Test: Einzeltest: KEF R900 Home Theater Speaker System
Zitat: It’s getting more difficult today to audition speakers prior to purchase. That’s particularly true of a high-end package like these KEFs. But it will be well worth your while to hear this remarkable system. It’s hardly cheap, but in today’s high-end speaker market, you can spend a lot more for a lot less. Editor´s note: Regular readers may be aware that Home Theater audio editor Mark Fleischmann reviewed the KEF R Series last summer featuring the smaller R300 monitor speakers and the same R400b subwoofer. Mark received the sub with much greater enthusiasm, giving it higher ratings and designating it a Top Pick. These are differences in experience that can be readily attributed to several factors that may affect both the performance and perception of any subwoofer, including the overall size of the room that it´s in (Mark´s urban listening room in New York City is considerably smaller than Tom´s private-home listening space in Los Angeles), the sub´s placement in the room vis-à-vis the seating position and other furnishings, the speakers it´s mated with (a subwoofer plays a more dominant role with smaller speakers), and the listener´s personal taste: Tom is an acknowledged bass hound who´s reference subwoofer is a 15-inch HSU Research VTF-15H, while Mark --perhaps due in part to his apartment setting--uses a 10-inch Paradigm Seismic 110 and, as is evidenced in his reviews, generally puts more emphasis on a subwoofer´s musicality and mating with the main speakers than its ability to move a lot of air. Both reviewers’ comments and ratings are valid and should be read in this context, but the KEF 400b will retain its status as Home Theater Top Pick based on Mark´s earlier review. You can find his review here .—Rob Sabin