All-arround sound quality, construction, bass response and wide dispersion

Grille: it is not as sound-transparent as it should, and to obtain the best of the speakers you must remove it (it hinders both the definition and the dispersion)

These are the best speakers you can buy at this price range, for any kind of music. I use them with classical, pop/rock, and metal (Black Metal) and they perform flawlessly.

The detail, definition and wide dispersion of these speakers enables you to listen to every detail existent on the most well recorded CD. On the other hand, its powerfull and controlled bass response is essential to handle the brutal and complex sounds of Black Metal.

I'm now starting my 5.1 surround system, and the bass of these speakers is so good that in the U-571 depth charge explosions, it sounded like I had a subwoofer!

Note to all Q65 users: these speakers have a looong break in period. My speakers only gave their full bass response after a year and a half of daily use.

Also, remember to use good fat bi-wiring cable and gold plated bananas to conect these speakers. I use 6AWG (5mm) bi-wiring OFC cable: at full power these speakers require more than 5 Amps of current (at 6 Ohm).

System:
Yamaha AX592 Amp
Denon 735 CD player
Panasonic RA61 DVD player
Yamaha KX-580SE deck

Clarity, image, breath

long break-in

These speakers sound great.. after about a month of break in that is. The sound really liven's up when bi-wired and broken in. Almost twice as good a when I first got them. No kidding.

I am now using these speakers as my fronts and plan on getting another pair for my rear surrounds.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good center? The Q95.2 seems small to me.....

Similar Products Used:

PSB, JBL, Paradigm

Size, sound, clarity, construction

drop out at high volume. I believe this is my amp

I have the Kef Q65.2 and am using them as fronts. Listening to them in stereo mode these speakers really sing. They are also good for DVD movies.

These speakers take a while to break in, but after that they will blossom into a beautiful sounding speaker for whatever your environment.

I plan on picking up another pair for rears.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, JLB

quality of sound

none

My q65 have served me well. The q65 took over for my old rega chamber speakers. Much clearer sound, very noticable difference. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone.

Speaker wire is very important when using these speakers. A thicker wire made allot of difference.

Similar Products Used:

Rega Chamber

Sound imaging

none

I bought these speakers to replace my PSB's which I found to be thin in the mids. These speakers are a perfect all around speaker that just gets better with age. They have great definition and tonal quality. Everything else has already been discussed below.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Stratus Silver

Clear highs, presence and sound stage

none to date

I have spent a LONG time of listening to different speakers at various locations within the Toronto area. This speaker selections ranged from Nuance to Jamo, from PSB to Paradigm, and from Genexxa to Infinity and everything in between (yes I even let my ears enjoy speakers that make the price of my new truck sound cheap). I had two CDs that accompanied me on my travels. One hard rock and the other soft instumental jazz. I even had a multidisc CD changer eat one, the store owner was kind enough to replace it.

After much deliberation I had my decision narrowed down to two, based on my budget. The Kef Q 65.2 and Paradigm Studio 100. The Paradigm really appeased my hard rock CD. Booming bottom end thundered from these massive speakers. The mids were strong and the highs were present. The Kef's catered more to my jazz CD. Sweet sounding mids mixed gently with the highs to help a note traverse from one octave to another with seemless ease. And for the size when stacked against the intimidating Paradigms the bass was most noticable! Even my hard rock CD punched me in the chest more than a few times.

Based on my listening sessions and many reviews read, I went ahead and purchased the KEF Q 65.2s. The biggest consideration I had was the size of my listening environment. The room is about 12' x 15' and in quaters this size I felt the Paradigm would be over powering. Great sounding speakers though.

I have NOT regreted my decision the least little bit. These speakers just sound nicer every day. I can not say enough about spending the time listening to a variety of speakers. I'm sure that you'll agree that the KEF Q65.2 speakers, although you might choose another brand, are one of the best speakers available in the ~ $1,000 price range.

Components:
Yamaha RXV1000 receiver
Sony 770D DVD
Wega 36" HD TV

Similar Products Used:

A big upgrade from the cerwin vegas

True audiophile sound quality at an affordable price. Good looking without being TOO big. Great color for the 2002 model.

Not quite as bright as I prefer, but a) that's a matter of personal preference, not a weakness, and b) I'm using a $400 JVC RX-888V receiver which is NOT an audiophile-quality unit.

The reviews on this web page about the Q65s are short, because there really isn't much to say about a speaker this good and with this kind of value for the money. Most of the reviews you read on this web site are glowing reviews of products that the person has just bought and is in LOVE with primarily because it's new and it's better than what they had before. Hey, I'n not being critical and I'm not complaining; when I get my new Marantz 18EX receiver in January, I'll probably be on the web before I even get the d**m thing completely set up, singing its praises!! :)

Point is, folks, this isn't the case with the reviews of the Q65. It's honestly a good product; the only possible reason I can see for NOT getting them is if you don't have the money right now. I could understand that, believe me, but at the same time I'm SO glad I didn't spend a little less of my hard-earned money for anything else, because I PROMISE you I would not have had the buyer satisfaction I have with the Q65, and I might even have suffered buyer's remorse!

For the uninitiated, KEF uses a revolutionary tweeter-midrange design known as Uni-Q, and while all speaker manufacturers these days have some fancy name for every aspect of their speaker design, KEF's Uni-Q is truly unique and beneficial for the user, and has been since the early 80's when I used to read Stereo Review magazine in high school. Back then, everyone was all agogue about this new radical KEF design, Uni-Q, which places the dome tweeter right in the center of the midrange cone, so that the sound from the tweeter and the midrange emanate from the same exact source in the speaker enclosure. The result is that the human ear can't distinguish between the directional highs and midrange, so that only the nondirectional bass emanates from a different physical location. This gives a smoother overall sound.

It ain't just stereo-supercenter-hype, folks; this is the real deal. You won't believe it until you give them a listen, which I strongly encourage you to do. Even if you can't find a store to audition a pair of Q65's, ANY KEF model will work. I heard a smaller set of KEFs yesterday while I was paying for a new JBL subwoofer (check out my review under J for JBL), and I was even blown away by those!

My only problem in writing this review is that while the speakers are audiophile-quality, no other part of my stereo system is, not at this point. So my only complaint about the Q65, and it's a minor one at that, may not even be accurate: they aren't quite as bright as I would prefer. Maybe it's just the idea of having a speaker that can reproduce the absolute most minute high-end sound (chimes, a pin dropping, you name it) that makes me prefer a little brightness, maybe it's just my personal preference, who knows. But it's a CERTAINTY that the signal going INTO my Q65's, only 110 watts' worth from a JVC RX-888V receiver, isn't a super-tough test of the speaker, and it's very possible that any complaint I have about the speaker's overall brightness will disappear when I get my Marantz 18EX in January. Still, it's my only compaint, however minor, so I figured I'd mention it.

I listened to some similarly-priced Klipsch speakers at Soundtrack before buying the Q65's, and appparently Klipsch speakers are known for their brightness, so that may have influenced me towards brightness in a speaker as well, who knows. A note on price: I got my speakers for $900 only because they were last year's model, and the floor model besides; otherwise I'd have paid $1000. Most of the reviewers are quoting prices of $900 or less, so shop around before buying anything.

Another thing I love about the speaker is the color selection. You can get them in either this deep, rich cherrywood-type color or in a brighter, more woodsy color known as Applewood. I would have preferred the latter, but the floor model for $900 was cherrywood so that's what I have. I'm not comlpaining, though; these speakers are a FINE addition to any decor IMHO.

Other equipment I have:

JVC RX-888V receiver like I mentioned
JBL 2500 surround speakers
JBL center channel
Gold 'nanner plugs on Accuflow 12g speaker wire
Sony DVPS360 DVD player
JBL PB12 subwoofer (see review on that)
JVC XL-FZ258 CD changer
RCA satellite receiver

You can see why I was so ga-ga over finally having a truly audiophile-quality product when I purchased these speakers! So that's probably coloring my review of the Q65's as well, but I honestly doubt that you'll find a better overall speaker that the KEFs without spending at least $1500 or more. Bottom line: excellent value!

P.S. If anyone has a Marantz receiver and would like to comment on it's strengths and/or weaknesses, I'd be all ears; the 18EX receiver is being touted as the best unit you can buy without going to separates, and I'd like to know if that's true or not. E-mail me at doleyd@hotmail.com if you have any thoughts on this. Thanks so much!

Similar Products Used:

JBL 2600's (OK I know they aren't even in the same ball park, but they're the only other speakers I've owned!)

soundstage, presence, vocals

none at this price

(Review of the Q65.2) This is a masterpiece speaker. With correct placing, biwired with a decent cable, and after tightening the drive units, the speakers completely dissapear. Soundstage is wall to wall, rock solid and properly 3 dimensional. Each instrument sits in its own space, clearly defined. Extremely musical, coherent, exquisite detailing, reproduces the textures and tonal palette of voice with extraordinary accuracy. Transients captured superbly. Good though not brilliant dynamic range. The uniq driver is a revelation. Though the soundfield is good from any position in the room, there is a small sweet spot within which the uniq can rival electrostatics for sheer clarity and presence. One of the steals of the century.

Similar Products Used:

Q55.2

Based on reviews from this site and on usenet opinions, I finally narrowed my choices down to the Mission 735i and the KEF Q65. It was a close race and thanks to my wife's sharper ears, I got the Q65. Believe me, she described the differences between the two speakers without having even read up on them. While the overbright treble of the 73 series of Mission has been improved with the introduction of the 73i (improved) series I find the KEF Q65 to offer more in terms of deeper bass and wider soundstaging/imaging. Blair Wheaton is correct in saying that it gives a feeling of three dimensionality but all of these things can be best achieved when following the speaker positioning instruction in the manual. You need space for these speakers as they have to be placed about 1 meter/3.3 feet from the back wall otherwise their bass becomes slightly overpowering. I have a KEF30B that is now useless because the Q65's provide enough bass for my room size which is roughly the same size as Blair Wheaton's, 18x14 but is odd shaped. I suppose my room may be considered "hard" (not enough soft material reduce reverb/reflection) which may account for the overpowering bass. However, I do get the fantastic performance when I place it at least 1 meter from the wall. Space I can hardly afford to give up and makes my living room look strange with the Q65's jutting out as my whole set-up is only about a foot off the wall. Both the Mission 735i and KEF Q65 offer value for money but overall the KEF Q65 has more to offer. Make no mistake, these are great speakers! Just make sure you have the space for it. My speakers are driven by a Sony ES Pro-logic amp. Oh yeah, they sound solidly built when you knock on them.

WE'll keep this short. Outstanding ! Although the listening room I audiontioned them in seemed to retract fromt he bass response, this certainly wasnt the case after getting them home. After a solid 5 day burn in, adjustments to placement in the room and a suite of listening tests that'd make most cry (Everything ranging from the smooth sounds of Sade to the hyper aggressive death mongers Six Feet Under...). Currently driven by a modest B+K ST-540, I have nothing but praise for these gems.
Suggestions: Minor adjusments in placement (wall distance and angling) have major audible effects...get em set and spike em

BRILLIANT BRIALLIANT BRIALLIANT