Kef Speaker Owners

[Raj22]

Hi, I would like to start this thread for Kef speakers and your experience with them. I didn't find any other threads for this, if its a duplicate thread, mods please merge with an existing thread.

I currently am using Kef Q150 as LCR, paired with Marantz SR5015. I have been enjoying these speakers since more than a year now.
I would like to hear your thoughts on other Kef speakers you may own.

Cheers.

 

[sanjivnayak]

I have Q300, Q500, Q200C and Q400b in HT setup. But rarely I have played as with Marantz NR 1606, I found speakers not producing desired output so now I am connecting the fronts with a power amp. Still I am searching somehow to connect the centre with a poweramp as there is no preout for centre. There may be some round about process of high level input amps. But never tried any. Any good suggestion will be helpful.

 

[efernand1]

I have Q300, Q500, Q200C and Q400b in HT setup. But rarely I have played as with Marantz NR 1606, I found speakers not producing desired output so now I am connecting the fronts with a power amp. Still I am searching somehow to connect the centre with a poweramp as there is no preout for centre. There may be some round about process of high level input amps. But never tried any. Any good suggestion will be helpful.

Suggest then you get an AVR which has pre outs for all channels along with higher output...look at the SR series...or Denon models..

Round about process would be too complicated and not cost effective

 

[sreejithsreedharan]

Hi All,

I have KEF Coda 10 which is a 3 way speaker and has a sensitivity of 92db. I have paired it with Audiolab 8000A. It is very open and low end is something I love in these speakers.

Thanks,
Sreejith

 

[Raj22]

I have Q300, Q500, Q200C and Q400b in HT setup. But rarely I have played as with Marantz NR 1606, I found speakers not producing desired output so now I am connecting the fronts with a power amp. Still I am searching somehow to connect the centre with a poweramp as there is no preout for centre. There may be some round about process of high level input amps. But never tried any. Any good suggestion will be helpful.

I was using this setup with Yamaha RX v485 before the SR5015, the sound improved significantly after this upgrade. I feel there's still more I can eek out of the Q150s with a more powerful amp.
Would love to see more experiences with the Kefs.
Anyone using the Q550/Q750/Q950 or the R series, how's the experience with them?

 

[johnmicheal]

I was having in past KEF reference 104/2, highly regarded speaker. Bass is killer with these speakers.

 

[RRR]

Anyone using Kef R900 or upgrading from Kef R900.

 

[Vinod.R]

I have the KEF Q7 as fronts, Q5's as rears, and Q9C as the centre. Unlike common opinion, very musical, with the right amount of bass, just the right highs. Works well for both music and movies. Bought them new from.pro fx Bangalore in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Working fine. Musical and good looking speakers on a budget.

 

[raghupb]

Have R300 since 2015 in a stereo setup. Very capable speakers assuming one likes KEF house sound
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[ssf]

I have the KEF Q7 as fronts, Q5's as rears, and Q9C as the centre. Unlike common opinion, very musical, with the right amount of bass, just the right highs. Works well for both music and movies. Bought them new from.pro fx Bangalore in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Working fine. Musical and good looking speakers on a budget.

I had heard the Kef Q5's a long time back at a friends. He played a Kill Bill action sequence so loud that it almost gave me a heart attack. After I recovered from the shock, I played some music. I liked the clarity of the speakers. Back then I was only exposed to DIY speakers and amps of friends who used to boost everything. I though that the bass was lacking a bit though. Good build and nice looking speakers I felt.

 

[DB1989]

I have the KEF Q350s. These are the only KEF speakers I've ever heard so I'm unaware about the extent of the KEF house sound that they possess.

Though my experience of these are well documented on the forum, i'd like to recapitulate my experience since this is a dedicated thread.

Listening notes include a zingy but refined top end, ever so slightly recessed mids and palpable bass which gives it a slight V curve and aids depth of soundstage. And the soundstage extends quite wide in both height and width. They err ever so slightly on the warmer side of neutral. Imaging is good with a strong centre image and well defined instrument separation across the soundstage. However, dynamics are what they excel at which makes them very good for a lot of new age music including pop, hip hop and electronic while they are no slouch when it comes to classical, jazz and acoustic. A very good all rounder indeed, an opinion formed over time pursuant to my own listening experiences including the fact that these are the speakers that I've had most inquisitive questions about from people (laymen not into the hobby) that have experienced them (may or may not have been friends ) and in no small measure due to the reason that these are the only piece of hifi equipment that my better half won't allow me to sell when we eventually (i.e. if ever but fingers crossed) move away from India. To drive the point home, while she's not the least bit interested in hifi or my hobby, she actually has an emotional connect with them, so much so that while I'm a fan of the KEF Q350s, shes turned into a true KEF fanboy (she follows KEF on Insta and came running to me the other day about some new earphones that KEF launched recently ).

Cons, in my subjective opinion, include a not so great build quality with sharp edges at the corners and they aren't much of a looker (especially if you consider the build quality that some of its lesser priced peers offer such as the Q Acoustics Concept 20s and the Mission QX2s). And thats about it. Its amongst the speakers that i consider you can't go wrong with if you aren't very particular about any particular aspect of music reproduction/sonic signature (others according to me are the Q acoustics 3000i lineup and Mission QX2s).

My opinion that these are neutral stems from the fact that they play nicely with a variety of amps. Amps that i have tried with these include - (1) the internal amp of my F&D 6000u Subwoofer (which used to be my daily driver for a good 2-3 months when i first got the Q350s ); (2) Marantz PM6006; (3) Marantz SR6013, (4) Crown XLS1502 and (3) Cambridge Audio CXA81.

 

[catalyst360]

New owner of the Kef Q350's here, waiting for delivery which should hopefully not take longer than a week. Have paired it with the Denon PMA 600NE. This is my first hifi speaker setup, hopefully it will be a good one. Will post my impressions once I get to play with them for a bit.

 

[k_vijay12]

Hi, My stereo gear is KEF Q300 with B&O 22+22w icepower amp. It's a little monster. Love the musicality of these speakers, but takes a bit of power to shine. Never felt the need to upgrade given my very low usage (tight packed apartments complex and a toddler kid. Was not allowed to increase volume much by wifey).

Planning to use these KEF Q300 as fronts in my HT when I shift house. Thinking of adding a Q650 as center channel to match the sound signature. Not sure if it's sufficient or shd I consider any other. Nothing decided but I feel KEFs r pricey for my very low usage. Was advised to consider Xtz 95 series, indiQ audio center channel alternatively. Passively looking for used ones as well. Haven't come across any yet.

My questions...
1). Any experience of using Q300/350 as fronts and Q650 as center?
2). Do they need additional power amp or the power provided by AVR Denon 3700 sufficient?

 

[catalyst360]

I do keep hearing that the Q350's need a lot of power to shine. Has anyone tried them with the Crown XLS range of power amps? How's the noise floor with the Crowns? Are they harsh and thin sounding or are they musical?

 

[DB1989]

I do keep hearing that the Q350's need a lot of power to shine. Has anyone tried them with the Crown XLS range of power amps? How's the noise floor with the Crowns? Are they harsh and thin sounding or are they musical?

I have the Q350s paired with a crown. Yes, the KEF Q350s need a fair deal of power to go loud but I haven't had any problem driving them loud through my Marantz PM6006 either and would argue that they also sound better with the latter. I have had the Marantz trip when going really loud and ambient temperatures exceeded 30C but never in an airconditioned environment. There are no gains to be had with the addition of the crown though as a standalone power amp, it is fantastic for the price.

Coming to musicality, the resolution on the crowns is again comparable to the PM6006 though i find the detail retrieval to be better in the latter. The midrange is just a but thin compared to the PM6006 and has that characteristic Class D sound to it though its something your brain may or may not cancel out after a few listening sessions; at least my brain did.

The noise floor is fairly low and comparable to the PM6006 and can be reduced further when using a balanced cables.

Other amps that i have tested with the Q350s include the Cambridge Audio CXA 81, Marantz SR6013 and the internal amp of the F&D 6000U sub.

Its a total no contest with the CXA81 while the SR6013 has almost the same sonic signature as the PM6006 including its strengths (and can go incredibly loud without ever tripping) so the same observations apply.

 

[catalyst360]

I have the Q350s paired with a crown. Yes, the KEF Q350s need a fair deal of power to go loud but I haven't had any problem driving them loud through my Marantz PM6006 either and would argue that they also sound better with the latter. I have had the Marantz trip when going really loud and ambient temperatures exceeded 30C but never in an airconditioned environment. There are no gains to be had with the addition of the crown though as a standalone power amp, it is fantastic for the price.

Coming to musicality, the resolution on the crowns is again comparable to the PM6006 though i find the detail retrieval to be better in the latter. The midrange is just a but thin compared to the PM6006 and has that characteristic Class D sound to it though its something your brain may or may not cancel out after a few listening sessions; at least my brain did.

The noise floor is fairly low and comparable to the PM6006 and can be reduced further when using a balanced cables.

Other amps that i have tested with the Q350s include the Cambridge Audio CXA 81, Marantz SR6013 and the internal amp of the F&D 6000U sub.

Its a total no contest with the CXA81 while the SR6013 has almost the same sonic signature as the PM6006 including its strengths (and can go incredibly loud without ever tripping) so the same observations apply.

Thanks for the detailed writeup on amp pairings for the Q350. I was starting to second guess my amp choice fearing that little Denon might not be up to task to drive the Kef's. My room is a fairly modest 235sq feet and I wouldn't be playing them ear bleedingly loud so hopefully the PMA 600 which has similar specs to the PM 6006 should pull through. I believe they haven't yet shipped my order so I still have a bit of time to make any last minute adjustments.

 

[DB1989]

Thanks for the detailed writeup on amp pairings for the Q350. I was starting to second guess my amp choice fearing that little Denon might not be up to task to drive the Kef's. My room is a fairly modest 235sq feet and I wouldn't be playing them ear bleedingly loud so hopefully the PMA 600 which has similar specs to the PM 6006 should pull through. I believe they haven't yet shipped my order so I still have a bit of time to make any last minute adjustments.

Ummm... i forgot to mention that I did try a Denon X2400H with my KEF Q350s and returned them after a week or so cuz it made them sound a bit dry. Dunno if it was burn in related but i did not end up liking the sound it was producing after approx 15-20 hours of listening. Again, can't say if the same thing applies to Denon amps which are otherwise very highly regarded.

Insofar as marantz amps are concerned. I've noticed that they have the signature house sound in their AVRs, irrespective of their price point, and their entry level amps so they play well with a variety of loudspeakers.

 

[catalyst360]

Ummm... i forgot to mention that I did try a Denon X2400H with my KEF Q350s and returned them after a week or so cuz it made them sound a bit dry. Dunno if it was burn in related but i did not end up liking the sound it was producing after approx 15-20 hours of listening. Again, can't say if the same thing applies to Denon amps which are otherwise very highly regarded.

Insofar as marantz amps are concerned. I've noticed that they have the signature house sound in their AVRs, irrespective of their price point, and their entry level amps so they play well with a variety of loudspeakers.

Going by the reviews the Denon amp is supposed to have a warm laid back presentation with accentuated lows and smooth highs. I am more worried about its 'drive-ability' and weighing in its pros and cons with the Crowns. If I were to get the Crown XLS, I would be pairing it with a Topping d50s as bluetooth connection is a must (the main reason I didn't go with the Marantz PM6007). The analog inputs are of no use to me as my main music source would be streaming via Apple music and PS4 for movies and games.

 

[DB1989]

Going by the reviews the Denon amp is supposed to have a warm laid back presentation with accentuated lows and smooth highs. I am more worried about its 'drive-ability' and weighing in its pros and cons with the Crowns. If I were to get the Crown XLS, I would be pairing it with a Topping d50s as bluetooth connection is a must (the main reason I didn't go with the Marantz PM6007). The analog inputs are of no use to me as my main music source would be streaming via Apple music and PS4 for movies and games.

I don't get it. Do you already have the Topping D50s? You would need analog inputs to pair any amp with the Topping D50s, whether it be crown, denon or Marantz.

If you do not have a topping D50s right now and are buying the Denon only because of its Bluetooth connectivity, Don't! Adding a Zen Ifi Blue will give you much better SQ over BT as the Denon does not even have AptX, much less AptXHD or LDAC. Plus, i've found the quality built of BT inbuilt into AVRs to be wanting. Getting a PM6006 and adding an Ifi Zen blue will work out to approx the same cost +/- 5K.

 

[catalyst360]

I don't get it. Do you already have the Topping D50s? You would need analog inputs to pair any amp with the Topping D50s, whether it be crown, denon or Marantz.

If you do not have a topping D50s right now and are buying the Denon only because of its Bluetooth connectivity, Don't! Adding a Zen Ifi Blue will give you much better SQ over BT as the Denon does not even have AptX, much less AptXHD or LDAC. Plus, i've found the quality built of BT inbuilt into AVRs to be wanting. Getting a PM6006 and adding an Ifi Zen blue will work out to approx the same cost +/- 5K.

I know I need an analog input for amplification, I was talking about the gazillion other analog inputs that comes with AVRs and Integrated amps from Legacy companies. I can see their appeal, but I'm not part of the demographic that owns a huge CD and vinyl collection.

I don't already own the d50s. My current options are as follows,

Denon PMA 600 NE -> All in one solution. ~30k as part of the combo deal with the Kef's
Marantz PM 6007 + Topping BC3 for wireless connectivity -> ~53k. Local dealer does not have PM 6006 and I prefer buying locally for peace of mind (they are shipping the products to their office from the main distributor as they currently don't have stock for the models I'm buying)
Crown XLS 1002 + Topping d50s -> ~47k.

Edit - Opting out of the Denon would most likely drive up the price of the Kef's as they come as a combo deal
Edit 2 - If the bluetooth sq of the Denon turns out to be under par, I could always add the Topping or IFI BT modules to it and still come in cheaper than the other options. I worry about its power output though.