Tinkering KEF Q300

[admin_exported]

Just considering a few options for a new room i am doing.

I have a few ideas to complete the set up the KEF Q300 are a strong audition candidate. Would they work well on shelves as they are front ported?

If not any sugestions around that price range would be well received.

Cheers

HAL

 

[Anonymous]

guess I should have read the review of the kef's......coudnt find it before.

It answers my qestion.

No

 

[The_Lhc]

The 300 is a very deep speaker, you'd need pretty big shelves to put them on.

 

[matthewpiano]

They are superb speakers Dave, but they really do need plenty of space around them top give their best performance. I wouldn't put them close to a rear or side wall.

 

[chebby]

The 300 is a very deep speaker, you'd need pretty big shelves to put them on.

Yes, I wish they'd stop doing that! (Not just KEF but all of them.)

When I raised the issue before, a couple of speaker professionals both agreed that fashion/market forces/WAF etc. were - in large part - responsible for the trend in slimmer & deeper cabinets.

 

[Anonymous]

I do indeed have big shelves; 40 cm deep infact. So i guess they are a non starter. I guess the junior ATC 's could be a good bet? or the Dynaudio 2/6 which appear to be easy to postion. I did enquire once about the AVI neutrons but was told they were not for the speaker shelf.

 

[Anonymous]

Vulcan B1?

 

[Frank Harvey]

My Q300's are performing just fine about 4"/5" away from a solid wall.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I do indeed have big shelves; 40 cm deep infact. So i guess they are a non starter. I guess the junior ATC 's could be a good bet? or the Dynaudio 2/6 which appear to be easy to postion. I did enquire once about the AVI neutrons but was told they were not for the speaker shelf.

Hi HAL

Yes, the superb Dynaudio DM 2/6's 🙂 and in particular ATC's SCM7 monitors :bigsmile: would both be excellent alternatives to the Q300 speakers.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[matthewpiano]

Mine are about a foot from the rear wall and sound best there. Excellent combination of bass depth and timing and everything is beautifully in focus. They are mind bogglingly good speakers.

 

[chebby]

I did enquire once about the AVI neutrons but was told they were not for the speaker shelf.

Really?

AVI actually show them on their website in bookshelves...

http://www.avihifi.co.uk/images/neutron_books.jpg

... and with the quote underneath...

"The size of the Neutron Five means it can be tucked away in discrete places"

 

[Anonymous]

I did enquire once about the AVI neutrons but was told they were not for the speaker shelf.

Really?

AVI actually show them on their website in bookshelves...

http://www.avihifi.co.uk/images/neutron_books.jpg

... and with the quote underneath...

"The size of the Neutron Five means it can be tucked away in discrete places"

out of the horses mouth Chebby

 

[Anonymous]

My Q300's are performing just fine about 4"/5" away from a solid wall.

Thanks I guess only a home audition will show then....

 

[Anonymous]

I do indeed have big shelves; 40 cm deep infact. So i guess they are a non starter. I guess the junior ATC 's could be a good bet? or the Dynaudio 2/6 which appear to be easy to postion. I did enquire once about the AVI neutrons but was told they were not for the speaker shelf.

Hi HAL

Yes, the superb Dynaudio DM 2/6's 🙂 and in particular ATC's SCM7 monitors :bigsmile: would both be excellent alternatives to the Q300 speakers.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Ric,

what are the general characteristics of each?

 

[emptage]

Mine are about a foot from the rear wall and sound best there. Excellent combination of bass depth and timing and everything is beautifully in focus. They are mind bogglingly good speakers.

Do you mean the KEF Q300's are a bout a foot from the wall. Is this side or Rear ?

Thanks

 

[ErwinC]

My Q300's are performing just fine about 4"/5" away from a solid wall.

I tested the Q300 in my setup on a shelf about 3"/5" away from a solid wall and the result was more than satisfying. 🙂

 

[matthewpiano]

Mine are about a foot from the rear wall and sound best there. Excellent combination of bass depth and timing and everything is beautifully in focus. They are mind bogglingly good speakers.

Do you mean the KEF Q300's are a bout a foot from the wall. Is this side or Rear ?

Thanks

Sorry, I no longer have the Q300s. I had them about a foot from the rear wall but experimented quite a bit with positioning during the time I had them. They are brilliant speakers but in the end I found them a bit too much for my room. Using MA BX2s now.

 

[emptage]

Sorry to be a pain ut what do you mean by too much for your room ? How does the quality compare with the bx1's

 

[emptage]

Thanks for this. Are the Q300's frt ported or rear ported. In My room they will have to go 30cm from side wall and 40cm from rear wall

 

[matthewpiano]

Sorry to be a pain ut what do you mean by too much for your room ? How does the quality compare with the bx1's

You're not a pain! Sharing experience is what the forums are all about.

My property is a modern build. The walls are plasterboard and the room, whilst a decent size, is by no means huge. I've found that most rear ported speakers don't tend to work that well in here and can sound a bit overbearing and for some reason, although front ported, the KEFs suffered similar issues. The Q300s are also physically big and dominated the room a bit too much. I have heard them in a different space and they are superb speakers but they just didn't quite work here.

I'd say the BX2s (note, it is these I have and not the BX1s) are of similar quality to the Q300s despite their lower price. They are a more neutral sounding speaker - very controlled and with a beautifully integrated sound, though perhaps not quite as overtly exciting as the KEFs. The MAs excel in the mid-range which allows the full character of vocals to really shine through. Personally I'm very pleased with them but, like any speaker, they won't suit everybody.

I also have a pair of Mordaunt-Short Aviano 2s and I like these very much but for different reasons. They are one of the few rear ported speakers that work well in my room although they are still physically quite dominating. They are more exciting than the MAs but don't have the same control. They have more bass but are less engaging in the mid-range.

 

[matthewpiano]

They are front ported but for some reason suffered some of the same issues as rear ported speakers in my room. Maybe it has nothing to do with where the port is and more to do with how much bass a speaker produces and the power of that bass at different frequencies.

The only way to be absolutely sure is to try them in your own room, and most good dealers will provide some sort of home demo facility. Like I said, they are superb speakers and I'm sure the issues I had were peculiar to my room as I've found similar issues with a few different well regarded designs. Room acoustics and resonances make such a big difference to how a speaker performs and that is why I feel home demos are so important.

 

[plastic penguin]

The only way you can guarantee a speaker with sound good close to the walls if the speaker has a bottom end that is fairly lightweight. The perfect example of this is the Ruark Sabre IIIs: They are rear ported and really good in free space, if a little bit wanting in the bass region. Plonk them close to the wall and the bass strengthens and you have a great sounding speaker. I'm a big fan of the Sabres, maybe I'm biased.