KEF Q5

Kef Q5 speakers.

This is a difficult item to review, because the main emphasis on this product is the ability to produce audible sound. This sound is something, which is difficult to explain without getting too technical. Within that context I will try to explain some of the technical details before the actual description of the Kef speakers, thus hopefully giving you a fuller understanding of the actual product.

Things, ...
...the review.

Kef Q5

The speakers are two and a half bass reflex, which means there are two and a half 160mm woofers speakers (see photograph) producing the sound, giving a frequency range of 39hz to 27Khz, (+ or- 3db) which gives a maximum output of 112db. This is a frequency range, which is within the human spectrum and an output level, which does not exceed the threshold of pain. The output of the speakers does not ... more

Kef Q5 speakers.

This is a difficult item to review, because the main emphasis on this product is the ability to produce audible sound. This sound is something, which is difficult to explain without getting too technical. Within that context I will try to explain some of the technical details before the actual description of the Kef speakers, thus hopefully giving you a fuller understanding of the actual product.

Things, which affect you ability to “Hear the Music”

1 - The Human ear.

The human ear can respond to minute pressure variations in the air if they are in the audible frequency range, roughly 20 Hz - 20 kHz.
The nominal dynamic range of human hearing is from the standard threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain. A nominal range for hearing is 0 decibels to 130 decibels (db), which is considered to be the threshold of pain. Having said that, what is considered painful for one may be welcomed as entertainment by others. Generally, younger persons are more tolerant of loud sounds than older persons because their protective mechanisms are more effective. This tolerance does not make them immune to the damage that loud sounds can produce.

2 – The Room.

If you're like most people, your speaker’s will, be on or near the floor of your listening room. If the floor is uncovered hardwood, you might have problems with echo with the sound bouncing back and forth between the ceiling and floor. This can be easily remedied by having the floor carpeted. If this is too expensive or aesthetically unpleasing, try a throw rug or two, preferably made of natural fibres like wool. Wool makes a better absorber of sound than the synthetic materials used in lots of inexpensive rugs and carpeting, because the fibres in a wool rug vary in length, thickness, and density. This variety helps diffuse the sound, and enables the material to absorb different frequencies of sound, whereas the uniform length and thickness of synthetic fibres enable them to absorb only one narrow frequency.
Think about this as well: If your loudspeakers are on the floor, they're going to reflect more sound, especially bass, than elevated speakers. Consider speaker stands if you've got problems with floor and ceiling reflections.
Large rooms generally sound better than small rooms because there is a wider range of room resonances and therefore each is less apparent

3 - The speakers. - Listen to them before you buy.

As there are a vast range of speakers and just as many prices I would suggest that you go to a good Hi-Fi shop which has a listening room, and you are able to listen to a range of speakers. When you go to the shop, have a price in your head which you are prepared to spend, if you listen to speakers above you price range, you will be tempted to buy them only to be disappointed to find out you can’t afford them.
Armed with this information I recommend that you look for the size and configuration that fit the room, which the speakers are going into. Listen to a number of speakers starting from the low end of the range going up to the highest ones at the price you are prepared to pay. If possible listen to them in different shops, as each listening room will have its own characteristics, and some of them may be similar to you room at home.

What should you listen for?

Listen to music with wide dynamics and frequencies-such as classical symphonies-and the other end of the scale, bass, simple music, such as a solo piano performance. Listen to the music soft and loud, for clarity and lack of harshness in the high range and a lack of boominess in the low bass end. The best position to listen to music from a good quality set of speakers is at the apex of the triangle; this is where the sound coming from each speaker meets. Start in this position, and then move off-centre until you find the angle at which the high frequencies become muffled. The farther you can go, the better the speakers. Sharpen your listening skills by first comparing each store's top performer with its low-priced entry-level model.

Hopefully this is enough information for you to
appreciate the review.

Kef Q5

The speakers are two and a half bass reflex, which means there are two and a half 160mm woofers speakers (see photograph) producing the sound, giving a frequency range of 39hz to 27Khz, (+ or- 3db) which gives a maximum output of 112db. This is a frequency range, which is within the human spectrum and an output level, which does not exceed the threshold of pain. The output of the speakers does not cover the full range of the human hearing spectrum, and as a result of this some of the top end and bottom end sounds are missing. I have had these speakers for about 2 years not and I don’t feel I have lost out in this aspect. If you want to be able to hear these sounds you will need to go for a higher specification on the speakers. This unfortunately will mean you will need to spend a lot more money, and at £599 I think I have spent enough.
The speakers are twinned for bi-wiring or bi amplification. This means that you can drive the speakers to their full potential range from the amplifier using 2 sets of speaker cables, to cover the full range. Unfortunately I am unable to do this as I have them in a room, which have the cables already in the wall, (see photographs) and I am only able to use one set of speaker cables. On the speakers there are connectors, which will allow you to overcome this problem.
An important aspect of these speakers, although not one of the most essential, is how they look in the room which they are going into, this is so that they can blend into the room and look as if they are part of the furniture. The Kef Q5’s are floor speakers and stand 880mm off the ground, 240mm wide and 320mm deep. These are unusually shaped set as you can see from the photograph, the slightly raised bit at the top adds extra definition and a change in colour, there is also the name printed on this part. This curved shape (see photograph) minimises distortion in the sound, which parallel speakers generate. This design is complicated to make and MDF is used to produce the curve shape, over MDF there is a veneered surface, and comes in three types of wood, Maple, (which is mine in the picture), Dark Apple and Black Ash. One of the things I was worried about in veneered surface was the corner joint and the veneer chipping off, this is not a problem as the veneer is well fixed on and after 2 years there is no sign of damage. In order to emphasise the sound quality, the speakers are mounted on screw in spikes, this is to stop shaking of the speakers when they are being driven hard. This has an advantage in that it gives a richer sound especially at the bass level, but if you have a wooden floor the spikes sill mark this. I have tried to put the speakers on the ground and found that at the bass end of the sound there is a muffled sound. I have also raised them off the ground on CD boxes; this gives a slightly better sound than putting them on the ground, but was totally unsatisfactory in terms of aesthetics. The best way to use the speakers is on the spikes provided.

Conclusion.

As you can see from the picture I have the speakers mounted on a wooden floor, in the rest of the room there is softening furniture, which keeps the distortion to a minimum. These are a mid price range of speakers which I would recommend to anyone who wants to listen to a good quality sound in their home. The speakers can be used for the hi-fi in a listening room or they can also be used as a home cinema and a bass bin could be added to give that full cinema experience.

Kef can be found on
oh just realised I am not allowed to put linke here, so go to google and type in Kef and this should be enough.

Hope you have enjoyed this review and if you decide to but this product, please let me know

©Mark Montgomery 22nd October 2004

 

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