[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by tim68

quality of finish

thanks Dav1d

The white finish is just as good quality as their black finish, which is excellent. I was dubious as to whether the white finish would go with the silver trim ring, but it works.

[tim68]

Originally Posted by fayeanddavid

I've seen the white, finish is as good as the piano black KEF offer, very good.

But as for white speakers.....................no, bit like white cars............also a no.

IMHO of course!

hi fayeanddavid. thanks for the reply, have you decide on which centre you are going to get yet?.

i am a little undecided myself between the R600 and the R200. i had a demo with the R300 and the R200c a few weeks ago, but decided to go for the R500 as i didnt want to be messing with speaker stands, if i had the 200c, im sure i would have that nagging feeling i should have had the 600c lol.

All being well with regards to the sale of my Q speakers i will be placing an order this week. will be ordering just the R500 speakers for now and then adding the centre when funds allow.

Amp i have is a Marantz SR7005. will be keeping my current sub of a bkxlss400 and rears are Kef T301 speakers.

Tim

[Replicant]

If you have the room and can afford it the R600C is superb, probably worth reading the review David mentioned earlier as that also includes the R600C you can find it in the reviews section on the KEF website

[Jules]

I used to have the Q series, and went from the smaller Q200C to the larger Q600C and it was an improvement.

When I upgraded to the R series, I was keen to get the centre channel right and so opting for the R200C at first seamed like it could be a compromise I wouldn't be able to live with for long.

However, 7 months on and I have no regrets whatsoever. The R200C is a bloomin' brilliant centre speaker and crossed over at the normal 80Hz I really think you'd be hard pressed to make out too much of difference. They both have the same size drivers covering the important midband.

For me, the R600C is just too big and the R200C is such a good performer I's suggest you give considerable thought to whether you are prepared to house such a large centre speaker in the R600C.

I also think it's nicer to keep all the drivers the same size. Using the R500, R200C, and R800ds is the best way to achieve that (unless youw ant direct radiators on the rear channel.

It's rare that I remain enthusiastic about new speakers for very long. The R series are a rare breed... I still love both their looks and performance.

I will shortly be moving in with a girl who is a bit of nerd (like me I suppose), but who appreciates style and good looks (so lord knows why she's happy to move in with me).
The R series speakers tick both boxes and that pleases me immensely.

[tim68]

Hi all. thanks very much for your thoughts replicant and Jules.

I started with the Q200c although it was fine for movie playback, but when i had Les Miserables 25th and the Phantom 25th concerts on blu-ray i found the singing/dialogue through the centre was very poor, it was almost dull, lifeless and muffled sound then had a Q600c demo at home and was a big improvement for those 2 concerts.

think i will have to get a demo of the 2 centres when the time comes to purchase, if i can get away with a R200c for those 2 blu-ray concerts all the better.

as for rears im kind of stuck really with what i got because i have a difficult room layout, its ok on the right hand side for the 800ds but on the left side of room there is no where to place it, thats why i have the T301

Tim

[fayeanddavid]

Originally Posted by tim68

hi fayeanddavid. thanks for the reply, have you decide on which centre you are going to get yet?.

i am a little undecided myself between the R600 and the R200. i had a demo with the R300 and the R200c a few weeks ago, but decided to go for the R500 as i didnt want to be messing with speaker stands, if i had the 200c, im sure i would have that nagging feeling i should have had the 600c lol.

Amp i have is a Marantz SR7005. will be keeping my current sub of a bkxlss400 and rears are Kef T301 speakers.

Tim

I'm very keen on the R600C, I have the Q600C currently and the R is a touch smaller I think (height wise IIRC)
Although, reading Jules's notes he does seem very pleased.

Again it will be one of those "if I don't will I regret it" moments.

And I shall be staying with the T301s as rears also (thinking of adding in a couple T101s as well) untill I can afford the 9000s, they look a bit nice!!

[tim68]

Hi all. ive just ordered a pair of Kef R500 in walnut .

next will be a new intergrated amp and dac.

Any thoughts on the rega brio r/dac combo with the R500s ?

thanks

Tim

[Naish]

Guys/Gals,

I’ve been looking over your forum and you all seem like a very well informed bunch and I have a question that I don’t believe that anyone has talked about yet.
I would like to move from a stereo only setup in my lounge to a 5.1 setup and would like a recommendation for center and surround speakers. I have a pair of Kef 104/2 (pre Uni-Q) that will remain as the mains in the system. I realize that this is not ideal but wondered if I should consider something in the Q or new R range from Kef. I guess the real question is what might sound best with the 104/2’s?

The room is 15’x25’, 8’ ceilings. The power will be a Marantz SR7005.

On a side note the Marantz unit is only a few months old and it sounds great with the 104/2’s.

Thanks for your input,

Naish

[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by tim68

Hi all. ive just ordered a pair of Kef R500 in walnut .

next will be a new intergrated amp and dac.

Any thoughts on the rega brio r/dac combo with the R500s ?

thanks

Tim

Works great Tim - I've not really come across any amplification yet that they don't gel with.

[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by Naish

Guys/Gals,

I’ve been looking over your forum and you all seem like a very well informed bunch and I have a question that I don’t believe that anyone has talked about yet.
I would like to move from a stereo only setup in my lounge to a 5.1 setup and would like a recommendation for center and surround speakers. I have a pair of Kef 104/2 (pre Uni-Q) that will remain as the mains in the system. I realize that this is not ideal but wondered if I should consider something in the Q or new R range from Kef. I guess the real question is what might sound best with the 104/2’s?

The room is 15’x25’, 8’ ceilings. The power will be a Marantz SR7005.

On a side note the Marantz unit is only a few months old and it sounds great with the 104/2’s.

Thanks for your input,

Naish

What are you currently driving your 104/2's with Naish? I ask as an SR7005 isn't going to be up to the job of showing what the 104/2's are capable of.

Depending on the amount of space you have free, a good matching centre would be the Reference 200c, which is an older model now, but quite popular to match in with older Reference models. The drawback is that its about 1.2m wide...

I think it would be easier to run a separate 5.1 system to your hi-fi system, but this will depend on available space and an understanding other half

[Naish]

The Marantz SR 7005 is driving the 104/2's at 125w /side. I currently have the surround back channels of the receiver powering a pair of speakers in zone 2. After the budget allows, I plan on getting a dedicated zone 2 amp and then bi-amping the 104/2's so that they are getting 125w*2 per side from the Merantz.

I don't think a separate 5.1 system is going to be in the cards. I've already done a big job this spring, getting sound outside on the deck and terrace, and I've kind of exhausted my play money.

I was hoping that you might point me towards one of the R series centers and dipoles b/c the current reference series is a budget stretcher. Sigh.

[Dav1dF]

I would say that the current Reference series and the R series sound quite different. If you want to match as closely as possible, there's the older 200c that I mentioned, which you will probably pick up for about £150/200 (I used one with a pair of 104/2's about 10 years ago), and the TDM34ds dipole surrounds, which are from the old KEF THX speaker package from the 90's. These, tonally, will be the nearest matches.

If you want to go for newer speakers, you could add in an R600c, but you might find it a little bit more lively than the 104/2's, but it is high quality, so could work well.

While the Marantz will be fine driving anything from the R series, the 104/2's need more current (not necessarily 'power'). I appreciate you have been using it with your Marantz, and it probably sounds fine, but your speakers are capable of much, much more. KEF Reference speakers have always been one of the best in terms of dynamics and wide frequency range, but they need better than average quality amplification to achieve this. I'm not trying to belittle the Marantz at all, it's a great receiver (see my comments somewhere else on thsi forum when it was released), but I'm just trying to advise you from the point of view of someone who has heard what the 104/2's are capable of

If you can't make the most of the 104/2's, you'd be better off replacing them with something else (maybe R700's) and have a system that is better matched and will sound more consistent.

Apologies if I'm confusing the issue...

[jhameeh29]

Hi Mr. DavidF,

Would it sound great if i match Reference 203/2 as main speaker and R700 as surround, R600C as center?
Onkyo 3009 will be pre/pro and Anthem Statement A5 as power amp.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot.

[Dav1dF]

I'd rather go with a pair of Reference 201/2's, which are another £500 over the R700's (maybe cheaper if used or ex-dem), as these will be much closer to the sound of the 203/2's.

[leeon]

Hi guys, I am currently looking to upgrade my cables and i'm looking at either the chord epic/anthem or tellurium q black interconnects and speaker cable, I will audition them in a couple of weeks so I'm just after some input as to which would gel better with my set-up, i am looking for a natural yet dynamic sound that will give an excellent soundstage and not bright/harsh when the volume is turned up.

[Dav1dF]

I like Epic with the R series and Blades. Just a personal preference I'm stating

[leeon]

Thanks david, what is your prefered interconnect?

[Dav1dF]

I like the Cadenza. I'm not sure why, but during various demos using the Cadenza and Chameleon, I really like the Cadenza.

[leeon]

Thanks david, i will make a note to listen to the cadenza with the epic's

[Fassool]

Dear Sir,
i have a new room wide 5.5meter & long 7meter equipped with Dj mixer (House/tech) music , i needto get speakers for my Lounge i searched over & found KEF Q & R series i don't know about sound quality for my type of music as far i know i need very Quick response speakers give Kick & punch feels but i found some ppl saying (that R300 is giving low punch no quick response) anyone please can help me . Should i go with KEF or something else ?
my budget is around 2500$ .
Bookshelf priority
Really appreciate it guys .
Regards
Fassool

[Dav1dF]

R300 no quick response? If that was the case, they wouldn't part of my AV system currently.

Like anything else, I think "quick response" may be open to subjective interpretation. The R series is a little more laid back than some speakers, so you may find that seem speakers sound more dynamic purely because they sound 'sharper' and more 'forward'.

You could also try the PMC Twenty.22's. They won't have the bass presence, but like the KEF, they're pretty easy to drive (I don't know what amplifier you're using). BUT, that's a big room - I'd be looking at floorstanders, unless you're using a sub or two...

[jhameeh29]

R300 is really good speaker. I am using it as surround speaker and it really give a very nice punch when required. Watched the movie "Safe House" and the shooting scene at the safe house really rocked my room!

[Fassool]

Really appreciate ur support that's what i was looking & searching all over .
For the time being am using only pair of Studio monitor Yamaha HS80 direct from my pioneer mixer DJM700 in a small room & am happy with it but i have a new room will be ready within 5 weeks which i mentioned before & am still wondering what type of speaker & how many for music use (am little confused coz in home theater ppl use 5.1 or 7.2 but in my case they suggest me pair of BOSE 802 speakers ) & for how friendly use & easy drive i don't know much about this but i thought through Amp i can connect any speaker .
Wt do u think if i get Active speakers like YAMAHA DXR series or passive speaker Bose 402 & 802 models ( i dont know if it suit my room or not )
And please if u can mentioned other more suggestion u recommend for Sharp & quick response .
I can add around 1000$ for Amp so total budget of 4000$
Thanks

[Fassool]

What about if i get streo speakers like KRK & put 4 or 6 speakers with Sub , will it give me the clear loud sound or its only for near field listening ??

[Arcam_boy]

Originally Posted by Fassool

Really appreciate ur support that's what i was looking & searching all over .
For the time being am using only pair of Studio monitor Yamaha HS80 direct from my pioneer mixer DJM700 in a small room & am happy with it but i have a new room will be ready within 5 weeks which i mentioned before & am still wondering what type of speaker & how many for music use (am little confused coz in home theater ppl use 5.1 or 7.2 but in my case they suggest me pair of BOSE 802 speakers ) & for how friendly use & easy drive i don't know much about this but i thought through Amp i can connect any speaker .
Wt do u think if i get Active speakers like YAMAHA DXR series or passive speaker Bose 402 & 802 models ( i dont know if it suit my room or not )
And please if u can mentioned other more suggestion u recommend for Sharp & quick response .
I can add around 1000$ for Amp so total budget of 4000$
Thanks

Plz refrain frm usin so much txt tlk. fanx.

[Dan201]

Has anyone put their R100's on wall mounts? If so then which ones? Im considering changing my rear R800ds's as I miss the directional sound for regular speakers. Ill still have the R800ds as sides.

[Fassool]

Dear Sir,
i have a room wide 5.5meter & long 7meter equipped with Dj mixer (House/tech) music , i needto get speakers for my Lounge i searched over & found KEF Q & R series i don't know about sound quality for my type of music as far i know i need very Quick response speakers give Kick & punch feels but i found some ppl saying (that R300 is giving low punch no quick response) anyone please can help me . Should i go with KEF or something else Like Yamaha DSR ?
my budget is around 2500$ .
Bookshelf priority

Regards
Fassool

[tim68]

Hi all. had my new R500 speakers in walnut this morning .

also Borrowed a Rega mira 3 amp and a audiolab mdac only as a ways to check if i can get away with lip-sync issues before buying new as i will be using them to hook up a ps3 and a media player if not i will be sticking to my marantz SR7005 amp and maybe get a power amp instead to drive the R500 speakers. cant wait to get all this set up lol.

Tim

[fayeanddavid]

Oooooh, oooh and ooh...................!!!

So excited, just got out from my local hi fi dealers, have done me an excellent deal on the R's so really really excited!

Going back for a full demo with the R200C and R600C, with the R500s, just to check voicing and depth/tone early next week, and then final colour will be with OH, but I am thinking the Rosewood (very 80s)

So watch this space, approx a week for delivery I am told, Q's will be in the Classifieds next week all being well

So so so excited!!!

Just a little bit

[Jima4a]

fayeanddavid,

Congrats! Can't wait to hear your impressions when you get them home.