KEF R3s or Dynaudio special 40?

I've heard both quite a bit , both are fine.
I would use the KEF's  on acoustic music and the Dyn's on rock .

I've owned both, and kept the R3s for a second system.  Can't go wrong with either as others have mentioned.

Both have plenty of bass, considering their size.  The R3s are definitely more forgiving of placement and system matching.

I’ve heard teh R3s and thought them to be absolutely superb, hard to fault. I would own them in a heartbeat. I have ls50s currently (with sub) and will be upgrading to ls50 meta soon which brings those closer to R3 sound. Other KEFs might get the new sound absorbing technology used first in teh metas and that has been all the rave so far so keep an eye out for that.

Have not heard those Dyns but have had older Dyn Contour monitors. Can’t go wrong with Dynaudio either if you have the amp to drive them well.

Dynaudio might be a touch warmer/hotter sounding with some amps in general perhaps?  But not if driven well  I've found.

Take your pick. Both are top notch in their class.   The amp I heard R3 with was nothing to brag about, so maybe those are more amp forgiving.

@mapman? 

mofojo, thanks for the opinion, the Yamaha MXD 1 is a 500 watt amp which is supposed to be able to run anything so it can definitely run the Dynaudios. Thanks for the reply!

goldprintaudio, haven't heard any of these but I have listened to the Dynaudio Evidence Platinums which are my reference speakers hooked up to an accuphase amp. These speakers are more for my bedroom for casual listening. I've also heard some Kef home theatre speakers, which I enjoy but I think those are on the older side and do not have Kef's UNI Q drivers. 

I'm not 100 percent sure what you mean Kenjit!  Both of these speakers do fine bass and the amp I have is more than enough to reach lo, low bass on these, you do sound like a person that would believe that Devialet Phantoms are the best speakers in the world. Also, I haven't bought any of them yet and cannot go trial them as I am in a country where I have to ship these speakers from abroad and there is a bit of a pandemic going around! In all fairness, you sir, are not ready to be an audiophile! If you really don't care then you should definitely not be an Audiogon member!

Isn’t saying dumb things and trolling audiophiles a G-d given right?

Why be offended when someone says something dumb? Happens all the time.

Personal attacks that hurt people are different. Valid reason.  Saying stupid things about speaker makers probably does not count.


Ooops....

Do you have the chance to listen to either?  I'm a KEF dealer and think the R3s are really a pretty nice speaker at the price point.  But I've also traded for 2 pairs of Special 40s over the last year and was really impressed with them as well. 

I personally don't find the R3s metallic sounding as mentioned above.....  But I would certainly be quite happy with either speaker.

With the Yamaha gear, I would imagine either would be nice.

Nope.... they sound nothing alike Kenjit. Anyone who's ever heard them would say the same thing. I prefer the Dynaudio. Great little speakers! 

The Kefs are a little metallic sounding IMO but otherwise very capable. The Dyns are smooth and sound very good on almost everything but need to bring an amp with balls or some higher powered tubes to the party. 

They are both about the same. They will both not do low bass which is a serious problem and they are both made of wood. So they will sound wooden. 

What you are seeking is validation from us that you have made the right choice. You are not willing to go and listen to the speakers and make up your own mind. You are not yet ready to be an audiophile.