Here are a few quotes from reviews of the KEF R900. Again, I was looking specifically for quotes related to my goal of "smooth, sweet, soft, silky treble" and "shimmery, airy cymbals". Since violins can be a challenge, I also looked for any mention of those.
In particular, if the review mentioned anything negative in this area, I grabbed that quote.
Everything Audio Network: Audiophile Review!KEF R900 3-Way TowerMatched-Pair Loudspeakers“Impressive High-End Sound” http://everythingaudionetwork.blogspot.com/2016/03/audiophile-review-kef-r900-3-way-tower.html
measures 44.5-inches tall, 9.4-inches wide and just over 14-inches deep. They weigh a manageable 65 pounds each.
The top-end was never hard or edgy; the aluminum-based mid-frequency driver delivered a quick, tonally correct midrange — without exaggeration or hollowness.
The drum cymbals and piano tone are spot-on delicious. The metal dome tweeter effectively radiates the top end of those wonderful cymbals, yet no stereotypical edgy or resonances.
The speakers don't have that ultra low-end like some of the double driver, tower speakers I have listened to, but they are very good for music.
the R900s produced the violin and accompanying orchestra with convincing authority. The balance of the R900s created a clean, immersive tone with lots of violin harmonics getting through. Reminds me of the excellent, metal-dome RBH-loudspeakers I have auditioned in the past. And as with the drum cymbals, the violin’s upper-end energy was not hard sounding. It was, er, just right, to borrow a phrase.
The KEF R900 speaker is a well-conceived, three-way tower that performs well above its price point. As a stereo pair, the speakers offers a balanced symmetry with airy highs, a very good midrange and ample low-end with nary any bloominess. If you are into a true, sonic picture of the source audio, especially hi-res music, the R900 is a speaker to consider. You need at least a medium-size room to enjoy its virtues.
6moons audio reviews: KEF R900 http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kef3/1.html
KEF R900 Loudspeaker Review | StereoNET https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-kef-r900-floorstanding-loudspeakers
Mids, and especially vocals, are pushed ever so slightly forward in the presentation. Highs are very well extended, but don’t push too far forward into the mix to be overbearing
Unlike many loudspeakers, I actually found the R900 to not be overly fussy with speaker positioning.
Those who do not have ideal listening conditions or rooms - fear not. The KEF R900 is not a fussy, directional monster.
KEF’s R900 speaker | Stereophile.com https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef%E2%80%99s-9000-speaker
a bit of tinny-ness on top and booming on the bass.
KEF R900 Loudspeaker | Hi-Fi+ http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/kef-r900-loudspeaker/
they are so dynamically and tonally consistent that they are almost impervious to level, going loud or quiet with equal ease and a totally absence of dynamic collapse or strain.
the bass is light on its feet, transparent and tactile, placing notes and giving them shape in a way that you’d normally expect from a far more expensive system and speaker. That clarity and sense of musical purpose extends up the range, embracing a fluid and expressive mid-band before reaching the clean and extended upper frequencies. The Uni-Q’s tweeter might not possess the sheer speed and resolution of Focal’s beryllium units or the almost reticent smoothness of the more affordable diamond drivers, but it more than makes up for that with sheer continuity, providing a natural extension to the midrange that is indistinguishable in cast or character
SoundStage! Access | SoundStageAccess.com (GoodSound.com) | SoundStage! Access | SoundStageAccess.com (GoodSound.com) - KEF R900 Loudspeakers https://www.goodsound.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/456-kef-r900-loudspeakers
The R900’s tweeter warrants an ovation and a comment. It took over cleanly and effortlessly from the Uni-Q midrange, giving nary a hint that I was hearing two different drivers. Such unity of sound is found elsewhere, but almost always at higher prices. Furthermore, the tweeter sounded smooth throughout its operating range, without the edge that some metal domes can have. Nor was it smooth in the way of, say, speakers from Sonus Faber, whose characteristic smoothness can obscure a recording’s finest details. Rather, it was smooth in its reproduction of the finest details. In doing so, it helped paint a quite transparent soundstage -- as in James Levine’s performance, as pianist and conductor, of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with the Chicago Symphony (16/44.1 AIFF, DG Deutsche Grammophon): I heard clean through to the back of the stage, with no haze or ambiguity to muddle through to hear the players. Partial credit is due here to the Hegel H300, whose preamp section is as quiet as its amplifier and DAC are resolving.
My comment on KEF’s aluminum tweeter has to do with its ability to play well past 20kHz. Whereas other tweeters' tendency to peter out at or before 20kHz exhibits itself as a relaxed or unobtrusive top end, the KEF sounds as if it remains flat straight on through this threshold of human hearing. From my very first listen to the R900s, I heard a top end with copious extension, but extension that wasn’t exactly laid-back. It wasn’t bright or edgy, but leaned slightly toward that end of the audioband.
Compared to Vivid Audio’s V1.5 two-way speaker ($7500/pair), however, the KEF R900’s overachievement reached a ceiling. The diminutive V1.5 uses the same tweeter (though not the same tube loading) as Vivid’s flagship Giya G1 ($60,000/pair) -- a catenary aluminum dome whose output extends all the way up to 39kHz, ±2dB. While the V1.5’s single 6.2” midrange-woofer couldn’t hope to match the bass reach of the R900’s twin 8” cones, the Vivid was superlative through the mids and highs. The V1.5 produced greater transparency, a more effortless, organic sound, and even greater resolution than the R900.
Premium Performers: KEF R Series Loudspeakers Review | High-Def Digest https://hdgear.highdefdigest.com/34168/kefrseriesloudspeakers.html
If you're looking for premium speakers to fill your home theatre and handle a variety of musical genres, you can't do much better than the KEF R Series. Transparent. Well-rounded. Superb rendering and imaging at all volume levels. A powerful-yet-compact subwoofer. Fantastic in pieces, but as a complete sysem your home will sound better than your local movie theatre. There's almost nothing to nitpick, though badly compressed audio might reveal itself, and prepare thyself to declare war on dust.
Amazon.com: KEF R900 Floorstanding Loudspeaker - High Gloss Piano Black (Pair): Home Audio & Theater https://www.amazon.com/KEF-R900-Floorstanding-Loudspeaker-Gloss/dp/B007Q6Z5MO
Finally have a set of these after running through pretty much the entire R range. These are the best by a long way. It's not close. Don't listen to anyone telling you the R500s image better. They don't.
KEF R900 Speakers https://www.audiot.co.uk/products/kef-r900-speakers-4651.aspx
They require considerable current capability from the amplifier to deliver their best and therefore need to be partnered with excellent electronics.
In particular, if the review mentioned anything negative in this area, I grabbed that quote.
Everything Audio Network: Audiophile Review!KEF R900 3-Way TowerMatched-Pair Loudspeakers“Impressive High-End Sound” http://everythingaudionetwork.blogspot.com/2016/03/audiophile-review-kef-r900-3-way-tower.html
measures 44.5-inches tall, 9.4-inches wide and just over 14-inches deep. They weigh a manageable 65 pounds each.
The top-end was never hard or edgy; the aluminum-based mid-frequency driver delivered a quick, tonally correct midrange — without exaggeration or hollowness.
The drum cymbals and piano tone are spot-on delicious. The metal dome tweeter effectively radiates the top end of those wonderful cymbals, yet no stereotypical edgy or resonances.
The speakers don't have that ultra low-end like some of the double driver, tower speakers I have listened to, but they are very good for music.
the R900s produced the violin and accompanying orchestra with convincing authority. The balance of the R900s created a clean, immersive tone with lots of violin harmonics getting through. Reminds me of the excellent, metal-dome RBH-loudspeakers I have auditioned in the past. And as with the drum cymbals, the violin’s upper-end energy was not hard sounding. It was, er, just right, to borrow a phrase.
The KEF R900 speaker is a well-conceived, three-way tower that performs well above its price point. As a stereo pair, the speakers offers a balanced symmetry with airy highs, a very good midrange and ample low-end with nary any bloominess. If you are into a true, sonic picture of the source audio, especially hi-res music, the R900 is a speaker to consider. You need at least a medium-size room to enjoy its virtues.
6moons audio reviews: KEF R900 http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kef3/1.html
KEF R900 Loudspeaker Review | StereoNET https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-kef-r900-floorstanding-loudspeakers
Mids, and especially vocals, are pushed ever so slightly forward in the presentation. Highs are very well extended, but don’t push too far forward into the mix to be overbearing
Unlike many loudspeakers, I actually found the R900 to not be overly fussy with speaker positioning.
Those who do not have ideal listening conditions or rooms - fear not. The KEF R900 is not a fussy, directional monster.
KEF’s R900 speaker | Stereophile.com https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef%E2%80%99s-9000-speaker
a bit of tinny-ness on top and booming on the bass.
KEF R900 Loudspeaker | Hi-Fi+ http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/kef-r900-loudspeaker/
they are so dynamically and tonally consistent that they are almost impervious to level, going loud or quiet with equal ease and a totally absence of dynamic collapse or strain.
the bass is light on its feet, transparent and tactile, placing notes and giving them shape in a way that you’d normally expect from a far more expensive system and speaker. That clarity and sense of musical purpose extends up the range, embracing a fluid and expressive mid-band before reaching the clean and extended upper frequencies. The Uni-Q’s tweeter might not possess the sheer speed and resolution of Focal’s beryllium units or the almost reticent smoothness of the more affordable diamond drivers, but it more than makes up for that with sheer continuity, providing a natural extension to the midrange that is indistinguishable in cast or character
SoundStage! Access | SoundStageAccess.com (GoodSound.com) | SoundStage! Access | SoundStageAccess.com (GoodSound.com) - KEF R900 Loudspeakers https://www.goodsound.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/456-kef-r900-loudspeakers
The R900’s tweeter warrants an ovation and a comment. It took over cleanly and effortlessly from the Uni-Q midrange, giving nary a hint that I was hearing two different drivers. Such unity of sound is found elsewhere, but almost always at higher prices. Furthermore, the tweeter sounded smooth throughout its operating range, without the edge that some metal domes can have. Nor was it smooth in the way of, say, speakers from Sonus Faber, whose characteristic smoothness can obscure a recording’s finest details. Rather, it was smooth in its reproduction of the finest details. In doing so, it helped paint a quite transparent soundstage -- as in James Levine’s performance, as pianist and conductor, of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with the Chicago Symphony (16/44.1 AIFF, DG Deutsche Grammophon): I heard clean through to the back of the stage, with no haze or ambiguity to muddle through to hear the players. Partial credit is due here to the Hegel H300, whose preamp section is as quiet as its amplifier and DAC are resolving.
My comment on KEF’s aluminum tweeter has to do with its ability to play well past 20kHz. Whereas other tweeters' tendency to peter out at or before 20kHz exhibits itself as a relaxed or unobtrusive top end, the KEF sounds as if it remains flat straight on through this threshold of human hearing. From my very first listen to the R900s, I heard a top end with copious extension, but extension that wasn’t exactly laid-back. It wasn’t bright or edgy, but leaned slightly toward that end of the audioband.
Compared to Vivid Audio’s V1.5 two-way speaker ($7500/pair), however, the KEF R900’s overachievement reached a ceiling. The diminutive V1.5 uses the same tweeter (though not the same tube loading) as Vivid’s flagship Giya G1 ($60,000/pair) -- a catenary aluminum dome whose output extends all the way up to 39kHz, ±2dB. While the V1.5’s single 6.2” midrange-woofer couldn’t hope to match the bass reach of the R900’s twin 8” cones, the Vivid was superlative through the mids and highs. The V1.5 produced greater transparency, a more effortless, organic sound, and even greater resolution than the R900.
Premium Performers: KEF R Series Loudspeakers Review | High-Def Digest https://hdgear.highdefdigest.com/34168/kefrseriesloudspeakers.html
If you're looking for premium speakers to fill your home theatre and handle a variety of musical genres, you can't do much better than the KEF R Series. Transparent. Well-rounded. Superb rendering and imaging at all volume levels. A powerful-yet-compact subwoofer. Fantastic in pieces, but as a complete sysem your home will sound better than your local movie theatre. There's almost nothing to nitpick, though badly compressed audio might reveal itself, and prepare thyself to declare war on dust.
Amazon.com: KEF R900 Floorstanding Loudspeaker - High Gloss Piano Black (Pair): Home Audio & Theater https://www.amazon.com/KEF-R900-Floorstanding-Loudspeaker-Gloss/dp/B007Q6Z5MO
Finally have a set of these after running through pretty much the entire R range. These are the best by a long way. It's not close. Don't listen to anyone telling you the R500s image better. They don't.
KEF R900 Speakers https://www.audiot.co.uk/products/kef-r900-speakers-4651.aspx
They require considerable current capability from the amplifier to deliver their best and therefore need to be partnered with excellent electronics.