KEF Q500 Floorstanding Speakers Black (Pair)

Product Information

Oh, my… It’s always a treat to listen to KEF speakers and the Q550 is no different. First impression is how detailed and homogeneous they sound. This is clearly evident with string quartets; life-sized, dynamic and agile. Everything is placed where it’s supposed to be within the sound stage and the relative sizes between the instruments is preserved. Bass instruments are never overblown to the point where they overpower the other instruments while also being agile enough to start and stop on a dime. Lead instruments, like violin, flute and electric guitar, are reproduced with excellent dynamics and textures and also serves to demonstrate the high resolution of these speakers. And it can play surprisingly loud despite its relatively small size. The Q500 is very articulate; perhaps one of the most articulate loudspeakers I have ever listened to. Its clarity and presentation of detail, including what I might call selectivity (i.e., its ability to reproduce low-level information accurately in the presence of high-level signals close in frequency), exceeded my expectations. It creates a very believable soundstage despite various different placement schemes (though with the expected obvious and subtle differences), making it room-friendly. Though its sensitivity is specified as 87dB, the Q500 is easy to drive with as little as a 15-watt amplifier. Keeping the volume level in mind, no matter which recording I listened to, be it acoustic jazz, chamber music, and all but the most over-compressed sources, I found my attention immediately drawn to the distinctive and compelling sound. With the simple addition of a control to adjust the output level(s) of the Uni-Q driver to more closely match that of the woofer (or the listener’s tastes), this speaker has the potential to compete with many others, so exceptional is its quality and performance in most respects. In any estimation, the Q500 offers a noteworthy value for overall quality at its price point. Those who appreciate a very articulate sonic presentation should give them a listen. SPECS & PRICING

So I was searching for a floostanding speaker and auditioned in various stores at least the following: Monitor Audio BX5, RX6. Dali Zensor 5/7, Icon6 mk2, Rega rs3, Epos epic?, some Dynaudio, some Elac, some cheap Boston Acoustics, some System Audio and some Amphion and finally Kef Q500. All around or under 1000€.

The KEF Q550 is only equipped with premium-grade gold plated bi-wire terminals as its only input. You can use any bare wires or any kinds of banana plugs to connect with it. All passive speakers are really limited with their controls and connectivity. The critically acclaimed Q Series from KEF has won a vast number of awards and exists to showcase KEF's design philosophy of reproducing a quality of sound that's indistinguishable from the actual live event. KEF achieve this phenomenal result by combining intelligent engineering constructs with imaginative design concepts. The Q Series provides a truly immersive sound response, complete with three dimensional imagery of a richness and clarity normally found in flagship loudspeaker models from lesser brands. This impression is deepened by the Q700s’ driver-count. The 165mm aluminium Uni-Q driver with centre-mounted 25mm tweeter is taken from the class- leading Q300 standmounter. It’s joined by a 165mm low-frequency driver and two 165mm auxiliary bass radiators. I own the Q100 for more than a year, and it has grown on me. Initially the sound was not that clean ,it seemed a bit muddled, but over time it has changed . I dont know if it is break in or such, but it took a preety long time to sound it best.

The Uni-Q drivers array give the Q500 speakers a frequency response of 40Hz – 40kHz, a maximum output of 110dB with 87dB sensitivity and 8 Ohms impedance.

Sound Quality

The chassis of the speakers is made of die-cast aluminium which rigidly locates the high efficiency vented magnet assembly to prevent unwanted resonance while the enclosure features internal bracing to eliminate resonance and according to KEF provide 30% more volume in comparison to their predecessors. In addition to the 50mm voice coil that provides better power handling and the dedicated front-firing auxiliary bass radiators (ABRs) the Q500 manages to provide deeper and more accurate bass than ever before. But once they reach the beach and the front doors open is where the Q500 show their excellence. It’s not that they can produce all this loudness happening but how they are recreating every sound. There is so much information during this scene that many times you are lost in all this audio cacophony. The Q500s manage to control all this masterfully by being able to give even the smallest of details. German machine guns produce a very trumping sound when firing while the characteristic ping of allied empty magazines are heard more clear than ever. Bullets hitting the marine boats and the tank hedgehogs are heard with great impact while artillery explosions on the beach feel menacing and more real than ever. Overall, the KEF Q550 is built excellently. Its enclosure is also built with medium density fiberboard which is pretty standard in the audio industry. Its high-quality construction and components make an impressive floorstanding speaker that can last for a very long time. P.S. - Watch out for lazy salesmen that don't want to swap speakers to a different receiver in the showroom etc., give your money to one that actually cares about you finding your perfect sound, not just an easy sale. The last to consider is that you need to have an amplifier to be able to use the KEF Q550 because it is a passive speaker. You need to have an amplifier with a power of 15 to 130 Watts RMS (Root Mean Square) and a nominal impedance of 8 ohms or a minimum of 3.5 ohms to be able to use the speakers.