Need Help with New Kef R11 Speaker System for Mixed Use

[Pogre]

Awesome! Thanks for your insight. I know a local dealer who can sell me a REL sub 'at cost' plus taxes. So that is something i'll look into.

Also like you mentioned setting up the correctly receiver to the room changed everything for me. The sales guy who sold the KEFs to me at bestbuy was beyond amazing! he stopped by my home and spent an hour calibrating the receiver. He is a bass guitarist so he went by the ear and his experience to do the setup. It just bought my 10yr old receiver to a whole new level.

That is very cool! Above and beyond for a BB employee. It also demonstrated for you how much important room and setup are toward sound quality. A lot of folks don't understand that and we run into resistance sometimes when it's suggested.

Before you buy REL run it by us first. If you can get enough of a discount it may be worth it. They're not usually at the top of the list for sub recommendations tho. Some tend to be pretty overpriced for performance (tho the Speedwoofer is a good little sub for the price if you're in a small/medium size room). It depends. Let's see which model and what your discount is. Otherwise take a look at HSU, SVS, Powersound Audio, Rythmik... I know I'm forgetting a couple, but those 4 are a great start.

What's your overall room volume? That'll determine size. If it's open to any other spaces that will be a factor as well.

 

[Verdinut]

It's 46Hz @ -3dB.

It has 4 x 6.5" woofers, so that's equivalent to having dual 9" woofers.

R11 Flagship Three Way Floorstanding Speaker | KEF

Flagship three-way floorstander The largest model in the R Series combines four bass drivers and the latest generation Uni-Q for a powerful and refined sound With hybrid aluminium bass drivers and a 12th generation Uni-Q for mid and treble the mighty R11is extremely capable. Using technology...

us.kef.com

That's nothing to be amazed at. With the Morel CAW638 6" woofer, I did get an F3 at 37 Hz. By the way, it's the exact woofer on which I got the impedance and phase angle curve which you can view on my avatar.

 

[Pogre]

That's nothing to be amazed at. With the Morel CAW638 6" woofer, I did get an F3 at 37 Hz. By the way, it's the exact woofer on which I got the impedance and phase angle curve which you can view on my avatar.

Agreed. I think that was ADTG's point too, and why I recommended some subwoofage for @red_kk above instead of a receiver upgrade.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Agreed. I think that was ADTG's point too, and why I recommended some subwoofage for @red_kk above instead of a receiver upgrade.

Yeah I would be amazed if the F3 is about 20Hz, not 46Hz.

 

[MDK210]

I wouldn't let room correction sway your choice with a 2-3 channel setup. Proper placement and manual setup would be plenty sufficient while letting the speakers be as true as possible. Half the time room correction doesn't sound good or needs to be modified and IMO isn't worth the headache if you have quality speakers. So unless you just like messing with room correction and know how to use it don't let it drive your decision. I don't even think speaker manufacturers really like it. I know mine don't.

 

[Kingnoob]

The spec on the R11 is 30hz but down 6dB, so I wouldn't call that a sub-beater by any means.

Yet another speaker I’ll never be able to afford, can’t even find a job ...
No towers can beat a powerhouse sub .. some
Do pump out a lot of mid bass tho .
Kef looks so nice but small woofers ... probably sound amazing

 

[red_kk]

What's your overall room volume? That'll determine size. If it's open to any other spaces that will be a factor as well.

Ok I finally got some measurements and pictures of the room. If you see the pictures the living room opens up into dining and kitchen, it's a one big open floor plan. The living room itself is of about 15 x 15 feet in size and 8 foot ceiling.

 

[Pogre]

Man oh man those speakers look sweet!

You have a pretty large space altogether. I'd definitely recommend going ported, minimum 12", and at that I'd recommend a pair of them. Especially for home theater. I have a pair of 15" ported subs in a similar sized space.

Did you talk to your REL dealer yet?

 

[red_kk]

Man oh man those speakers look sweet!

You have a pretty large space altogether. I'd definitely recommend going ported, minimum 12", and at that I'd recommend a pair of them. Especially for home theater. I have a pair of 15" ported subs in a similar sized space.

Did you talk to your REL dealer yet?

Not yet, he was asking which one I need, hometheater sub or audiophile sub.
Is there a model that you recommend? I'm mainly interested in getting good music, don't we have something that works for both?

 

[red_kk]

He suggested two models

HT/1205

S/812

The audiophile one S/812 is much more expensive and definitely out of my budget. Just wondering if HT/1205 is good for music

 

[red_kk]

he also suggested dual T/9i would be best for my price range and needs.
Offered them for $975 each

 

[Pogre]

he also suggested dual T/9i would be best for my price range and needs.
Offered them for $975 each

I think you can do better with HSU, SVS or maybe Monoprice Monolith.

In that price range you could get the PB or PC2000 from SVS and I think they'll outperform that T/9i. SVS make very good subs and are as audiophile quality as they come.

PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer | SVS

The PB-2000 Pro subwoofer features legendary SVS technology for immersive home theater experiences.

www.svsound.com

PC-2000 Pro Subwoofer | SVS

Cylinder subwoofer delivers massive output and subterranean deep bass extension while saving floorspace.

www.svsound.com

He suggested two models

HT/1205

S/812

The audiophile one S/812 is much more expensive and definitely out of my budget. Just wondering if HT/1205 is good for music

If you can bump the budget for something like that S/812 that opens a lot of doors, putting you into PB3000 territory. A pair if those would be plenty for your space and would loaf most of the time. Meaning they'd run effortless, smooth and cool, but be capable of delivering some serious bass when you want it.

PB-3000 Subwoofer | SVS

Unrivaled subwoofer output and deep bass extension for the price with control, accuracy and refinement on par with subwoofers costing three times the price.

www.svsound.com

HSU offers a little more bang for your buck. I'd say the VTF-2 MK5 would be sufficient and either the VTF-3 MK5 or VTF-15H would be that little extra when you want to shake the walls. You know you want to...

HSU True Subwoofers

The best value for price home theater systems and subwoofers on the market guaranteed

hsuresearch.com

The Monoliths have measured and reviewed here very well and are great choices too.

Monolith by Monoprice 12in THX Certified Ultra 500-Watt Subwoofer Amplifier - Monoprice.com

Monolith™ 12" THX® Certified Ultra Subwoofer The Monolith™ THX® Certified Ultra Subwoofer sets the standard for bass output, low dis

www.monoprice.com

And of course because I love overkill it's big brother...

Products no longer Available

All of those are great choices for music or home theater and would mostly come down to aesthetics and how big you want to go. You seem to have a decent budget. I really like the Monolith 15 and PB3000. A pair of either of those would really kill it, but you can probably get away with a pair the smaller ones I listed as well.

 

[Kingnoob]

I think you can do better with HSU, SVS or maybe Monoprice Monolith.

In that price range you could get the PB or PC2000 from SVS and I think they'll outperform that T/9i. SVS make very good subs and are as audiophile quality as they come.

PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer | SVS

The PB-2000 Pro subwoofer features legendary SVS technology for immersive home theater experiences.

www.svsound.com

PC-2000 Pro Subwoofer | SVS

Cylinder subwoofer delivers massive output and subterranean deep bass extension while saving floorspace.

www.svsound.com

If you can bump the budget for something like that S/812 that opens a lot of doors, putting you into PB3000 territory. A pair if those would be plenty for your space and would loaf most of the time. Meaning they'd run effortless, smooth and cool, but be capable of delivering some serious bass when you want it.

PB-3000 Subwoofer | SVS

Unrivaled subwoofer output and deep bass extension for the price with control, accuracy and refinement on par with subwoofers costing three times the price.

www.svsound.com

HSU offers a little more bang for your buck. I'd say the VTF-2 MK5 would be sufficient and either the VTF-3 MK5 or VTF-15H would be that little extra when you want to shake the walls. You know you want to...

HSU True Subwoofers

The best value for price home theater systems and subwoofers on the market guaranteed

hsuresearch.com

The Monoliths have measured and reviewed here very well and are great choices too.

Monolith by Monoprice 12in THX Certified Ultra 500-Watt Subwoofer Amplifier - Monoprice.com

Monolith™ 12" THX® Certified Ultra Subwoofer The Monolith™ THX® Certified Ultra Subwoofer sets the standard for bass output, low dis

www.monoprice.com

And of course because I love overkill it's big brother...

Products no longer Available

All of those are great choices for music or home theater and would mostly come down to aesthetics and how big you want to go. You seem to have a decent budget. I really like the Monolith 15 and PB3000. A pair of either of those would really kill it, but you can probably get away with a pair the smaller ones I listed as well.

Almost wish we could sticky your suggestion this question is asked almost daily !!! Excellent choices
Are good looks the only reason rel sells subs ? They seem heavily outclassed by the competition...
they look spectacular, kinda small tho .
Those sure are nice kefs , i can only dream of a budget for those won’t happen.3k each

wish I could even find a-desk job ahh I quit looking for a while waste of application and my laptop died won’t charge.

whatever you pick can’t beat those choices !!

 

[red_kk]

thanks guys, couldn't get approval from my wife. haha. I convinced for a month to get rid of the old Bose for R11s. now she is saying absolutely no to the sub woofers as it is in the living room. She says, if you like your speakers so much get a room. haha

 

[Pogre]

thanks guys, couldn't get approval from my wife. haha. I convinced for a month to get rid of the old Bose for R11s. now she is saying absolutely no to the sub woofers as it is in the living room. She says, if you like your speakers so much get a room. haha

It's a shared space!

I'd just do it and not say anything, but I don't have to worry about it. My wife is willing to share and she's actually getting to a point where she appreciates hifi. Took a little while, but I spent a couple of days ripping all of her cds and showing her how to operate everything. She hardly ever watches tv anymore now.

It's not without its downside tho. Most of her music is country, but I can live with it if it helps her appreciate the gear.

 

[KenM10759]

thanks guys, couldn't get approval from my wife. haha. I convinced for a month to get rid of the old Bose for R11s. now she is saying absolutely no to the sub woofers as it is in the living room. She says, if you like your speakers so much get a room. haha

Get a KEF KC-62 subwoofer then, with the KW-1 wireless adapter. It's so small you could hide it behind the sofa and it'll hit well below 20hz, cleanly.

 

[Pogre]

Get a KEF KC-62 subwoofer then, with the KW-1 wireless adapter. It's so small you could hide it behind the sofa and it'll hit well below 20hz, cleanly.

KC62 Subwoofer | KEF

The Biggest Small Subwoofer KC62 is an incredibly compact subwoofer that delivers the might and magic of deep, accurate bass for a thrillingly immersive music, movie and gaming experience. Created using innovative KEF engineering including the ground-breaking Uni-Core™ technology, the...

us.kef.com

What a cool looking design. That looks like the same force cancelling tech in the Kef Blades. They say down to 11 hz in the specs tho... that's pretty hard to believe at any meaningful volume. With 2x500 watts I'll bet it still kicks ass tho and hits way above its diminutive size. Hide it behind the couch and you might have a really good nearfield setup and it'd be hidden. It's about the size of a football. It'd fit behind my couch easy. That's not a bad suggestion Ken.

 

[lovinthehd]

KC62 Subwoofer | KEF

The Biggest Small Subwoofer KC62 is an incredibly compact subwoofer that delivers the might and magic of deep, accurate bass for a thrillingly immersive music, movie and gaming experience. Created using innovative KEF engineering including the ground-breaking Uni-Core™ technology, the...

us.kef.com

What a cool looking design. That looks like the same force cancelling tech in the Kef Blades. They say down to 11 hz in the specs tho... that's pretty hard to believe at any meaningful volume. With 2x500 watts I'll bet it still kicks ass tho and hits way above its diminutive size. Hide it behind the couch and you might have a really good nearfield setup and it'd be hidden. It's about the size of a football. It'd fit behind my couch easy. That's not a bad suggestion Ken.

The 92 would be better for extension. Someone on asr asked KEF what reasonable spl could be had from the 62 at 20hz, answer was 80dB which is already somewhat useless....11hz is just silly.

 

[KenM10759]

The KF-92 and new KC-62 both hit down to 11hz, they really do! I've auditioned both now. The difference lies only in max output, and that the larger KF-92 costs $500 more.

The new one reminds me of the Sunfire True Jr that I found for my daughter's boyfriend, but actually is a lot deeper, cleaner and linear.

 

[lovinthehd]

The KF-92 and new KC-62 both hit down to 11hz, they really do! I've auditioned both now. The difference lies only in max output, and that the larger KF-92 costs $500 more.

The new one reminds me of the Sunfire True Jr that I found for my daughter's boyfriend, but actually is a lot deeper, cleaner and linear.

So your ears are reliable to 11hz, eh? Physics tends to disagree with you. You being a KEF fan I understand somewhat, tho Sunfire was surpassed long ago.