Review: KEF R3 Meta Speakers

The phrase “treat yo’ self” from the beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation has no doubt become a bit cliché. Still, I can’t help but think of it as the standing mantra for grabbing the glorious KEF R3 Meta speakers, which beg a record-scratching price of $2,200 per pair.

Would you ever actually need speakers this nice outside of a professional setting? I suppose not. But these aren’t your ordinary “good speakers.” They’re transformative sound machines capable of bringing a vibrant touch of beauty to your life—and your living room—that elevates everything you play. And if I may say so, they do it in style.

The Meta in the R3’s title is KEF’s latest innovation, an upgrade across the brand’s acclaimed R-series speakers called Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). KEF says it helps absorb “99 percent of unwanted sound” from within the cabinets for a purer, more natural performance that reduces distortion and increases clarity.

Paired with other sonic innovations in KEF’s arsenal like its Uni-Q concentric tweeter (a tweeter set inside a woofer), the R3 are empowered to spawn sheer musical joy, taking you to another sonic dimension of clarity, tactile detail, and immersive stereo imaging. If that’s not worth splashing out for, what is?

Photograph: KEF

With a three-way configuration that includes a full 6.5-inch woofer at the base, the R3 Meta rise over 16 inches tall, towering over most bookshelf speakers. Their refined design keeps them from looking gaudy even in smaller rooms; the speakers look fabulous in gloss, with a thick finish that feels nearly as sturdy as the dense cabinets it covers. We were loaned the white version, but they also come in black gloss, matte walnut, and a special edition indigo gloss (as seen above).

The large, hybrid aluminum bass woofer is matched by a 5-inch midrange driver above, inside of which sits the finned 1-inch tweeter. This Uni-Q concentric woofer/tweeter combo is a familiar signature across KEF speakers, designed to offer superlative clarity by matching the treble and midrange frequency timing and dispersion, creating a wide-open soundstage. This aims to eliminate a listening “sweet spot,” though you’ll still want to angle the speakers to the listening position and assure your ears are generally aligned with the tweeters.

The drivers’ crossover points are at 450 Hz in the bass and 2.3k Hz above, with a total claimed frequency response of 58 Hz to 28 kHz.

Photograph: KEF

Pulling the hefty speakers from their packaging, you’ll find a pair of port bungs, microfiber speaker grilles, and rubber feet. At the back of each speaker is a pair of rugged terminals allowing for discretely bi-amping the bass and upper drivers. I asked KEF about the need for bi-amping, as I only planned to connect to the lower terminals, and was told there’s no real company “voice” on the subject but the implication is that there’s minimal sonic benefit in doing so.

The speakers’ 4-ohm nominal impedance means they’ll likely be harder to drive than 6-ohm or 8-ohm speakers, but impedance is a complex subject and it varies by frequency. KEF claims the speakers can be powered by as little as 15 watts per side, but for best results, I still suggest a relatively brawny amp with good clarity, like the Naim Uniti Atom I employed.

As gleeful as these speakers are to play, it’s no easy task to tell a story as rich and expressive as what the R3 Meta tell your ears minute by minute, beat by beat. You’ve just gotta hear these things. They’re incredibly nuanced, dynamic, and transparent, offering power and lyrical musicality on a level that few speakers their size can accomplish. Every song you play is a new chapter, as their chameleonic sound signature sets the stage for each new mix.

That’s not to say the speakers don’t offer their own distinctive sonic flavor; they certainly do. But what the R3 bring to the table is so clean, so sweet, and so effortlessly expressive—especially when powered by a transparent amplifier like the Uniti Atom—they lend themselves to every subject with sympathetic delivery. This means they’ll find all the flaws in your music, of course, but more often than not, it’s presented more as a stylistic choice. That lets your ears separate the production wheat from the chaff in everything you play, while still enjoying lo-fi recordings.

Older Beach Boys songs can sound a little thin and even tinny on many speakers, but songs like “In My Room” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” soar with the R3 Meta, with well-struck percussion that pops out from the immersive soundstage, satiny harmonies, and smooth guitar tones that seem to pull you to the warm Pacific beaches. Flipping to topflight modern production like The Weeknd’s “Starboy” resets the stage completely. The R3’s magnified clarity provided the best performance of the song I’ve heard yet, with laser synths, columns of bass, and swelling effects echoing out the sides and skimming past my face for an almost surreal experience.

The word “luminous” kept coming up again and again as I moved through dozens of compressed and hi-res tracks over several days. Every string and horn player, every synth effect, vocal, or guitar tone seems to bloom with its own intrinsic light when passed through the R3, for chill-inducing performances. When cymbals sparkle, the speakers light that sparkle with an extra shot of vivid shimmer. When reverb trails hang, the speakers extend and draw them out, letting them fade only just in time for the next musical entrance. And when bass bumps, it hits with marble-hard authority and musical energy.

Though I haven’t heard the original R3, the R3 Meta are a notable step up from the KEF LS50 Wireless speakers I adored, bringing similar clarity and poise, but with more expansive imaging (as far as I can recollect) and elemental bass that really completes the sound signature. You could certainly add a subwoofer to this party and find yourself even more deeply entrenched in the lowest frequencies, but you’ll want to be careful to match it perfectly. The R3 Meta’s homegrown bass is so musical and so brilliantly paired with the higher frequencies, it’d be a shame to break up the act.

Photograph: KEF

When it comes to the soundstage, the speakers are similarly spectacular and shapeshifting, depending on your source material. Ultra-clear mixes spawn a center image cut like Japanese steel while instruments seem to arrive at the far ends of the stereo channels with the speed of a Star Trek transporter. Softer mixes offer a fuzzier but still expansive stereo image, spreading out from the center and flowing gently to the side channels. It’s a sweet ride, man.

The R3 Meta also sound fantastic for all your TV ventures, especially stereo mixes, bringing their incredible clarity and smooth yet ruddy touch to detail and dynamics. Car engines sound velvety and rich, each with a distinctive voice, while subtle effects like the creaking of a floor or the chime of a bell burst forth with incredible realism, submerging you in the moment.

To say the speakers take a step down for multi-channel mixes is an oversimplification—they still sound brilliant, beating any cheaper two-channel setups I’ve heard, with an immersive sense of depth and space. But they lose some balance and presence in the dialog. In order to get an experience as spectacular for movies as music, you may want to consider adding a center channel like KEF’s R2c or the cheaper Q650c to improve balance. Once your ears get used to this performance level, you may find you want to keep going bigger. That’s how they get you.

KEF’s R3 Meta are phenomenal blocks of sound, creating artistry in both performance and style that feels more than worthy of their price point. They’re easily the best standmount speakers I’ve had the pleasure to audition. The only caveat is that you can now find the acclaimed original R3 for a crazy low price of $1,400. They offer very similar design specs and, I’d guess, a very similar sonic experience too.

Otherwise, to borrow a phrase from the great Ferris Bueller on his day off: The R3 Meta are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend them.