I suspect you’ll get a range of opinions shared here from those who like KEF or Raidho and those who suggest you look elsewhere. As i own KEF Ref 3s after taking a very long time in evaluating them against many others in their general price range, I’ll weigh in. I haven’t heard the Raidho line though I’m sure they’re quite nice.
With respect to KEF Reference 3s - I like them very much and (obviously) preferred them over all the others and I auditioned a lot of them extensively. (Competitors were the obvious and a few not so obvious). Like all higher performing speakers, component matching is important. Some criticize these KEFs for a “metallic” overtone in a narrow region of the treble. I actually heard some of this anomaly with lower quality components during demos. But, it is non-existent in my room with my gear.
I have heard the Ref 3s in an A/B comparison w/ the KEF Blades. Yes, the Blades were better, but the voicing and sound quality were remarkably similar such that I couldn’t personally justify the additional expense.
KEFs are well designed and engineered, and backed by a company with a fine reputation and longer history than most. So, personal preferences aside, it’d be hard to go wrong here. If I had an unlimited budget and the room, I’d probably have Rockports. But, I’m pretty happy w/ what I have.
Best,
With respect to KEF Reference 3s - I like them very much and (obviously) preferred them over all the others and I auditioned a lot of them extensively. (Competitors were the obvious and a few not so obvious). Like all higher performing speakers, component matching is important. Some criticize these KEFs for a “metallic” overtone in a narrow region of the treble. I actually heard some of this anomaly with lower quality components during demos. But, it is non-existent in my room with my gear.
I have heard the Ref 3s in an A/B comparison w/ the KEF Blades. Yes, the Blades were better, but the voicing and sound quality were remarkably similar such that I couldn’t personally justify the additional expense.
KEFs are well designed and engineered, and backed by a company with a fine reputation and longer history than most. So, personal preferences aside, it’d be hard to go wrong here. If I had an unlimited budget and the room, I’d probably have Rockports. But, I’m pretty happy w/ what I have.
Best,