Before the arrival of the Q300...on the front is a picture of my old and trusty B&W DM602, and my brother-in-law's Paradigm Monitor 9.


The arrival of the new princess...


The undressing...


Introducing the Q300..


She is a beauty


Up close and personal...




This post has been edited by lightning69: Dec 14 2011, 09:56 PM

Congrat, looks good!

Wow ! Bro ur Q300 look so sexy ( better than my IQ30 )

Thanks...it sound really good too.

Welcome to the KEF Speaker owner family..... Looking forward to your next upgrade... maybe....
KEF R series Floorstand and moving these beauties to do surround beauty when the R series poison hit you....

nice bro lightning69. my q300 running almost 2 month to get the best sound

Wow...need 2 months! It already sound great now....can't wait to hear it in its full glory.

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Added on December 14, 2011, 10:58 pmMy B&W that I retired is with me 15 years.

Btw, I am not into floorstander. Somehow I prefer bookshelves on stand.



This post has been edited by lightning69: Dec 14 2011, 10:58 PM

might to share my rumah kampung set up

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Added on December 14, 2011, 11:18 pmsorry for bad picture only using my 'cap ayam' phone

This post has been edited by lussen: Dec 14 2011, 11:18 PM


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wow great kampung. i'm in kampung too hehehe

Another fellow supporter of bookshelf.. Sometime Smaller package sound more refine......
R series also got Bookshelf..... Hahaha....
Don't know why.. But that seem the run in time of KEF stuff... 2 Month....

I see you have your Q300 toe in quite a bit. Sound better toe in?

yeah i dump my floorstander for current bookshelf.maybe higher end floorstanders would be different but just cant afford it atm

I am wondering if this Q300 is a bright or warm speaker?

I assume it is on the bright side. Pls correct if I am wrong.

You are wrong KEF speakers are generally warm sounding.

Q300 is even warmer than Mordaunt Short Mezzo series.


Lightning 69, I see some photos frames on top of PC12plus, are they able to hold their ground when the sub kick-in??

Maybe its due to the placement? Its at the corner of the room and if facing forward will have bad first point reflection maybe?
To me Bookshelf have flexibility of placement and not that space consuming... It can be tuck in everywhere and not so bulky.... Only issue is Bass but nowadays with Sub-woofer this seem to be a matter of the past.
Floorstand visually is arresting.. but sometime in our small kampung house where got place to put big big floorstand speaker....

Its a little bright in my opinion as expected from a metal tweeters. Soft dome tweeter generally sounds warmer.

Yes, its a photo frame on top of the PC-12Plus. Its paper type and it does fall off all the time.

I am looking for one to complement my pioneer lx53, mainly for HIFI stereo. Any good speaker to recommend? Is Q300 a good match?

Av amp not really suited for hifi stereo, get both a dedicated stereo amp and speakers. It is a world of difference.

Congrats and welcome to the KEF family. Hope you're leaving the Q300 naked only for the photoshoot .... last thing we'd want is for dust accumulation on the Uni-Q drivers.

Curious about the matching with the centre speaker.

Hi, lightning69 & lussen, how does the KEF Q series sounds for movies?

This post has been edited by WereWolf84: Dec 15 2011, 01:25 PM

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..

waiting my new q700 & q600c to come.. arhh few more weeks

TS, cant wait for hearing session, if there's one!

Be patient my friend. Time flies.

Anyone here would like to use the Q300 for centre speakers? Maybe we can purchase 1 set and get one each. Please pm me if you're interested.

This post has been edited by lightning69: Dec 26 2011, 02:01 PM

do share your experience with us after u have run in the speakers. also can u share with me the price u got for your q700? i got quoted around 4.5k which i find is a bit overpriced. IQ70 looks a look nicer physical. IQ70 vs. Q700.... hmm...

how much 1 pair q300? below 2k can get ??

Singapore prices are cheaper.. Some more new year clearance at Adelphi

I paid Rm2100 for a pair. Maybe can nego till Rm2000. So RM1000 for each as centre speakers.

I got that price too, I think you are slightly cheaper than mine one.. maybe because I'm a bit far

KEF and B&W which 1 sound more nicer if pair with amp ONKYO 609 ?

Both have their very own house sound. To me, the B&W sounded warmer and a bit more laid back than the KEF. So, it is pretty much on your preference.

the warmer that u mention was?

the last few days i spent a few hours auditing the q300, q500 and q700 with a q600c center speaker plugged to a marantz sr7005 for movies and then run the setup through a marantz cd6004 + pm6004 integrated amp for stereo.

played the same transformers dark of the moon scene which i am familiar with, then run tracks from norah jones, michael buble and best audiophile voices 2. and just for fun after spending the few hours listening to the 5 star whathifi awarded setup we run a pair of b&w 705 through the same cd6004 and pm6004.

i'm a freak for midrange. so i'm biased towards the sweet midrange of the b&w. the kef q series have better sense of space and more emphasis on treble. which is a good thing for movies. but not so for music. playing music they still sounded a bit thin and dry sounding to me.

Bro, you are not doing a fair comparison here. KEF Q series is not the same class as the B&W 7 series speakers. You should compare it with the B&W 600 series speakers.

Hahaha.....I am about to say that.

A fellow iQ3 user checking in at your thread

lightning69 : comparing KEF Q and B&W 6 series how do they perform is pairing with onkyo 609?

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Added on December 30, 2011, 5:06 pmhow to see checking in ???

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Added on December 30, 2011, 5:12 pmhi bro, KEF Q series and B&W 6 series, which 1 more for suitable movie and music both together?

This post has been edited by hoss: Dec 30 2011, 05:12 PM

the 705 is a used set, selling cheaper then the q700, at the same range as the q500. not in the same class i'm sure, but since it's cheaper than the q700 might as well try it out.
too bad already booked by someone and awaiting pickup.

if i were you i'd bring the 609 to a place that have the speakers to test it out.
polite speakers (laid back) which sounds really good for music don't have that extra zing that a brighter/more aggressive speakers have especially for movies. tho that extra zing could probably sound harsh and fatiguing when playing music.

so there's a compromise that you have to make. as to how much compromise you could live with is a question that only you can answer.

I never tried the KEF Q300 on Onkyo 609 so I can't say how it sound but I beleive it should be amazing too.

As for the KEF Q300 vs B&W DM602, I find that the KEF Q300 is so much clearer and details with very wide soundstage. I think KEF nail this one right @ this price range.

i had a dream on my HT set. i went to HiWayLaser during new year eve. they are so friendly!!

KEF Q300, KEF Q200C, B&W 686, B&W 610 subwoofer, and amp ONKYO 609. hopefully i'm able to get it this year.

btw, pro there told me that MK subwoofer is perform more accurate than B&W and KEF. What do you guys think ?

** as in my room size 15 x 15

Your room is a perfect square, nightmare for standing waves!
Even XT32 will have problems.
What is the height of the ceiling?

Hope it ain't 10'. Else kepala pusing.

height should be 25 ft.
btw what u mean nightmare for standing waves ?

That is a mighty high ceiling....
So dimension is 15 Wide x 15 long x 25 high (all in feet)
This will be interesting...

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Added on January 1, 2012, 10:54 pmWould advise you to go with one Brand if you buying a complete set as the bookshelf from both KEF and B&W that you looking at are similar price range....
Subwoofer also, to go for same brand ie KEF speaker to pair with KEF subwoofer or B&W with B&W subwoofer.... nicer blend of sound as same brand...
If you looking at MK Subwoofer... might as well consider their speaker package and take complete set.....

This post has been edited by scsoo: Jan 1 2012, 10:54 PM

You got be kidding me!

yaya mistake. only 10ft

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Added on January 1, 2012, 11:22 pmcannot mix and match ?

bcos B&W base more stronger while KEF more clearer.

Technician told me that B&W more suitable for movie while KEF more suit for music.

For subwoofer, he said MK give more accurate pitch. hmm...

This post has been edited by hoss: Jan 1 2012, 11:22 PM

Hahaha...my KEF Q300 sound so good for movies too. My belief is that if it sound good for music, it will sound good for movies.

i heard from a topic in whathifi's forum, an owner of Q500 took more than 1 month to run in the speakers. he mentioned initially the treble sounded harsh and midrange was blurry. after run in, everything was perfect! i'm curious to get Q500 but looks rather small for a floorstander. i wonder who's the bass like... deep enough?

I go with the Stars lol

with due respect to bro scsoo, i beg to differ. the subwoofer can be brand-indifferent imho .... low frequencies tend to be tone-deaf. i would go for dedicated (specialised) makers of subwoofers e.g. low-mid end SVS, Velodyne, etc. for a starter setup.

anyway, this is OT. sorry lightning.

I would agree if we are going with dedicated subwoofer from velo, sunfire, svs or rymik. I am just giving the opinion to match brand for simplicity as bringing too much brand into the mix can be confusing.... prefer to keep it simple unless to all the sifu here that have "years" of experience.. (that this with a hint of humour) this would not be an issue but to a newbie this could be too much...
Anyway, OT again... let get back to KEF and speakers....
Happy listeining to my XQ bookshelf.... superb mid, with nice treble extention and bass... oklah.. bookshelf bass cannot compare to floorstand so need subwoofer to support... also KEF subwoofer.. me being brand specific again....

Where can audition this KEF in Penang?
Hope to hook up my Arcam 7 with it.

hi-fi choice midlands park

Thks lussen.

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Added on February 7, 2012, 10:17 pm
Anyone compare this KEF Q300 with Monitor Audio Bronze BX2?
How much is BX2 selling?

Can these speaker be used as home theatre main Front/Left?

This post has been edited by jimmyteng18: Feb 7 2012, 10:17 PM

KEF Q300 should win over BX2 BUT i think would loose to RX2

here my KEF speakers


Got the speakers couple days ago. Plug into LX75 and play a wonderful sound. Those speaker are clear, solid sounds and wide stages. No matter where you stand you can hear the sound almost the same every spot. The speaker can hear for whole day without feeling fatigue and sound can be heard like from far deep stages. At night when quite you can play Yanni music in low vol and it feel so nice and relax. You can almost can hear all instrument they used. Watched few movies Real Steel, Rise of planet of Apes etc.. sound feel good especially the voice are very clear. Play radio also wonderful...




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Nice setup, bet they sound as good as they look.

Very nice, next what u need is a 100 inch screen and a projector to suite up with your Q700 wide soundstage efforts. Then your HT experience will be on another level.
Auditioned the Q700 and pair with Q200c on a 86' projection display, love the feel man. No regrets on the KEF Q series

WOW...How much it cost?

Niceeeeeeee How'd you conceal the TV cables?

MK Sub does have flatter response all up to the 100hz+ zone because they're supposedly to be integrated into their satellite speakers series.

Many claimed the clean punch line of the sub itself hence you may consider one but be warned of its pricing is more premium than others.

Cut into wall and put a PVC pipe inside.. DIY.. I just finished concealed Sub cable as well use existing pipe..

Cost Q700+Q600C around RM6.8k, Rythmik F15HP 5.3k..

Yes.. in my plan already and 4 more speakers for surround effect..

Cheers.. Indeed


Tried those speakers without subwoofer. Listen to Linkin Park New Divide song, vol. -20dB and the bass was pretty good to me and didn't hear anything call "muddy" bass. If play together with Rythmik sub F15Hp that really powerful, strong, tight bass which both blended in perfectly. Anyway is depend on what kind of music/song, some need strong bass to feel it.

Those speaker need time to break in, some say 3 days some need a month, wait until I get there and hear the different. Obviously my sub need time to break in too, not sure when but only know when it brand new, the bass response wasn't good and it a bit hard (hard to blend in with music, like HF/LF totally fall apart). Now it play very well.....







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Nice workmanship. Can't see signs of hacking from the photos.

Nice one my friend.

Its time to got to work

Wow very nice & lovely speakers, blend in well in your living hall too. 3 suggestions though:-

1. Get your center speaker decouple from the cabinet (put something at bottom to tilt it slightly upwards), or place the center to the front edge of cabinet. I bet you will hear dialogues even clearer. The aim is to mitigate the reflection sound from cabinet surface.

2. Time to invest a BIGGER screen.

3. Enjoy!

bi-am this speaker will make much more clear n detail

Yah...he has got the front bi-amp just like mine. In fact we bought the speaker cables together.

Totally agree with point 1.
I have a similar setup without concealing the wire to TV. I adjust the screw position of the TV mounting so that the bottom of the TV are level with the center speaker to "hide" the wires. I have now move the center speaker forward nearer to the front edge of the cabinet and also add footing to tilt the center to aim at my ear level. Really makes a lot of difference. I suggest you try this out.

Pls show us ur HT setup...

Great, thanks for the tip #1. Sure will try and I bet you are right.

Hi wongkmc, congrats on your wonderful setup!

May I know where and how much you purchased the LX 75?
I intend to get one for my new setup next month. Thanks

Around 4.6K from South country thru my dealer here, 1/2 price compare to msia. Warranty in that country too...

U r welcome. Most important the tweak is FREE and effective.

Sometimes there are many ways to improve a system without keep splurging.