In this review, we will be comparing Kanta No.3 and Reference 5 Meta, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Kanta No.3 and KEF Reference 5 Meta first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Kanta No.3 | KEF Reference 5 Meta |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | KEF
United Kingdom · founded 1961 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Uni-Q driver | — | 12th Generation Uni-Q |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Hard-Dome | 1" aluminium dome with MAT |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Flax | 4 x 6.5" aluminium cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 33-40k Hz | 40-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-400 watts | 50-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 46.09kg / 101.4lbs | 60.20kg / 132.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50-3/8" x 15-3/16" x 20-1/2"
1280.0 x 386.0 x 521.0mm | 55.2" x 12.7" x 18.4"
1402 x 323 x 467 mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Kanta No.3 and KEF Reference 5 Meta speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Focal Kanta No.3 |
KEF Reference 5 Meta |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Kanta No.3 and Reference 5 Meta are 3-way speakers.
Focal Kanta No.3KEF Reference 5 Meta
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Focal Kanta No.3 |
KEF Reference 5 Meta |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
4 x 6.5-inch
|
Kanta No.3 features a 1.1" IAL3 Beryllium Hard-Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 250 Hz - 2500 Hz. On the other hand, the Reference 5 Meta features a 1" aluminium dome with MAT Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 4 x 6.5" aluminium cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 450Hz and 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Kanta No.3 has a frequency range of 33-40k Hz whereas Reference 5 Meta has a frequency range of 40-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 33Hz, the Kanta No.3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Reference 5 Meta's min frequency of 40Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Kanta No.3 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Reference 5 Meta which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Reference 5 Meta can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Kanta No.3 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Reference 5 Meta's is rated at 88 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Focal Kanta No.3 a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF Reference 5 Meta, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 400 watts RMS, though Kanta No.3 is rated 40-400 watts and Reference 5 Meta 50-400 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Reference 5 Meta features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Kanta No.3 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
KEF Reference 5 Meta's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Kanta No.3 has a Front firing port whereas Reference 5 Meta has a rear firing ports.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Focal Kanta No.3's and KEF Reference 5 Meta's external dimensions. Focal Kanta No.3 has external dimensions of 1280.0 x 386.0 x 521.0mm (50-3/8inch x 15-3/16inch x 20-1/2inch) whereas KEF Reference 5 Meta has external dimensions of 1402 x 323 x 467 mm (55.2 x 12.7 x 18.4 in.).
KEF Reference 5 Meta is 63mm narrower and 54mm less deeper than Focal Kanta No.3 but it is also 122mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Focal Kanta No.3 and KEF Reference 5 Meta in scale.
Comparison image of Focal Kanta No.3 and KEF Reference 5 Meta Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Focal Kanta No.3 is approximately 2011.1cm2 / 311.7inch2 and base area of the KEF Reference 5 Meta is approximately 1508.4cm2 / 233.8inch2. The Kanta No.3 requires 33% more surface area than the Reference 5 Meta which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Focal Kanta No.3 weighs 46.09kg / 101.4lbs and the KEF Reference 5 Meta weighs 60.20kg / 132.4lbs. This makes the Reference 5 Meta 31% heavier than the Kanta No.3.
Here is a comparison of how Kanta No.3 and Reference 5 Meta's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Focal Kanta No.3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Kanta No.3:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Large grille
- Small grille
- Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Protective discs
- User Manual
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
33 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1280mm
vs
1402mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
10998USD
vs
22000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Minimum Impedance |
3.2 ohms
vs
3.0 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
|
Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
1508cm2
vs
2011cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Focal Kanta No.3 |
KEF Reference 5 Meta |
| Brand |
Focal |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-400 watts |
50-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.0 ohms |
3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
33-40k Hz |
40-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
4 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Flax |
aluminium cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Hard-Dome |
aluminium dome with MAT |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
250 Hz - 2500 Hz |
450Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
Front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1280.0mm (50.4") |
1402.0mm (55.2") |
| Width |
386.0mm (15.2") |
323.0mm (12.7") |
| Depth |
521.0mm (20.5") |
467.0mm (18.4") |
| Weight |
46.09kg (101.4lbs) |
60.20kg (132.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Multi-ply/Polymer/Veneer |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
High-Gloss Carrara White, High-Gloss Black/Deep Black, Matte Walnut/Dark Grey,Matte Walnut/Ivory |
High-Gloss White/Blue, High-Gloss White/Champagne, High-Gloss Black/Grey, High-Gloss Black/Copper, Satin Walnut/Silver |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 years |
These sit in different price classes - KEF Reference 5 Meta costs roughly 2x what Focal Kanta No.3 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Focal Kanta No.3 digs deeper - 33Hz against 40Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Focal Kanta No.3 is more sensitive (91dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Focal Kanta No.3 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (400W vs 400W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | KEF Reference 5 Meta: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Focal Kanta No.3 is cheaper - $10,998 against $22,000, about 50% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Kanta No.3 B KEF Reference 5 Meta
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Focal Kanta No.3 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take KEF Reference 5 Meta if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Focal Kanta No.3 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.