Deciding between kef r11, b&w 702s2 and sonus faber sonetto v


Hi,

  After listening to a few speakers, these are the speakers that have sounded the best to me. Unfortunately they were heard at different dealers wth different rooms setups soI cannot definitely say which I liked the best. 

Kef r11 - heard 3 months ago. Rich sound and very well rounded speaker overall.  nice and tight bass. Dealer setup was poor with stuff all around and playing through a parasound amplifier that sounded a bit bright (which I found later when he switched another speakers from a rotel to parasound, and the speaker became way too bright)

b&w 702s2 -  room setup was great. Used mcintosh amps. Possibly the best conditions for demoing. Under those conditions, the speakers shone. Very nice bass, great imaging and spacing. Mids and trebles also very good, though in hindsight the treble may have been a tad bright. But I dont remember thinking that at the time, so I may be playing mind games on myself. 

Sonus faber sonetto v - very musical and easy to enjoy speakers. Really enjoyed listening to them. Beat a b&w 703s2 pants down in a double blind test (dealer had forgotten which speakers was connected to a/b). Room setup was not great, many bare walls and lots of equipment lying around. So though i dont remember being as moved as by the b&w 702s2, given the fact that it beat their little brother easily, I think the speakers could have done amazingly in good conditions. 

I know ultimately speakers are about personal preferences, but curious to hear other peoples opnion about these speakers. I also heard Focal aria (forgot model) but they were disappointing. Not really considering any other brands because I am not able to demo them (though there is a PMC in brooklyn that I am tempted to drive down to). 

So what so you think?


kachda

I am in the same conflict, though I am still stumbling between the KEF R11 and

the Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII .... the Kefs sound greatly and wife, the timberland is great but the Sonetto are more enjoying... the Kefs costs 30% more though

@66whalergon,

If you were left unimpressed by the Forte 4 dynamics then your really gonna be unimpressed by the 3 speakers you have in your list. 

Have you evaluating the Goldenear Triton 2+ ?  I demo them with the Sonus Faber Sonetto V and I gave the edge to the Triton.   Give it a shot.