£479 at Richer sounds plus 1.5% cashback via Quidco.
Just double checked as I only casually skimmed the listing in search last night on their site but looking at the page itself now, £129 but "not available" - Damn.
What desktop speakers are you using?
- Thread starter Troezar
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£479 at Richer sounds plus 1.5% cashback via Quidco.
Just double checked as I only casually skimmed the listing in search last night on their site but looking at the page itself now, £129 but "not available" - Damn.
The drivers can be bought from Kef but it's a bit of faff opening the cabinet up etc and flapping about with everything. Worst comes to worst that is a backup plan I guess.
I'd prefer not to have a sub really as the Q300 is proof that one is not needed at all. In this current setup the NAD and Q300 setup connected to the PC by USB is a perfect match for gaming/cinematics and music. That's all I want from any new speaker, to match the depth and detail of the Q300, whilst keeping inline with the smooth/warm sound I'm familiar with - And not have a driver cone that somehow dents of its own accord!
I'd prefer not to have a sub really as the Q300 is proof that one is not needed at all. In this current setup the NAD and Q300 setup connected to the PC by USB is a perfect match for gaming/cinematics and music. That's all I want from any new speaker, to match the depth and detail of the Q300, whilst keeping inline with the smooth/warm sound I'm familiar with - And not have a driver cone that somehow dents of its own accord!
Soldato
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Well good luck, definitely interested to hear your impressions of them tomorrow coming from the Q300's, hope you like them.
Now that the forums are back and I've had some time to listen to them, have to say whilst the soundstage of the 806 is indeed very wide, it has what I read about in a few reddit comments, that it is "floaty" - Didn't understand it at first before hearing them but it's the kind of presentation I can never get used to because for me it is nearly nauseating. Vocals especially. It's a similar effect to Acoustic Mirror effect used in various things all around the world.
Love the textured satin finish of the cabinet though, and it's only a fraction shorter in depth than the Q300. Also really like the driver cone pattern, a really cool design.
I also could not get the banana plug caps off which is bizarre. Reviewers also mentioned this but was able to use banana plugs anyway as unscrewing the terminal the stem itself has a hole to push the banana plug through then screw lock in place.
Anyway, in terms of bass, it seemed fine but strangely, even though the driver is the same size as the Q300, the depth and detail just wasn't as clear as the Q300. I imagine but this is something that usually tails out after break-in so I didn't focus on that. It was the stereo imaging that really bothered me and something that doesn't change much at all after break-in and it is clear these are not for nearfield usage. I think I can safely say that coaxial speakers are the only option for any upgrade path. The Uni-Q tweeter Kef use places vocals absolutely perfectly regardless of where I sit/stand in the room and everything feels "live" and surrounds me.
So the LS50 Meta were too lacking in bass due to smaller driver and cabinet, otherwise they'd have been good but I didn't feel they felt like £1000 speakers vs the Q300 either as a result, and /needing/ a sub with those is out the question as that's more cost which IMO is unnecessary given the Q300 does it without one.
So I guess it ultimately comes down to just keeping the Q350s until I'm prepared to pay big bucks to get a noticeable uplift in sonics to actually feel like an upgrade without sacrificing what I like most about the way the Q300s deliver sound!
Love the textured satin finish of the cabinet though, and it's only a fraction shorter in depth than the Q300. Also really like the driver cone pattern, a really cool design.
I also could not get the banana plug caps off which is bizarre. Reviewers also mentioned this but was able to use banana plugs anyway as unscrewing the terminal the stem itself has a hole to push the banana plug through then screw lock in place.
Anyway, in terms of bass, it seemed fine but strangely, even though the driver is the same size as the Q300, the depth and detail just wasn't as clear as the Q300. I imagine but this is something that usually tails out after break-in so I didn't focus on that. It was the stereo imaging that really bothered me and something that doesn't change much at all after break-in and it is clear these are not for nearfield usage. I think I can safely say that coaxial speakers are the only option for any upgrade path. The Uni-Q tweeter Kef use places vocals absolutely perfectly regardless of where I sit/stand in the room and everything feels "live" and surrounds me.
So the LS50 Meta were too lacking in bass due to smaller driver and cabinet, otherwise they'd have been good but I didn't feel they felt like £1000 speakers vs the Q300 either as a result, and /needing/ a sub with those is out the question as that's more cost which IMO is unnecessary given the Q300 does it without one.
So I guess it ultimately comes down to just keeping the Q350s until I'm prepared to pay big bucks to get a noticeable uplift in sonics to actually feel like an upgrade without sacrificing what I like most about the way the Q300s deliver sound!
Soldato
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Using Logitech Z150,s here, They're tiny. Only 6W i believe but actually impressive for what they are.
Soldato
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Now that the forums are back and I've had some time to listen to them, have to say whilst the soundstage of the 806 is indeed very wide, it has what I read about in a few reddit comments, that it is "floaty" - Didn't understand it at first before hearing them but it's the kind of presentation I can never get used to because for me it is nearly nauseating. Vocals especially. It's a similar effect to Acoustic Mirror effect used in various things all around the world.
Love the textured satin finish of the cabinet though, and it's only a fraction shorter in depth than the Q300. Also really like the driver cone pattern, a really cool design.
I also could not get the banana plug caps off which is bizarre. Reviewers also mentioned this but was able to use banana plugs anyway as unscrewing the terminal the stem itself has a hole to push the banana plug through then screw lock in place.
Anyway, in terms of bass, it seemed fine but strangely, even though the driver is the same size as the Q300, the depth and detail just wasn't as clear as the Q300. I imagine but this is something that usually tails out after break-in so I didn't focus on that. It was the stereo imaging that really bothered me and something that doesn't change much at all after break-in and it is clear these are not for nearfield usage. I think I can safely say that coaxial speakers are the only option for any upgrade path. The Uni-Q tweeter Kef use places vocals absolutely perfectly regardless of where I sit/stand in the room and everything feels "live" and surrounds me.
So the LS50 Meta were too lacking in bass due to smaller driver and cabinet, otherwise they'd have been good but I didn't feel they felt like £1000 speakers vs the Q300 either as a result, and /needing/ a sub with those is out the question as that's more cost which IMO is unnecessary given the Q300 does it without one.
So I guess it ultimately comes down to just keeping the Q350s until I'm prepared to pay big bucks to get a noticeable uplift in sonics to actually feel like an upgrade without sacrificing what I like most about the way the Q300s deliver sound!
To be completely honest the Q100/300 series from Kef maybe getting on a bit now but they are still great speakers and hard to beat for the money, I've scratched my head thinking about changing my Q100's for my PC setup for a couple of years now but othing really jumps out at me unless I go for the active LS50's but that's a lot of cash.
Very true, I think they're styled quite nicely too so there is that going for them with the two tone suiting most desk environments.
I think I've convinced myself now after trying out two different speakers from recent times that the Q300 are just worry keeping in service and only replace them when they're broken. I'll likely then just buy the Q350 or whatever Q3x is out at the time for bookshelves.
I think I've convinced myself now after trying out two different speakers from recent times that the Q300 are just worry keeping in service and only replace them when they're broken. I'll likely then just buy the Q350 or whatever Q3x is out at the time for bookshelves.
When you listen in near field (each speaker 3 feet or less from your ears), providing the speakers get down to at least 40Hz then you often don't need a sub.
Other thing that happens, when you have a good quality 2.0 system in nearfield, your listening focuses on details in the midrange and quality of sound, again you begin to forget about a sub.
Read that yonks ago lol. Some things I can agree with, most not so much, plus he used an old AVR as opposed to a dedicated stereo amp. The Kate Nash song he mentions being harsh to his ears, that song is poorly mastered to begin with, way too much sibilance. A NAD amp sorts out the smoothness too as I found, a pretty well married combination for a desktop audio setup I guess. I've tried other non NAD amps on these speakers and they do not have the same musical quality at all.
He also says narrow sound field, even when corrected for his setup, even the LS50 Metas weren't as wide as the Q300s lol for my ears, although each room environment is different so that plays a part I guess. His are super near field too, is that a 24" monitor they flank?
He also says narrow sound field, even when corrected for his setup, even the LS50 Metas weren't as wide as the Q300s lol for my ears, although each room environment is different so that plays a part I guess. His are super near field too, is that a 24" monitor they flank?
I won't be going back to LS50s and I won't ever have a sub on my PC setup - That much is a given really for the above mentioned reasons. Why add a sub when one isn't needed? If a future speaker upgraded commanded a sub to get the best out of the speakers, then that's not an upgrade far as I'm concerned 
Stereo 2.0 coaxial bookshelf on stand mounts, that is my desktop configuration forever now.
Stereo 2.0 coaxial bookshelf on stand mounts, that is my desktop configuration forever now.
You say that, but at the end of the day, there are frequency ranges that speakers alone cannot ever achieve without having huge drivers. You'll never get movie thumping levels of bass, simply because the KEF drivers just aren't capable of going that low without ever distorting the crap out of everything else (so basically everything below 50-60Hz).I won't be going back to LS50s and I won't ever have a sub on my PC setup - That much is a given really for the above mentioned reasons. Why add a sub when one isn't needed? If a future speaker upgraded commanded a sub to get the best out of the speakers, then that's not an upgrade far as I'm concerned
Stereo 2.0 coaxial bookshelf on stand mounts, that is my desktop configuration forever now.
Additionally, when the speaker drivers are free to focus on the mids and trebles, they'll sound clearer there as well (less distortion), especially on KEFs, due to the lesser excursion affecting the tweeter dispersion. Bear in mind, the effective size of KEF drivers are actually smaller than their stated size due to space used for the tweeter too.
I don't really want a sub at my desk either, but it definitely has its merits for those who can be bothered. But IMO, a sub would actually improve the performance of your KEFs without having to upgrade the speakers at all.
One time when I was trying out different KEF speakers for an upgrade, I tried the R300s. Now, those were a bit too big for desktop usage (and the bass could shake the bloody house!), but one thing that really startled me was just how good the highs on that thing sounded, because it was a three-way design with its own woofer designed to handle bass tones, instead of making the tweeter deal with that as well. God, it gave me tingles.
If they weren't so comically big for near a desk, I'd have gone for the R300s in a heartbeat.
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Oh for sure and I'm definitely aware of where a sub benefits and uplifts the workload for the low end from the main driver, but as above again, in all these years have never felt I have missed out on cinematic purely because the Q300 seem to just do it so well to begin with. I don't think spending a further £500+ on a sub gains £500+ in sonic gains just like how I don't think the LS50 Metas sound like £1000 worth of improvement over the Q300s (when not factoring in the extra cost of a sub as well).
It's just never going to happen, and I tend to watch a lot of movies on my desktop in pure 2.0.
You reminded me of the R300 actually though, I remember seeing someone on reddit post their desktop setup with the R300 and they looked really good, similar sort of desk area as mine just different colour theme. I think they would suit my desktop nicely too with the way I have the monitor etc set up. I think I might just check the R300s out, the D 3045 is certainly powerful enough to drive them so maybe that is the way to go for a near future upgrade
It's just never going to happen, and I tend to watch a lot of movies on my desktop in pure 2.0.
You reminded me of the R300 actually though, I remember seeing someone on reddit post their desktop setup with the R300 and they looked really good, similar sort of desk area as mine just different colour theme. I think they would suit my desktop nicely too with the way I have the monitor etc set up. I think I might just check the R300s out, the D 3045 is certainly powerful enough to drive them so maybe that is the way to go for a near future upgrade
Moving to studio monitors would mean I can't use my NAD amp as it's solid state and has no analogue line output that a pair of studio monitors would require. I'm not prepared to sacrifice the NAD sound in that sort of way, plus having looked at a few monitors already, I question how low they can kick given their smaller cabinets vs the Q300 again.
I think I've settled on the decision to just stay Q300 until they no longer work, and then go up a scale to something like the R300. uni-Q is definitely the way to go for nearfield!
I did see the Q550 floorstanders but they're less than 1 metre tall so the tweeter/mid driver would be just above desk level which is too low for effective listening otherwise I'd have gone back to floorstanders as they look really nice plus have the main woofer for the lows with two passive radiator drivers flanking above and below.
I think I've settled on the decision to just stay Q300 until they no longer work, and then go up a scale to something like the R300. uni-Q is definitely the way to go for nearfield!
I did see the Q550 floorstanders but they're less than 1 metre tall so the tweeter/mid driver would be just above desk level which is too low for effective listening otherwise I'd have gone back to floorstanders as they look really nice plus have the main woofer for the lows with two passive radiator drivers flanking above and below.
Sounds like you should build a little table for the floorstanders then!
And yeah, R300s would be fantastic, as long as you don't mind rumbling the whole house. R3's are the newer version of them and a fairly nice upgrade objectively too.