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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 👍

 

128x128painter24
painter24's avatar
painter24 OP
213 posts
 

@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 

kokakolia's avatar
kokakolia
198 posts
 

@painter24 Just phone the dealer then. It will only take them 1 minute to answer. 

llg98ljk's avatar
llg98ljk
142 posts
 

I have the R3 Metas. They performed well with a Yamaha 80wpc receiver.

I now power them with an Emotiva A2 amp (160/250 wpc). The Model 30 falls well into the upper range of KEF's recommended power requirements.

pryso
1,909 posts
 

painter, you won't be wasting your or the dealer's time if you are serious about the KEFs.  You want to know about the match, and they can't expect a sale with every demo.

jeffreyw's avatar
jeffreyw
240 posts
 

@painter24 

KEFs require a tremendous amount of power to sound their best. I have a pair of R1 Metas and originally powered them with a Luxman 590AXII. Even the big brother 509X couldn't do it. The speakers ate up both integrateds. Absolutely no soundstage or bass at all! I then moved up to a pair of McIntosh MC 611s. I could easily convince someone that I am using a sub. Yes, 30W will power them, but it will not power them correctly. I would not use anything under 250W simply because of the demanding nature of the speakers. 

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