This is an exceptionally revealing speaker, which is just a touch on the bright side, a brightness that is missing from the Reference Series, which is a step up in price and quality (in other words the XQ series is a step down from the Reference Series). Works well with jazz and classical, tends to be very pleasant to listen to. On overly bright or grainy recordings the speaker can be tough to take, as it sounds just a little too hot sounding for my tastes on that kind of material. However with smoother recordings, it is exceptionally revealing, images beautifully, and doesn't do a bad job in the bass for such a fundamentally small speaker with a 6 1/2 inch woofer and not a lot of cabinet volume to work with.

I think if KEF had just spent a little bit more time toning down what sounds like a hotspot around 10,000 Hz (no such hotspots exist in their superb new reference series), I would give this five stars. In terms of workmanship and cabinetry, the mahogany version of the speaker embarrasses your best furniture. It's the nicest finish I've ever seen on any piece of wood, let alone a loudspeaker. A great speaker for a room with a lot of dampening materials such as lots of carpets or Oriental rugs, drapes, etc. Probably not such a good match in a very live room.

This is an exceptionally revealing speaker, which is just a touch on the bright side, a brightness that is missing from the Reference Series, which is a step up in price and quality (in other words the XQ series is a step down from the Reference Series). Works well with jazz and classical, tends to be very pleasant to listen to. On overly bright or grainy recordings the speaker can be tough to take, as it sounds just a little too hot sounding for my tastes on that kind of material. However with smoother recordings, it is exceptionally revealing, images beautifully, and doesn't do a bad job in the bass for such a fundamentally small speaker with a 6 1/2 inch woofer and not a lot of cabinet volume to work with.

I think if KEF had just spent a little bit more time toning down what sounds like a hotspot around 10,000 Hz (no such hotspots exist in their superb new reference series), I would give this five stars. In terms of workmanship and cabinetry, the mahogany version of the speaker embarrasses your best furniture. It's the nicest finish I've ever seen on any piece of wood, let alone a loudspeaker. A great speaker for a room with a lot of dampening materials such as lots of carpets or Oriental rugs, drapes, etc. Probably not such a good match in a very live room.