Acoustic music, reserved but still detailed treble, tight midrange. Cleveland Drywall Pros likes it so much.

Nothing so far.

Detail levels are excellent for an amp at this price point and would perhaps compare favorably with amplifiers costing far more. High frequency sounds are very extended and airy but are not pushed forward. Mid frequencies are beautifully natural and open. Lower frequency sounds are not only weighty but also have texture and definition. on site truck repair

None . .

I know I am 12 years late with the review, but still :)
I have bought KEFs Q15.2 after reading the positive reviews about them being excellent for vocals and jazz and non-demanding in terms of room placement. I wanted to replace my Jamos E350 which come from around the same year and cost only about 140 EUR when new thinking KEFs will be a step up. However, I am totally disappointed - the Jamos are clearly better in all aspects, including vocals and Jazz. I've tried the regular recordings as well as audio test CDs - in all cases KEFs are clearly inferior. Even though the specs of KEFs say they reproduce lows from 50 Hz and Jamos - from 55 Hz - the test frequency recordings showed Jamo actually reproduced from 31 Hz. Non-existent bass is the biggest problem for these KEFs. However, the praised mids are not good too. Bi-wiring also did not help. I am disappointed and will keep my Jamos.

Delivers jazz and female vocals well. Strong mid-range. Good Bass for size, (and my system)

Lack Bass punch for some.

I use these speakers for my home audio system, not a home video or surround system as many do. I find these speakers to match well with my system, though I suspect they may not have enough bass for some tastes. My system, (Arcam Alpha 8R and Arcam 8SE CD player), has a decidedly "warm" sound to it and I think this matches well with Q15.2's. A brighter system, however, may not marry well with these speakers. Overall I find that they are spectacular for jazz and classical. Brass instruments and vocals, (particularly female), give me goosebumps. They are very good, though not spectacular, on hard rock tracks - though this may have more to do with the Arcam kit than the speakers. Also, they are front-firing exhaust so you can back them into a bookshelf or up against the wall if necessary.

Crystal clear

These are not (and never claimed to be) a subwoofer!

This is a review for the Q15.2 and this seams the best place for it. I purchased these for my rear surround in my home theater setup, while I was waiting for a pair of KEF RDM2's to appear on the 2nd hand market (No one seems to want to aprt with them). I've been so impressed with them though, that I've decided that the money I would have been spent on upgrading the rears, is better spent elswhere. In my opinion, these speakers really do come that close to there £700 cousins. So as you may have gathered, I'm a big fan of these beauties! I would agree that they get better in the bass department at volumes, this is to be expected with such a refined speaker.

Similar Products Used:

KEF 100C Kef 104.2's

Uniquely sharp stereo spread, very warm and lovely top-end, powerful mids, and a very accurate sound overall. If you like acoustic music, these will be perfect. Build quality is generally very good, and they are cheap as chips.

If you do play a lot of dance music, or want to hear things with unnatural bass, then these are probably not the right speakers for you, at least not without a sub-woofer. But don't blame the speakers for that OK?

So I'll like to chip in here regarding a few points about my beloved Q15s. Firstly, it is true that the perceived bass roll-off is quite steep. I've been playing a load of drum'n'bass and it sounds like, well, drum'n'... The sub-bass is just non-existent, at least at low volumes. But, if you give whack the volume up a bit, the bass is certainly there, although it lacks clarity. Apart from really low sub-basses, the rest of the (middy) bass is there with clarity, but it does sound a bit lower in the mix at low volumes than it would on a cheaper midi system. I believe that this is because it's an accurate sound, and not some psycho-acoustically unbalanced sound that adds unnatural bass power at low volumes. The best thing is that these speakers can take a real pounding and not lose any of that lovely sweet top-end and razor sharp stereo spread, so turn the volume up and enjoy. If you want things that have loads of bass at low volumes, use a midi system with the "mega bass" turned on. Secondly, I was unfortunate enough to receive one speaker with a slight defect in the otherwise perfect build quality- the front baffle was coming away about a millimetre at one corner, distorting the sound slightly. KEF repaired the defect within a week, all free of charge (including delivery).

mid/high tones

bass (small box, small bass)

The best thing about these Q15.2's is their size and the fact that it doesn't matter where you place them. Even against a wall they sound beautiful. Even an old amp like my NAD 3020 sounds makes them sing. One big must: bi-wire them. It matters alot. If you don't want to spend the money on extra cable, then remove the brass bridge on the back and replace it with propper cable.

Clarity, bass, coherence and speed.

eh?, NONE!

KEF have a reputation for making some decent speakers so when I wanted a small pair of speakers for my TEAC Ref 500 system - which was to be used as the 2nd system, I auditioned the ELAC, Polk, Mission and Tannoy 'bookshelf' speakers. The KEF sounded much cleaner compared to the others. Best used with good solid stands like Atacama SE24. Bi-wire is a definite MUST and do buy decent cables. Do all of the above and be prepared to be surprised. The TEAC/KEF combo worked for me and my musical taste us truly broad - Classical, Jazz (Vocals & Instruments), Pop/Dance, Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop/Rap, R'n'B etc etc etc. My main system is a Wadia 861, Pass Labs X600 mono (pair), Wilson Benesch ACT 1 and Nordost SPM cables. The KEF Q15.2 speakers do have enough low-end grunt for what they are - others compalining might be referring to the Q15, i.e. the older model speakers. Anyway the KEF Q15.2 are absolute bargains - I hope KEF are making profits at those 'LOW' prices.

Similar Products Used:

Polk, ELAC, Mission, Tannoy bookshlf speakers.

price, overall sound, imaging

bass

I bought these for rears in my theater, but brought them into my office after upgrading to RDM-1s for rear speakers. These are currently paired with a Denon 1802 receiver. Although there is a slight lack of refinement evident in the RDM-1s, these speakers are an incredible value for the money. As far as the bass issues, I have paired them with a sub and it really isn't an issue. These do not have the bass extension of a floor standing speaker, but no one should expect them to at this size and price.

Similar Products Used:

Kef RDM-1, Kef C25, Kef c35, Klipsh 1.1

Crisp, detailed sound.

Sometimes sound a little brassy. Sound like a smaller speaker. Imaging not as good as my old Bose 201s.

This is a review of the Q15.2 variant. I bought these speakers to replace some Bose 201s as my front pair. I''ve had my 201s for about 10 years and at $130 for the pair, they''ve given me great bang for the buck. The clarity of the Q15.2s is a marked improvement over the 201s. In listening to CDs I''ve heard many times, certain "background" instruments seem to stand out more and make the music fuller and more intricate. Human voice reproduction is fabulous! These speakers really shine at acoustic music with fewer instruments -- jazz, classical guitar, piano, voice. As more instruments or electric ones are introduced (full orchestra, busy rock, large choir) the speakers start sounding like smaller speakers. While the imaging of the Q15.2s is good, the superior imaging of the "direct/reflecting" Bose 201s helps them sound bigger than they really are. The 201s sound warmer/softer than the Kefs and compare fairly well to the Kefs in the areas where the Kefs are weaker. In summary, these Kef Q15.2s are superior in most areas to my Bose 201s, but at double the price are fairly expensive for the upgrade.