Stunning, full range speaker. In your face, airy mids--puts Diana Krall live in my home--I can't stop smiling--competes well with any $10,000+ audiophile speakers! No words do these baby's justice--pure bliss...to the B&W comparo reviewer, below--I love the Nautilus line for their plug and play brilliance--but the British Kef XQOne's, dialed in right and complemented with good components come out on top by far. IMHO of course! Give them another try...I own both and only the Nautilus $8,000 diamond tweeter series come close in comparison (for some recordings where the high tweeter range is important B&W does better) but for up front mids and overall speaker I still prefer the KeF XQ-one.

these speakers sound excellent in a smaller room with absorbing surfaces (i.e. carpet flooring). a matching subwoofer is necessary to bring out the full range. optimal listening position is within three to six feet. further away the sound can become boxy. i found it easier to create a good sound stage with speakers slightly tilted outwards. sound is clear, bright and forward. for classical music, they go very well with warm receivers. for steel guitars and vocal, power them with a bright receiver and they can sound transcendent. i found it accurate when people describe these speakers as transparent. they have low tolerance on poorly recorded music. i do not recommend using them in bigger space (i.e. living room) as main. the earlier version of the xq series was manufactured in europe while later in china. i have both. the eu version is slightly tuned towards the bright side. extremely good value if you can find them in the used market.

size, looks(If you like that sort if thing)

pricy, power handling, vocals, tweeter

£400

I am reviewing the new XQ1s !!!

The XQ1 is the same driver and tweeter as the IQ1, but with a smarter real wood, laquerd cabinet. That I feel does not look as good as the IQ1, (in my opinion).

these speakers are ok, vocals are not as clear as B&Ws kevlar and they have poor power handling. Also the kef 19mm tweeter is supposed to be really good(said kef) But in comparison to B&Ws natulus tweeter, well, there is just no comparison.

Similar Products Used:

B&W dm600, mission, gale e.c.t

Natural sound. Voice reproduction and sound stage. You feel like you could touch the musicians

Price in my Country due to ludicrous importation taxes.

I used to have big Planar speakers whose membranes ripped off. As repair was too costly I decided to survey the market for a replacement. The XQ-1 came out as a complete surprise. Excellent voice reproduction with a very natural sound stage, mainly if you place them 1m. away from the side walls. Combined with a good subwoofer, and on solid stands these speakers will give you goose bumps. In a symphony orchestra you have the impression you can discern each individual performer, instead of only hearing a mass of instruments. And their sound comes from the right direction allowing for "identifying" the sources both in depth and width. In comparison with the speakers below, the XQ-1 sound does not give you the feeling of hearing a miniature orchestra as with the B&Ws; sound stage is not larger than life as with my ex-planars, and sound is lively but with no emphasis to a given frequency as it happens with so many speakers (i.e. Klipsch or Paradigm Treble). These are strong performers. They are neutral but lively. They easily fill my 27 m2 dedicated room fed by 100W per channel amplification. And they disappear leaving only you with the music. You do not have to be in a limited sweet spot to hear the whole event spread in front of you. But if you are right in the middler of both speakers things do get way more realistic. Placement is not critical. In my room, I found out the XQ-1s do better when not pointing straight at me. They are just a little slanted (some 15 degrees)to the center. This way, I have the impression I have a center speaker so firm is the center source sound and the perceived sound stage's depth and width surpasses the boundaries of the walls. A great product indeed.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM series towers and 705 bookshelf; Paradigm Performance and Studio Series; Mirage; Klipsch Reference and Planar speakers.

well control-- especially the bass and low bass part. Wide sound stage. Neutral human voice. Not harsh to the ears even in its newest state.

Instrument a bit forward. Price a bit steep!!

I have been using Rogers LS3A5 and its bass tower for 10 years. Those were driven by Mark Levinson ML27 with its pre-amp ML-26 connected via balanced cables. I always thought the Rogers were one of the greatest small speakers around. That might be true 10 years ago. NOw that I have switched to the new KEF XQ1, my opinion has changed. Even in its mint brand new condition, the XQ1 sounds pleasing and resonably sweet. The soundstage is WIDE but the instruments tend to stand forward. Voices are natural and not too warm or thick. I particularly like the tones of violin and the detail the KEF reveals. But mind you, at present I am only using a real cheap DVD as my sound source since my Pioneer is under repair. I am sure when the AX-10 comes back, the details and tone color and depth of sound field will much improve. I forget to mention I am using a Rel subwoover too, and that adds a lot of low frequency in a good non-boomy manner.

Similar Products Used:

Rogers BBC reference small speakers.

Strength lies in the XQ1's ultra high frequency reproduction. Bass, mid, and high range seemed acuasticlly perfect to my ear. Everything was TIGHT, with no distortion at any volume.

The XQ1 rivals any floor standing model without a dome tweater, except when it comes to bass. The bass it has is awsome. But a subwoofer is a nessesity for full-range reproduction.

I just finished listening to dozens of speakers at a store down the street from my place. I heard Infinities, Definitive Technologies, Bose, Klipsches, Yamahas, DEFs, and Acoustic Reasearches. The KEF XQ1, with its dome tweater was simply the best bookshelf, 2nd best was another KEF model, but it wasn't close to the XQ1- that dome tweater adds a dimension to the music that you wont hear on any speaker without a seperatly enclosed tweater or ribbon. I spent 5 hours in the store to find the best stereo set of speakers for under $2000. My conclusion is XQ1's coupled with a good subwoofer.

Similar Products Used:

A roomate owns a bose acusimass sytem. (that thing rocks!!!!, so small and it ALMOST beats the XQ1/sub setup. simply the best value for a surround sytem!) Check above for a list of brands I have liste