Kef Gallery Demo
Discussion
I’ve just been to the Kef Gallery in London to hear R3 Metas vs Reference 1 Metas, both with KC62 sub, so I thought I’d share.
I have the R3 Metas powered by Naim Uniti Nova and a RELT5i sub. I wanted to know what difference I’d hear from both the Reference 1s and the KC62.
What surprised me was how muddy the R3s sounded in their room with a Hegel H600 amp. This may be due to room acoustics and the fact I toe mine in a little.
It felt bass light, I asked if the sub was switched on. It was, but they turned it up. Better but still not the experience I’d imagined. Only on Erykah Badu’s Rim Shot did I notice that their sub did go a step lower but didn’t have the volume to match. I like to feel a touch of bass, not to home cinema levels, but at least something.
Moving to the Reference 1s, the muddiness disappeared and they were much clearer, especially in the mids and trebles. The soundstage was more focussed than before, yet I could hear separation on Agnes Obel’s Riverside that was missing at home.
But, the groove was gone, the bass was way too lean for my liking. Could this be the speakers, the Hegel or the sub? Some may love the super-analytical cleanness of it all, but I prefer a warmer sound to go with the sparkly higher frequencies.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend their setup of the Reference 1 system but I would recommend booking a free demo session in you’re in the area.
I have the R3 Metas powered by Naim Uniti Nova and a RELT5i sub. I wanted to know what difference I’d hear from both the Reference 1s and the KC62.
What surprised me was how muddy the R3s sounded in their room with a Hegel H600 amp. This may be due to room acoustics and the fact I toe mine in a little.
It felt bass light, I asked if the sub was switched on. It was, but they turned it up. Better but still not the experience I’d imagined. Only on Erykah Badu’s Rim Shot did I notice that their sub did go a step lower but didn’t have the volume to match. I like to feel a touch of bass, not to home cinema levels, but at least something.
Moving to the Reference 1s, the muddiness disappeared and they were much clearer, especially in the mids and trebles. The soundstage was more focussed than before, yet I could hear separation on Agnes Obel’s Riverside that was missing at home.
But, the groove was gone, the bass was way too lean for my liking. Could this be the speakers, the Hegel or the sub? Some may love the super-analytical cleanness of it all, but I prefer a warmer sound to go with the sparkly higher frequencies.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend their setup of the Reference 1 system but I would recommend booking a free demo session in you’re in the area.
It's good for a visit if you're in the area but you really need to book if you're going to travel. I was downstairs in the room on the left.
The demo did confirm that my tastes are maybe more bass heavy/warmer than theirs. I could hear the lower notes but not feel them. It would have been great to listen to the same setup with a Naim or Accuphase amp to see if that changed things for the better. The Reference 1s would already be stretching my budget to the limit so moving on to the bigger 3s or 5s is not an option for me.
I am really happy with my setup but the demo did highlight that voices can have more texture and separation could be better. There are so many options.
The demo did confirm that my tastes are maybe more bass heavy/warmer than theirs. I could hear the lower notes but not feel them. It would have been great to listen to the same setup with a Naim or Accuphase amp to see if that changed things for the better. The Reference 1s would already be stretching my budget to the limit so moving on to the bigger 3s or 5s is not an option for me.
I am really happy with my setup but the demo did highlight that voices can have more texture and separation could be better. There are so many options.
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