KEF Q300CH Bookshelf Speaker (Pair, Cherry)

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Price: $649.99    

Product Feature

• All new Uni-Q array
• Advanced bass technologies
• Open up a world of audiophile quality sound

Product Description

Whether as main speakers, music speakers for your study or family room, rear speakers in a home theatre system or general purpose speakers for multi-room set-ups, the Q300 bookshelf from KEF opens up a world of audiophile quality sound at a surprisingly affordable price. Product features: newly engineered KEF patented 6.5" Uni-Q driver which disperses sound over a wider range for optimal sound throughout your listening space, a 1" aluminum vented dome tweeter, 30% more cabinet space for increased bass performance, new gold plated bi-wire terminals, wall mount bracket included, paper wood veneer. This 8th generation Q Series product has been 100% re-engineered and designed guaranteeing all who experience it the most advanced high end performance available in today's loudspeaker offerings.

KEF Q300CH Bookshelf Speaker (Pair, Cherry) Review

I was looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers in the $500-700 range and narrowed my search down to the Monitor Audio Silver RX-1 and KEF Q300, which I found based on the review from "What? Hi Fi." I decided to take a chance on the KEF due to it's uni-Q driver, larger size, and weight.

I burned the speakers in for approximately 60 hours before any critical listening and I am driving them with a 125 watt/channel Parasound New Classic 2125. I listen to CDs only with a Musical Fidelity V-DAC. No MP3s of any kind.

The main strength of these speakers is the imaging and mid range. The uni-Q drivers produce a great soundstage- wide and slightly taller than the speakers. The sweetspot is definitely larger than a traditional speaker design. Vocals are just spectacular as well as the midrange. Detail is great. I can hear more vocal layering in a lot of my favorite tracks, especially Abbey Road.

The KEF's bass extension rating seems to be accurate. I have a test tone CD and the bass does roll off significantly in the high 30 hz range. Sometimes I find the treble to be a little too bright, but I think it's the way certain albums are recorded. It would be great if they had a toggle switch on the back to change the tweeter from flat to, say, -2db. However, I don't find the treble fatiguing like a lot of metal dome tweeters and I think it's due to heavy damping of the tweeter assembly, which prevents ringing.

These speakers are larger than most bookshelf models and they weigh 17 lbs each. The KEFs require just a slight toe-in in my room to achieve optimal imaging, which is a large living room/dining room that's about 12x24ft with 15ft vaulted ceilings. They fill this large room just fine. I do recommend a sub for larger rooms, but no sub is probably ok for small a room (10x12ft). Good bass reproduction depends on the recording- older CDs from the 80s and early 90s weren't equalized very well and they tend to be bass shy. Anything released since the late 90s is usually good.

Make sure you have good amp as these KEFs are a little more inefficient than most designs these days. I would not recommend using them with a cheap receiver that lacks a good midrange or else you will probably only hear treble.

Fit and finish is above average. I got the cherry, which looks like slightly hazy laminate wood flooring (it doesn't shine like wood or a good quality vinyl). I like how the port is front mounted so that it can be placed in a room more easily without changing the tuning of the port (which happens if a rear ported design is too close to a wall). Port plugs are included and the cabinets have wall mounts already attached.

I compared them to my Monitor Audio Bronze B2 (I do NOT have a pair of the newer, BX2, but I would guess they are mostly the same since they seem to use the same drivers) and here's what I think:
Compared to the Q300, the B2 is boxy sounding and slightly muffled. The Q300 have superior imaging. Bass extension between the two models is about the same. The B2 is brighter than the Q300. The B2 has a better fit and finish. The B2 is a good speaker, especially for the price. But the Q300 is a better overall performer. The KEFs midrange is clearer and they don't sound constrained by their box size at all. I have not heard the MA Silver RX-1, but my guess is that the boxes are slightly too small since they are a little smaller than the B2 and BX2.

To sum up, if you want great midrange and you're on a budget, the KEF Q300 is the way to go. If you want big bass and bright treble, go with something else.

Hope this helps.

***UPDATE 6/8/11***
The edginess of the tweeter (as described in "What Hi Fi?") went away after a lot more burning in. I would say it took 120-140 hours of play to completely break in the tweeter. It's really nice now. It's much smoother at high volumes when compared to my MA B2. I think the main reason is that the tweeter on the Q300 is better dampened. The B2 isn't dampened at all (I know because I took them apart). I was actually willing to live with the edginess since I liked the midrange so much, but I'm glad it went away.

Also, I purchased a Velodyne SMS-1, which is an electronic crossover that has an 80hz high pass crossover that removes the bass going to the KEFs and sends all the bass to the subwoofer. Now that the KEFs don't have to reproduce anything under 80hz, the midrange is even better and the sounstage is wider. The sound thrown off these KEFs is so big and dynamic now.

After owning the Q300 for about 2 months, I have really grown to love them. Paired with the Velodyne SMS-1 (or some other preamp with bass management)and a high quality subwoofer they are just fantastic.

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