KEF Q SERIES 5.1. 2/£3, 300

REVIEWS

Ed Selley enjoys the highs
and lows of this KEF array

The Q Series remains KEF's entry point for tower
speakers, below the R Series and Reference lines,
and the super-stylish and super-expensive Bladeand Muon models. If you're looking for the KEF soundwrit large, this is where you'll probably start.

Atmosjoins
KEF's Q
branchThe Qs are now into an eighth iteration, having originallylaunched back in 1991. Much has changed over the years(including the provision of Dolby Atmos support, more onthat later), but one thing has remained constant – the useof a Uni-Q driver.
KEF watchers will be familiar with the Uni-Q, but here's
a quick recap. By mounting a tweeter unit at the acoustic
centre of a midbass driver, the brand claims it gets 'closer
than ever' to the holy grail of a single point source, bringing
with it benefits in sound dispersion and sonic clarity.
A Uni-Q driver, in one form or another, is used in every
speaker in this package, bar the subwoofer. They are visibly
similar to ones we’ve looked at in the past, featuring as they
do items like the tangerine waveguide (which as well as
improving dispersion gives a cool jet-engine vibe to thedrivers). Behind the scenes, however, the Q Series drivers
feature a new tweeter loading tube, intended to beef up
lower treble performance and ensure a better crossover
between the high and midbass units.
The package in question is a 5.1.2 system, with a retailprice of a fraction under £3,300. On front left and right duty
are KEF's Q750s (£1,150-per-pair); for the surroundchannels we have the £530-per-pair Q350 standmounts.
These are joined by the Q650C centre channel speaker(£550), the only such model in the Q range. As the latter
uses 6.5in drivers, those who want the same units acrosstheir LCR stage will have to go with this overall system.
There are smaller floorstander (Q550) and standmount(Q150) models available, but these feature 5.25in Uni-Qdrivers. There's also a flagship Q950 floorstander, wherethe Uni-Qs expand to 8in.
Unusually, there are two different methods of bass
management in use across the Q range. The Q350s havea rear-mounted bass port, employing 'Computational Flow
Dynamics' to ensure the greatest efficiency combined withthe lowest noise. The Q750 floorstanders, on the otherhand, are sealed cabinet designs.
While there appear to be four drivers in this toweringcabinet, only two of them are conventionally wired to thecrossover. The other two are auxiliary bass radiators, which
help control low-frequency energy in the cabinets –a practice more commonly seen in subwoofers. Thisis also the system used in the Q650C.
As if KEF was wanting to go all in on cabinet options,
the Q50a is a traditional sealed box. And the Q50a,perhaps, is what elevates this package beyond its myriad
mid-range competitors...

AV INFOPRODUCT:
5.1.2 floorstanding
speaker system
POSITION:
KEF's entry-level
largescale speakers,
above compact Tand E Series
PEERS:DALI Opticon 5.1;
ELAC Debut 5.1.2

All aboard the Atmos express
When Dolby Atmos was announced, audio brands weregiven an opportunity but one that came with caveats.
Sure, it was a chance to sell more speakers, but it had tobe balanced against consumer desires to keep things neatand tidy. Over the years, people have shown resistance tohaving more than five channels of speakers in their room
– particularly if a physical, paint-work-ruining installation
was also required.

1
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1. The Q750
floorstanders feature
dual passive radiators
for a low-end boost

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REVIEWSREVIEWS

KEF was early out of the blocks with a response. Its RSeries speakers were joined by the R50, an upward-firing
Dolby-certified speaker for placing on top of an existing
stereo pair (either at the front or back of an array). This waspotentially not as elegant as building the angled driver into
the same cabinet, but with a strong pedigree in stereo (andan ongoing desire to keep it), KEF probably felt this was thebetter solution. Now the Q Series has been updated andthe same principle applied.
While this is good news for Atmos fans, it’s also goodnews for less committed multichannel users. The Q50a(£450 per pair) is designed to work equally happily
mounted on a wall as a surround speaker (two internalbrackets are fitted), with its 5.25in Uni-Q driver angled
downwards towards the listener from a suggested
elevation of 2ft above ear-height.

2‘After years of fettling andmultiple generations, theUni-Q driver is able to do
things unusual at the price'
There is no dedicated Q Series subwoofer. Therefore,taking on LFE in our package is KEF's brand-new Kube10b,
a relatively compact and affordable model (£600)
featuring a 10in custom driver in a sealed cabinet. A 300W
Class D amp provides the power, in collaboration withKEF's bespoke iBX (Intelligent Bass Extension) DSP engine,
resulting in a lower claimed extension (24Hz rather than35Hz) over the previous 10in Kube2. 8in and 12in Kube
models are now also available.
Aesthetically, there are some pluses and minuses towhat KEF has done with this latest version of the Q Series.
Compared to the previous generation, which had a fairfew visual adornments, the new models seem almost
minimalist, with only the tweeter being finished in a colour
other than that which you ordered the speaker in. The finish
options at the time of writing were white and the black you
see here. This lack of additional detailing does mean thatthe black KEFs really are very black indeed. This is brilliant
for anyone looking for something for a projector-based
setup, but at times I felt like I was hosting a conventionof monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey...

3

These are also fairly large speakers. The Q750 isn’t thattall but it is pretty deep, and it uses a set of outriggers(not photographed) which considerably increases thefootprint. The Q650C is also a bit of a whopper. It mirrors
the driver complement of the Q750, less a single ABR,
but at 63cm wide, you are going to need a fair amountof space for it. The news isn’t all bad, though. The Q Series
are beautifully made and KEF’s use of ABRs has ensured
that the front speakers are easy to place and also
impressively sensitive.

Effortless Uni-Q
Connected to a Yamaha AVR and Emotiva A700 poweramp (the latter handling the main five speakers), the KEFs
proved easy enough to get in and running once I elbowedsome equipment out of the way of the Q650C. And once
you settle down and start listening, KEF trademarks arepresent from the very beginning. After multiple generations
and two decades of fettling, the Uni-Q driver really is able
to do things that are unusual at the price. There is a depth
and effortless three-dimensionality to the way that they
render a soundstage that is addictive.
This means that when you give the KEFs something
sizable to get their teeth into, the result is extremely
convincing. Immortan Joe’s speech to the massed crowd
at the foot of the citadel in Mad Max; Fury Road (DolbyREPRINTED FROM HOME CINEMA CHOICEwww.homecinemachoice.com

Atmos, Blu-ray) is conveyed with a real sense of his
distance to the crowd and the vastness of the surrounding
wasteland. Within this space, the crucial effects areplaced with pinpoint accuracy – buzzing flies, clanking
empty pots and crowd chatter pepper the soundscape.
As you might hope with an identical Uni-Q in each main
cabinet, the blend between speakers is exceptionally
good, and across the front three in particular the effectis absolutely uniform.
This is down in no small part to the Q650C. It might bea big lad but this lends it the ability to generate a sense ofmonstrous scale in keeping with the Q750 floorstanders.
It also does a fine turn with voices. Later in Mad Max... in the
middle of the sandstorm, Nux’s deranged intonation is
replicated perfectly amongst the soundmix's medley ofother noises. What I found most rewarding about this isthat while the KEFs can unpick the most congested
material, they don’t do it in a manner so analytical thatyou lose the fundamental joyous insanity of the film.
The Q50a Atmos module does a cracking job too.
I was actually given four to play with, and my listening
flitted between 5.1.2 and 5.1.4, placing them atop therespective main speakers. Their output melds smoothlywith the larger enclosures, and the extra sense of scale
and immersion they add to the sandstorm sequence isbeautifully judged. Something that helps the Q50a deliver
the goods is that it has meaningful range of its own. KEF
quotes a figure of 95Hz for the lower roll off, but in-room
and placed on the substantial cabinet of another Q Series
speaker, it feels like there is more than that available.
Grippy rubber feet are fitted to help keep the unit in place;
this also ensures there is no sign of cabinet resonanceor any other unwanted noise.
The real star turn for the KEFs is with that rarest ofthings, subtle use of Atmos. As you might imagine, theyhandle the immediate aftermath of the water landing in
Sully (Blu-ray, Dolby Atmos) exceptionally well, but I was
equally impressed with how they conveyed the enveloping
ambience of the airport terminal. The scale they impartis beautiful but nuanced – the sort of thing that you don’t
notice until you unplug them. This isn’t the time to talkabout the ‘correct’ use of height effects but this has tobe one of the more worthwhile examples for me.
Against this largely positive assessment, there isn’tmuch to be negative about the system as a whole.
The Q350 standmount is a fine performer, but an issue
that I found when I reviewed them in a two-channel
configuration – of slightly overcooked bass when
positioned too close to a wall, something that is more likely
to happen when used as a surround speaker – surfacedagain. This can be countered by repositioning, breaking out
the foam bungs for their rear ports, or experimenting withcrossover settings.
For a slightly more affordable package you might
consider using the Q50a model for surround channels,
as it has the performance power and, if you wall mountit, you get some floor space back, too.
The performance of the Kube10b is also on the money.
Its bass tones mesh well with the other speakers, and it has
rather more low-end shove than might be expected for a
sub of this size. There's also agility in evidence; it starts andstop at the right moments, making for a tight, well-defined
low-frequency layer that increases the cinematic appeal of
the whole array. In truth, if you must have the sort of bassthat you perceive as a slightly urgent feeling in your lower
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SPECIFICATIONS
Q750DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 6.5in aluminium Uni-Q midbass driver with 1 x 1in aluminium
tweeter; 1 x 6.5in aluminium bass driver; 2 x 6.5in auxiliary bass radiators
ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 48Hz-28kHz SENSITIVITY(CLAIMED): 88dB POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 150W DIMENSIONS: 323(w) x 977(h)x 310(d)mm (with plinth) WEIGHT: 16.5kg
Q650C
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 6.5in aluminium Uni-Q midbass driver with 1 x 1in aluminium
tweeter; 1 x 6.5in aluminium bass driver; 1 x 6.5in auxiliary bass radiator
ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 64Hz-28kHzSENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 88dB POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 150W
DIMENSIONS: 629(w) x 214(h) x 304(d)mm WEIGHT: 13.6kg
Q350
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 6.5in aluminium Uni-Q midbass driver with 1 x 1in aluminium
tweeter ENCLOSURE: Ported FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 63Hz-28kHzSENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 87dB POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 120W
DIMENSIONS: 210(w) x 362(h) x 306(d)mm (with rubber feet) WEIGHT: 7.6kg
Q50a
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 5.25in aluminium Uni-Q midbass driver with 1 x 1in aluminium
tweeter ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 96Hz-19.5kHz
SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 86dB POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 100W
DIMENSIONS: 180(w) x 174(h) x 259(d)mm WEIGHT: 4.25kg
Kube10b (subwoofer)
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 10in woofer ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED):
24Hz-140Hz (+/-3dB) ON BOARD POWER (CLAIMED): 300W REMOTE CONTROL: No
DIMENSIONS: 370(w) x 353(h) x 370(d)mm WEIGHT: 17.4kg CONNECTIONS: Stereo
phono input/LFE input; speaker-level input

PARTNER WITH
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD:
A brilliantly straightforward
action flick endowed with an
Atmos soundmix that evokes
the smell of petrol fumes.
Pick up last year's Black-andChrome Blu-ray edition for achance to watch it withalternative grading.

intestine, then this may fall short, but given how easy it isto place and live with – helped by a clever switch that alters
the frequency response for wall, corner or free-spacepositioning that really does work – I can see many people
being perfectly happy with it.

New contender

2. KEF's Q50a Atmos
units are sealed box,
Uni-Q driver designs
3. The Kube10b
back-plate features an
EQ switch for in-room,
corner or wall/cabinet
installation

In fact, I can see plenty of people being perfectly happy
with this KEF collection full stop. I’m not going to pretend
to being the biggest fan of its industrial design, but looks
are subjective (I know HCC's editor is a fan) and this is a setof speakers that's so continuously sonically convincing it
really doesn’t matter. Presentation is spacious, lifelike andbalanced between the channels, while the cabinets areeasy to drive. Throw in their excellent Atmos integrationand you have a brilliant new contender at the price point nVERDICTKEF Q Series 5.1.2➜ £3,300 ➜ www.kef.com/gb

WE SAY: This Q Series package delivers an outstandingly
cinematic and largescale presentation (with Atmos highs)
from well-built speakers.
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