[Sound Battle] Wharfedale 12.2 vs KEF R3 / Audiolab 6000A / Integrated Amplifier/Bookshelf Speakers

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[Sound Battle] Wharfedale 12.2 vs KEF R3 / Audiolab 6000A / Integrated Amplifier/Bookshelf Speakers

Other sound comparison videos

Timecodes
0:00 - intro
0:07 - All the way up / Electronic / by Hadar Sopher
0:48 - Bedroom / Soul & RnB, Pop / by Raquel Castro, The Wildcardz
1:30 - Boost Your Power / Rock / by CustomMelody
2:29 - Chemtrails / Cinematic / by Semo
3:19 - Get Ready / Cinematic, Rock, Pop / by Midnight Noise
4:10 - Higher Love / Electronic, Pop / by Ben Fox
5:25 - Is Leroy On It / Jazz, Acoustic, Retro / by Southside Aces
6:24 - Pull Me Closer / Electronic, Pop, Hip Hop / by WEARETHEGOOD,
7:37 - Punkd / Cinematic, Electronic / by Out of Flux
8:38 - Seasons / Cinematic, Classical / by ANBR
9:48 - Star Night / Acoustic, Rock, Pop / Wonderland
10:39 - Time Traveling / Soul & RnB / Sarah Kang feat. Anthony Lazaro
12:12 - Crash and burn / Death Metal / Kissing Candice
13:37 - Magic Show / Death Metal / Kissing Candice
14:34 - Fields / Acoustic Guitar / Livio Bartolo

[weaselpopper]

Wharfedale 12.2 is better for me. Better balance! More musically realistic instrument speaker. I like natural sounding with an even freq. response, It`s all about the midrange to me, likely why I ended up being a Warfedale fan.

[AbsoluteFidelity]

The 12.2 are R3 sound the most similiar to me when it comes to focus and center imaging. Both of these speakers never sound strectched but still have a sense of overall width to them. Check out Is Leroy On It, the trumpet is dead center and forward, where it should be but other instruments are properly placed all over the back. When you compare the 12.2 to other speakers, the 12.2 sound very center focused (while losing a bit of overall width) the R3 here makes the 12.2 sound less focused. They both share this characteristic which I love. Vocals on Time Travelling show this too, both are midcentric speakers. And both play cleanly too on the 2 metal tracks, with the 12.2 sounding a wee bit better in separation which is a shocker. Still would take the R3 instead of the 12.2 IRL, but they are more similiar than different in many aspects.

[davidcarr]

The R3s sound bigger and clearer and more 3 dimensional with more air but what does surprise me is that the overall tonality of both speakers sounds similar, ie a touch dark and warm. In this close mic'ed comparison, the 12.2s seem to hold up very well compared to the R3s. I think the different driver materials give the KEFs a slighter sharper, harder tone than the 12.2s with a bit more resolution but the KEFs also have that broad upper mid range peak. The 12.2s sound a bit under-driven by this amp and both speakers sound a bit peaky with this amp, close mic'ing doesn't help. I'm gonna have to set my 12.2s up again !!

[DougMen]

The 12.2s mids sound more open to me on Boost Your Power, and, to a lesser extent, on Leroy, but it's the opposite to my ears on Pull Me Closer, Seasons, and Star Night. The KEFs clearly have more bass weight and more extended and airier highs, which makes for more three dimensional imaging, as well as more nuance and expressiveness on the vocals in Time Traveling and the guitar in Fields. Once again, this amp isn't my favorite with either of these speakers, but I still prefer the R3 over the 12.2 with this Audiolab.

[williammiebach]

Both speakers sound open, dynamic, and on the forward side. I tend to associate those qualities with the 6000A and both these speakers, but I think the R3s retain more of their usual tonal charicter with the 6000A, while the 12.2s do more sonic shape shifting, becoming leaner and more forward than usual. While their sounds are still not too far apart, the R3s are normaly more refined, and here they exhibit less treble splatter, more midrange balance and clarity and deeper, fuller bass. They ought too, ought'nt they?

[AbsoluteFidelity]

E, I would like to hear the R3 vs R200 with this amp or the A12. Should be a great match up!

[DougMen]

Has anyone else noticed in these comparisons with the Audiolab that every speaker sounds the same on Bedroom, even though they sound different on all the other tracks? It's something about the way that song is mixed I guess.

[aficionadohiend]

I can listen through kef all day without ear fatigue. No contest, KEF wins hands down.

They are close, but not really. Both quite neutral (studio monitor like), where the Wharfedale does its midrange magic again (lets say BBC dip) and is consequently somewhat leaner sounding by its non tilted midbass and slightly softer midrange. The R3s are somewhat tilted in its mid/top-end segment and more present, weighty, 3D, forward and focussed, KEFs signature. This is more or less emphasized by the close mic setup. Also a good example that a neutral amp neither hides or adds anything, like many V-shaped (SA3) or some tuned (NAD) amps often do 😄. However, neutral may sound dry or forward, as many prefer a more forgiving midrange or roll-off. IRL this isn't a match as the R3 scales huge and distance to speakers (and room) levels out its brightness. Just not on the same level, imo.

[mhnoni]

The closest speaker to this high budget accurate kef speaker in Wharfedale 12.2, then Polk R200 I say. both are half the price. I wish we could get Wharfedale for $300.
Now I'm waiting to see Klipsch rp-600m ii vs these three speakers.

[AM-uxdo]

Combined with the audiolab the r3 are worth 1000 euros more than 12.2? for my possibilities I prefer the 12.2 or the kef 350 with this amp

[williammiebach]

I have a question E. Since all your demos use the internal DAC in your I Book or I Pad, part of the sound we hear in every demo is the 1/8 " headphone jack to RCA interconnect cable. What kind is it?