Grrr...had mind made up but big sale. Focal 716/814 vs Kef Q700/900

The 814 is a dressed up 716 speaker, that was made to be sold at Sound Advice, before
they went out of business. While the Q900 is bigger, I lean towards the Focal.

There is a deal I will recommend to you, but it is TODAY ONLY and ONLINE ONLY.

KEF DIRECT has the iQ90 speakers, which would be a good deal at $1000-1200, for sale today at $660 per pair.

This is a spectacular deal on some very very good speakers.

KEF has been one of the top speaker manufacturers in England for 50 years, and for good reason. They make excellent speakers.

The Focal 814 is not half the speaker that the iQ90 is. The iQ90 has better sound overall, and goes down to 33 Hz (the Focal only claims to go down to 50 Hz).

Of course the bass extension is not a critical issue if you will be using a subwooofer
Edited by commsysman - 11/26/12 at 3:18pm

Subjective opinions are free

However I do not agree, that the Focal is only half as good as the KEF. I still give
the edge to Focal in overall sound quality. I do not judge a speaker quality, by the
so-called overall bass response.

One needs to judge for themselves what they prefer.

I did some shopping 3 years ago, and ended up buying the PSB Image T6 speakers rather than the Q900.

I think they are a better-sounding speaker, and I also like the iQ90 better.

The only reason to prefer the Q900, IMO, is the 10-inch drivers and their really low bass. That would be good if you were NOT going to use a subwoofer, but I am in love with the bass I get from my NHT B12D subwoofer, which is better than any of them, lol; very very clean, tight, and realistic. It does the heavy lifting in my system from 40 Hz on down.

I find the Focal to be a "warm" sounding speaker, by which I mean its sound is not as well-defined as the PSB or KEF speakers in general. Its sound might be preferable with an amplifier which had a tendency to be rough-sounding when stressed a bit, but that is the only reason I can see to consider it.

The Focal Chorus 826 is a very nice speaker, but it is $3495 too (and there are others I would prefer in that price range).
Edited by commsysman - 11/26/12 at 3:47pm

You find Focal Polyglass drivers "warm"? Wow! My experiences have been the opposite lol. Difference in ears are weird

I do not need a so-called rough or edgy amp or receiver, to drive Focal speakers.
I do not consider them warm, > I consider them neutral, with plenty of detail and
definition and they have good imaging and sound-stage presentation.

If you choose KEF, I would prefer the Q series to the iQ -

However regardless of what you choose, you will still have a decent system.
Edited by zieglj01 - 11/26/12 at 4:15pm

I have heard both. Either are quality speakers and extremly good buys but my preference lies with the Focal 814v's. I really dislike using terms like "warm" to describe sepakers because its all subjective, but I guess it is the best we got. Sort of like describing how a strawberry tastes - wet, tart, sweet, juicy, luscious etc, etc. You get the idea - there is no other way to do it.

That being said, to my ears I would not call the Focals warm at all. The KEF IQ90's sounded more warm to me. The Focal's were much more "livelier" and "snappy" while the KEF were the ones that sounded laid back. Not to knock either - all the more reason to listen to both if possible. However if I could not, I would pick the Focal 814V's in a heartbeat especially at the deal that accessories4less currently has. Not only do I prefer the sound but that gorgeous piano black finish isn't too bad to look at either. Good luck in your decision - at the prices they are selling for, you really can't go wrong with either.

Id rather have focal as well, both are nice, but kef just doesn't do it for me. I haven't heard the newest kefs, but I did hear the iQ and XQs.

fwiw, the focals have that open airy-ness great detailed soundstage. they remind me of the snell d7's with their dual tweeters that i owned for a very short time

check out the hsu stf-2 subwoofer.

I would weigh out the sub options - since you want a sub that is tight and controlled
with music. Do not make quick decisions on this - and keep HSU on a short list.

I ordered Monitor audio RX8's,rx center and rx surrounds,all gloss white.. I should have mine friday also.. Friday is speaker day for us...

no one post about their new system!

uh.....nice thread bump 2 months later

is necessary to make a new thread for this?

^right....i was just curious what the OP thought of his new setup. It's like reading a book that has no ending.