Kef R500 vs R700.....

[Frank Harvey]

Yes, but I'd set them to small and use a crossover of around 60 or 80Hz if you want to play loud (sub required). You should get decent volume using them for full range stereo listening, although you won't hear the R500's at their full capabilities.

 

[SRL69]

Picked up my K500 (Rosewood) last weekend and wow - far better than previous Kef Q5s as they should be for far greater price. Using as main pair on Arcam AVR350 using bi-amped - have not tried single amp or bi-wired alone. Listen to music in stereo mode.

Soundstage is great , bass powerful, and very revealing, so you will both love and be disappointed according to what you feed. They don’t flatter high compression MP3s (using bit stream to Arcam DAC) so don’t expect miracles. You will hear the huge differences in quality between CDs, and the highly compressed and distorted stuff will likely annoy. But, I wanted something to reveal the music and that surely is what this is about. Timing is pretty good - I auditioned with a few speakers including the Tannoy Revolution DC6-T SE, which admittedly are cheaper. Timing as good but R500 had better bass, sound stage and kept it together when the music was complex or loud.

I now want to attach my Linn Sondek LP12 to the Arcam (with a suitable pre-amp - any ideas?) to get back the fantastic sound that a good LP can give. This used to be attached to Meridian pre-amp and active loudspeakers, but when speakers failed, and I changed to CDs + AV use, that sound until now has not been available to me - So, very impressed with the R500s.

 

[peterpan]

Does anybody knows the difference in sound between the Kef R500 and the Proac D18? Which sounds brighter? I like a more warmer sound for my rock and metal. In the past i found the Kef too bright (Kef xq)., but i loved the older Kef Reference from 15 years ago.

 

[vj1980]

How about an Yamaha Aventage RX-A3010. I have that and I am thinking about R700 mains for my music. Thanks for your help.

 

[Lo Fi]

Can't comment on the 500 vs 700, but I have bought the R500 to replace M/A RX6, and with a cyrus cdxt se2, rega dac, cyrus xp pre-amp and cyrus X power, power amp, they are beautifully open with a precise soundstage, and good detailing, picking up lots more info in the mid range, and the vocals are very good, picking up harmony vocals I hadn't heard before and the bass is deeper and taughter than the RX6, overall a great upgrade to compliment my system, I agree that KEF should get this range some reviews, as they are really good capable speakers. Piano gloss black finish is lovely.

I am thinking of changing my MA RX6 to Kef R500 would you say that the Kef are smoother I find the MAs a bit bright

 

[peterpan]

Dynaudio is better and smoother.

 

[Lo Fi]

Dynaudio is better and smoother.

Which models

 

[bobrock]

I just heard the R700 and I thought they sounded dark. The dealer did not have them bi-wired so maybe that was the issue I don't know. Also, I found Dali opticon 6 and Rega RX5 more open. Maybe I need to try the Kef's with another amp not sure.

 

[n2n]

So I've had the R300's, R500's and R700's all on extended home auditions and this is what I have found so far:

R300's - £1000 - Amazing soundstage. Great bass but some fiddling with rear port bungs and positioning in relation to the rear wall was required to focus it. Great with vocal music but pretty dam good with anything you throw at them really. They do however get a bit confused with complex pieces of music.

R500's - £1500 - As above but with more oomph. Bass is deep and controlled. Also there is better separation within the soundstage and less tenancy for the presentation to be cloudy when the complexity increases. Female vocals are amazing but the metal drive units are exposed by some male vocal recordings which can lead to a slightly "metallic" and unnatural sound. This is a very small issue but it has been grating during prolonged listening periods. Not fussy about positioning.

R700's - £2000 - Hmmmmm. I only got these because I was so impressed by the R500,s and wanted to know what an extra £500 would get me. The bass is big. Really big. Could be weaponised with a few tweaks. Mind you it should be good coming from floorstanders weighing 27kg each. However after 30 hours of running in day and night I am feeling quite cold about these boxes. The incredible soundstage created by the much less expensive 300'sand 500's seems to have been lost in translation to the bigger cabinets, or maybe visa versa? Also the metallic male vocal issue is much more prevalent here.

All of the above leaves me more confused than when I started the auditioning. I am tempted to revert to the 500's but am also wondering about the 900's. Will going to the top of the range just give me more of the R700's traits or are the 900's in a different league?

Hi Gazzip,

This is a very old thread but it looked like I can get a good suggestion from you as I am in similar situation. I'm from Kuwait and there is not much option here other that few KEFs and B&Ws. Recently I auditioned KEF r500 and I really liked them. I just felt it fell little short in bass at low listening level. But I couldn't be too sure as the setup was very lousy and on a kind of open store area. I then decided to go with its big brother r700 (though I do not have an option to audition the r700 as those are online only). Most online reviews said these two are interchangable in mids and highs but bass is deeper and better as the driver and cabinet sizes are bigger. My current room size is about 4mx6m and I expect to move to may be a little bigger place. Considering these, r700 seemed like the best option to go for, though its a bit of streach for me pricewise.

Now, seeing your review (and couple of others too as I dug deeper), It seems r500 and r700 has other differences sonically (apart from technical differences ofcourse like watt or sensitivity). I really like good and wide room filling soundstage, tight bass and open mids. Can you please share your experience on this?

Thanks.

 

[Gazzip]

So I've had the R300's, R500's and R700's all on extended home auditions and this is what I have found so far:

R300's - £1000 - Amazing soundstage. Great bass but some fiddling with rear port bungs and positioning in relation to the rear wall was required to focus it. Great with vocal music but pretty dam good with anything you throw at them really. They do however get a bit confused with complex pieces of music.

R500's - £1500 - As above but with more oomph. Bass is deep and controlled. Also there is better separation within the soundstage and less tenancy for the presentation to be cloudy when the complexity increases. Female vocals are amazing but the metal drive units are exposed by some male vocal recordings which can lead to a slightly "metallic" and unnatural sound. This is a very small issue but it has been grating during prolonged listening periods. Not fussy about positioning.

R700's - £2000 - Hmmmmm. I only got these because I was so impressed by the R500,s and wanted to know what an extra £500 would get me. The bass is big. Really big. Could be weaponised with a few tweaks. Mind you it should be good coming from floorstanders weighing 27kg each. However after 30 hours of running in day and night I am feeling quite cold about these boxes. The incredible soundstage created by the much less expensive 300'sand 500's seems to have been lost in translation to the bigger cabinets, or maybe visa versa? Also the metallic male vocal issue is much more prevalent here.

All of the above leaves me more confused than when I started the auditioning. I am tempted to revert to the 500's but am also wondering about the 900's. Will going to the top of the range just give me more of the R700's traits or are the 900's in a different league?

Hi Gazzip,

This is a very old thread but it looked like I can get a good suggestion from you as I am in similar situation. I'm from Kuwait and there is not much option here other that few KEFs and B&Ws. Recently I auditioned KEF r500 and I really liked them. I just felt it fell little short in bass at low listening level. But I couldn't be too sure as the setup was very lousy and on a kind of open store area. I then decided to go with its big brother r700 (though I do not have an option to audition the r700 as those are online only). Most online reviews said these two are interchangable in mids and highs but bass is deeper and better as the driver and cabinet sizes are bigger. My current room size is about 4mx6m and I expect to move to may be a little bigger place. Considering these, r700 seemed like the best option to go for, though its a bit of streach for me pricewise.

Now, seeing your review (and couple of others too as I dug deeper), It seems r500 and r700 has other differences sonically (apart from technical differences ofcourse like watt or sensitivity). I really like good and wide room filling soundstage, tight bass and open mids. Can you please share your experience on this?

Thanks.

Hi n2n. It was a long time (and a lot of loudspeakers!) ago that I owned the R Series. My enduring memories from that range are of the R300's and their amazing soundstage, as well as the metallic sound that the larger floorstanders made with certain types of music. Soon after writing that I got my PMC PB1's and found the sound and control I was looking for. Good luck in your search!