Smooth speaker with great base extension.

Can have extreme amounts of base.

I have owned these speakers for 6 years and I have found them to be real troopers. Initially I purchased them for home theater but over the last two years I have found myself enjoying their ability to pump out great sounding music.

I am using an EAD Theatermaster Ovation as a digital preamp plugged through nordost RedDawn XLR interconnects to a Bryston 4B amplifier. I am using a HarmonicTech no11 speaker cable for the base section and a RedDawn speaker cable for the mids and highs. I found the RedDawn cable to deliver incredible smooth deep soundstage but they're not the the best for base.

My room is 12 by 25 and because of door ways I'm force to run the speakers right next to the 12 foot wall. Thanks to Kefs solid design the speaker cases done vibrate even when running at extreme volumes, this has made positioning them in my tough room a no brainer.

The Kefs can have a lot of base but with the 4b powering them the base remains tight and detailed. My friends always remark on how deep the base is and at the same time wish they could have more. At times these speakers almost seem to have too much base but it is never boomy or without detail.

Recently I started looking to upgrade from the kefs. I've auditioned Revel Studios, Big ProAcs, Theil 6 , Martin Logan Proteges and the sound is good in all of these but each seemed to lack the smooth musicality of the kefs. Also each of the above speakers seemed to have/cause a problem with the auditioning room. I'm sure none of them would work when positioned in my room at home.

You know I've become spooled by these speakers and I don't think I'll ever get rid of them, I'll just add another pair of something and start a stable.

Finally I also highly recommended the Kef center channels.

Similar Products Used:

Theil,Revel

I owned the Kef Model Two's for about a year. After auditioning the 3's,my 2's went up for sale and off they went to a friend. The 3's are definitely the most cost effective model in the Kef Reference line,(Model 4's list $5,500.00 pr.). I picked these speakers up via mailorder for $2,400.00, which is a steal! The model 2's are also a great speaker, but the 3's are much more
expansive, with a higher refinement in the midrange and highs. Bass frequency
is also greatly extended as well. They also open up more with my powerful NAD
Model 208THX,(250 watts per chan. 8 ohms). If you like Kef you can't go wrong
with the Reference, but the Model 3's are a very talented pair of loudspeakers.

Many-Build, fit and finish, sound quality and price.

Few-Almost every speaker has its own weakness/from one individual's opinion to the next.

This is not a review, but an opinion. It is a shame that idiots like ELO and Manuel below have to bash a speaker as nice as the Kef Reference Series. I can't think of any speaker in the World that costs over $3000.00 that deserves a one star review!! People, act like an informed audiophile and review these products fairly. Maybe The Kef's didn't work out for you guys, but don't unfairly bash a product and give it a one star review. Save that for the Cerwin Vega's at your local Best Buy!!
I own a pair of Reference 3's that I would put up against anything under $4000.00 and the will more than hold their own. There aren't many speakers at any price that will image like the Kef's(uniQ tweeter design).
Grow up people!!!!

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B&W, NHT, Paradigm, Mission, Jamo, M&K, Klipsch, Proac.

Open spacious sound, tight bass

Needs large room

I agree with the fellow below me, about the sound of some
speakers. If you want only LOUD sound, buy the Cerwin
Vega's, or the Bose 901's. They will only sound good at
very loud ranges. 110db. Not very accurate at lower
listening levels.
The KEF-threes will put out high levels of sound, as much
as the Bose 901, an be very accurate at the same time.
I power my KEF's with a 26 year old Phase Linear amp,
that puts out 200 watts/channel into 8 ohms.
These speakers will take it all and than some.
The bass is accurate, and very punchy at louder levels.
You don't have to worry about overloading them, unless you
have a weak amp that will distort; this is a main cause of
speaker damage. The more power the better.

Like tubes, they will sound better when they are broken in
for awhile.
I love these speakers, but then no two people hear alike!
I would take a good listening to these. I think that most
of us with a good ear for accurate sound will like them.

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none

Neutrality, dynamic response, fit and finish

none

I've only had the Kef Reference 3~2's for a couple of months so far, but all I can say is WOW! I bought these to go in my living room, after having been so utterly delighted with their legendary predecessor, the 104/2 for the past 14 years (which are still in use as my main front speakers in the family room), and have not been disappointed in the least. They possess that incredible ability to allow you close your eyes and imagine the musicians are right in front of you…in your living room. The highs are full and crisp, not bright, the mids are extremely clean and smooth, and the bass, thanks to their ingenious ported design first pioneered in the 104/2's, is tight and well-controlled. Overall, this 5 driver, four way speaker delivers exceptional dynamic response across almost the entire frequency range, with little need for a sub-woofer unless you were going to use them in a home theater setup, and only then to capture that gut-wrenching low frequency end. But for strictly music listening, these babies deliver the whole package. Placement of these speakers is also made easy, thanks to the Uni-Q driver and the corner/wall placement adjustment knob provided on the new series ~2 models.

The final thing I'd like to say about these is that while Kef has always been known for the outstanding audio reproduction capabilities, they have finally built a speaker that looks as good as it sounds! The woodworking and finishing on this speaker is simply elegant, especially in the Rosetta Burr finish. The Reference 3~2 is truly as pleasing to look at as it is to listen to, which is hard to say about most speakers.

I, like one of the other reviewers, am also astounded that there is such a lack of reviews on the Kef Reference line in the literature. Maybe they don't push them as hard as other manufacturers and figure the speakers can speak for themselves, and alas that is oh so true.

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NHT, B&W, Klipsh, ADS