R
RR
Guest
(Firstly, the f?. memory card of my camera packed up so I can?t show you any photos of our little trial. 
)
Mostly when we talk about KEF speakers, we discuss the floor standers in the KEF iQ-range, usually the iQ7?s or iQ9?s. These speakers have become known as good value, good looking units, with a sound best described as fast and attacking, making them ?a dream come true? for most Home Theatre aficionados.
The ?fast and attacking? part was however a drawback for several stereo lovers. The iQ9 are not the kind of speakers you can sit back and relax with. Musicality is traded for accuracy and dynamics, again, not a bad thing, but certainly not for me and several others whose main course is music.
OK, so late last week I had the opportunity to review a KEF speaker at home on my system(s). The speaker in question was the iQ1, the smallest stand-mounter in the iQ range. I specifically asked for the iQ1, wanting to test whether they have the same trademark sound as the bigger speakers in the range.
This speaker comes in somewhere between R2k and R3k, and is a good looking (maple finished) and very solid feeling little speaker. I tested them on three setups.
1. Marantz AV600 pre-amp (used in stereo) with SABC Audio Geometry PMA25 monoblocks. (Essentially an entry level system). Source: CD?s played on a Marantz CD5001.
2. Marantz PM17 MkII stereo integrated amp. Sources: Linn LP12/Ittok LVII/Ort Rondo Red MC (using PM17?s MC phonostage), and Marantz SA11 CDP.
3. Mark Levinson ML380/ML333 amplification, same sources as in 2).
The setup in 1) is typical of what these speakers (given their price) might be used with, the second system testing the limits of where they typically will be applied, and the third system, well, just for the heck of it.
For further comparison, an old set of Mission 760i?s I have were used as well as my Revel M22?s.
I can honestly say that none of the trademark sound of the big iQ9?s is present on the small iQ1?s. HT fans, stay away, dynamics are not the forte of these small speakers, but such musicality I have honestly never heard in this price range. (Note: HT guys, yes these will work well for surrounds, but know you are wasting a good speaker if you do this?).
On the CD5001/AV600/PMA25 setup they sounded very neutral and musical. Dynamics as said before, was perhaps not the best, falling well short of the bass extension of the Revel M22?s (Unfair comparison actually given the M22?s R20k asking price new). They also were not as revealing as the Revel M22, but this IMO makes them much better suited to this type of system. It is amazing how much I enjoyed listening to them, as the music just flows from them. Midrange performance is beautiful, almost up to the Revel M22?s performance in this regard! Compared to the admittedly old Mission 760i?s; switching back to the 760i?s really leaves the impression of music coming from a box speaker, back with the KEF iQ1?s one never got this feeling.
On the PM17/LP12/SA11 combo the speakers really shone, with a credible soundstage now in place. Soundstage height was limited, but depth was excellent. One could still pinpoint speaker positions though when listening with eyes closed, but the soundstage had a good spread of information. Dynamics are improved slightly and much more detail was evident especially using the SA11 source. Switching to the LP12 proved to be a joyful experience, with the same musicality as mentioned in the previous paragraph being its biggest forte again.
Testing them on the Mark Levinson combination was always an unrealistic endeavour, no one (except maybe Deon? ;D) would use such entry level speakers on such a system. OK, so I ended up eating my own words. This was truly fantastic. Dynamics were again improved but still limited, but let?s face it, the 5.25? bass driver will only deliver so much bass?. What was exceptional however was the fact that the exercise of pinpointing speaker positions in the soundstage is now totally impossible, a feat not even the Revel M22?s can achieve! Wow! While soundstage did not extend beyond the speakers, in between them hang a beautiful fluid and musical picture. (Sorry for the verbal diarrhea..hehe).
Last point and IMO one of the iQ1?s biggest plusses; the Uni-Q driver really works well in a near-field monitoring application. I will soon be requiring speakers in a small room where my wife intends on learning to play the piano, using a Yamaha Clavinova. The Clavinova?s own speaker sounds like a teabag flopping about in a shoebox; so a nice set of stereo speakers will be required; these iQ1?s are now top of my wish list for this.
This speakers has changed my view on KEF?s, they really seem to make speakers for different applications and I for one will now always consider them when the need arises for new speakers in the budget market.
)Mostly when we talk about KEF speakers, we discuss the floor standers in the KEF iQ-range, usually the iQ7?s or iQ9?s. These speakers have become known as good value, good looking units, with a sound best described as fast and attacking, making them ?a dream come true? for most Home Theatre aficionados.
The ?fast and attacking? part was however a drawback for several stereo lovers. The iQ9 are not the kind of speakers you can sit back and relax with. Musicality is traded for accuracy and dynamics, again, not a bad thing, but certainly not for me and several others whose main course is music.
OK, so late last week I had the opportunity to review a KEF speaker at home on my system(s). The speaker in question was the iQ1, the smallest stand-mounter in the iQ range. I specifically asked for the iQ1, wanting to test whether they have the same trademark sound as the bigger speakers in the range.
This speaker comes in somewhere between R2k and R3k, and is a good looking (maple finished) and very solid feeling little speaker. I tested them on three setups.
1. Marantz AV600 pre-amp (used in stereo) with SABC Audio Geometry PMA25 monoblocks. (Essentially an entry level system). Source: CD?s played on a Marantz CD5001.
2. Marantz PM17 MkII stereo integrated amp. Sources: Linn LP12/Ittok LVII/Ort Rondo Red MC (using PM17?s MC phonostage), and Marantz SA11 CDP.
3. Mark Levinson ML380/ML333 amplification, same sources as in 2).
The setup in 1) is typical of what these speakers (given their price) might be used with, the second system testing the limits of where they typically will be applied, and the third system, well, just for the heck of it.
For further comparison, an old set of Mission 760i?s I have were used as well as my Revel M22?s.
I can honestly say that none of the trademark sound of the big iQ9?s is present on the small iQ1?s. HT fans, stay away, dynamics are not the forte of these small speakers, but such musicality I have honestly never heard in this price range. (Note: HT guys, yes these will work well for surrounds, but know you are wasting a good speaker if you do this?).
On the CD5001/AV600/PMA25 setup they sounded very neutral and musical. Dynamics as said before, was perhaps not the best, falling well short of the bass extension of the Revel M22?s (Unfair comparison actually given the M22?s R20k asking price new). They also were not as revealing as the Revel M22, but this IMO makes them much better suited to this type of system. It is amazing how much I enjoyed listening to them, as the music just flows from them. Midrange performance is beautiful, almost up to the Revel M22?s performance in this regard! Compared to the admittedly old Mission 760i?s; switching back to the 760i?s really leaves the impression of music coming from a box speaker, back with the KEF iQ1?s one never got this feeling.
On the PM17/LP12/SA11 combo the speakers really shone, with a credible soundstage now in place. Soundstage height was limited, but depth was excellent. One could still pinpoint speaker positions though when listening with eyes closed, but the soundstage had a good spread of information. Dynamics are improved slightly and much more detail was evident especially using the SA11 source. Switching to the LP12 proved to be a joyful experience, with the same musicality as mentioned in the previous paragraph being its biggest forte again.
Testing them on the Mark Levinson combination was always an unrealistic endeavour, no one (except maybe Deon? ;D) would use such entry level speakers on such a system. OK, so I ended up eating my own words. This was truly fantastic. Dynamics were again improved but still limited, but let?s face it, the 5.25? bass driver will only deliver so much bass?. What was exceptional however was the fact that the exercise of pinpointing speaker positions in the soundstage is now totally impossible, a feat not even the Revel M22?s can achieve! Wow! While soundstage did not extend beyond the speakers, in between them hang a beautiful fluid and musical picture. (Sorry for the verbal diarrhea..hehe).
Last point and IMO one of the iQ1?s biggest plusses; the Uni-Q driver really works well in a near-field monitoring application. I will soon be requiring speakers in a small room where my wife intends on learning to play the piano, using a Yamaha Clavinova. The Clavinova?s own speaker sounds like a teabag flopping about in a shoebox; so a nice set of stereo speakers will be required; these iQ1?s are now top of my wish list for this.
This speakers has changed my view on KEF?s, they really seem to make speakers for different applications and I for one will now always consider them when the need arises for new speakers in the budget market.
