KEF vs. B&W (1 Viewer)

[Tommy_N]

Title says it all.

I'm looking at either the KEF XQ series vs. B&W either the DM604 or the CDM series.

All comments and thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

 

[Sean L]

IMO the KEF Q-Series lines up more closely to the B&W 600s...

I chose the Qs (Q7/Q1/Q9c) over the B&Ws back in November. I'm very happy with my selection.

I did not get a chance to audition the XQs, I don't think they were out 3-4 months ago.

Regards,
Sean Lewis
Kef Q7/Q1/Q9c w/ SVS 25-31PC+
Denon 2802, Toshiba 43" HDTV, Panny CP72

 

[Tommy_N]

Sean,

What in particular did you hear between the two speakers?

Anyone else?



Thanks

Tom

 

[george king]

When the XQ series was announced I e-mailed Kef America for some information. They said that the XQ line is considered a base (stripped) version of the Reference series, and was not to be considered an upgraded version of the Q series. As such, the appropriate comparison for B&W is the CDM line. Personally I prefer the sound of Kef over B&W, but YMMV.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sean L]

I auditioned the entire 600 Series more than a few times. They are a nice sounding speaker, and extremely well built, but I felt they didn't sound as clear as the KEFs.

Since both the KEFs and B&Ws are British speakers, they're not *entirely* different sounding, but in the end I though that the KEFs had a bit brighter sound and wider/deeper sound stage.

To seal the deal, the KEFs are widely available on line, and I got a good deal, approx. 30% off list price.

Speaker selection is a very, very subjective thing...

Good Luck,

Sean in Nor Cal

 

[Keith Shaw]

I had a chance to listen to the XQ1's yesterday and came away pretty impressed- much more so than I expected to be. Very nice soundstaging and solid imaging- the speakers did a great job of disappearing and didn't seem particularly sensitive to room placement to pull off the trick. The bass was pretty reasonable for a bookshelf speaker, and I find myself considering some of these guys in a music first/HT second system.

The only thing that troubled me listening to them was what used to be termed "rhythm and pace." This set of critical parameters may have been debunked or equated to a particular speaker parameter in the last few years, but I couldn't help but feel that certain tracks I listend to, tracks that have driving guitar and drum music, really seemed to be lagging behind how I normally hear them. That's really my only complaint- they sounded very nice otherwise.

 

[Lam Nguyen]

I've owned B&W CDM7NT for over a year now and still loving it. The sound stage is huge compare to the 600 series and CM series that I also auditioned due to the tweeter on top, the midrange is smooth, and the bass is much punchier than the cheaper B&W models.

I've listen to KEF speakers before (forgot model) at a local Ultimate Electronics and thought they were much better than the Infinity Prelude which were way more expensive.

I never got a chance to do a side by side comparison between speakers from B&W and KEF but I think they both sounds terrific. The reason why I chose B&W is because the reputation of the company and also the fact that some of the biggest studio in the world uses speakers from B&W. The CDM-NT line is also very close to B&W Nautilus.

Just my 2¢

 

[Dodie]

i auditioned both kef Q series and b&w 600 series speakers. KEF was a little bit on the brighter side and b&w is a little bit laid back. one more thing, kefs q series are made in china(but its a british co.) while b&w's are made in england.

 

[Tommy_N]

Does anyone know what happened to the XQ line? They are not listed on Kef's web site anymore. I've also checked an on-line vendor who sold them and they are not listed.


Thanks for all the resonses

Tom

 

[Cagri]

kefs q series are made in china(but its a british co.) while b&w's are made in england.

I have a pair of 35.2s, they are made in Belgium.

 

[maolen]

I think he's referring to the latest Q series
(Q7, Q5, Q1, etc).

I have a pair of 35.2s, they are made in Belgium.

 

[Keith Shaw]

Does anyone know what happened to the XQ line? They are not listed on Kef's web site anymore.

They're still there

http://www.kef.com/xq

What's funny about the Elegeant page is that although they don't list the XQ's in their KEF product page, they're still there as well.

http://www.elegantaudiovideo.com/kefxq1.htm

 

[ManojM]

The Qs are made in China, but the XQs and Reference line are still made in England. At CES, they had the XQs cabinets painted in different colors. You see the silver at the link above, but they also had yellow and red (automotive colors) which looked really interesting and attractive. It is a lot of fun to see how far KEF has come in its aesthetics in such a short time, and has even crossed over into daring. I have been a B&W fan for a number of years, but the KEF Reference system that I have now is really, really good. There is a Q7/Q5/center system set up at my brother's place with a Marantz 9200 receiver, and they are very impressive for their relatively inexpensive price.