Review Options:
Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating |
|
Reviews 1 - 5 (17 Reviews Total)
|
| Next 15 |
User Reviews
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
slobberbubbles
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: January 20, 2010
Bottom Line: Got these cheap off of ebay for around $160. Read reviews ( what few I could find) and decided I'd give 'em a try. I was shocked. I have had quite a few well regarded speakers through the years including the well regarded Energy Connoisseur C3 bookshelves, B&W 602's, Totem Rainmakers, even a set of Def Techs very special BP2002's. All these speakers sounded fantastic in their own way. Same with the Kefs. Extremely good mids, best I've heard in my home. Others complain of the tweeter being either non-existent or too shrill, I found nothing but a tad lean on SOME tracks, which leads me to believe its in the recording, not the speaker. Bass was a little nasal with some music, but never jumbled. In my listening room they performed admirably without the use of a sub, and could hit and hold a decent low note. Fantastic with quick, precise music like jazz and funk. I'm currently using these with a NAD 314 integrated and a Roxsan cd player. Fantastic combo for under $400.
Used product for: 3 Months to 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 1999
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nola
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: March 26, 2009
Bottom Line: I gave the Q1 3 stars not because it is a bad speaker. It isn't. But I feel that you can do better even in this price range.
What's immediate upon first listen is that this is definitely a warm speaker with great detail in the mids. Vocals really soar from the Q1. However, from there on up sounds absolutely lifeless to me. I found myself goosing up the treble on the EQ just to get anything that sounded neutral. I'm not sure if this is due to the Uni-Q array, but it's a disappointment. I simply have never owned a speaker that so desperately needed EQing in one particular area. That's a shame because I run flat virtually all the time, and shouldn't have to EQ just to get a similar amount of high end that the 10 or 15 other pairs of speakers I've owned gave out more or less evenly.
Bass is there, and well behaved. If you understand that modest bass is endemic to the bookshelf design, you won't run to the internet and complain that your small speakers aren't thumping enough. I think that people who complain about bookshelves and bass are confusing real speakers with gimmicky ones from the likes of Bose that falsely produce 'bass' from smaller enclosures. That said, the Q1s produce a very even bass response with no evident peaks or sloppiness. That they are front ported really, really makes placement easier. Another huge plus right there.
I can't stress enough the lush mids from this speaker. You're going to love these if you're particularly into jazz, classical, and vocals, though I've noticed no difficulty with "fast" music as has been suggested by others.
The Q1 looks amazing. It has a fantastic teardrop form and a beautiful driver. I admit that this was a deciding factor in my purchase...what audio nerds refer to as the WAF (wife approval/acceptance factor). While these are considerably larger than you may expect (appx 14" 8" 12"), they are handsome enough to blend with and probably enhance any room.
I imagine that these would make great surrounds or even mains in a HT setup. For music, I'd listen to others in the price range. You may love the Q's and that so-called 'British sound.' I don't. But it's not a terrible speaker by any means. I frequently see them on eBay in the US$100 area. I would definitely pay that for the Q1 and be happy with it. On the whole, I just feel as the speaker is a bit lifeless beyond the outrageously great mids.
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2003
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sharas
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: September 1, 2007
Bottom Line: I just bought them. Well... they sound absolutely fantastique and magnifique.
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2006
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At: London
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Prune_Phace
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: March 24, 2005
Bottom Line: Didn't like these much.Had them for a week.
I found them quite edgy and bright sounding with small soundstage.Start screaming when turned up loud.Much of the problem was because of the evil metal dome tweeter.I've never heard a metal dome tweeter sounding natural
My Dynaudio 42's are a different story.
The Acoustic Energy Aegis ones were much better too
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2003
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At: used
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jbenjamin
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: February 21, 2004
Bottom Line: I chose the KEF brand because I had listened to their Reference series from a cousin. The KEF Q1's, a couple levels below the reference, did not, at first, impress me very much. I bought them to replace my aging Allison's that had blown a woofer. These seemed like a quick fix because of their low price.
I felt that they were to mid-range heavy while not be very detailed in the high frequency range. So I gave it a couple of weeks to break in; noticeable bass improvement. After making a bi-wire Kimber 4PR upgrade from a set of Monster XPi cables I noticed a vast improvement in detail and what I perceive to be "air". Now after my swapping the 9 year old Yamaha receiver for a true stereo amplifier, the NAD 317 Integrated Amp 80 wpc, the bass is more articulate and plays the frequencies it is made to produce with much gusto.
These speakers are more revealing than my previous speakers, Allison CD-6's, so good equipment is definitley recommended for optimum sound. For my small room they perform very admirably and excite me which is the purpose of music listening right? I am happy to say that my $400 did not go to waste and was a decent investment.
My Budget System:
NAD 317 Integrated Amplifier
NAD C521i CD Player
KEF Q1 Speakers
Kimber 4PR custom Bi-Wire
Kimber Tonik (Pre-Amp, Main-in)
Audioquest Diamondback (Cd Player)
Used product for: 1 to 3 months
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2003
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At: Harvey Electronics
|
Reviews 1 - 5 (17 Reviews Total)
|
| Next 15 |
Review Options:
Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating |
