Pioneer LX55 with Kef R series, too bright??
Just wondering whether the Pioneer LX55 AV amp would be too bright to go with the Kef R series speakers as reviews say the Pioneer can be a little bright and the Kef speakers from what I have read can be a little bright?
Would you be better with say a Yamaha amp instead?
Just wondering whether the Pioneer LX55 AV amp would be too bright to go with the Kef R series speakers as reviews say the Pioneer can be a little bright and the Kef speakers from what I have read can be a little bright?
Would you be better with say a Yamaha amp instead?
Hi scoobysteve
Based on what i've heard so far then i wouldn't pair the R Series to the LX55. I feel Yamaha's Aventage RX-A1010 or the RX-A2010 with (amongst their other qualities) full bodied, rich and dynamic sound will be far better suited to the KEF's overall presentation.
Btw, which R Series models are you considering please?
All the best
Rick @ Musicraft
Musicraft (Derby), Specialist Hi-Fi/AV & Multimedia Dealer
good accurate audio monitoring and good sound reproduction to all 
I was thinking of the R300 with R600c up front then rears and sub when I can afford it, at a much later date ha ha,
Really love the look of the Pioneer amp but reading reviews about it being a little bright and the Kef R series being a little bright concerned me!
Just wondered if anyone has heard the two together?
Would the LX85 be a better choice or is it still a similar sound?
Hi scoobysteve
Thanks for your reply.
As an alternative i'll recommend the Aventage RX-A3010
All the best
Rick @ Musicraft
Musicraft (Derby), Specialist Hi-Fi/AV & Multimedia Dealer
good accurate audio monitoring and good sound reproduction to all
We stock both the Yamaha and the Pioneer as well the R series. I would suggest that the 85/3010 is the level you want to get to with these speakers. As with all KEF speakers they will happily work with electronics at most levels but you will get far more out of them if you use higher quality amplification.
The LX85 is a superb amp and drives the KEF's with a good solid sound. It also has the added benefit that you can bi-amp the centre as well as the fronts and that extra juice is great with the KEFs. The 3010 is a cracking amp as well and although I would normally pair the Yamaha sound with the Q-series it does work well with the R-Series.
If you can organise a demonstration that will help you picjk which one is best for you. If you have to buy blind I would opt for the Pioneer.
Would you be better with say a Yamaha amp instead?
No, the Pioneer won't be too bright for the R series, although "brightness" is a subjective thing. If you would like a smoother sound, the Yamaha will provide this.
The Pioneer has an X-Curve facility, which allows you to reduce HF by up to 3dB in 0.5dB steps, to compensate for rooms that reflect HF energy. Although, MCACC will normally take care of this so it'll be something you'll probably never need to use.
I would also recommend the Onkyo 3009, which has by far the best room EQ of those already mentioned.
Really love the look of the Pioneer amp but reading reviews about it being a little bright and the Kef R series being a little bright concerned me!
Just wondered if anyone has heard the two together?
Hi scoobysteve
I forgot to add to my previous post that if you already haven't done so then at a similar price ATC's SCM11 and C3C monitors are also worth consideration.
All the best
Rick @ Musicraft
Musicraft (Derby), Specialist Hi-Fi/AV & Multimedia Dealer
good accurate audio monitoring and good sound reproduction to all
Hey there,
I'm also considering the Kef R series, and in my search came across this post. Very helpful!
For the amp, I was thinking of the Yamaha 3010, LX-85 or Onkyo 3009 (lots of power (160w) to drive the speakers)
Nick, you wouldn't recommend the Yamaha 3010. Would you recommend the Onkyo? Does that pair well with the KEFs? Or still go with Pioneer?
As for the Pioneer, it has a single crossover, right? I might not be able to replace all surround speakers at once, so there might be a mixture of KEF R series (front/center) and 3005 (rear). Would there be a big impact on quality in that case?
I am not sure about the LX55, but my previous LX72 and my current LX85 were and are not bright sounding.
I believe the older models a few years ago had this reputation, this however is not the case these days.
AV System - Panasonic 42VT30 ¦ MA Apex 5.1- 4xA10 1xA40+ AW-12 Sub ¦ Van Damme UP LCOFC Speaker Cable ¦ Pioneer SC-LX85 ¦ OPPO 95 ¦ Mark Grant G1500HD Precision audio cable ¦ Sky+ HD(1TB) ¦ Chord Active HDMI ¦ Belkin PF50 mains conditioner.
Bedroom - Sony KDL-40W2000 + Archos 7 streaming from Windows Home Server 2011, Altec Lansing inAir 5000.
Dining Room - Sonos S5.
Music - HP Proliant Server running WHS 2011 ¦ streaming FLAC to Sonos ZP90 and OPPO 95 via SC-LX85.
Hi Fi - Cyrus 8 XPd QX amp ¦ Cyrus PSX-R power supply acting as Pre Amp ¦ Quad 909 Power Amp ¦ Speakers - Spendor A3 ¦ Logitech Squeezebox Touch upgrade by Fidelity Audio ¦ power supply upgrade by Mains Cables R Us ¦ Power Plant Premier mains regenerator.
Controlled by – iPad2 and Harmony 1100.