advertisement


KEF R5 opinions and experiences, let me know.

Peter McDermott

Peter McDermott

pfm Member
Hi Everyone,

I was in local dealer's shop yesterday and ended up bringing home a pair of the fairly recently released KEF R5s.

I'm looking to get a bit more bass than I'm currently experiencing with my Dynaudio 40s.

Not sure what of make of the KEFs. They look good but not sure, despite their size, that they are giving much more bass then the Dynaudios.

There's not a huge amount on the web about them in terms of reviews (What hifi gave them 4 stars but a bit of a lukewarm reception really - they prefer the stand mounts).

My room is 4m by 3m and they are on the 4m wall. Amp is Gato 250.

Listening to them now at low volume and they do sound good.

Have the Dynaudios in the same room but (carefully) swapping between the two takes a few seconds so its difficult to judge differences.

Don't want to get a sub which has been suggested to me.

Thoughts?
 
If you really want to ‘see’ what you are hearing then you need to make a measurement of both speakers, microphone in the same position and loudspeakers in the same position, REW software and a microphone, you will see the bass extension of each speaker.
Keith
 
Really straightforward just get a USb microphone plug it into your laptop, REW is free and re configured, play a test tone not too loudly, left and right speakers
Replace with other speakers repeat.
Or you could see if either or both of your speakers have been measured by Stereophile for example.
Keith
 
KEFs also seem work well with classical/orchestral: bit more depth. Listening to The Ring (Das Rhiengold) at present.

Earlier played some bits of Christian Scott's Centennial Trilogy which is jazz mixed with electronic bits, a lot of bass. This also worked well.

Peter
 
The f3 (lowest frequency within 3 dB) is around 55 Hz for both the Kef R5 and the Dynaudio S40 so none of them will give you a deep bass no matter the listening room.
Tfhe Dali Zensor 5 has an f3 of 43 Hz so they go deeper and they are about the same price as the Kef.
I heard these Dali on a Sonos streamer and an Hegel entry level integrated and they sound really great for the price.
 
Gervais Cote said:
The f3 (lowest frequency within 3 dB) is around 55 Hz for both the Kef R5 and the Dynaudio S40 so none of them will give you a deep bass no matter the listening room.
Tfhe Dali Zensor 5 has an f3 of 43 Hz so they go deeper and they are about the same price as the Kef.
I heard these Dali on a Sonos streamer and an Hegel entry level integrated and they sound really great for the price.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gervais.
 
Depends what you mean by more bass, do you mean more bass prominent in respect to mids and treble (e.g.tonal balance) or the ability to reproduce very low frequency sounds (lower bass)?

I heard the R5s once at a dealers and thought them slightly thick/tubby in the bass on the end of a Naim all in one jobbie. Certainly not a bass light tonal balance.

I personally preferred the R3s for their faster, more balanced sound but each to their own. Neither went massively low from memory.
 
Johnjo said:
Depends what you mean by more bass, do you mean more bass prominent in respect to mids and treble (e.g.tonal balance) or the ability to reproduce very low frequency sounds (lower bass)?

I heard the R5s once at a dealers and thought them slightly thick/tubby in the bass on the end of a Naim all in one jobbie. Certainly not a bass light tonal balance.

I personally preferred the R3s for their faster, more balanced sound but each to their own. Neither went massively low from memory.
Click to expand...

I also prefer the R3 to the R5 as they seem to be a better value for money, if they suit your needs, of course.
 
Peter McDermott said:
Hi Johnjo, probably in terms of tonal balance, having that balance.
Click to expand...

Maybe try moving them back a bit obviously or possibly try a few different cables.

If that doesn’t work, back to swapping them out or one of the other components.

The R5s certainly weren’t bass light with a naim amp. I suspect the Gato has a very high damping factor (opposite of naim) which might be a factor.
 
Johnjo said:
I heard the R5s once at a dealers and thought them slightly thick/tubby in the bass on the end of a Naim all in one jobbie. Certainly not a bass light tonal balance.
Click to expand...
I’d say that would be down to the Naim. If anyone feels the bass a little much, use one of the port bungs (with centre removed) and place in the lower port - usually sorts out any excessive bass for me.
 
Have the Dynaudios in the same room but (carefully) swapping between the two takes a few seconds so its difficult to judge differences.

This sounds as though you wanted to tell the difference like those hi-fi shops that would press a selector button to listen to different speakers immediately, not the best way to judge.

Listen for a good while, you should know the sound of a previous bit of kit so you should be able to hear any differences
 
Sometimes you just know they’re not doing it for you and aren’t ever going to do it for you. Doesn’t mean they’re not good, just not for you.
 
Personally wouldn't get too caught up in measurements if they just don't sound right. The KEFs I've heard or auditioned (all modern) all have a certain nature about them that seems beyond measurements.
 
Peter McDermott said:
Thanks for the responses.

Have put them back in their boxes as in the end not doing it for me.

Best wishes, Peter
Click to expand...
It’s a case of finding a speaker that works well with your Naim, and doesn’t tax it too much - if the speaker is too demanding on the Naim, the Naim will be working too close or outside of its parameters to sound comfortable, and in turn, the speakers won’t be able to do what they’re designed to do. Personally, I’d be looking at something that is a relatively easy load for an amplifier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top