My amp has two speaker outputs but I still just use a speaker switch box. Many good ones out there and not expensive so that might open up more amp options.
Help me pair the KEF R11 Metas...?
I’ll start by admitting that I am a fan of @therecoveringaudiophile aka. Andrew Robinson.
Some may consider him a pseudo-audiophile. While that may be true on an absolute technical side, his eloquent delivery, production quality and rapport with his producer-wife Kristi, make him my favorite source of audiophile information.
In any case, he knows more than me, so I trusted his review of the "TOP 5" floor-standing KEF R11 Meta speakers.
I picked them up NEW at 45% OFF from an audio dealer in Miami I did a favor for. Stealing them for $3,800 a pair...in white.
The plan was to connect them to my existing Cambridge Audio Azur 840a Class XD, 4ohm, 200wpc integrated I’ve had and loved for over 10 years connected to a pair of Definitive Technology Mythos STS towers. This specific combination sounded amazing using Bluetooth or vinyl.
I assumed the KEFs would be a major upgrade.
The KEF R11 Metas and the CA Azur 840a simply did not pair well, for reasons I still cannot explain. The sound was flat and low and I would have to push the amp to 90% volume to get the KEFs to sing, but then the amp would either short out or show a clipping error.
I checked all the connections, settings, and even reached out to KEF for help, which they gladly offered, but nothing seemed to help or explain any of this.
Out of frustration, I pulled a Technics SU-G91 Class A, 8ohm, 125wpc integrated from 1992 out of my closet, just to try something different.
I replaced the cables as well, switching from custom audiophile speaker cables, to simple OF bare copper. I then connected a new Cambridge Audio MXN10 DAC/Streamer as a Tidal source, instead of using Bluetooth, and let it rip...
OMG....night and day better.
Finally the KEFs seemed to be living up to their reputation. Brilliant sound, clean, smooth, a real pleasure to listen to...at normal volumes.
But...that left me with a question.
As an amateur "audiophile", I’m struggling with all the endless reviews online vs what I’m hearing at home with this setup.
With a desire to maximize the $6,000 KEFs potential, should I be looking to replace the $300 "vintage" Technics SU-G91 Class A integrated amplifier with something else?
Can this strange pairing between the new KEFs and the old Technics really be this good?