KEF Q350s sounds too dark ?

GLYD

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Hi,

Just purchased them after the positive reviews generally. I had the Dali Zensor 3's with my Hegel H90 and although I liked my Dali's a lot with my Rega Brio, with the Hegel they have become a bit thin and bright sounding sometimes. I didnt had a chance to test the KEF's with my Hegel so I have relied on the reviews which stated them being very clear and detailed sounding speakers with a touch warmnes.. so I was expecting them to be more warm sounding then my Dali's, therefore better match to Hegel but to my surprise they are much much warmer compared to Dali's with Hegel. Hegel not being a warm sounding amp, I couldnt believe how much difference was there to sound color compared to Dali’s. Sound is really dark, thick. Not boomy but detailed thick. It is an easy listen, I can listen to it for hours without any fatigue both on low and high volumes but I find the sound lacking details. There is no excitement, no attack contrary to the reviews .. It would be perfect if there was a bit more spark to it on the high mids to highs..I miss the energy Dali's had with the Rega. Not sure if it will keep me happy but at the moment I have doubts..

has anyone share similar opinions ?
 

MajorFubar

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Welcome to the forum. Here's where it all went wrong for you:

GLYD said:
Just purchased them after the positive reviews generally.

Don't buy speakers you haven't heard. Use reviews as a method for creating a shortlist, then go listen. Would you buy a car you hadn't test-driven? Of course you wouldn't.

Resist the temptation to 'try to adjust to their sound': if you don't like them now, you never really will.

Exercise your right to pack them back up in the box and send them back where they came from. And consider your lesson learned.

GLYD said:
has anyone share similar opinions ?

Yep. Go to a hifi retailer and listen to some speakers in your price bracket. If they will let you, bring the two pairs you most like the sound of home, then see what they sound like in your room. Keep the pair you prefer and take the other ones back to the retailer, and thank them graciously for their time and effort.
 

drummerman

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Reads like the Hegel is not for you.

Besides, the Hegel should probably be used with better speakers.

The amplifier has a decent power supply so should control many speakers with ease, more so than the brio.
 

GLYD

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insider9 said:
What are your usual volume levels? Are you using built in DAC or a separate one? How long have you had the speakers?

low to medium levels. I’m using the built in DAC of Hegel. I’ve had them for 5 days now. They have been playing since I have connected them the day I bought. So I don’t think sound will change much after this point.
 

stereoman

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It does not really matter whether you demo the speakers first. Actually these speakers will always sound different to you after the purchase. The speakers you do not like at the shop can sound wonderful at home and vice versa. Acoustics, different home vs shop gear, excitement. And moreover, do not expect to be glad with the sound at your home - in majority of the cases, Hi Fi users are not happy with their systems. It is a compromise hobby so expect this. Also, do not take for granted that "Made in China" stuff sounds worse - actually all Europe / States made stuff can be sometimes worse in general sound comparison. There are almost no rules unless one has thousands of $ to spend.
 

GLYD

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Hi MajorFubar,

I agree with you, but the services are not similar in all countries unfortunately. and I wish we had retailers for major brands delivering units to our home for demo purposes.. But unfortunately I have never came across a retailer delivering such service at the place I leave. I bought them from main distributor in my country and they didnt have them for demo in shop let alone letting it bring home. And demo places at retailers usually not ideal acoustic conditions for making healthy judgements.

So based on the reviews and comments over forums I made a blind choice.

Now my point is that as Hegel not being a warm amp at all, what I am hearing must be more or less KEF Q350 sound color considered driven with a natural amp.. which totally differs from whathifi review notes in my experience. the review even mentioned a perfect partner with Rega Brio which I also have. and with the Brio, KEF's were even warmer.
 

MajorFubar

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stereoman said:
It does not really matter whether you demo the speakers first.

Of course it does. This is completely BAD advice. You cannot buy speakers entirely based on someone else's recommentation and expect anything more than pot-luck chance you will like them. It's ridiculous. And this is the result. Time and time again. Thread after thread. May as well ask me what flavour of ice cream I prefer, then you go buy it and complain you don't like it.
 

MajorFubar

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GLYD said:
Hi MajorFubar,

I agree with you, but the services are not similar in all countries unfortunately. and I wish we had retailers for major brands delivering units to our home for demo purposes.. But unfortunately I have never came across a retailer delivering such service at the place I leave. I bought them from main distributor in my country and they didnt have them for demo in shop let alone letting it bring home. And demo places at retailers usually not ideal acoustic conditions for making healthy judgements.

So based on the reviews and comments over forums I made a blind choice.

I sympathise with your predicament, hopefully your country's trading laws allow you to return them. Good luck, and again, welcome and thanks for posting
 

stereoman

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MajorFubar said:
stereoman said:
It does not really matter whether you demo the speakers first.

Of course it does. This is completely BAD advice. You cannot buy speakers entirely based on someone else's recommentation and expect anything more than pot-luck chance you will like them. It's ridiculous. And this is the result. Time and time again. Thread after thread. May as well ask me what flavour of ice cream I prefer, then you go buy it and complain you don't like it.

Ok I exaggerated a bit. Right. But really the same speakers can sound almost different at home. Even if you demo them for one hour. I read plenty of comments here from customers who after demoing the kit were dissapointed with them at home. Of course demo, but do not expect 100% the same thing back at home.
 

insider9

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GLYD said:
insider9 said:
What are your usual volume levels? Are you using built in DAC or a separate one? How long have you had the speakers?

low to medium levels. I’m using the built in DAC of Hegel. I’ve had them for 5 days now. They have been playing since I have connected them the day I bought. So I don’t think sound will change much after this point.

Unfortunately one look at WHF review reveals what could've gone wrong. Kefs are not best at low volumes. Pair it with Hegel that also in my opinion begins to shine around 45 on volume dial and you may have an issue. Personally I prefer my Hegel at medium to high volume. For low level listening my Densen is head and shoulders above the Hegel.

I can only sympathise and hope you are able to return them. I would however try and turn up the volume as a test to around 50 (depending on how close you sit) and see if it improves things.
 

MajorFubar

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stereoman said:
Ok I exaggerated a bit. Right. But really the same speakers can sound almost different at home. Even if you demo them for one hour. I read plenty of comments here from customers who after demoing the kit were dissapointed with them at home. Of course demo, but do not expect 100% the same thing back at home.

Ok I agree with that, which is why it's useful if you can find a really nice dealer who will let you borrow your two favourite pairs and try them at home. But it seems that in many countries, there really isn't the facilities for some reason. Hifi is treated the same as white goods, like washing machines.
 

stereoman

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MajorFubar said:
stereoman said:
Ok I exaggerated a bit. Right. But really the same speakers can sound almost different at home. Even if you demo them for one hour. I read plenty of comments here from customers who after demoing the kit were dissapointed with them at home. Of course demo, but do not expect 100% the same thing back at home.

Ok I agree with that, which is why it's useful if you can find a really nice dealer who will let you borrow your two favourite pairs and try them at home. But it seems that in many countries, there really isn't the facilities for some reason. Hifi is treated the same as white goods, like washing machines.

Major good you said this - do you know how happy me and thousands of others would be if we could borrow the stuff to try out at home ? Almost impossible...I wish we could.
 

Stuart.W.D

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Hi GLYD

I actually demoed both the Q150s & Dali Z3's on Saturday from a Marantz combo. From my own experience i found very little sonically between the two. The KEF's seemed to have tighter bass & the treble was more laid back to that of the Dali, very little between them to be honest. I would say give your new speakers time to break in. I actually asked my dealer what was the difference between the Q150s and the Q350s,
he said the Q350's dig deeper into the bass that's it.
 

GLYD

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Unfortunately one look at WHF review reveals what could've gone wrong. Kefs are not best at low volumes. Pair it with Hegel that also in my opinion begins to shine around 45 on volume dial and you may have an issue. Personally I prefer my Hegel at medium to high volume. For low level listening my Densen is head and shoulders above the Hegel.

I can only sympathise and hope you are able to return them. I would however try and turn up the volume as a test to around 50 (depending on how close you sit) and see if it improves things.

Correct, Hegel does begin to shine around 40-45.. and with the KEF's, sound stays solid around those levels, more then so my Dali's but just a little more spark on top frequencies to lift the veil would have made it perfect. I am actually thinking if changing my speaker wires with a brighter sounding one would help a little.
 
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Ooh you've done it now... you've mentioned cables!! Let the sh!tfest begin *biggrin*

Just to mark my turf I'm in the non-believer camp.
 

gasolin

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mslhYvqCU

They do somehow sound a bit less intrusive in the highs,to soft, like one of the records from my local (danish) artists that also sounds a bit subtle,not to loud in the highs, what hifi say they don't sound best at low volume

Do you have access to a Marantz PM6005/6005 and some qed spesaker cable mabye this https://www.whathifi.com/qed/xt-evolution/review that you can try?
 

insider9

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gasolin said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mslhYvqCU

They do somehow sound a bit less intrusive in the highs,to soft, like one of the records from my local (danish) artists that also sounds a bit subtle,not to loud in the highs, what hifi say they don't sound best at low volume

Do you have access to a Marantz PM6005/6005 and some qed spesaker cable mabye this https://www.whathifi.com/qed/xt-evolution/review that you can try?
Why would OP try Marantz PM6005 when he's got a Hegel H90? I don't know what you're trying to achieve.
 

GLYD

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gasolin said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mslhYvqCU

They do somehow sound a bit less intrusive in the highs,to soft, like one of the records from my local (danish) artists that also sounds a bit subtle,not to loud in the highs, what hifi say they don't sound best at low volume

Do you have access to a Marantz PM6005/6005 and some qed spesaker cable mabye this https://www.whathifi.com/qed/xt-evolution/review that you can try?

Yes, you can feel in that video also that the higs are recessed, soft.. Unfortunately, I dont have an access to Marantz amps.

However just now I was streaming through Apple Music and sound is more dynamic, more livelier compared to Spotify and Tidal. Guess Apple music recordings are little bit brighter compared to others. I also played with the iTunes EQ and gave just a bit lift to high frequencies and it is much better actually now.

I have QED XT40 speaker cables at the moment.
 

GLYD

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Blacksabbath25 said:
Sliver cables can make the sound a bit bright but cables are cables

My Hegel dealer sells DH Labs cables.. I might try the Q10 signature series, they are silver and they are said to have extended upper mids and highs.
 

insider9

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How did you setup your speakers? How wide apart are they? Is there any toe in? Are you using speaker stands? How far are they from walls and what height are they compared to the listening position? Where is your listening position in the room?

I'd genuinely look at cables as one of the last tweeks, definitely not the first. Get the room right, the setup, source etc. and then if you want change cables.
 

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