It depends on the amp to drive them too. Generally speakers will sound a little harsh when using AVR to listen.

My dealer using proper 2-channel stereo amp and to our surprise they sound quite warm than we thought. The midrange is very open with good body too.

q300 are good with music n movie very smooth n detail bass are tight vocalsl very clear

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Added on December 15, 2011, 6:11 pmDue to the UniQ and Waveguide, your KEF's have the widest dispersion of any speaker in their price range, making them the best hi-fi speakers for movies. Their sealed cabinet also makes them ideal for near wall placement, although a little space will improve their already excellent three dimensional image. KEF are on a roll at the moment, which looks set to continue for some time. Enjoy Smile
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This post has been edited by lussen: Dec 15 2011, 06:11 PM

Its naked only for photo shoot. Got kids around so need to cover it up.

I really wanted another Q300 for centre speaker but the shop only sell in pair. I don't want the Q600c as its more expensive and I don't think its any better too.

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Added on December 15, 2011, 6:24 pmI fully agreed that a dedicated stereo amp is the best way to go, but I am very happy the pairing with my new Pioneer SC-LX75. Its sounds really awesome....very big sound staging and crytal clears. With the right source, this speakers really can sing.

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Added on December 15, 2011, 6:26 pmYep, KEF Uni-Q drivers are indeed impressive. Very wide sound stage and impressive imaging.


This post has been edited by lightning69: Dec 15 2011, 06:26 PM

Well, I would go with the Q600c as the centre's role is quite prominent for movie (vs. music). I guess a middle-ground compromise would be the Q200c.

haha, im using a coda 70 as well, not bad, only when come to impact it sounds not as nice as my friends definitive tech

Hi Bro,

Mind sharing what speaker you use for center and subwoofer at the moment?

I tested Q500 and Q300 in combination with onkyo and I feel it is bright, as bright as the jbl that i eventually took in combo with pioneer avr. At shop the combination performed very well as the details were extremely clear. However, over the long run playing exciting scene, the brightness may cause fatigue. The brightness is also not good for music as compared to warmer speakers like Castle and B&W (as what I have tested). Do you experience this with KEF Q series?

I have also tested B&W 684. For music, it performed very well. But, for movies it is too laid back due to the warmness. No excitement in scenes where you should feel your adrenaline rushing.

For the current setup, maybe I should avoid skipping to playing exciting scene only to avoid fatigue or I should take another pair of warm speakers just for music.

This post has been edited by chiakwang: Dec 15 2011, 09:56 PM

I use a Wharfadale Diamond 9 Centre speakers and a SVS PC-12Plus subwoofer.

I don't think the Q300 is very bright. It might be slightly bright but it is very subjective. It depends very much on the equipment pairing and the source. The Q300 need bi-amp to really shine and I heard it sounds warmer with cooper cables and sound bright with silver cables.

Just to stir some toxic to you guys.

Here comes the beauty . Center speaker is exclusively tuned and voiced for the vocals so I believe she can handles the dialogue well.

Introducing Q600C

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Added on December 15, 2011, 10:44 pmThe brightness you perceived with Q500 & Q300 is manly due to Onkyo characteristic. Denon & Marantz have a warmer presentation.

KEF speakers including the latest Q are generally warm sounding. The amp and the sources will contribute to its brightness to only certain extent. I do not think latest Q series sound fatigue as I have heard it at dealer shop.










This post has been edited by mikapoh: Dec 15 2011, 10:44 PM

I personally don't think that we need to use a centre speaker for centre. Any speakers can be centre speaker. If a speaker is good enough for the main, it sure is good enough for centre duty. Just my opinion.

I do agree with u on some point, all LCR must at least have the same signature to produce the best sound output but i am sure a center itself has it's own characteristics and are made for certain dedicated purposes compare to speakers, i am no pro to point them out but i am sure they are build for it's reason.

IMO, it definitely makes sense and I've seen some in AVS forum using the same type of floorstander for LCR.

The main problems are space constraints and the availability of just 1 unit speaker. I believe many Center speakers are designed horizontally so that it is practical in its placement under a TV. Take example at your case, it is almost impossible to place a bookshelf on the cabinet. You need to find a proper height one unit speaker stand for it.

I think the reason there is a dedicated centre speakers is because most speakers have a separate tweeter and woofer configurations and if the speakers were to be place horizontally, its array becomes off. That is why most centre have 2 woofers sandwitching a tweeter in the centre to balance the sound.

The KEF speaker that utilize the Uni-Q drivers don't have such problems as the sound from both the tweeter and the woofers are coming from the same point. Therefore i personally believe that the Q300 is perfect for use as a centre speaker. I would even prefer the Q300 as centre speakers as it have exactly the same sound signature as the 2 front speakers.

Again this is purely my preference.

just to get an idea on the KEF sound signature, i audited the iQ10 for quite a while at a dealer place paired to a marantz cd player and marantz integrated amp (pm6003 i think). it still sounded a bit on the bright side.
might be because the unit have too little playing time on them, but the monitor audio bx2 sounded awesome out of the box.

was considering the kef new q series or the monitor audio bx series because of the good review, but in the end upgraded to the monitor audio as i preferred their sound more.

the dealer didn't have the new q series to audit but i heard the iq60 (IINM) before and it still strike me as a bit bright to my ears.

preference i guess.

again, purely preference but i (we) did tried putting a bookshelf of similar series as a center channel flanked with floorstanders of the same series vs the dedicated center speaker and the dedicated center speaker sounded better.

and turning on and off the center speaker (while sitting dead center), i still think a dedicated center speaker sounded better.

That is very good info. Thanks. I am incline towards using the Q300 as centre because its a lot cheaper(half the price as compared to the Q600c) so for the savings, I think the Q300 is a good value centre speakers.

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Added on December 16, 2011, 7:30 pmI watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes last night and I can say that the Q300 is great for movies too as expected. Very clear and detail sound.

This post has been edited by lightning69: Dec 16 2011, 07:30 PM

How much is this Q300?
I'm using Arcam 7 for stereo.

The lowest price so far is from penang @rm1950

I do agree that you can use KEF Standmount as centre as the Uni-Q arrangement do benefit as everything came from one source....
Just to add some consideration into the pot. The KEF centre are normally supported by some mid-drivers that give support to the Centre Uni-Q and this add into more mid-bass impact to the sound.
To me this pull the imaging focus better and give more frontal impact for movie experience.
I wouldn't mind using the smaller Centre in the Q series as I believe its would support the Q300 sufficient. The bigger sibling tends to work better with its taller brother that stand on the floor.
Sometime front integration matter if you have speaker of unique make (Uni-Q) and for me I even could consider having the same make for the rear and keeping the Uni-Q sound character....
Of course.. for Subwoofer its a different story as incorporating a Uni-Q tweeter into the 12 inch driver would be an interesting thing and in fact form no such requirement in reality... who want one there anyway...

donno much about this speaker, but man, she sure looked HOT! gratz TS

Very good info. Thanks. My problem now is that I could not get hold of just 1 Q300 for the centre as they are sold in pairs.

I do incorporate a sub into my setup for HT use and music too cos I like bass. Problem is I am not that good to tell if it integrate well to my Q300 lol.

OO... What Hifi Speaker of the year for 2011... Q300....
I am using the Q300 and Q200c for few months now.. no regret! Highly recommended..