KEF R3 Meta's - too much for my Marantz Model 30?
Hi guys,
I attended an audio show here in the NW of England last weekend. I wasn't on the lookout for anything particular; we just went for a day out 😉. Anyway, I was heading for the Innuos room to look at the new Pulse Streamers, but next door was the KEF room. I've never given KEF much thought previously, but was intrigued by the sound emanating from the room, so was lured in to listen.
They had 2 lines; the LS60s actives, and the R3 Meta's which were playing and pulled me in to the room. They were playing a track I'm very familiar with, to say I was stunned is an understatement. It sounded fantastic.
Granted, they were using a big beefy Hegel, probably the H590, as their amplification, which is way "up the line" from my Marantz Model 30. So I'm seriously considering demoing the R3 Meta's at my local dealership, but I'm wondering, what with the KEFs being 4ohm and 86db sensitivity, dipping down to 3.2ohm, whether they may be too much for my Marantz. (100w into 8ohms, 200w into 4ohms)
I have a smallish room 14 by 13ft, and listen near/mid-field about 8ft from my current speakers: am I over thinking it, or will my Marantz be ok with the R3 Meta's?
Thanks guys 👍
@kokakolia that's good advice. My dealer carries the Marantz Model 30 so would save me from lugging my own to the store 😊 I was just worried about wasting their/my time if the Marantz struggles with the R3 Meta's. After I posted this thread, I've noticed a couple of prominent online retailers here in the UK offering the Model 30/Kef R3 Meta's as a bundle deal, which is reassuring |
Just to wrap up this thread. I did visit my dealer to demo the KEF's, but, and to cut a long story short, came away with a pair of ATC SCM40's ( which reminds me; I need to update my profile). My dealer gave me a generous part-ex deal on another amp I had bought from them previously which clinched the deal. |
@kennyc thanks very much 👍 I've had the ATC's around 5 wks, and couldn't be happier. Probably end game speakers for me now. They work/sound lovely with the Marantz, and for the first time in around 2 and a half years since re-starting my HiFi hobby, I've reached a point where I feel like I'm nearing or at the end of the journey with the sound presentation I enjoy. |
