In this review, we will be comparing XR100 and R11, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from McIntosh and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of McIntosh XR100 and KEF R11 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
McIntosh XR100 Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 2" dome (x2) Tweeter
- 0.75" Super Tweeter
- 2.0" Midrange
- 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer
- 30-45k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:75-600watts
- Weight:31.14kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1266.0" x 11-5/8" x 17"( 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm )
KEF R11 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Dome Tweeter
- 5" Midrange
- 4 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum Woofer
- 5" Midrange
- 46-28k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:15-300watts
- Weight:37.70kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1301.0" x 12-1/4" x 15-5/16"( 1301.0 x 312.0 x 389.0mm )
What size room are the McIntosh XR100 and KEF R11 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* |
McIntosh XR100 |
KEF R11 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the McIntosh XR100 and KEF R11 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that XR100 is a 4-way design whereas the R11 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
McIntosh XR100 |
KEF R11 |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
3-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
0.75-inch |
- |
|
Tweeter
|
2-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
8 x 2.0-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
4 x 6.0-inch
|
4 x 6.5-inch
|
XR100 features a 2" titanium tweeter with neodymium-iron-boron alloy magnet dome (x2) Tweeter , a 0.75" Supertweeter , a 2.0" Midrange and 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ. On the other hand, the R11 features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter , a 5" Midrange and 4 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
XR100 has a frequency range of 30-45k Hz whereas R11 has a frequency range of 46-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the XR100 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R11's min frequency of 46Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
XR100 and R11 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. XR100 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the R11's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the KEF R11 a more sensitive speaker compared to McIntosh XR100, 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. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
XR100 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS from the amp the whereas R11 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the XR100.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both XR100 and R11 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
McIntosh XR100's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
KEF R11's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both XR100 and R11 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare McIntosh XR100's and KEF R11's external dimensions. McIntosh XR100 has external dimensions of 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm ( 49-13/16 x 11-5/8 x 17inch) whereas KEF R11 has external dimensions of 1301.0 x 312.0 x 389.0mm ( 51-3/16 x 12-1/4 x 15-5/16inch) .
McIntosh XR100 is 16mm narrower and 35mm shorter than KEF R11 but it is also 43mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of McIntosh XR100 and KEF R11 in scale.
Comparison image of McIntosh XR100 and KEF R11 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 McIntosh XR100 is approximately 1278.7cm2 / 198.2inch2 and base area of the KEF R11 is approximately 1213.7cm2 / 188.1inch2. The XR100 requires 5% more surface area than the R11 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.