KEF R300

[yani]

Just curious if anyone is using these stand mounts. I have the Focal 906 for a home demo at the moment and wonder how the R300's would compare. I.e more or less bass, cooler sounding or more warmth etc.

The amp would be the Elex R with original Saturn cd.

Anyone care to enlighten me.

Yani

 

[tonky]

An audition with your equipment is the only way. I have heard them - very much liked them. They were demoed while listening to a naim unitilite. Full bass - clear explicit soundstage. Nice .

B and W cm5 s2 has had good reviews from this forum- (not heard them personally) - give those a listen too.

let us know how you get on - tonky

 

[Gazzip]

+1.....

I am a HUGE fan of thr R300's. The soundstage is huge!

Not heard the B&W's.....

 

[iancass]

I have the R300 speakers which I am very happy with. I agree the best way is with your own equipment to see if its to your tatse. I haven't heard the 906 Focals so I cant really compare them for bass etc. The R300s do have a great controlled bass, cooler sounding than warm but that's proberbly due to the amplification as well which is what I was after. Maybe you could hear them in a store with your amp or with one of the other models to give you a better idea.

 

[yani]

Hi Guys and thansk for the replies. I demoed the Focals in Glasgow Audio on Saturday and liked what I heard. The only thing was the demo room was about 2.5 times the size of my small listening room and rather empty of furnishings etc. There was a quite a difference in presentation on getting them home. The sound was warmer and fuller which I really like. My only niggle with them is I feel they dont quite fill the room with sound. I am used to very large Celestion stand mounts whose cabinet is about 50% bigger. The Focals are way more refined especially in the treble and do have a tight focused bass. Its just that wall of sound I am used to seems missing. Hard to explain in words.

On the plus side they are very smooth and work a treat with the Rega's.

I really would need a home demo of the R300 before purchasing. It is just so different especially if you get a week or so of trial.

 

[yani]

Hi Guys and thansk for the replies. I demoed the Focals in Glasgow Audio on Saturday and liked what I heard. The only thing was the demo room was about 2.5 times the size of my small listening room and rather empty of furnishings etc. There was a quite a difference in presentation on getting them home. The sound was warmer and fuller which I really like. My only niggle with them is I feel they dont quite fill the room with sound. I am used to very large Celestion stand mounts whose cabinet is about 50% bigger. The Focals are way more refined especially in the treble and do have a tight focused bass. Its just that wall of sound I am used to seems missing. Hard to explain in words.

On the plus side they are very smooth and work a treat with the Rega's.

I really would need a home demo of the R300 before purchasing. It is just so different especially if you get a week or so of trial.

 

[yani]

Just spent another couple of hours listening to the Focal 906. Enjoyed what I heard. Wife getting fed up being a hifi widow.

Can iancass give me some idea of how well the r300 kefs handle the high frequencies. Do they ever come over as bright or harsh ? It's something which sort of concerns me as the Elex has a slight tendency in that direction. Still well within listening levels though. Must admit it's very smooth with the Focals.

One other question would be how prominent the vocals are. Do they stand forward in the mix or are they more recessed ?

Sorry for all the questions. Just curious until I get a listen myself.

 

[CnoEvil]

I have heard various Focal Arias, but they were on the end of Naim amps, which is a combination that I personally don't like...but sayng that, I think the "Focalness" of the Aria has been toned down a little from what they normally produce. I think they are more refined and a little less forward and "ruthless" sounding with amps of a similar nature.

Compared to the Kefs, I think they may be a touch cleaner and leaner, but for my taste, less smooth and less enjoyable.

The R300 have great scale for a standmount, but all that bass needs an amp with a vice like grip (which isn't cheap) and enough room to breathe. Only you can decide if the Elex provides enough control, though using the 2 part bung greatly helps to tame the bass.

I have heard good sounds coming from Elicit R with the R300s (Linn Majik DS as source).

 

[yani]

Hi Cnoevil

I believe the Elex will have the power and grip you mention. Only reason for saying this is they were absolutely fine with my Celestion A1 where bass griip was concerned. These are fairly difficult speakers to drive at 4 ohm. It was the high frequencies which came over as a bit bright and hard. The Focals have tamed that very nicely. I think tweeter design has moved on somewhat in the 14 years I have had my Celestions.

If I could have the refined highs of the Focals with the room filling sound of the Celestions I would be very happy. It is funny though I measured the Celestions last night and they are nearly exactly the same size as the Kef R300's. It might just be the perfect match !!. The Celestions are rear ported too but I found bass boom in my small 3m x 3m room to be very rare. Hope that is also the case with the Kef's

 

[CnoEvil]

Let us know how things go.