Great speakers for small to medium room.
I found a pair on flea bay and rolled the bones as I needed speakers for an office system. I have an old marantz 1515 so I needed something with a fairly high sensitivity. I hooked them up and was immediately impressed by the rich sound, with plenty of detailed extension in the high end and a healthy serving of well-controlled bass. Even with only 15 WPC these get much louder than I will ever push them in that setting. But the real payoff for me was the rich and lifelike mids, and the amazingly clear and rock-solid imaging. The uni-q driver is just fantastic for imaging.
If you have a system that tends toward the lean and analytical side, or really emphasizes the highs, I could see the 3/4” HF driver perhaps getting a little on the sharp side. In my system and to my ears, however, they are incredible.

Got these cheap off of ebay for around $160. Read reviews ( what few I could find) and decided I'd give 'em a try. I was shocked. I have had quite a few well regarded speakers through the years including the well regarded Energy Connoisseur C3 bookshelves, B&W 602's, Totem Rainmakers, even a set of Def Techs very special BP2002's. All these speakers sounded fantastic in their own way. Same with the Kefs. Extremely good mids, best I've heard in my home. Others complain of the tweeter being either non-existent or too shrill, I found nothing but a tad lean on SOME tracks, which leads me to believe its in the recording, not the speaker. Bass was a little nasal with some music, but never jumbled. In my listening room they performed admirably without the use of a sub, and could hit and hold a decent low note. Fantastic with quick, precise music like jazz and funk. I'm currently using these with a NAD 314 integrated and a Roxsan cd player. Fantastic combo for under $400.

I've read all sorts of comments on the treble from this speaker. One reviewer says it's subdued, another says that it's screechy. There's no accounting for taste! I got mine on eBay for $175 and couldn't be happier. The Q1 has lots of 'air' and it's difficult to walk out of the dispersed stereo field. I do suggest a subwoofer as these are very flat in response in the basses, though it definitely does reach to the 40's a specified. Just not in a way that some people would consider "powerful." If you can find it, get the dark apple finish. It's just beautiful and gives the Q1 an expensive look.
I think you would need to look long and hard for a better value that still hangs around audiophile territory. Also, I took mine apart just out of curiosity, and they are built like tanks. This is a good speaker that can be had fairly cheap. Go for it.

I gave the Q1 3 stars not because it is a bad speaker. It isn't. But I feel that you can do better even in this price range.
What's immediate upon first listen is that this is definitely a warm speaker with great detail in the mids. Vocals really soar from the Q1. However, from there on up sounds absolutely lifeless to me. I found myself goosing up the treble on the EQ just to get anything that sounded neutral. I'm not sure if this is due to the Uni-Q array, but it's a disappointment. I simply have never owned a speaker that so desperately needed EQing in one particular area. That's a shame because I run flat virtually all the time, and shouldn't have to EQ just to get a similar amount of high end that the 10 or 15 other pairs of speakers I've owned gave out more or less evenly.
Bass is there, and well behaved. If you understand that modest bass is endemic to the bookshelf design, you won't run to the internet and complain that your small speakers aren't thumping enough. I think that people who complain about bookshelves and bass are confusing real speakers with gimmicky ones from the likes of Bose that falsely produce 'bass' from smaller enclosures. That said, the Q1s produce a very even bass response with no evident peaks or sloppiness. That they are front ported really, really makes placement easier. Another huge plus right there.
I can't stress enough the lush mids from this speaker. You're going to love these if you're particularly into jazz, classical, and vocals, though I've noticed no difficulty with "fast" music as has been suggested by others.
The Q1 looks amazing. It has a fantastic teardrop form and a beautiful driver. I admit that this was a deciding factor in my purchase...what audio nerds refer to as the WAF (wife approval/acceptance factor). While these are considerably larger than you may expect (appx 14" 8" 12"), they are handsome enough to blend with and probably enhance any room.
I imagine that these would make great surrounds or even mains in a HT setup. For music, I'd listen to others in the price range. You may love the Q's and that so-called 'British sound.' I don't. But it's not a terrible speaker by any means. I frequently see them on eBay in the US$100 area. I would definitely pay that for the Q1 and be happy with it. On the whole, I just feel as the speaker is a bit lifeless beyond the outrageously great mids.

Clear sound. Good frequency proportions, clear midles, bass is deep enough, for small room atleast.

I just bought them. Well... they sound absolutely fantastique and magnifique.

Strong midrange, excellent imaging, articulate & clean bass, good detail (depending on equipment of course). Bi-wire capablity!

Bass could be deeper but this is not the speakers fault; I have a 12" JL Audio subwoofer in my car! Harshness with rock music; I listen to alot of vocals, Jazz, however. The grilles which when on hinder the clarity.

I chose the KEF brand because I had listened to their Reference series from a cousin. The KEF Q1's, a couple levels below the reference, did not, at first, impress me very much. I bought them to replace my aging Allison's that had blown a woofer. These seemed like a quick fix because of their low price. I felt that they were to mid-range heavy while not be very detailed in the high frequency range. So I gave it a couple of weeks to break in; noticeable bass improvement. After making a bi-wire Kimber 4PR upgrade from a set of Monster XPi cables I noticed a vast improvement in detail and what I perceive to be "air". Now after my swapping the 9 year old Yamaha receiver for a true stereo amplifier, the NAD 317 Integrated Amp 80 wpc, the bass is more articulate and plays the frequencies it is made to produce with much gusto. These speakers are more revealing than my previous speakers, Allison CD-6's, so good equipment is definitley recommended for optimum sound. For my small room they perform very admirably and excite me which is the purpose of music listening right? I am happy to say that my $400 did not go to waste and was a decent investment. My Budget System: NAD 317 Integrated Amplifier NAD C521i CD Player KEF Q1 Speakers Kimber 4PR custom Bi-Wire Kimber Tonik (Pre-Amp, Main-in) Audioquest Diamondback (Cd Player)

Similar Products Used:

1989 Allison CD-6. Heard KEF Reference 205's with tube gear. Audes Blues which are IMO AMAZING!

Midrange

Bass could be deeper

After listening to a good pair of headphones for a while I realised that my sony miniset stereo system didn't do justice to my music at all. So I was in the market for a complete new stereo system. Dicided to get NAD components (C 350 amp; C 541i CDP)and had the privilege of home auditioning several speakers. Firstly I listened to the Dynaudio Audience 52s. Very good speakers but with a liveless signature. Not my taste. After that I listened to 4 different speakers amongst them the Chario Constellation Lynx. These are fine speakers. A true recommendation for anyone who's looking for a good bookshelf speaker with lots of detail and lots of bass. At $350 a piece they are a steal! However I wasn't looking for lots of bass as my speakers are positioned in a very small room. And that's where the KEF Q1s come into play. They impressed me from the word go. Very good midrange. I love my midrange! The music just draws you in. They lack a bit in the bass department but that's just what I needed for a small room where the bass is boosted of the walls a lot. Although the bass could be a bit deeper even in a small room. Yes the Charios were better but the bass was too much for my needs. And they didn't have that lucious midrange the KEFs have. The mids are the Q1s strong point. Very detailed and it makes the speakers very musical. Vocals do very well on the Q1s. This isn't a neutral speaker. As I said the bass is somewhat lacking and some might say that the treble could be better too. I like the treble the way it is. Nice and soft, not biting. If midrange is what you like you should defenitely consider the KEF Q1s. I was suprised at their price. They compare to more expensive speakers with ease. (The price mentioned is in Euros, what I paid for both.)

Similar Products Used:

Home auditioned: Chario Constellation Lynx; Dynaudio Audience 52

Voice Reproduction & Harmonious blending of treble and mids

None

After researching for a few weeks, I decided to go with the Q1's as my front speakers in my Home Theater & Stereo System. Excellent Speakers! I can't believe the quality for the price. Voice reproduction is unlike anything I've ever heard. The Uni-Q driver that is in the Q1's is also in Kef's $1200+ models, and its easy to understand why. Treble is just right - not too much and it blends in just right. I have them hooked to an Onkyo TX-DS575X Receiver. I also compared them to a set of Boston Acoustics (CS-89 model) which gave slightly more treble, but were weak in the mids and bass response. Using them in a small bedroom and they're perfect. Overall, the Q1s are an outstanding speaker, especially for the price - listen to them for 5 minutes and you'll see why.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics CR-89

Clear sound. Perfect for small rooms. Magnetically shielded. Tweeter and cone are positioned together. Beautiful design.

Not deep bass (but excelent for small rooms).

I am really satisfied with these speakers. My room is small and I think the Kef Q1 are excelent in this kind of scenario: they produce a warm though not deep bass, so placing them near a wall (or even better near a corner) helps the low frequencies making them sound powerful but not too boomy. High frequencies are clear and not annoying. In general, sound is really pleasant and you never hear it crowded. Also, I can't help saying these speakers are really beautiful; everytime a listen to them I must take out their ugly cover and admire the best design I have ever seen on a speaker. I have other speakers, JMLab Tantal 507. They are similar in price and size. I bought the Kef Q1 basically because I have to place them near a computer monitor, so I need them to be magnetically shielded (I didn't think of that when I bought the JMLab). But this is not the only advantage I got from the Kef Q1's: also, their sound is clearer and, like I said before, they are perfect for my small room (the JMLab tended to sound boomy). I really recommend the Kef Q1 for small rooms, though they also sound great in bigger ones (I tested them on my dining room). NOTE: PRICE IS IN EUROS

Similar Products Used:

JMLab Tantal 507

Price Frequency range is pretty good for a bookshelf Bass response not bad Size / style / cabinet color choices (I purchased the dark apple cabinets)

Treble response (not terrible but could be improved)

I was looking for some new small footprint speakers (bookshelf) at an affordable price but wanted something of higher quality than what many of the chain audio stores offer. I found a match in the KEF Q1's. I'd listened to MacIntosh, B&W, and a few other brands but found the Q1's to be a no brainer for the price and the quality. I primarily listen to classical, jazz and R&B and really like the range these speakers offer. I can hear the speaker's full range no matter where I am in the room and the bass is not bad at all for a bookshelf variety.