KEF Q100 VS Dali ZENSOR 1

[sid123]

hello form

soo i have been looking to replace my Polk Audio RM series center channel and L & R channels in my 5.1 setup. I tried a bunch of different speakers but unfortunately they were all in different places with different content so its hard to compare the small details

I have narrowed down to the 2 i really enjoyed the KEF Q100 sounded great and the Dali Zensor 1 sounded great too

here a list of what i tried hopefully this might others and also give you guys and idea of what sort of sound and taste i like.

Q Acoustics 3020 + 3090C = harsh, hard to listen to over long periods of time, not my taste. Excellent detail and very good soundstage but still not my taste

Q Acoustics Concept 20 + 3090c = same story as the 3020 harsh.

Dali Zensor 1 + Zensor Vokal = very very good, very good soundstage, pretty good detail, honestly i kinda stopped paying attention to how they sounded and just started enjoying the demo movie haha

Dali Zensor 3 + Zensor Vokal = better in every way to the zensor 1 but out of budget and also massive

ELAC Debut B5 + B6 = treble seemed a bit rolled off on both, good bass but was pretty average tbh. Had decent detail. I feel they are overhyped tbh. And more expensive than the dali so nah

Klipsch RP160M + RP-205C = horrible, not as bad as the Wharfedales but pretty bad. Highs were pretty painful and the midbass was over the top. Overpriced and out of budget

KEF Q100 + Q200c = Leagues and miles better then then the Klipsch's, great detail with the demo i had, very clear and was very impressed but still super confused compared with the DALIS

Dynaudio Emit M10 + Q200c = very good but not worth the money tbh. Out of budget and apparently super power hungry.

Hopefully thouse impressions might help someone out but please do understand this is just my opinion and some people love other speakers and other don't.

I am leaning more toward the Dali mainly due to the fact i demoed them for a very long time and the shop owner is a super nice guy and i really enjoyed them. But i also did demo the KEF for a short amount of time and was pretty impressed. I couldn't compare both of them with the same material or the same level so it's a bit difficult to compare with different environments.

I would like to mention both the DALIS and the KEF are EXACTLY the same price.

Any thoughts?

 

[guddu478]

Dali is good choice.... and most importantly you have experienced and liked it.... no suggestion can beat your own listening experience

 

[sunder]

Is Dali Zensor still being made in denmark?

 

[sid123]

Is Dali Zensor still being made in denmark?

Danish company but made in china

 

[RajithKumar]

Better go for Zensor 3 . I got my Zensor 5 (Made in Denmark-2 years back) ,but the zensor 1(Made in China-1 year back)

 

[Amitkg]

Designed in Denmark, made in China.

Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk

 

[sanloyn]

If you go for Z1, am sure you will end up regretting in the near future. Go for Z3, kind off future proof (with Z1 in mind).
If budget is a constraint, then I strongly advice you to hold the purchase for now, save more for Z3 and go for it.

 

[sid123]

Z3 are way to big and double the price of the Z1 where I am, it's just to out of reach for me sadly and it most likely won't fit where I want to place them. Also im not concernd if they are made in denmark vs china, some of the best stuff come out of china and i am sure that the Z1 are well made enough.

more concerned about the KEF Q100, are they better then the Z1? or are they "different"?

 

[MaSh]

Z3 are way to big and double the price of the Z1 where I am, it's just to out of reach for me sadly and it most likely won't fit where I want to place them. Also im not concernd if they are made in denmark vs china, some of the best stuff come out of china and i am sure that the Z1 are well made enough.

more concerned about the KEF Q100, are they better then the Z1? or are they "different"?

Dali Zensor 1 are very good speakers. Have enough bass for a non bass head. Zensor 3 has everything a Zensor 1 has plus a bit more bass. I auditioned these today in Bangalore and found them to be extremely good. For movies, you will need to ad a Sub be it Zensor 1 or Zensor 3.

MaSh

 

[sid123]

Dali Zensor 1 are very good speakers. Have enough bass for a non bass head. Zensor 3 has everything a Zensor 1 has plus a bit more bass. I auditioned these today in Bangalore and found them to be extremely good. For movies, you will need to ad a Sub be it Zensor 1 or Zensor 3.

MaSh

Yea i have a sub, I have a Revel Concerta B120 12inch sub so that should cover the lows well enough. I not too concerned about bass on the on the speakers mainly concerned about the mids and highs and soundstage

 

[MaSh]

Yea i have a sub, I have a Revel Concerta B120 12inch sub so that should cover the lows well enough. I not too concerned about bass on the on the speakers mainly concerned about the mids and highs and soundstage

In that case Zensor 1 should do very well. You could also check q acoustic 3020 or a slightly more expensive Concept 20.

MaSh

Sent from my Redmi Note 3

 

[sid123]

In that case Zensor 1 should do very well. You could also check q acoustic 3020 or a slightly more expensive Concept 20.

MaSh

Sent from my Redmi Note 3

Q Acoustics 3020 + 3090C = harsh, hard to listen to over long periods of time, not my taste. Excellent detail and very good soundstage but still not my taste

Q Acoustics Concept 20 + 3090c = same story as the 3020 harsh.

already have.

but many thanks for suggesting.

 

[MaSh]

already have.

but many thanks for suggesting.

Oh cool, then you will like the Zensor series.

MaSh

 

[sid123]

I think I will be going with the Dali, I tryed the q100 and the q200c, they were overly warm, too much mid bass for me. Soundstage was wider then dali. I also tired the q300 again even wider Soundstage but again deep voices sounded overly exaggerated not the case with the dali. I couldn't test them with the same material. I watched transformers 3 with the kef and mission impossible ghost protocol with the dali.

If I had the money and the space though I would get the zensor 3 and the vokal. But zensor 1 and vokal it is.

 

[MaSh]

I think I will be going with the Dali, I tryed the q100 and the q200c, they were overly warm, too much mid bass for me. Soundstage was wider then dali. I also tired the q300 again even wider Soundstage but again deep voices sounded overly exaggerated not the case with the dali. I couldn't test them with the same material. I watched transformers 3 with the kef and mission impossible ghost protocol with the dali.

If I had the money and the space though I would get the zensor 3 and the vokal. But zensor 1 and vokal it is.

Great Decision. You will not regret it. Do post a first impressions review and as many pictures as possible. Do mention the final price you paid and from which dealer.

MaSh

 

[0verkilled]

Great choice, they are very capable speakers. Happy listening!

 

[guddu478]

I think I will be going with the Dali, I tryed the q100 and the q200c, they were overly warm, too much mid bass for me. Soundstage was wider then dali. I also tired the q300 again even wider Soundstage but again deep voices sounded overly exaggerated not the case with the dali. I couldn't test them with the same material. I watched transformers 3 with the kef and mission impossible ghost protocol with the dali.

If I had the money and the space though I would get the zensor 3 and the vokal. But zensor 1 and vokal it is.

Good going mate, please do post the price you got for your purchase.
Also, please ensure to use atleast 14 AWG cable for your fronts and center, DAC cable is one of the cheap but decent option @HiFiMART.

Enjoy your choice