KEF iQ10 and iQ30

[trickards]

Hello!

I am currenly in the market for some new bookshelf speakers. I am looking at the KEF iQ10 and iQ30 (also the Dali's and MA BR2's) and I am wondering if you might be able to elaborate on the differences i might noticce between the two. They are basically the same speaker - the 30's being bigger of course, but will i notice a difference in sound?

I am moving around a lot at the moment and i need the bass to travel over a variety of different size rooms (unknown at this point) and stay rich. I will be using them as fronts in my home cinema set up as well as in the hi-fi.

Ultimately - are they worth the extra money? Will they properly fill a bigger room (medium sized lounge say 9x6m ish)?

Floor standers aren't really an option as I do not know whether they will fit in the smaller rooms!

I notice the what hi-fi review of the iQ10's states they are not bi-wirable - can somebody confirm if that is accurate?

Thanks!

 

[The_Lhc]

I imagine the main difference between the two will be that the 30 will produce more bass, being a larger cabinet (and driver?). I'm quite interested in these myself for one of my rooms that I move around in a lot, a large soundstage would be useful in that room, which is what these KEFs seem to do well at.

 

[Tibor]

You will find a review about both Kefs and others on Usher homepage, in reviews(from HIFI WORLD)

 

[trickards]

That would be really useful, could you be slightly more specific as to where i can get reviews of both kefs?

 

[Tibor]

OnÿUSHERAUDIO.com,ÿinÿreviews,ÿseeÿHIFIWORLDÿ2009ÿjanuary(comparativeÿbookshelfÿtest)

 

[Big Chris]

Once Jeeves brings Hughes123's attention to this thread (You don't keep staff and surf yourself you know. ;-), I'm sure he'll be able to give you a glowing report of his newly acquirred IQ30s.

Only kidding Hughsey!

 

[trickards]

The more feedback the better!

I am really wondering how they will get on with a Sony STR-DG820 in stereo for music and in 5.1 fpr gaming/movies with some Kef 2005.2 eggs (sub later). I mainly listen to rock/metal music so I am looking for a setup that can give me the pounding bass when I need it and not drown out the guitars and vocals - and has to be a bookshelf (but can be a big bookshelf).

This is coming from a Denon PMA255uk and Mission M71's, so I am hoping to hear an improvement!

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry tricks, just found this thread!

I don't think I have ever made such an improvement to my system - or heard better music in my room - than when my KEF iQ30s arrived! They are stunning speakers for many reasons: Firstly, they have an "open", "bright" sound which allows the detail of the music to be conveyed accurately. This is an issue with many speakers - I'm thinking of my B&Ws 685s - where this detail is forced upon the listeners in a way that causes fatigue and is unnatural. The Kefs do not do this, and instead have a remarkably accurate, natural sound without any fatigue. Secondly, they have one of the most rhythmically able bass drivers I know of in a speaker of the price. It pounds along with so much gutso and verve that you can feel the drum kicks punch you in the stomach - something I certainly didn't expect of speakers that small; AND THEY GO SOOOO DEEP! Yet, unlike many other speakers, it doesn't become forced or flabby or lean or too dominant - it's about as close to perfect as I have heard under £1000 (the ProAc Studio 100s are the bee's in this department!)

Add to the mix an excellent soundstage (wide, focussed, deep and projected with excellent height - it must be noted my speakers are only 30cm off the floor) and that awsomly detailed, open treble and some good looks and you have one of the best pair of speakers I know of - you HAVE to listen to them!

Oh, and if you want speakers which go LOUD, these should be right at the top of your list - driven by my 138 watt/channel Arcam FMJ A32, they go UBER loud!

 

[manicm]

Now, this isn't the greatest setup by far but I've paired the 685s with a Solo Mini and I don't find them fatiguing at all. I've mentioned this before my acid test is David Bowie's Scary Monsters CD - this album tortures tweeters and the 685s handles it admirably, diminishing any undue sibilance that this CD can expose. His vocals emphasise Ts and Ss to no end. And not to mention the relentless cymbals and screeching guitar courtesy of Robert Fripp.

I must also mention that the system is new and have only sporadically used it since Wed, so it's still 'burning in', but I don't think time will change the sonic signature much, except when I get the room to place the speakers on decent stands.

But thanks anyway, I will try out the iQ30s in the future if I'm not totally happy...

Arcam Solo Mini, B&W 685s, Chord Carnival Silverscreen.

 

[Anonymous]

Hopefully WHF will be reviewing the IQ30's soon as i look forward to seeing what they think about them

 

[trickards]

Thanks for the replies everyone - I look forward to having a listen to these.

 

[trickards]

I finally took the plunge a bought a pair of these - I couldn't be happier.

Had a listen to both the B&W 685s and the iQ30's and much preferred the KEF's sound. I am currently running them off an old Denon amp, waiting until the receiver I want comes back in stock and they are already blowing me away. Its monumental.

I would recommend these speakers to anyone - If you are shopping in this price range for bookshelfs, definitely give them a listen

 

[ear]

I'm glad you're happy.I just give these a listen ,but I havent had the patience yet to talk to salesmen.Haven't seen any of these hooked up and playing .But the 685 I find nothing special about them.

 

[manicm]

trickards:

I finally took the plunge a bought a pair of these - I couldn't be happier.

Had a listen to both the B&W 685s and the iQ30's and much preferred the KEF's sound. I am currently running them off an old Denon amp, waiting until the receiver I want comes back in stock and they are already blowing me away. Its monumental.

I would recommend these speakers to anyone - If you are shopping in this price range for bookshelfs, definitely give them a listen

So how did the iQ30s compare to the 685s?

 

[Anonymous]

As a first post to the forum, I'll comment here. I have spent the last 3 hours listening to the B&W 685s and the Kef IQ30s. I make no claims to any audiophile knowledge, so below is based purely on my listening.

Setup: Sony 2400ES amp/receiver and initially a Cambridge Audio 340C source (I ended up buying the 540C, but that is for a different thread)

Music: Linkin Park; Feist; Arcade Fire; Explosions in the Sky; Stars; Union of Knives; Sander Kleinenberg dj mix cd, so a variety of styles.

Impressions: On the tracks by Feist (female vocal + guitar) and Stars (female vocal + instruments), the KEFs had notably clearer vocals. On the dj tracks, I chose songs with particularly heavy base lines, with the KEF slightly tighter, with the B&W possibly slightly "muddled" on the tracks.

On pure instrumental tracks (Explosions in the Sky), both speakers were superb and clear, but the KEF just seemed to "add more" to the music. Where music was particularly explicit at the top-end, in tracks by Explosions in the Sky (instruments + electronic sounds) and Stars (cymbols mainly), the KEF seemed more controlled and I felt like sometimes the B&W weren't handling the sounds as well and were having trouble with the sounds.

On rock music with the Linkin Park played especially loud, the speakers were very evenly matched, with the B&W maybe having more "grunt" at times.

In summary, the KEFs to me played vocals and instruments clearer and were more controlled in the high end, with tighter bass. Both speakers are however superb and if I hadn't heard the KEFs, I would have been happy with the B&Ws.

Similarly, I thought the 340C CD player sounded good, then was played the same song on the 540C and 640C and there was a big jump between the 340 and 540/640, with a slight improvement between 540 and 640, but I couldn't justify the price.