KEF Picoforte 3 review

KEF’s top dock is not so much a self-contained unit as a system of mini separates. So does that improve performance?

Pros
Brit audio legends KEF specialise in speakers, and the Picoforte 3 comes with a lovely pair of separates from the KHT3005SE package, as well as compact amp and dock sections – so you’re essentially getting a micro-system of separates here. That’s reflected in performance, which is superb, with the distance between the speakers allowing for excellent stereo separation and a wide, all-encompassing sound field.

Cons
All the separate bits means a lot more wires than the average speaker dock, which in turns means more clutter to contend with. For the price we’d have liked to see more low-end bass power too – but this can be remedied by hooking up an external subwoofer.

In summary then…
KEF’s mini-separates approach to iPod speaker docks works fairly well, and the fact that you can place the two speakers fairly far apart means it’s easy to achieve a nicely separated stereo sound with the Picoforte 3 – just be aware that you’ll have more cables to hide than with other docks. Treble and mid-range audio is precise and detailed, and bass is also decent – but you’d expect nothing less from a system this pricey.

Sound quality

Design

Features

Value

Overall

Like the sound of this iPod dock? Get chatting about the KEF Picoforte 3 on the PriceRunner forums.

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