Does REL T5i subwoofer match with vintage KEF Q35 floorstanders?

[robin3989]

Hello Friends,

I currently have a REL T5i subwoofer connected to vintage MF A1 amp. I have recently listened to KEF Q35 floorstanders and i very much liked the sound delivered at a relaxed pace with natural bass. It could be because it's very old and extensive long term usage, but drivers look and sound clean. As these are listed for sale, i'm interested in buying them.

I would like to know if these floorstanders seamlessly blend with REL T5i as REL drivers are considered fast. The owner didn't allow me to test the speakers at my house, so i'm afraid if the mains and sub would have a different pace working against each other. KEF Q35 is a two-way tower speaker that follow their Uni-Q tech and the specs say they have freq response between 45 - 20000 Hz. Also floorstanders are typically expected to have better low-end performance, do they benefit from a sub at all?

Additional question, A1 is a 20W per channel amp, so speakers with 8ohm load impedance and sensitivity over 88dB are recommended. When i auditioned Q35, i took my MF A1 to test them. The amp easily powered the floorstanders through they are rated at 6ohm with 91dB sensitivity and expect 10 - 100w amplifier power. Does the amp suffer handing 6ohm load, or work just fine because the speakers are 91dB sensitive?

Thanks,
Robin R

 

[mpw]

In both cases..I think not to worry

The subwoofer might require some different placement or different adjustments on the panel.

 

[superczar]

I think it will be a good match but be prepared to spend (a lot) of time in getting the settings for the match right.

I have a very similar setup in my study
KEF iQ5 (quite like the Q35) coupled with a small Elac sub
Before I had added the sub, the iQ5s sounded good but seriously lacked low end

Once I added the sub, I had some difficulties in getting the match to a balanced level
I took the easy way out and swapped the amp with a Paradigm unit with ARC that automated the matching process - the end result is quite nice - especially the precision and imaging

However there is no reason why some amount of manual tweaking effort won’t yield equally good results

Be aware though that these speakers yield a very personal listening setup rather than room filling sound

 

[robin3989]

In both cases..I think not to worry

The subwoofer might require some different placement or different adjustments on the panel.

Thanks sir!
But the subwoofer works well in the corner and REL recommends corner placement. If good results can be achieved through manual tweaks, then it's fine for me.

Thanks
Robin R

 

[Vinod.R]

Be willing to put up with a lot of work to get the sub placement right but should reward you with well blended sound.
I have the q7, q5 towers myself and agree with the relaxed bass sound. Should be a cinch with the REL.

 

[oracle1974]

Hi
You may write to Rel and have their suggestion.

Thanks sir!
But the subwoofer works well in the corner and REL recommends corner placement. If good results can be achieved through manual tweaks, then it's fine for me.

Thanks
Robin R

It is generally recommended by users to have pair of subs rather than one.
Please share your experience once the sub is installed.
Good luck.

 

[mpw]

Thanks sir!
But the subwoofer works well in the corner and REL recommends corner placement. If good results can be achieved through manual tweaks, then it's fine for me.

Thanks
Robin R

Yes..manual tweaks with a friend helping you with the adjustments

 

[MaSh]

Sub placement, leveling, crossing over is critical. I am not sure if there is any matching as such. The sub needs to have an extension beyond what the speakers can do.

MaSh

 

[robin3989]

I think it will be a good match but be prepared to spend (a lot) of time in getting the settings for the match right.

Thanks for the response, i'll be happy to spend time getting the placement and crossover setting correct. In fact, i'm still making minor incremental changes to the subwoofer since i bought it.

KEF iQ5 (quite like the Q35) coupled with a small Elac sub

KEF iQ5 has an additional woofer and it's a 3-way system. It's surprising to hear that these needed a sub.

I took the easy way out and swapped the amp with a Paradigm unit with ARC that automated the matching process

This helps! If i buy the speakers, i will try manual adjustments first. I like the MF A1 very much except the heat it generates, so don't want to change it.

However there is no reason why some amount of manual tweaking effort won’t yield equally good results

Not aiming for perfection. But, hoping the mains and sub atleast don't sound separate.

 

[robin3989]

Be willing to put up with a lot of work to get the sub placement right but should reward you with well blended sound.
I have the q7, q5 towers myself and agree with the relaxed bass sound. Should be a cinch with the REL.

Thanks for the positive response, sir! KEF Q5 & Q7 look great, do you have a sub paired with them?

Hi
You may write to Rel and have their suggestion.
It is generally recommended by users to have pair of subs rather than one.
Please share your experience once the sub is installed.
Good luck.

I have written to REL to hear their opinion. And i get your point on adding dual subs, but simply not enough budget.

The sub needs to have an extension beyond what the speakers can do.

MaSh, T5i has the low end extension upto 32 Hz. The speakers i'm interested in rolloff at 45 Hz. These numbers are per specs
The question i have now is about the pace of the woofers in the mains & the sub. If they work at different pace, they need to be matched.

 

[Vinod.R]

No, I have not felt the need to do so, however I clearly understand that a sub or two can extend the reach of my speakers to another level hence my subwoofer thread and it's travails, though that is another story.

 

[robin3989]

I have written to REL to hear their opinion.

REL responded back with the below note.

Hi there
You will still have a huge upgrade by adding the REL into the system.
The Kefs are pretty good, but modern standards wont be as dynamic as w newer model.
The addition of a REL will of course bring more bass - but it will also bring more space and headroom which will expose a much bigger soundstage

The T5i will blend in just fine and i would maybe expect the phase to be set on 180 - but try it for yourself. Whichever the bass seems louder with - that is correct

I trust this may help

Best Regards
Rob

So, in addition to the Subwoofer placement, crossover and volume setting, REL recommends playing with the phase too.

 

[Stejboy]

Hi I’m currently listening toQ35 main,Q95centre andQ70surrounds powered by Yamaha DSP-AX620(without radio)It still makes me feel as if sound passes through me !!It is a pure fluke of a set up only made better adding REL Q50 to the
[/QUOTE]

 

[karteek23]

Is it right investing on used KEF Q35 speakers in today's time??