Summary:
Very good value for money.
Driven by upper level Marantz pre-amp and power-amp I can't stop listening to the music.
My family loves the looks and the finish, an important factor to me to keep the peace in the house.

Strengths:
High, mid & low are extremely natural and clear / transparant, good definition; a piano is a piano, a singer is a singer and an organ is an organ. Nothing is "added". The artists are standing in your room. Great finish and beautiful to look at, high FA (family acceptance)

Weaknesses:
Not detected, space availability and room positioning are important but this is probably true for all high resolution sets.

Similar Products Used:
BNS (Dutch brand), Lynn, Infinity, KEF Reference

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from private owner off eBay

Summary:
I had been drooling over these speakers at some shops for quite a while, and was trying to decide whether to pull the trigger at around $1800 a pair, when a pristine set showed up on eBay with a BuyNow price of $995. That was probably the fastest purchase decision I have EVER made on an auction site. The prior owner had recently just bought a set of $8K Martin Logan planars, so these KEFs went into his closet with nothing but about a month-long break-in under their belt.

Well, they are everything I thought they would be when I had auditioned them at the dealer's. They are incredibly musical and transparent, but they differ from any other monitors I've heard that are as delineated at the midrange and top end in that they have absolutely prodigious, tightly controlled Bass. The soundstage is impressive, and they just make the human voice sound like it was meant to sound. There is nothing too exotic about the technology that goes into these, but the craftsmanship and build quality and care in matching the components, results in just as fine a set of conventional speakers as I have ever heard. While they are not quite the best speakers that I have EVER encountered, they ARE certainly the best ones that I've ever seen for under $5K a set, and they are not too picky on the electronics that drive them - as long as you can put some serious current their way. I'm running them on a Solid State McIntosh MC2120, with an Apt Holman Preamp. I don't see any upgrades coming in many a year for that setup.

Strengths:
Musicality, Presence, Soundstage, Impact, Looks

Weaknesses:
Didn't cost enough to truly impress some audiophiles

Similar Products Used:
Wharefedale, Mission, Dahlquist Floor-standing speakers

Price Paid:  $1900.00 from the gramaphone

Summary:
the rdm 3 was really the first pair of high quality speakers that i bought. i got a great deal on them, after auditioning several other pairs. i've been very satisfied!

i would describe the bass as "punishing". i originally used them with a sub, but have removed it because there was just too much low-end! even without the sub, these things still shake my window panes when i listen to certain tracks.

only started bi-wiring after a few months of use. the change was immediate and beautiful. much improved soundstage and imaging. bass became more precise, less rumbling. my dad came over to listen one day; he pointed to a spot in the room and said "the guitar player is sitting right there." this is from someone with no idea what "soundstage" means. i was very pleased!

i've never seen speaker posts like these. i would not say they are bad, but certainly unusual. sometimes mine come loose and have to be re-tightened. no big deal, but something to keep in mind.

my only real knock on these would be that they are a bit too big and powerful for my listening space. i probably should have bought something a little smaller - but that's my fault, not kef's. these speakers are designed for a large listening space! they need a lot of room to show off their attributes.

my system:

kef rdm 3 speakers
musical fidelity a300 intergrated amp
rotel 991 cd player
kimber select 1030 interconnects
kimber bi-focal "x" speaker cable / bi-wire
kimber illuminations d-60 digital cable

Strengths:
powerful bass, fantastic styling and looks, great soundstage and imaging

Weaknesses:
speaker posts are unusual, need a large listening space to really appreciate these speakers

Summary:
I've had these speakers for quite a while, driven by a N9000ES each in BTL ( 210w ) mode. When in non-BTL everything was fine, but within 4 hours of getting my second N9000ES I'd blown the protective cap off the right mid-driver ( watching the Matrix ). As good as they sound ( and they do sound REALLY good ) they just can't integrate properly with 2 Rel Stadium II subwoofers. I'm trading them for the new Reference 3 2's at the same time as getting the Stadium III's.

I just can't wait! ;-)

Don't get me wrong they are really, really good but don't partner them with too powerful kit LOL

Jonathan

Strengths:
Very natural sounding speakers, extremely revealing

Weaknesses:
Don't even think of using them w/ 2 Subwoofers ;)

Similar Products Used:
Too many to list here ;p

Summary:
After reviewing numerous speakers from everywhere (traveled hours just to listen to different ones) The KEF RDM-3's were the the most pleasant, exciting sound I've simply ever heard. Heard them at a Charlotte audio/home theater expo. I also bought the Adcom 5802 amp to go with them just as I heard it at the show. People, this combination is amazing. All speakers I really liked such as Monitor Audio and Martin-Logans played Joe Satriani's guitar highs a bit harsh and can distort. These RDM-3's made me want to hear Satriani play on and on and on. Perfect for jazz, new age, and Emigma-type sounding groups like Deep Forest. At home, I feel like I'm in the actual recording studio with Shania Twain singing right in front of me.

*These give you a "you are there" sound. All freqencies are very much felt.
*Not quite as transparent as the Martin-Logans but very close.
*Bass is tight and punchy and can go low, but an added sub-woofer might make this even better.
*Images and soundstages like crazy. Feels like the musicians are on stage just behind my speakers.
*I've got red laquered finishes on mine.
*For Home Theater - hands down the very best you will ever here a movie. Heard with an Adcom processor at the show. With this clean revealing sound, now you too can actually be in the movie. Only thing better was a Meridian $100,000 set-up.
*Retail for $2200/pair, but talk to a dealer for a $350 cutback like I did.

I use:
-Adcom 5802 amp
-old used 1988 version NAD pre-amp (Can't wait to buy Adcom Pre-amp processor)
-Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cable
-AudioQuest Turqoise interconnects
-Harmonic Technology Audio Truths interconnects to my Musical Fidelity A3cd cd player.

6 stars if possible.

Strengths:
Open sound, Detail, Revealing, Midrange drool factor, Beautiful to look at, Great punch, and best imaging

Weaknesses:
Too Beautiful - I can't keep my eyes off them and visualize the picture of instruments and voices in my room.

Similar Products Used:
B&W Nautilus 805, Martin-Logan Aerius, Monitor Audio Silver Series, NHT, Phase Tech