BEST BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS UNDER $1000, EVEN BETTER IN BI-WIRING

I am sharing my impressions of the KEF Q300 speakers after one month of listening.

In my mind, the KEF Q300 speakers are the best bookshelf speakers under $1000 or €1000 on the market. Period.

If you want better sound, you will have to spend much more, at least twice their price.

I - EQUIPMENT USED

• Amp Creek Evolution 2 
• Cambridge 840C player 
• Interconnects Dogsplodge silver (Litz structure) 
• Speaker cable: Supra Ply 3.4 S (shielded)
• Mains : Supra Lorad 
• 4 filters Audioprism Quietline

- Speakers used earlier: Triangle Comete (version 1991)

II - GENERAL COMMENTS

• The KEF Q300 are bass reflex speakers with front port, which is a good feature. It is much better to have a front port if your speakers are close to the wall. This is why I chose them.
• Good speakers, neutral, that work well with a Creek amplifier. Some audiophiles have been disappointed by the combination of these speakers with an amplifier from Naim or Cambridge.
• Good spatial qualities, deep bass: the Q300 go down to 42Hz. The Q300 are, to my knowledge, the only bookshelf speakers that have such a deep bass at this price level, thanks to the charcoal technology developed by KEF.
•  they work very well at low volume as well as at higher volume (depends very certainly on the amplifier used. The Q300 need a powerful amplifier, which is the case for the Creek EVO 2). The soundstage is of course better at higher volume than at low volume 
• they use mono or bi-wiring, with an ingenious system of internal straps. 
• Satisfactory finish, choice of color possible. 
• Excellent value for money.

III - DETAILED COMMENTS

1) Qualities

a) timbres and sound registry

- Accurate timbres

 - Balanced registry: 

• treble is good 
• Good medium: the choruses sound well. 
• deep bass accurate / well controlled; infra-bass enveloping: it is not necessary to use a subwoofer in a room between 25-30m2 

- The grand piano really sounds like a grand piano on the good records, with very deep bass, which is rare with a bookshelf speaker. That's impressive. 

- Fairly accurate reproduction of applause in a concert hall

b) Resolution

Pretty transparent speakers: the difference is very clearly heard between good and not so good records.

c) sound stage / spatial qualities

- Accurate placement of instruments

 - Wide soundstage 

- Good reproduction of sound atmospheres of concert halls, especially with the amplifier Creek Evolution 2 (air, reverberations)

2) Defects

The sounds of cymbals and drum brushes are somewhat muffled.

3) Recommendation

When listening in store or at home, do not forget to remove all the packaging foam, which are behind the tissue, otherwise the sound is degraded. These protections are not mentioned in the manual.

UPDATE AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF:

Optimisation of room accoustics allowed me to no longer have the default above mentioned.

UPDATE AFTER THREE YEARS OF LISTENING:

THE BI-WIRING

1) Why and when

When I bought my speakers, I read here and there that the bi-wiring was a commercial gimmick, and was useless. For three years, I stayed in single-wiring, then I thought, why not try bi-wiring?

What encouraged me was a comment on the Whathifi site on the KEF Q300. I found absolutely nothing on the internet about the result of bi-wiring these speakers, including the site of KEF.

I read everything I could find on the internet about the bi-wiring. Of course, conflicting opinions. These supporters of the bi-wiring and those of their opponents, who did not believe it.

My source of the most compelling information for the bi-wiring was the article by Jean Hiraga, I found by doing a search on Google images.

2) How

Being equipped with speaker cables Supra Ply 3.4S, which gave me satisfaction, I bought more of the same cable.

Contrary to what I read on several forums, I believe it is essential to use only one type of cable, no cable for the high and medium and others for the bass.

It is also essential to double the wiring, each terminal being connected to a different cable, instead of straps connecting the speaker terminals to each other. Put external straps would simply replace the internal straps. This does nothing beneficial; I tested.

I made sure that all the cables are exactly the same length, to avoid any time lag in the sound image.

The cable is shielded, it was necessary to connect to the amplifier set the shielding sheaths. I secured the cables, which are quite heavy, with electrician tape.

3) The result

The first thing I noticed is that on some tracks, the sound of some instruments in an orchestra came out of left or right speaker, instead of being part of an inclusive, independent image placement. Thus, for example, I heard solo instruments in the foreground, and an overall picture rather shifted in the background, which somewhat confused me and led me to put my KEF single-wiring. With the same songs in single wiring, I heard the same thing, but much more attenuated.

I realized that the bigger gap between the foreground and the background was simply due to the fact that bi-wiring gives a deeper soundstage. Not being satisfied with the single-wiring I got back to bi-wiring, with full satisfaction.

What does bi-wiring of KEF Q300 bring compared to single wiring:

- A wider and deeper soundstage on concert recordings or mixes with 3D effect

- A more natural and refined sound image: single-wiring, the sound of the piano was very focused on a small area between the speakers, which was not natural. With bi-wiring, I get a natural image, the size of the grand piano, and a much more refined sound, nuanced. This is particularly clear on the recording of Mozart sonatas by Maria Joao Pires Deutsche Grammophon: it is day and night compared to the single-wiring. Bi-wiring, the record is beautiful. It was like being in the concert hall and one is amazed by the sophistication of touch of the pianist and the various nuances and dynamics.

- The accoustics of the room where the recording was made invades the listening room. The listener is immersed, wrapped in it. While in single-wiring, sound image remains behind the speakers.

- The sound is projected into the room, it will not stay behind the speakers. This is particularly noticeable with the bass, and percussion. This is much more faithfull to the reality of the concert.

- The bass are deeper.

Conclusion on bi-wiring of KEF Q300:

KEF Q300 were designed to give the best of themselves in bi-wiring.

Bi-wiring gave me full satisfaction. I now have everything I was looking for: a more natural, wide and deep soundstage, being immersed in the acoustics of the concert hall, or in the sound environment desired by the engineer; greater refinement of timbres, especially with the piano.

With bi-wiring, not only KEF Q300 give the best of themselves but also my amplifier Creek Evo 2, renowned for its reproduction quality timbres and soundstage.

They did both become more impressive in their value for money ratio.

CONCLUSION:

The KEF Q300 give the best of themselves in bi-wiring. If you stay in single wiring, you will get only 70% of their potential.

The KEF Q300 are small speakers in size and price that are on par with much more expensive and bigger speakers, provided that your room acoustics and your system are optimised.

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