Amp recommendations for KEF R7 speakers

A good friend is running a Mac solid state integrated with his Meta 50 speakers and they sound fantastic.  I had heard the Meta 50’s elsewhere with a non-Mac integrated and I found them a bit shrill.  Definitely, the McIntosh amp is a good match.  

I am powering my KEF Reference 1 Metas with a pair of McIntosh MC 611s and a C2700. They sound outstanding. The KEF tweeters can sound a little brittle with the wrong amplification, as others have stated. I don't think you can go wrong with McIntosh for them. Pass Labs might also be a great match. 

Thank you for the input everyone.  Soix, I will be using a Marantz TT15S1 turntable and a SACD 30N player. Im looking to get as much bass as possible because I don’t want to use a separate sub in the room. I was thinking of the MC830 amps.

Sounds like you need a preamp too unless I’m missing something. Not a Mac fan here — I heard the Blade 2 with some top Mac electronics and it was rolled off in the highs, which is not characteristic of Blades at all. You might consider a good integrated from the likes of Vitus or Gryphon that are higher level IMHO and will help flesh out the bottom end while never sounding overly bright with your KEFs. Here are a couple good examples…

https://tmraudio.com/components/integrated-amplifiers/vitus-audio-ri-100-stereo-integrated-amplifier-ri100-mm-phono/

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa55a5-gryphon-diablo-300-with-dac-option-solid-state

Best of luck.

Hey, 

You have to audition the amp with the R7s regardless of the brand. That being said. I would try any of the Hegel line. In fact they have a new integrated amp coming out called the 600. I am sure it is awesome. That being said, the old Hegel 590 should be a really good deal. Any of the Hegel line can push those speakers due to the damping factor. Look at past audio show videos. Kef and Hegel are paired together a lot. Just an option. I hope this helped.