KEF Reference 3 or Raidho X2?

I suspect you’ll get a range of opinions shared here from those who like KEF or Raidho and those who suggest you look elsewhere.  As i own KEF Ref 3s after taking a very long time in evaluating them against many others in their general price range, I’ll weigh in.  I haven’t heard the Raidho line though I’m sure they’re quite nice.

With respect to KEF Reference 3s - I like them very much and (obviously) preferred them over all the others and I auditioned a lot of them extensively.  (Competitors were the obvious and a few not so obvious).  Like all higher performing speakers, component matching is important.  Some criticize these KEFs for a “metallic” overtone in a narrow region of the treble.  I actually heard some of this anomaly with lower quality components during demos.  But, it is non-existent in my room with my gear.

I have heard the Ref 3s in an A/B comparison w/ the KEF Blades.  Yes, the Blades were better, but the voicing and sound quality were remarkably similar such that I couldn’t personally justify the additional expense.

KEFs are well designed and engineered, and backed by a company with a fine reputation and longer history than most. So, personal preferences aside, it’d be hard to go wrong here.  If I had an unlimited budget and the room, I’d probably have Rockports.  But, I’m pretty happy w/ what I have. 

Best,

I believe the Raidho require some space way from the front wall.

I have heard the Reference 3 multiple times and they make beautiful music. Just give them some breathing space and you should be good. What is the rest of your system?

Have not heard the Raidho, so cannot comment on that one.

Used Raidho sell for 30 cents on the dollar or less, therefore, you can get some of their top models for cheap.  Raidho have a house sound that is very transparent and neutral which in some systems can sound lean. No experience with the Kef 3. Don’t buy Raidho new!

The system I have: audio research Ref 6 as pre-am; integrated tube KT88 power am. The demo of Raidho X2 used an integrated amplifier. The demo of KEF Ref 3 used two separate power amplifier. Both sound great to me but I am not sure if my system can support KEF Ref 3 which is 3-way. And not sure how the tweeter of X2 compare with that of Ref 3 in terms of durability (sealed ribbon tweeter vs Uni-Q). Really would like to learn more from audiophiles like this group.