KEF Owners Thread - Page 156

Just picked myself up a q600c brand new for 500, at an authorized dealer in canada pretty happy about that!

That doesn't make sense to me. Is the warranty meant for the product or the owner?

I checked the KEF website and it doesn't look like the warranty is transferable but I would thing it's odd that if a $4,000 speaker break, is purchased using an authorized dealer and is still under warranty won't be fixed. The original owner is reaching out to KEF (for which I'm grateful). Will keep you posted.

Well I did some research and it says it is based off of a UniQ driver. I think that means it not the same thing, but that they used the uniQ design to design it. Not really sure.

If it is based off of it, i'm going to assume it works the same way.

exm: I'm with You on that one. Sounds quite stupid to me. Most products worth much, much less I bought over my life always had a warranty that stayed with it no matter how many owners changed over it's time period

Are you just assuming this? Because a lot of warranties on many different sorts of products are specifically NOT transferable from the original owner. Some are, yes. But some aren't. It is not uncommon for warranties on electronics to be non-transferable.

No, I do not think the drivers are coincidentally arrayed. The tweeter is not located at the center of a midwoofer. At least as best I can tell it's not. If you can find a picture or something that says otherwise, please post a link.

That said, the center channel version may include some design features that enhance its horizontal performance. I think it is a 2.5-way design but it is unclear exactly what type of 2.5-way design. With some 2.5-way speakers both midwoofers operate at the lowest frequencies but only one driver operates through the critical midrange frequenices. This alleviates some of the midrange anomalies that are associated with conventional 2-way MTM designs. But, again, it is unclear exactly how the speaker operates.

Ultimately, if you need 3 flat, horizontal speakers, you may have to make some compromises.

Well, right now I have my reference gear (12" Tannoy Dual Concentrics, multiple big subwoofers) in storage, and I'm using three of the KHT3005SE eggs up front with two HTS1005.2 eggs for surround in my apartment, along with three hidden (non-KEF) subwoofers. I'm driving them with an Anthem MRX 300 receiver, though until it died I was driving them with a Denon AVR-4308ci.

For their size the 3005SE eggs keep their composure very well. And they image like honestly nothing else I've heard. They may be some of the best speakers at any price when it comes to imaging. Including the bigger and otherwise better KEFs.


No idea what's out there at that price point.

Sorta/kinda/not really. Yes, they tend to be less awful generally than toppled MTM's, which are universally awful.

But the differing diffraction profiles of the baffles makes them still sound different from the mains they allegedly "match."


Three identical speakers, arrayed in the same manner, is required for high-fidelity reproduction. Horizontal or vertical isn't terribly material.

If one has a placement restriction for one of the main channels, then that should carry over to the others. Which means that the logical answer for a lot of people is actually three center channels!

One generally wouldn't use different speakers* for right and left. Using a different speaker for center is equally stupid. They're all supposed to form the front soundstage together!

*Aside from, perhaps, symmetrically-offset mirror image pairs, e.g. NHT 3.3, JBL LSR6332.

Uh, yeah, really. A you know this as well as I do.


Yeah, this goes without saying. Which is why I didn't say it. Of course, even 3 identical speakers will still "sound different".


That might make sense but I don't think that is the logical answer for most people. That may be a reasonable option for a movie-only setup and the UniQ-equipped KEFs may lend themselves well to doing that but I think that it is actually probably impractical for most people. Very few people can or are willing to accommodate horizontal speakers in their R/L speaker positions. And I certainly wouldn't recommend it with standard MTMs or even 3-way WMTWs. IMO, generally, if 2-channel music listening is of any import, 3 compromised horizontal speakers across the front, even though they match, is worse than 2 ideal, vertically-arrayed speakers and one compromised horizontal speaker.


Of course. But you well know that this is not always practically attainable. Hence the need for horizontal center channel speakers. And the reason we are even discussing this.


The point here is that, as far as horizontal speakers are concerned, whether you need or want a horizontal speaker in only the center position or in all positions, a speaker with a coincidentally arrayed driver like a KEF is one of the better designs. Do you disagree?

What's illogical about taking the compromises one must make, and optimizing around them.

"Three centers" (this is a KEF thread so I'm assuming based on Uni-Q drivers or similar) is certainly a better option than sticking something different from the left and right speakers in the system.


Who's saying anything about movies.

For movies, it doesn't much matter anyway. Things like "soundstage" are fundamentally music concepts, not movie concepts. With movies, the screen creates the soundstage and the brain fills it in.


What makes you think that vertical is more "ideal" than horizontal?

Again, assuming the mids and up come from a point-source driver or a vertically-oriented mid-tweet with a waveguide on the tweeter to match its directivity at the bottom of its passband with the mid's directivity at the top of its passband.

IDENTICAL is standard. (GOOD and identical is the ideal. )

Everything else is flawed. Fine for movies, to be sure, but rarely if ever acceptable for more demanding program material.


I don't consider anything other than identical front speakers as worthy of discussion in the context of a system designed to reproduce music with high fidelity. For movies, whatever.

So I do disagree, I guess.

No, you don't.

Agreed. And I believe this is true regardless of music vs. HT.

agreed and even worse is taking a vertical speaker and laying it sideways just to have 3 identical speakers.. you wouldnt set a regular center with the tweeter offset 2 feet to the left, so 3 identical speakers doesnt work for everyone.

ill take 2 big floorstanders and a center, and have the best possible for 2ch music, and a little sub par for movies.

You guys knowledge is way over my head, I'm not even sure I understand what you are saying because of that.

So if I have three wall mount speakers that are identical and the center has to be horizontal and I don't care if the front R and L are horizontal or vertical then which choice would be better for sound especially for movies? Would it be better to have them all horizontal or just center horizontal?

If it's not much of a difference then i'm going to just mount them however they look best.

Thanks for any advice.

Sorry if the advice got to be overwhelming. Ideally, they would all be vertical. Placing it horizontal is a sonic compromise. If it has to be horizontal try to sit directly in front of it and not too much off to one side or the other. With all 3 horizontal someone will always be off to the side. Stick to the center only if possible.

The T301/101 does not use the UniQ driver. Its tweeter is similar to the UniQ tweeter but that is all. The UniQ places has the tweeter in the center of the midrange speaker which then makes which way the speaker is placed moot. This is not true of the T301/101 speakers. The 3005 series would be a better choice but are not as thin as the T series.

If you're going with the T series, just do this. But get the "c" (center) version for any speaker which might be horizontal. I don't know if it is different, but if if is, it may be somehow optimized for horizontal placement. It may just have a different face/grill and a different stand mounting option.

I really appreciate the advice from everyone who replied. Thank you.

no dealers around me seem to have any of the IQ series.

I really want the

IQ90x2
IQ60
IQ30

but I can't audition them, are they significantly different from the new Q series? better/worse sounding?

Hi Everyone,
Tomorrow we are having a Blade event in the NJ/NY area. Please call to RSVP if you would like to join us, it will start at 5pm.

Woodbridge Stereo Video
751 Amboy Avenue
(NJ Route 35)
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Phone 732-636-7777


Sincerely,

KEF America

Hi

Can anyone offer some advice please.

A few years ago i bought a set of Kef3005 speakers which i liked as you could wall mount, i found i did not like the stereo sound with CD though.

My solution was replace the 2 front speakers with IQ7 and bi amp from an Onkyo NX809. (just bought this AV amp)

The room is small about 14 *12 feet and the stereo / tv are set on the long wall, so my question is..

Has anyone tried the IQ7 with say the IQ10 speakers for the rears and if so any idea would they perform better than the 3005 set i use now. Could i wall mount the IQ10 with it's back straight against the wall or would that loose a lot please.

My thoughts are sell the 3005 as a full set and buy IQ10 IQ60 and a sub however space is an issue.

Any ideas would be great thanks folks

the iq7 and iq1 combo would be a great choice... i had that setup and it performed wonderfully biamped or not.

He's asking about how the older iQ series, which is no longer availale, might match up with the newer series. iQ7 with iQ10, not iQ1.

allan0210, I have not heard the two, side by side, and I doubt anyone else has, either. I would think though, that they do not differ too differently in their overall character and timbre.

Actually I have both iq1's and iq10's and they are nearly identical in sound. If using for a surround or rear I doubt you would hear any difference in pairing them with the iq7's. I say go for it.

I was wondering anyone here heard both, the xq speakers and the new r series. I bought not long ago the xq series speakers(xq40's, xq20's and xq50c) and would like to know if the new R series sounds much "better". Look wise I prefer the look of the xq speakers

Here one more, have XQ 40 / XQ 20 and waiting for R series reviews (R300/ R700)...

Hi

Thank you all for the answers re the IQ7 and IQ10 has any one got experiance of the change from the 3005 upto the IQ10 please. i guess my thought is would the change be worthwhile and would the IQ10 go straight back on the wall ok.

I am in the UK and maybe the IQ30 may be easier to source.

Many thanks

The IQ10 will mount fine on the wall, however you will need the required wall mount due to the shape of the cabinet. That mount will also allow you to tilt and swivel.

.
I have a question about correct placement of my KEF iQ8ds dipole surround speakers.

As I understand it, dipole surrounds have an in-phase side and an out-of-phase side. When used as “Sides” (as mine are) you’re supposed to orient them so that the in-phase side of each speaker faces towards the front of the room. (One good explanation/diagram of this approach is HERE.) Many makers of dipole surround speakers label their dipole surrounds as “right” and “left” to ensure this correct placement.

My iQ8ds have no such labeling. I’ve found instruction manuals for a couple of other (newer) KEF dipole surrounds and they don’t seem to have R or L labels either. Nor, is there any mention of correct phase orientation of dipole surrounds in any KEF literature that I have found.

Why the difference? – Is there something different about KEF dipole surrounds? Does KEF just not think that it’s necessary to “orient dipole surrounds so that the in-phase side of each (side surround) speaker faces towards the front of the room”? Or, something else?

I welcome any knowledgeable answers. – Of course, an “Official" KEF response would be really great!

Thanks,
Dave
.

Many thanks