I finally got around to checking these out after ignoring them for a few years, and now I want a pair. I was particularly blown away by the incredible midrange presentation. White looks great for, but maybe walnut for me. Certainly not dust magnet black.
Rather than focussing on the KEF speakers we get a wonderful shot of a lovely yellow orchid! Seriously I'm considering buying a pair of these, so glad the shops have reopened after lockdown.
Thank you for taking the time to post your experiences. This review has been very helpful indeed. I use a JBL SDR-35 which is a rebadged Arcam AVR30 with upgraded dacs and I’m looking for some new speakers. I just demo’d the R7’s with an Arcam AVR5 in store and I thought it was sublime! Our rooms are not too dissimilar in size too so its wonderful to hear you had a similar experience. I’m have a home demo scheduled, so fingers crossed they work well in my room too. Quick question if that is ok? Did you have to use the foam port bungs?
I got Plinius 9200XLR amp,Mofi Turntable with Hana cartridge,Audioquest cables.My collection:classic rock from Beatles on,some bues and jazz.I like bass with punch but also refinement when necessary.I don`t like ``laid back`` or too relaxed sound.I tried Dali Rubicon 6 and Dynaudio Focus 220 but both sounded too polite to me.What about KEF R7 or R11?
Good comments. I have a question about them that I hope that you could help me with. Would you consider them suitable for fast and dynamic rock music like other speakers such asTannoy XT8F or Focal Aria 936, or maybe they are a bit shy and slow? Thank you for this review!
Hi David, I still use these for many hours every day. They give the impression of being quite relaxed and mellow, which is nice for certain genres of music. However, if you drive these with the right amp (great pairings are Arcam and Denon) and they come alive, lots of detail, control and lower frequencies without sounding harsh.
Thanks Dave. Maybe someday i will get a pair of 7’s or 5’s. I still very much love my 32 old Thiel CS2’s in perfect condition. The level of improvement (my guess is 10% -15% on certain recordings) is difficult to justify. I too am a big KEF fan. I own LS50’s in white / electric blue....also gorgeous.....Cheers!
I own the exact same R7s as you white was my choice. You really are doing those speakers a huge disservice using such poor amplification (relative to the speakers). Yamaha AS1100, check it out and thank me later ;)
@@geekanoids Maybe take a look at the Naim Uniti Atom or the NAD M10 if you want all-in-one solution that is a bit more future-fi and better sounding than Sonos.
I finally got around to checking these out after ignoring them for a few years, and now I want a pair. I was particularly blown away by the incredible midrange presentation. White looks great for, but maybe walnut for me. Certainly not dust magnet black.
Great choice.
Rather than focussing on the KEF speakers we get a wonderful shot of a lovely yellow orchid! Seriously I'm considering buying a pair of these, so glad the shops have reopened after lockdown.
These are superb performers.
They look really good . I like the look of the wood ones myself.
These would look fantastic next to my TV!
Do you like the white colour?
@@geekanoids actually yes, for the size of the speaker the white color matches well.
:D I have always thought the same for large speakers.
Thank you for taking the time to post your experiences. This review has been very helpful indeed. I use a JBL SDR-35 which is a rebadged Arcam AVR30 with upgraded dacs and I’m looking for some new speakers.
I just demo’d the R7’s with an Arcam AVR5 in store and I thought it was sublime!
Our rooms are not too dissimilar in size too so its wonderful to hear you had a similar experience. I’m have a home demo scheduled, so fingers crossed they work well in my room too.
Quick question if that is ok? Did you have to use the foam port bungs?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I have not used the bungs in my setup.
How much space do you have behind your R7’s?
About 15-20cm.
Hi, great video, thank you ! Do you plug you ports or do you find that with the 15-20cm space you don’t have any issues?
Yes I do, I find it tightens the sound stage.
Thanks for sharing Dave. These speakers look very special to me :)
They are the best I have ever heard.
I got Plinius 9200XLR amp,Mofi Turntable with Hana cartridge,Audioquest cables.My collection:classic rock from Beatles on,some bues and jazz.I like bass with punch but also refinement when necessary.I don`t like ``laid back`` or too relaxed sound.I tried Dali Rubicon 6 and Dynaudio Focus 220 but both sounded too polite to me.What about KEF R7 or R11?
I think the R7 would be a nice pairing for this.
Hi...i have 20m2 big room...would be better R5 or R7?
Ty
For this size room the R7 or R11 would be awesome.
Good comments.
I have a question about them that I hope that you could help me with. Would you consider them suitable for fast and dynamic rock music like other speakers such asTannoy XT8F or Focal Aria 936, or maybe they are a bit shy and slow? Thank you for this review!
Hi David, I still use these for many hours every day. They give the impression of being quite relaxed and mellow, which is nice for certain genres of music. However, if you drive these with the right amp (great pairings are Arcam and Denon) and they come alive, lots of detail, control and lower frequencies without sounding harsh.
@@geekanoids Thanks a lot for your reply!
@@geekanoids and what about pairing these R7 with an amp. Cambridge audio CXA81?
Can you audition the r11 I'm looking to buy the r11. But want your view on justification of spending more
Really sorry that I cannot review the R11. I have heard them though and they sound amazing. Worth the extra? If money is not an issue, yes.
How does the sound of r11 compare to r7? You seem to imply it is better.
Gorgeous white R7's...however, you need to lose the grills to highlight their natural beauty......
🤓🤓🤓👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Dave. Maybe someday i will get a pair of 7’s or 5’s. I still very much love my 32 old Thiel CS2’s in perfect condition. The level of improvement (my guess is 10% -15% on certain recordings) is difficult to justify.
I too am a big KEF fan. I own LS50’s in white / electric blue....also gorgeous.....Cheers!
I see you have them close to back wall
Yes. They sound great. Very pleased with them.
I have a small room so I got the Q350's
Great choice 🤓👍🏻
With Arcam amp, how many wpc? Thanks!
I am not familiar with the latest Arcam amps, but would go up to 100-150W absolute maximum. Best check with KEF really.
Those measurements are down to the tenth of mm. I guess every tenth of mm counts
🤓👍🏻
I own the exact same R7s as you white was my choice. You really are doing those speakers a huge disservice using such poor amplification (relative to the speakers). Yamaha AS1100, check it out and thank me later ;)
The amp was selected to bring modern wireless into the mix. A future video is planned swapping the amp out. Thanks for your suggestion.
ive got some r300 driven by the as1100 and i couldnt be happier with the combo
@@geekanoids Maybe take a look at the Naim Uniti Atom or the NAD M10 if you want all-in-one solution that is a bit more future-fi and better sounding than Sonos.
FreshVape will the atom drive and sound good with R 7 🤷🏻♂️