different. I replaced the Q350s on my desktop with the R3 Metas. The difference in sound is significant. They may still be breaking in, but what I really like about them besides their great looks (I can't avoid seeing them while working at my computer) is the solidity of each instrument/voice - they sound like they are at a specific place and very real. In comparison, the Q350s, while also quite good at this, give more of an impression of instruments/voices as ghosts or holograms. The bass on the R3 Metas is much better - it is better defined, not vague. I have a recording of the Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and I never knew exactly at what moment it began, because it starts extremely soft with low bass instruments. With the R3 Metas, I can distinctly hear when these instruments start playing, and what instruments they are - I could not identify them with the Q350s. In general, all instruments/voices are more distinct and detailed, and more precisely placed in the sound field. By the way, I am using a low-power (15W/channel) tube amplifier, so compatible speaker choices are limited.

I can’t believe that much sound can come from a bookshelf speaker! I’m a believer now! Love the color as well! I got the matching stands and I’ve received many compliments!!! Just upset that I didnt upgrade sooner, these are beyond amazing!!! Give them a listen at your local Best Buy / Magnolia store! You’ll be glad you did!!!