B&W 705s3 vs Kef Meta R3

I had KEF 201/2 for a couple years. Nothing muddy about them. Almost too detailed if that’s a thing. They were pretty awesome although fairly ruthless with less than stellar recordings. 

KEF has a lot of detail. More than most speakers and something some have said as being a negative on the KEF lineup. Though not as detailed as Beryllium or Zylon cone drivers that I have heard.

My old KEF LS50 META was more detailed than the Magnepan LRS+ but I liked the LRS+ more for the wall of sound effect.

I listened to both in my listening room.  They both sounded good but definitely needed a sub.  I didn’t keep either pair but they sounded clear and not muddy.  I went with Revel M126Be with the beryllium tweeters.  Running 2 subs too.  If I had to choose between the two based on just sound I preferred the B&W.

Go to the Kef FB Page and see what buyers of the R3 Meta's think of them. I can tell you they are much loved speakers.

I personally own the Reference 5 (non meta) and can tell you the Uni-Q tweeter is the highlight on this speaker, detail, clarity and wide dispersion.

Don't judge Kef on your 1 bad experience.

Mark

Consider going back to Best Buy and examine the wire terminations for yourself. Are both pairs of speakers connected to similar or the same source components? Keep in mind, everyone is trying to persuade or sell you a pair of speakers. If you live in a large city, go to another BB, check out the terminations, and audition the same speakers. Ideally, audition the speakers using the same amp etc. Remember, play music that you are very familiar with during each audition.