Speaker Amp match - Arcam A25 and KEF R3 Meta

[Husbandsrw]

Good afternoon all,

First real venture into a serious audio set up and I am looking to pair the KEF R3 Meta speakers with the new Arcam A25 amp, any ideas on if they would be a good match?

Thanks

 

[Gray]

Welcome to the forum 👍

You can checkout the tech specs to confirm an electrical match (a gross mismatch is rare).

But regardless of what anyone else says about 'house sounds' and 'synergy' between brands, only you can decide (ideally essentially in your room) whether the combined sound is to your taste.

 

[Husbandsrw]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!

The impedance was the main reason for asking, spec sheet for the A25 amp is:

“2 channels driven, 20Hz - 20kHz, 8Ω 100W
2 channels driven, 1kHz, 4Ω 165W”

Whilst the speakers are 4Ω.

I assume the second line of the amp spec sheet means it can run at 4Ω?

For some reason the change in Hz in between has thrown me!

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Al ears]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!

The impedance was the main reason for asking, spec sheet for the A25 amp is:

“2 channels driven, 20Hz - 20kHz, 8Ω 100W
2 channels driven, 1kHz, 4Ω 165W”

Whilst the speakers are 4Ω.

I assume the second line of the amp spec sheet means it can run at 4Ω?

For some reason the change in Hz in between has thrown me!

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Thanks

Yes it can drive those speakers but you will have to determine if the speakers are suitable for your room.

 

[Gray]

For some reason the change in Hz in between has thrown me!

With good reason I think - because it's not comparing like with like.
Makes you wonder what the 20-20kHz wattage would be into 4 ohms.

 

[Gray]

Both seem like nice products.
You could be the first on here to say what you think of them together.

 

[twinkletoes]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!

The impedance was the main reason for asking, spec sheet for the A25 amp is:

“2 channels driven, 20Hz - 20kHz, 8Ω 100W
2 channels driven, 1kHz, 4Ω 165W”

Whilst the speakers are 4Ω.

I assume the second line of the amp spec sheet means it can run at 4Ω?

For some reason the change in Hz in between has thrown me!

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Thanks

Actually Id say the arcam would come across a bit lack lustre. as the speakers are nominal 4ohms and dip to 3 ohm (I bet they're there most of time) id be surprised if it was happy pairing. I'd be looking for amp happy driving to 2ohm loads. of which there are many. musical fidelity, hegal ,expspoure.

the Kefs are not easy to drive speakers affording to spec sheet.

but will largely depend on the room as others have said

With speakers like that id certainly audition first!.

 

[nopiano]

Welcome from me too. Have you ever heard the speakers?

I liked them a lot, on a brief listen, and I’ve had similar smaller KEFs at home, the LS50. The R3 quite large for stand-mounted speakers, and Hegel is a particularly good match which KEF use in demos and at shows.

 

[Husbandsrw]

Thanks for the replies and the information.

I’ve booked myself in for a demo in a week’s time and will see how they work together.

Will drop an update on here for anyone that’s curious to see how it went.

My room isn’t the largest but I was looking to future proof my sound set up and was hoping these could last me at least 10 to 15 years before another upgrade, no doubt I will have moved a couple of times by then.

Thanks again, all contributions are very much appreciated.

 

[Al ears]

Thanks for the replies and the information.

I’ve booked myself in for a demo in a week’s time and will see how they work together.

Will drop an update on here for anyone that’s curious to see how it went.

My room isn’t the largest but I was looking to future proof my sound set up and was hoping these could last me at least 10 to 15 years before another upgrade, no doubt I will have moved a couple of times by then.

Thanks again, all contributions are very much appreciated.

be sure to factor in some decent stands if you don't already have them.
Let us know what you think after audition.
Again, you really need to do this in your own home if possible.

 

[Gray]

Actually Id say the arcam would come across a bit lack lustre. as the speakers are nominal 4ohms and dip to 3 ohm (I bet they're there most of time) id be surprised if it was happy pairing.

I think you might find quite a few speakers dip to what I think Kef are quoting as 3.2 ohms on these.
(Even '8 ohm' 6 ohm nominal ones).

I'd bet that Arcam will have no trouble driving those Kefs, although it's true Arcam have been a bit shy when qouting the 4 ohm output....perhaps he'll let us know soon.

 

[rainsoothe]

Thanks for the replies and the information.

I’ve booked myself in for a demo in a week’s time and will see how they work together.

Will drop an update on here for anyone that’s curious to see how it went.

My room isn’t the largest but I was looking to future proof my sound set up and was hoping these could last me at least 10 to 15 years before another upgrade, no doubt I will have moved a couple of times by then.

Thanks again, all contributions are very much appreciated.

Hi. Since you're going on the trip anyway, audition as much stuff as you can. I'd recommend auditionning Naim as well with them Kefs, and with the Arcam, Revel Concerta 2 M16 (or Performa 3 M 106 if they fit your budget) and Focal speakers. Again, if you can afford them, do check out Neat Petite Classic - ignore their size, just use your ears to decide. Remember, your own room will influence the sound the most. If you get speakers that are back ported and you have to place them up against a wall, they will sound way worse than a showroom setup where they are placed optimally, away from room boundaries, in a room with acoustic treatment. But try to mimic the position you're gonna have at home anyway.

 

[plastic penguin]

Can't see any reason why they won't work well together. A few years ago I would hesitate as both brands used to produce products veering on the smoother side.

As previously mentioned you need to demo both as taste is so individual.

 

[Husbandsrw]

So after the great advice I ended up having two demos in the last two days.

I went for a demo yesterday to narrow down my speaker choice.

I listened to the LS50 Metas and the B&W 705 S3 both through a Hegel H95. Not sure if it was the amp but the LS50 Metas just didn’t do it for me which surprised me as they’ve had such good reviews. The B&W 705 S3 were superb (I am well aware of the huge price difference but the online reviews would have you believe they are similar in quality which I don’t think they are).

I think my enjoyment was added to as I was lucky enough to go into Abbey Road studios in 2021 when they opened their doors to the public for the first time and the B&W speakers they had in studio 3 were so good I felt I’d been listening to music in the wrong dimension my whole life before.

Abbey Road is well worth a visit if you ever have the chance to go btw.

I don’t get the largely negative feedback they get, with the right match in amp I think they are a great speaker and not lacking in the middle and lower ranges as per the criticism that is put against them.

Roll on today when the Arcam A25 had arrived in store and after being convinced on the B&W I was almost certain I’d be going home with them but the match really didn’t work at all. I knew within 3 songs they just weren’t working out.

Luckily they also had the R3 Metas in (they were delayed the first day) and when I put them together it was the opposite of the above, they just worked straight away. Great warm sound without missing out on the detail.

From my admittedly very limited knowledge I’d say Arcam A25 and the R3 Metas work well together and happy to have them on the way this weekend.

The difference in listening experiences between the 705 S3/Hegel H95 and R3 Meta\Arcam A25 was very negligible and saving the money mixed with the warmer sound of the Metas meaning less listening fatigue made my mind up. The 705 S3 would probably have been even better with a better Hegel but I wasn’t wanting to go down that route I was already at a stretch in the amount I wanted to spend.

Now for my stands, I’m going to use them on my TV unit to begin with to see how they fit in the room but any recommendations would be helpful?

I have 30 days to return should the sound in my home not be to my liking but I very much doubt that will be an issue.

Thanks one and all.

 

[Messiah]

Now for my stands, I’m going to use them on my TV unit to begin with to see how they fit in the room but any recommendations would be helpful?

Not sure on your budget but what about the matching stands?

S3 Floor Stand

Explore the ideal complement to your KEF speakers with the S3 Floor Stands. Enhance your listening experience and elevate your home audio setup with these stands.

uk.kef.com

 

[nopiano]

Fascinating. Now you can see why we repeatedly say how important listening for yourself is!

Crudely summarising I think you’re saying:-

Bright - Hegel amp, B&W speakers
Smooth - Arcam amp, KEF speakers.

I would therefore instinctively pair them thus:- Arcam with B&W or Hegel with KEF.

Logically, if the KEFs were brand new or the amp not warmed up yesterday, that might account for your findings. Or even a cold demo room, because some speakers hate the cold! However, speculation is irrelevant as you’ve got an extended home demo to find out how they work in your room. Did the dealer express any preferences?

Keep us posted!

 

[KerryD]

Hi @Husbandsrw ,

Do you still own the Arcam A25 & R3 Metas? Only asking as I am also very inteerested in this pairing. If you still have tgem, what is your long term experience on this pairing?

I wanted to have a one box solution which is why I have started my demo with the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 with R3 Metas. And I must say I had really high hopes that this would be a good match. However, it was quite the opposite to my surprise. Well, at least to my ears and listenning taste as I have read good reviews about how good this pairing is.

Then I tried the NAD M10 v2 with R3 Metas and I quite liked that pairing. Compared to Lyngdorf, a lot more dynamic and fuller presentation overall, quite engaging in comparison. I have found the mids a bit forward with good amount of details in highs, again to my ears. However, bass was a bit uncontrolled with more extension to my liking which I found colouring the lower mids. Guess this can be bettered with Dirac.

Finally, I tried the Arcam A25 with R3 Metas, whilst the overall presentation was not as dynamic and engaging as the NAD, there was something special about this pairing. Very smooth mids was the star of this pairing. Guess this is due to Glas G amplification. Lows were a lot more controlled on the A25 with still good amount of bass epresence and extension. And good detailed highs without any harshness. Also better at lower volumes compared to NAD.

So I am at the stage of deciding wheather I would like the more engaging, foot tapping presentation of the NAD M10 V2 or more balanced, smoother presentation of Arcam A25 which would make them a better option for longer listenning sessions.

My ears are telling me to pick Arcam A25. But having HDMI, Dirac, dual sub outs on the NAD is also very tempting on the other hand.