B&W 705s3 vs Kef Meta R3

Go to the Kef FB Page and see what buyers of the R3 Meta's think of them. I can tell you they are much loved speakers.

I personally own the Reference 5 (non meta) and can tell you the Uni-Q tweeter is the highlight on this speaker, detail, clarity and wide dispersion.

Don't judge Kef on your 1 bad experience.

Mark

Consider going back to Best Buy and examine the wire terminations for yourself. Are both pairs of speakers connected to similar or the same source components? Keep in mind, everyone is trying to persuade or sell you a pair of speakers. If you live in a large city, go to another BB, check out the terminations, and audition the same speakers. Ideally, audition the speakers using the same amp etc. Remember, play music that you are very familiar with during each audition. 

The 705s3 are one of the best sounding of the B&W's.  As far as I am concerned, the KEF R3 Meta are just awful sounding - lacking dynamics, excitement, and frequency extension.

@b_limo Your experience at Best Buy matches mine. B&W outshines KEF at my Best Buy too. I’ve lived with 2 sets of KEF speakers a 1 set of B&W. Like AudioTroy, I also question Best Buy’s receiver pairings. And, I wonder about the switching and cabling situation. That said, OCD Mikey recorded a similar outcome at an audio dealership.

@b_limo 

KEF speakers are anything but dull, in fact they might be considered analytical and or bright by some. I just replaced my KEF Reference 5’s with Sonus Farber’s to tame some of the brightness in my system.

All the best.