I am a bit late to the show in doing this, but thought I might post a review in case someone should stumble across a used pair of these and consider their purchase. In the past, I've owned the older Q15's, Q30's and still older Q10's. The build quality of the Qcompact is clearly a cut above those models (a google search will show you a photo comparison between the baskets on a Q15 vs this model). The cabinet finishing on my dark apple pair rivals speakers I've seen at two to three times the price.
I've owned them for several years but only occasionally listened to them, preferring other speakers. I had almost convinced myself that I just didn't care for the whole KEF UniQ design. But then I did something different. In previous setups, I always toed the speakers in, often pointing them directly to the listening position. Maybe it was part of the paired drivers that made me think that way. One day, I listened to them off axis - about 30 degrees. Suddenly, they sounded much smoother while retaining if not improving the stereo illusion (imaging, if you will). On well produced recordings, these smallish boxes will no longer seem connected with the sound-field they produce, just like a very good speaker should. For years I've been selling them short. No, they don't have a magical amount of bass, but that's why they sell you subwoofers if you need that. I cannot comment about high volume levels since the manager lives below me. They might not work wonders in a large room - I don't have one. But in a smaller room as a personal listening space item, they are very nice. It's 2013 now. You might find them used at a good price. My advice - give them a good listen off axis. I would have sold them many times before if the opportunity had presented itself. Now, I am doubting the need for future purchases. Just keep the idea of the new LS50 out of my head.....

Vocals sound like real people, huge soundstage

Tweeter housing chuffes against the main cone.(it`s not rubbing) Tweeters still not up to B&W standards - by far.

I really bought these on impulse, 150 Quid, I mean come on.

Firstly trying to get the Kef supplied bridging wire to fit snugly, well what can I say(c***).

So after being annoyed by that, I turned on my rsx-03. Set it to stereo, and sat back. The sound at first, was muffled and distorted, but with time they started to loosen up. As they became more run in, the sounds of the groove armada became to ooze out of the walls behind me, these speakers produce an incredible soundstage.(similar to B&O pentas).
But one thing I realized, was that at higher levels the static tweeter (with the cone moving around it) chuffed and bellowed, even though the speakers were not reaching ther full potential!
Placed against a wall the bass does begin to show.

Similar Products Used:

B&W dm602, 604, B&O pentas, and a various array of outhers.

looks cute,well made

sound,poor sounding.

This if for the iQ1...well it looks good...sound poor,sound like a KEF eggs in a nicier finished box.Boxy sound,unreal,poor treble,muddled sound,unfit for music,no musical merit,no dynamics,such a shame as i looks cute.Ok for home cinema I would think.

Similar Products Used:

monitor audio bronze,B&W 600 series.Epos.

Good timbre. Clean highs. Great looks.

Can be a tad bright.

These were very nice speakers. I decided i needed better speakers than the multimedia crap i've been listening to. SO i went out to many stores and auditioned everything from Kef, infinity, tannoy, and b&w and klipsch.I really enjoyed the kef. It has clear detailed highs without being excessively bright. Whatever bass there is is very clean. Great natural timbre. Very Neutral.

Similar Products Used:

(creaytive inspire 7700. (not really similar)

At 200 pounds, nothing comes even close. The similarly priced Wharfedale Diamond 9.1, also auditioned, is completely outmatched by the Q1

Works best in a small room, close to the wall to enhanse the bass. Must use properly matched components to shine.

Note: Purchase price in British Pound I was looking for a bookshelf speaker for my small flat. I was looking forward to audition the Epos M5 and possibly the Quad 12L, both highly rated monitors. It turns out the Quads are a bit too pricy for my budget (500 pounds for the 12L) I auditioned the Epos, which is stretching my budget at 350 pounds. The mids and the highs sounds wonderful, but the bass is a bit weak, which is understandable for such a small speaker. I was then offered to audition the KEF Q1, which is a larger and cheaper speaker. At first, I was rather surprised at how revealing the Q1s are: the sound is clean, spacious and detail. The bass is definitely fuller than the Epos, but well mannered and controlled. However, right away I noticed the downside in it sounding very bright, espically with female vocals. (btw, my audition cds are: Bjork - Homogenic (for bass), Feist - Let it Die (for vocal clarity / details), and Queen Latifah - The Diana Owens Album (for jazzy rhythm)). At this point the test amp is a NAD C320BEE, and with a hint from the shopkeeper, we switched to a Rotel RA-01. What a difference it made! The bass was even stronger and tighter, and the harshness of the treble is gone. This matchup is now sounding fabulous, with the right combination of clarity, detail, soundstage and bass response than what I can achieve with the Epos and NAD. I walked out the store with the KEF and the Rotel, very happy with the sound and the price (450 pounds for the Amp + Speakers)

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Performance Series, HT setup