KEF R3 - Pair

Kef R3 are 3-way bookshelf speakers of the renewed R Series. With Uni-Q patent at the twelfth edition which includes 25 mm tweeter and 125 mm midrange, 165 mm woofer. Measures 42.22 x 19.96 x 33.55 cm. The frequency response is between 52 Hz and 28 KHz with a sensitivity of 87 dB and an impedance of 8 Ohms.

Excellent from every point of view, very elegant, complete, musical, balanced. The new reigning champion, 5 stars and best bookshelf loudspeaker overall under € 2,500 according to What-HiFi.

Kef R3 are the best bookshelf HiFi speakers under two thousand euros

Kef R3 are the bookshelf HiFi speakers of the R Series, the most desired and purchased of the English brand. With Kef R3, the great manufacturer of high-end speakers once again redefines the performance of bookshelf speakers. No surprise, as this speaker line was created from scratch. There are 1,043 individual changes brought from the previous series. Each model of the Kef R Series shares the same drivers as the top-of-the-range HiFi speaker. That's right, the smaller model sharing driver and woofer than the more extreme model. Despite its compact size, the Kef R3 is a true three-way speaker, with 165mm (6.5-inch) bass drivers that push lower frequency performance to new levels. The entire engine group, suspension and supporting structure of the transmission unit have been designed in order to reduce distortions to a minimum and further refine performance. Just one fact: the woofer excursion of the R3 has been doubled compared to the precedence R300 from the shelf.

High level speaker for Stereo and Multichannel

Kef R3 is for many the dream HiFi speaker. Placed on its Kef S2 stand, it offers a detail, a soundstage and a record-breaking transparency. Likewise, as surround or side / rear speakers in Home Theater systems, these stand speakers are dramatically realistic and scratchy, a choice for discerning palates and those who want to equip themselves with the best gadgets and tools on the market.

“… the Kef R3 loudspeakers are brilliant all-rounders. They are expertly balanced from the sound point of view and work well on a wide range of systems, so much so that finding something better in the sub-2000 euro stand speaker sector is almost impossible ” WHAT-HiFi and DIGITAL AF < / p>

Kef R3 - the twelfth revolution of the Uni-Q

English engineers don't like doing things by halves. The elegant and contemporary style of the small R3s does not lead to error: these speakers are equipped with the same Uni-Q as the larger brothers R7 and R11 . With a 125mm midrange driver and 25mm aluminum dome tweeter, mounted in line with each other, you get incredible levels of detail and realism. Furthermore, the angular dispersion is unrivaled, an absolute peculiarity of Kef.

Tweeter and midrange together constitute the Uni-Q, the most important patent of Kef. Thanks to the Uni-Q the emission source becomes pointlike and the high and the mid frequencies are reproduced from the same point in space - just like in reality. No more two different drivers like in the rest of the speakers on the market, no more sounds coming from different points of the speaker! Uni-Q is inspired by the truth and offers the most accurate reproduction in existence.

This R3 is to all intents and purposes a bookshelf loudspeaker that is fully part of the world of High Fidelity, like the rest of its series. For excellent sounding but more convenient, we recommend turning to the Q Series.

Woofer

In order to achieve really strong “punch” and high control, the R3's low frequency drivers have been objects of their own design. In the R3s, the woofer is able to reproduce incredibly clean and controlled bass and have double the excursion compared to the previous R300 , guaranteeing absolute performance and enormous tolerance to volume excursions! Not only. The R3s surpass the previous R500s (from the floor like the current Kef R5, therefore much larger) in absolute performance, an amazing result. The new woofers feature a totally new motor, now with very low distortion, and a new stiffer cone. The result is superb bass performance, with power, depth, speed and articulation. Party at home? No problem!

Slim cabinet for a speaker that wants to remain discreet

The use of compact drivers also allowed the engineers to create a very thin cabinet. The resulting benefit is obvious: a thin speaker is more easily inserted into the home context and at the same time interacts less with the listening environment. The cabinet was made using a technique that combines an ultra-rigid structure and internal damping joints . The resulting structure is totally inert and forms the basis on which the new, sophisticated drivers are housed.

“The overall build quality is exceptional. Kef R3 exhibits a level of insight and detail resolution far beyond that of most rivals. ” WHAT-HiFi? and DIGITAL AF

Shadow Flare

In the beautiful R3 speakers, the role of the Uni-Q driver as a wave guide is expanded by the innovative outer ring design called "Shadow Flare". The Shadow Flare is a typical refinement of Kef and is designed with absolute precision to drastically reduce the diffraction effects that are inevitably created in a loudspeaker with edges and edges. This makes the sonic performance even more convincing and realistic. This patent makes the curve that joins the driver itself to the cabinet continuously progressive and soft.

Perfect size for bookshelf speakers

The compact size of the Kef R3 speakers makes them easy to place even in a small room or as surround speakers in a high-end home theater system. The Kef R Series was designed from scratch and takes all the features that have made it famous over the years to a higher level. Discover all the extraordinary acoustic innovations on the R series page. You can place the Kef R3 on the Performance Stands offered by the same brand, bringing them to the perfect listening height and hiding each cable from view.

“Kef's new patented grilles finally do away with the classic thick MDF frame that compromises the performance of most speakers” WHAT-HiFi? and DIGITAL AF

Patented magnetic grids

The stunning Kef R3s reveal with every examination a build quality that is unmatched in the audio industry. One of the most evident innovations is the front protection grille (masks), created with 13 die-cast layers of composite materials and microfibre. The new grilles are extremely thin, rigid and always in tone-on-tone with the specific finish of the diffuser.

Forget the old black screens mounted on plastic frames. These new grilles are the first real revolution in the sector for 3 decades and do not hinder the acoustic emission of the speaker in any way. The R3 grilles feature 1,801 precision holes for each driver. If you had given up on protecting the drivers because the classic retinas did not satisfy you, now you will love what Kef has invented: not an accessory but an integral element of the speaker system. The grilles of the Kef R3 represent the new peak in the design of hearing protectors for bookshelf speakers.

Adaptive Reflex ducts

Kef R3 are equipped with Reflex ducts with a flexible design. The reflex ports - rear - of the R Series speakers are positioned with absolute precision and not in axis with respect to the speakers. They also have flexible walls that hinder mid-range coloring. The pressure inside the ducts is in fact constant at any pressure and frequency level. The sound result when listening? The elimination of unwanted resonances and the return of the artist's pure sound. Every detail in Kef is a world unto itself.

Kef R versions and finishes

Kef R3 is available in three elegant finishes, the result of an aesthetic research that only takes place in Kef: glossy lacquered black, glossy lacquered white and real natural walnut. The finishes are characterized by sophisticated tone-on-tone details: from the feet to the drivers, from the logo to the shadow flare, everything recalls the dominant color.

"Kef R3 are one of the best stand speakers you can find" WHAT-HIFI and AFDIGITALE

Recommended amplifiers and cables

The Kef R3 are splendid HiFi bookshelfs, a true entry proposal - and let's talk about a triumphal entry! - by Kef in high fidelity. To make the most of these speakers they need to be connected to valid amplifiers, possibly with good current control. Mind you, they always sound very good, but with a good engine underneath the result is amazing. For those who want an official recommendation, Kef has been approving and recommending Hegel Audio amplification for several years, in this case the H95 input model is a valid starting choice while the superior Hegel H120 model is perfect. For those who want a lot of power and listen at high volumes, the recommended model becomes H190: it can give great satisfaction.

Do you want to improve the sound result?

The R3 speakers are top notch. A high-end sedan, to make a parallel. As a complex and refined product today, the result they can bring is very high and the surrounding details make their difference. Placement of the speakers is important. Placing them on a piece of furniture or a desk is ok. In this case, a great improvement is obtained by placing the speakers on decoupler stands. The lows dry up and the rumble (accumulation of reverb and bass) is attenuated by a large percentage, the mid-highs are even more defined.

If you can put the R3s on a HiFi stand that's better. Kef proposes a perfect stand, the S2 model. Again you can isolate it all for a great sonic result. The ideal solution sees, starting from the floor, the stands. Then an Aperta Plate, an Aperta and finally the diffuser.

SPECIFICHE TECNICHE

WEIGHT 13,5 Kg

FINISHES Black / White / Walnut

DIMENSION (H X W X D) 422,2 x 199,6 x 335,5 mm with terminal*

DESIGN Three-way bass reflex

FREQUENCY RANGE 38 Hz – 50 KHz (-6 dB)

TYPICAL IN-ROOM BASS RESPONSE 30 Hz (-6 dB)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 58 Hz – 28 KHz (±3 dB)

HARMONIC DISTORTION <0.3% 130 Hz – 20 KHz (90 dB, 1m)

MAXIMUM OUTPUT 110 dB

AMPLIFIER POWER 15 – 180W (recommended)

NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 8 Ohm (min 3.2 Ohm)

DRIVE UNITS Uni-Q Driver Array: HF: 25mm (1in.) vented aluminium dome MF: 125mm (5in.) aluminium cone

BASS DRIVER: LF: 165mm (6.5in.) hybrid aluminium

CROSSOVER FREQUENCIES 400 Hz, 2.9 KHz