KEF Q90 Speakers Floorstanding Speakers
KEF Q90 Speakers Floorstanding Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Aug 08, 2017]
bigx5murf
AudioPhile
I found a pair of these at a thrift store for $25. One had a broken binding post, and missing terminal bridge. I messaged KEF to see if I could still buy the parts. KEF sent the parts free of charge. So right off the bat, amazing customer service from KEF.
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[Mar 04, 2010]
Andrew_S
Audio Enthusiast
I recently bought a pair of these 2nd hand of Ebay for £175, what a bargian. I knew about them because a friends dad had a pair new way back in 1994. He was also a professional DJ which may give you an insight in to what they are good at.
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[Nov 14, 2008]
arkeologist
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
musical reproduction is spot on the glockenspiel on swollen members - s+m on the rocks sounds amazing, the sound is extremely tight and the bass is as punchy as your amp makes it. I listen to hip hop and theres plenty of bass to spare.
Weakness:
as you can only buy these second hand now they can be a little rough round the edges so double check no rot on the cones etc and try before you buy if you can.... I bought these on ebay for £72 plus £15 carriage the cabs were a bit tatty and the cloth was loose on the grills but supposedly they worked fine. when they turned up they were exactly as described. and they work just fine. talking as a guy who used to run a pair of quad electrostatics with a 33/303 combo i think I know good speakers. they are knocking on a bit but if you can get a pair at reasonable money you will NOT improve on them with out spending very serious money in my opinion. the best speakers ive owned bar the ESL`s. buy some if you want serious quality on a shoestring. I cant praise these speakers enough. |
[Dec 01, 2007]
Bob
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Good bass, mids, crystal clear highs. Smooth clean sounds. No booming mids and highs or muddy bass. Cabinets are a good size for me and look good. Not great, just good. Height adjustable feet.
Weakness:
Duke Ellington and his whole frigin orchestra are in my living room. I am very impressed with these speakers. I bi-wired them first thing with plain 'ol Radio Shack 12 g speaker wire using the A and B speaker terminals on the receiver. Upgraded from Sherwoods that I have been using for decades. Listening to digital Duke Ellington and his orchestra is a delight now. The clarinets are sharp and clear without being harsh, it's amazing. The piano harmonics are easily heard. No listener fatigue. No need to crank up the bass on the amp either. When these speakers handle the complex sounds of an orchestra so well, I know they can handle anything. Customer Service craigslist? yea right. |
[Nov 25, 2006]
rjymatt
AudioPhile
Strength:
Clarity,imaging,tight bass,good overall performance.
Weakness:
None I have owned a pair of Q90's since 1992 and I have listened to a lot of other speakers since,but these are still the best. I walked into a pawn shop last week and they had a set of Q90's they looked a little ratty but I bought them for $200.00 WOW !!! what a deal ,I cleaned them up and put new grill cloth on them and they look and sound new!!! In my opinion after listening to these since 1992 they are a wonderful speaker if you can find a used set for under $500.00 you'll be hard pressed to find anything that compares unless you spend thousands more. |
[May 19, 2002]
John
AudioPhile
Strength:
Natural sound quality
Weakness:
May need a sub These are simply wonderful speakers. Male and female voices sound so natural and live. Guitar and horns sound like they are being played in my living room right in front of me. They just fill the room with music and disappear. I’ve looked at other speakers in the $3,000 to $5,000 range recently and I don’t like them as much as my Kef Q90s. I can’t believe it. I have the money to upgrade and I can’t find anything that I like better. Also these $3,000 to $5,000 speakers I’m listening to have way better electronics then what I’m using with my Kef’s. Other speakers sound like speakers. These sound like live performance. I would recommend them to anyone who can find them. Similar Products Used: B&W N804, AP Virgo 3, Linn AV5140 |
[Feb 28, 2002]
cwkelly
Audio Enthusiast
I love these speakers. I got them new in 1993, when they still had the look of the reference series. I think they only made them that way for about a year or less. The reason was because all the reviews on them stated that they sounded better than other speakers twice or three times more expensive. It was basically a reference upper series KEF with downgraded components on the inside. The overall performance of the speakers is incredibly crisp and clear. I do admit that the overall bass is lacking somewhat, but its very tight. I really don''t think the developers were thinking about people booming snoop dog when they designed them. My advice for those of you who have the old Q90''s is to hold on to them. I went back to the store that I bought them from and they offered me more than I bought them for...that was 5 years later! Someday I do plan to upgrade. I just have to save an enormous amount of cash to improve on the KEF''s. Similar Products Used: Allison Two Definitive Phase Tech...these blow |
[Feb 05, 2002]
BrianHannah
Casual Listener
Strength:
Mids, highs, sound construction
Weakness:
Size and footprint. Low end hard to hear if underpowered. These speakers thirst for power. My ownership experience has been both a blessing and a curse. I got a good deal on them new but never uprgaded my system to really get the most out of them. I''m still trying to power them with a 60W Denon reciever. I love the Mid range and highs. I listen to alot of SRV, Miles Davis and Fat Boy Slim. I agree the low end doen''t round out well. Adding a Sub will work wonders if you want to shake the windows. I plan to add an MK sub and then upgrade to a 150W AV reciever. Over all I''m happy with them as advertised. Similar Products Used: My present system Nakamichi CR-3A Tape deck Adcom GCD-750 CD player Denon DRA375 60W Reciever |
[Mar 01, 2000]
Jon
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Wide sound stage
Weakness:
Weak bass for the size of speakers I've used these speakers for over 4 years now. I have to agree with others that they are pretty good speakers. I've been thinking about upgrading for some time, but I just can't justify getting rid of these, especially when I can't find too many speakers that flat out sound better for less than $2K (I've been auditioning NHT, B&W, and Magnaplanar). |
[Mar 02, 2000]
Andy Pool
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great soundstage, good accurate midrange, can go loud, works well as home cinema left Right main pair
Weakness:
suffers at low volume listening I bought my Q90's following a trial in my own home. They cost me about £350 (UK Pounds)and are great. I drive them through a Quad 606 / 77 Power/pre amp and a Marantz 67 KI sig CD player. |