KEF Q100 seems to be EOL and $250 off.

DoubleTap

DoubleTap

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These speakers are normally $550 but the black version has been marked down to $299 for a few months at least.

KEF is releasing a Q150 (it might be out by now) so if you're interested in these, it's a good time to bite.

They seem to be consistently praised as a great value and often described as better than the Elac U5.

I ordered a pair of these for my fronts - a bit concerned about how it will sound with Orb Audio Mod1's for my surround speakers but I think it will be worth it.

Almost all 5s on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047K3X1M/
 
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Debating...do I really need more speakers? Tough call.
 
I'm feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve because mine get here tomorrow.
I've been running Orb Audio Mod1 speakers in a 6.1 for a long time and they are good HT and PC speakers but C+ or maybe B- music speakers and I'm just done with them.

A pair of these plus a 12" sealed box sub and I'm dusting off all kinds of old music.



These guys liked it better than the Elac B6 even when it was a lot more money:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-bookshelf-speakers/

The upgrade pick
Upgrade pick

$550 at Amazon [ref link removed - OP]

A step up in sound quality
KEF Q100
The KEF Q100 offers a clearer, more detailed sound that betters our main pick in all regards.
If you can afford to spend more than $400, take a look at the KEF Q100, which our panel universally preferred. The Q100 speakers sound superior in every respect, from soundstage and detail to bass response and vocal clarity. Music sounds more refined and defined through the Q100 set. During complex test tracks like Beck’s “Lost Cause,” the Q100 made it easy for us to pick out individual instruments, while on other speakers they were more jumbled together.

The KEF Q100 pair sounds relaxed and comfortable, while still presenting lots of detail. You could easily listen to these speakers for hours without your ears growing fatigued.

KEF uses its own Uni-Q layout, which positions the tweeter inside the midrange driver. This arrangement is more expensive to build, which is why most other speakers don’t use it. What it offers is an increase in timing and coherence, as most of the sounds from the speaker originate from a single point. The timing difference between the separate tweeter and midrange drivers on other speakers might be a fraction of a millisecond, but it’s a difference the brain can pick up. In real life, voices and instruments originate from a single point, and the KEF driver better mimics this effect than a conventional two-driver system does.

All of the panelists agreed that we would pay the extra $150 for the KEF Q100 speakers ourselves over the prior DALI ZENSOR 1, because we’re serious about sound and willing to pay more for something that will last us a decade or longer. However, the KEF Q100 are twice the price of the ELAC Debut B6. We’ve seen the Q100s drop to $300 a pair, and at that price, we certainly would get the KEF over the B6. At their normal price, it’s a tougher call. The Q100s are better, but we think most people would be plenty happy with the far cheaper B6s. If you’re sure you want something a bit better and don’t mind paying for it, the Q100s are great.

It also comes in a number of finishes and has a matching $500 center-channel speak
 
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Don't forget !

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Love my Klipsch RP-150M bookshelves, but always wanted to try KEF. Very tempting...
 
What's a good USB dac / amp to pair with these? Looking to use these as replacements for my swan m10s. Thanks in advance!
 
Really enjoying these so far despite not having them positioned very well. (drivers at keyboard level, angled up slightly) Triple monitor setups are a pain when it comes to speaker placement.

I'm thinking of getting some stands to put them above the monitors, maybe sideways (radial symmetry ftw).

Right now I have my receiver cutting them off at 50hz and my 12" sub crossed over at about 60. It's not ideal and needs some tweaking but I think a 12" is just too big for a 10x10' office.

Sub bass issues aside, the clarity on these is fantastic. No regrets.
 
DoubleTap said:
Really enjoying these so far despite not having them positioned very well. (drivers at keyboard level, angled up slightly) Triple monitor setups are a pain when it comes to speaker placement.

I'm thinking of getting some stands to put them above the monitors, maybe sideways (radial symmetry ftw).

Right now I have my receiver cutting them off at 50hz and my 12" sub crossed over at about 60. It's not ideal and needs some tweaking but I think a 12" is just too big for a 10x10' office.

Sub bass issues aside, the clarity on these is fantastic. No regrets.
Click to expand...

I ended up buying some wall speaker mounts for bookshelf speakers (has a clamp and can be angled), I'm using Infinity speakers that are a similar size (6.5" drivers /all wood/heavy etc) in my current setup in my office with 12" sub (crossovered like you) and a receiver, wired to pc etc.

Anyway, this way I could mount them up high and angle them down to where I was sitting, this way I could hear the highs and not have them blocked by my multiple displays and gained desk space back. To avoid drilling into the speakers I used blue tack inbetween the clamps.

Been working for years.
 
Scarby Jones said:
I ended up buying some wall speaker mounts for bookshelf speakers (has a clamp and can be angled), I'm using Infinity speakers that are a similar size (6.5" drivers /all wood/heavy etc) in my current setup in my office with 12" sub (crossovered like you) and a receiver, wired to pc etc.

Anyway, this way I could mount them up high and angle them down to where I was sitting, this way I could hear the highs and not have them blocked by my multiple displays and gained desk space back. To avoid drilling into the speakers I used blue tack inbetween the clamps.

Been working for years.
Click to expand...

I'm debating those kind of wall mounts vs stands on my desk that hold them just over the top of my screens.

The issue with wall mounts is that my desk is not quite centered on the wall (and can't be) and my desk is a sit/stand type. I think clearance would be fine, but it's still a risk.

Stands on the desk would let me position them better but it's a bit more precarious. I think I would want to use some C-clamps to make them less tippy.

At the moment, the drivers are right under my monitors and angled up about 20 degrees. It's working well enough that I can take my time.

I ended up putting the 12" sealed sub in the living room and taking my Infinity 8" ported sub back. The 8 blends a lot better but the real issue is that the 12 was giving me a headache (even at low volume) - it's just too much pressure for a 10x10 office.
 
DoubleTap said:
I'm debating those kind of wall mounts vs stands on my desk that hold them just over the top of my screens.

The issue with wall mounts is that my desk is not quite centered on the wall (and can't be) and my desk is a sit/stand type. I think clearance would be fine, but it's still a risk.

Stands on the desk would let me position them better but it's a bit more precarious. I think I would want to use some C-clamps to make them less tippy.

At the moment, the drivers are right under my monitors and angled up about 20 degrees. It's working well enough that I can take my time.

I ended up putting the 12" sealed sub in the living room and taking my Infinity 8" ported sub back. The 8 blends a lot better but the real issue is that the 12 was giving me a headache (even at low volume) - it's just too much pressure for a 10x10 office.
Click to expand...
Ah, gotcha, yeah, that makes sense. Fortunately mine is pretty centered to the wall so I was able to sit in the best spot front/center, but I definitely agree with you that stands might be a better choice for your setup.

I also tend to agree on the 12" sub, been okay so far for me... But an 8 might blend better. And definitely love the KEFs, I didn't buy this time but probably should have... :)
 
ideviouz said:
Deal appears to be dead/sold out.
Click to expand...

Sold out from the original seller, once they come back into stock you might see it back at this price. If you need speakers now, there are lots of other options in this price range.
 
I sprung for the q300's. If these sound as good as I think they will this will be a great deal.
 
Curious if these would be better than a JBL LSR308. But even if they are probably not by a large margin. So I don't think I'll jump on this. Even though they're selling it for half price even here in EU, The Q300s are actually less than the Q100.
 
M76 said:
Curious if these would be better than a JBL LSR308. But even if they are probably not by a large margin. So I don't think I'll jump on this. Even though they're selling it for half price even here in EU, The Q300s are actually less than the Q100.
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They will be, however they will lack substantial low end, if the system does not have a sub I would stick with the LSR. They will also not have the hissing noise the LSR line tends to have which can still be heard at low volume levels because of the built in class D amp. Better idea of lowend would be to the LSR305's. I find that the 308 and even the 305's in a smaller room can do fine in a computer setup without a sub, however the 8" driver in the 308s is just going to do so much better than the 305 or Q100's. If tied in with a sub, I would go for the Q100's.
 
TheToE! said:
I sprung for the q300's. If these sound as good as I think they will this will be a great deal.
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Some of the pickier reviews say (sounds more like "guess") that the smaller driver in the Q100 transitions better with the tweeter but a lot of people like the Q300 a lot.

My guess is that either one is going to sound fantastic.

M76 said:
Curious if these would be better than a JBL LSR308. But even if they are probably not by a large margin. So I don't think I'll jump on this. Even though they're selling it for half price even here in EU, The Q300s are actually less than the Q100.
Click to expand...

Hard to say - I think the 308s are supposed to be excellent but I've never tried them.

I'm extremely pleased with the KEF speakers - especially now that I have them mounted the way I do.

I feel like my PC audio system is now about as good as it can be without scaling the vast cliff of diminishing returns. Maybe a good DAC someday, but I'm extremely happy right now.
 
BlueFireIce said:
They will be, however they will lack substantial low end, if the system does not have a sub I would stick with the LSR. They will also not have the hissing noise the LSR line tends to have which can still be heard at low volume levels because of the built in class D amp. Better idea of lowend would be to the LSR305's. I find that the 308 and even the 305's in a smaller room can do fine in a computer setup without a sub, however the 8" driver in the 308s is just going to do so much better than the 305 or Q100's. If tied in with a sub, I would go for the Q100's.
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The hiss doesn't bother me at all. I can only hear it if I move my ears to within 30cms of the speakers even if nothing is playing. I don't have a sub and I don't plan to get one either.
TBH based on the reviews of the LSR I've expected more from it. It's not bad, but it's not that great either. It's fine for everyday computing, but it's a bit too expensive for that. For music I don't like it at all. I have a pair of 3 way standing speakers that I got for less than $200 when they were new 10 years ago and they sound much better to me music wise.
 
M76 said:
The hiss doesn't bother me at all. I can only hear it if I move my ears to within 30cms of the speakers even if nothing is playing. I don't have a sub and I don't plan to get one either.
TBH based on the reviews of the LSR I've expected more from it. It's not bad, but it's not that great either. It's fine for everyday computing, but it's a bit too expensive for that. For music I don't like it at all. I have a pair of 3 way standing speakers that I got for less than $200 when they were new 10 years ago and they sound much better to me music wise.
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To me, the Q100s have a surprising amount of bass and I hear the Q300s are even better. As long as you're not into bass head music, these speakers will make you love music again and you won't need a sub. I would get a decent amp though - they are not particularly sensitive so you will want a little headroom.
 
M76 said:
The hiss doesn't bother me at all. I can only hear it if I move my ears to within 30cms of the speakers even if nothing is playing. I don't have a sub and I don't plan to get one either.
TBH based on the reviews of the LSR I've expected more from it. It's not bad, but it's not that great either. It's fine for everyday computing, but it's a bit too expensive for that. For music I don't like it at all. I have a pair of 3 way standing speakers that I got for less than $200 when they were new 10 years ago and they sound much better to me music wise.
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The LSR are actually quiet good, but are NOT most peoples taste, as the LSR have no color to them, they are meant to be studio monitors and are very flat (as they should be). As for price, the LSR are powered speakers, and need no amp, which would be added cost to anything else, considering that and what they are meant for, they are great for the money. If you want something more for music, I would suggest the ELAC B6.
 
The LSR 305's are my reference. I'll let you guys know how I like the Q300's after I get them hooked up tonight.
 
TheToE! said:
The LSR 305's are my reference. I'll let you guys know how I like the Q300's after I get them hooked up tonight.
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Awesome. I've been looking at the LSR 305/308 for a while now (was initially looking at the Yamaha HS5/HS8 but was told that the LSRs would be better for music).

If the Q100/Q300 are better as far as musicality then I'll take the LSRs off of my Amazon wish list. I don't mind accuracy but I'd rather have musicality and I realize that studio monitors typically aren't designed for that. Which is probably why I never replaced my Audioengine A5s (my reference point) with the KRK Rokits that I bought and are still sealed in the basement. :p

Sounds like I also need to check out ELAC...
 
Lateralus said:
Sounds like I also need to check out ELAC...
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The B6s many people will find more musical, the Q100 have good lower end, but nothing like the B6, which has a larger woofer. The Q100 can also get very VERY bright on the top end, big time at higher volumes, I find this better for fronts in a home theater setup because of this, while the B6's in the same setup would tend to sound more muddy in vocals.

Keep in mind I have had very little time with both, but that is what I got from them, Q100 are brighter, and B6 are more warm and musical. These were in different locations, but room size and layout was pretty close.
 
BlueFireIce said:
The B6s many people will find more musical, the Q100 have good lower end, but nothing like the B6, which has a larger woofer. The Q100 can also get very VERY bright on the top end, big time at higher volumes, I find this better for fronts in a home theater setup because of this, while the B6's in the same setup would tend to sound more muddy in vocals.

Keep in mind I have had very little time with both, but that is what I got from them, Q100 are brighter, and B6 are more warm and musical. These were in different locations, but room size and layout was pretty close.
Click to expand...

That's the thing though - the room is part of your audio system and ultimately, it's about whether you like them (the speakers) in your setup with the music you listen to. I don't like to listen to speakers at stores for that reason - it bears no resemblance to where I will use them.
 
Deathskythee said:
white version is now 299
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Wow, I really preferred the white ones (since they will probably end up in the living room at some point down the road) but figured they would only put the basic black ones on sale. I'm almost tempted to exchange....
 
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