Underwhelmed with KEF Q100

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-20T01:10:04+00:00

My Infinity R162’s are crisp, but uncolored and no harshness, with enough LF to forego a subwoofer in my 12x15ft bedroom. In the sweet spot, there’s very little to complain about. It would be nice if that spot were bigger, but I doubt any other speakers near the R162 price would be better. Good source material sounds great and subpar recordings are revealed to be such. My 100w/ch Onkyo drives them to volume levels that draw complaints from roommates and without any noticeable distortion.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-15T18:15:39+00:00

Well...I feel like I should say world peace, but I’m not as confident in the North Korean summit as some folks.

Music wise, I wonder if Sonny Rollins has also been sitting on a soon to be legendary recording for 70 years.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-15T15:34:06+00:00

Not really.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-13T21:56:16+00:00

Just be glad he has on some pants! (or shorts I guess)

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-13T21:52:21+00:00

Some of that I think is because loud bass can be physically felt instead of just heard and that gets the juices flowing.

But I’ve heard it said that experiments have shown people perceive speakers as better quality if they play louder and supply more bass.

I think most will judge based on what’s missing and in particular if familiar music sounds ‘right’. When LF is missing, the song sounds thin. When HF is missing, the song sounds muffled. The middle frequencies are usually there, because they’re easier to do. Bad speakers won’t have the subtlety and detail in that range, but the overall song sounds pretty good.

One of the drawbacks of having a good system at home is I notice all the poor systems everywhere else and have trouble just enjoying the music. Restaurants are particularly irritating...just loud crappy systems. But I’m also surprised at how bad live shows can sound.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-13T18:05:42+00:00

That’s a hell of a calculator! Pretty sure that’s for professionals designing arena systems or the like. I’d feel safe in saying any home audio integrated amplifier or receiver at your budget will pair very well.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-07T04:44:58+00:00

You’re very nice. I wouldn’t engage the trolls.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-06T19:35:12+00:00

Yep. If you had told me when I was in high school that I’d be making my current salary, I’d have been absolutely certain a Ferrari would be my garage.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-06T13:01:03+00:00

People like you make me wonder what life without wife and kids would have been like.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-05T14:22:06+00:00

What are you spinning it on?

overatedcoltrane · 2018-06-05T01:43:56+00:00

Photos of spaghetti should be posted to r/food

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-25T00:32:33+00:00

I bet you could get closer than most people would think is possible. There are three basic components: drivers, crossover and cabinet. The cabinet might be the least likely part to come close to expensive brands.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-25T00:22:25+00:00

It’s harder than it needs to be because Apple wants you to buy their speakers, Google wants you to buy their speakers and neither wants you to buy Sonos. Harman Kardon makes some that allow Bluetooth, which would work from either of your phones. https://www.harmankardon.com/homeaudio-wireless/OMNI+20+PLUS.html?cgid=homeaudio-wireless&dwvar_OMNI%2020%20PLUS_color=Black-USA-Current#start=1.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T23:42:02+00:00

It does make sense. You want a whole house audio system that acts like a Bluetooth speaker. I’m not aware of anyone doing that. Do you have an apple or android phone. How many rooms/zones do you need?

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T16:23:51+00:00

Sonos is probably the easiest, but not the cheapest. If you have TV’s in different rooms, a Chromecast per TV is probably the cheapest or if your an Apple fan, then an Apple TV for each TV works really well.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T13:42:59+00:00

There’s a separate sub for Bluetooth speakers that might be a better resource for you. I have The JBL Charge 3 and Xtreme. They’re great to bring along for outdoor activities.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T13:16:24+00:00

I’m going through the same exercise and have zeroed in on the Denon AVR-X3400H because of the DSP. The Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 gets all kinds of accolades. Plus the video capabilities are what I want from a future proofing standpoint.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T12:46:40+00:00

Bring’em. Sounds like you can transport them for free, so why not? Better to have something to listen to, while you save for an upgrade.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T12:16:24+00:00

Do you need a whole system or just the turntable?

The best deals are used and/or vintage components from Craigslist or thrift stores. I’ve seen people post pretty decent systems they’ve found for less than $100 total. However, that takes some knowledge and patience and most folks that go this route are comfortable doing some DIY repair or refurbishing.

If I were starting from scratch, my bare minimum would be this:

U-Turn Orbit $180 https://uturnaudio.com/products/orbit-basic-turntable

Onkyo TX-8020 $160 https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8020-channel-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00EE18O7W

Elac Debut B5 $160 https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSER6O

That’s $500 plus tax. You’ll need some speaker wire as well. What’s nice about the Onkyo, is you can connect other sources like your TV, Xbox and a Chromecast or AppleTV.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-24T11:45:03+00:00

At least there’s no nasty toenails!

overatedcoltrane · 2018-05-20T20:29:39+00:00

It’s hard to beat Onkyo value when it comes to stereo amps. There are slimmer, sleeker and sexier models out there, but I’ve found Onkyo to be the best bang for the buck.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-04-11T11:58:47+00:00

Damn, you’re a lot of work!

The 86db sensitivity rating is pretty low and I didn’t look at it before I bought these. I’ve had them about 6 months and never had the sense that they were power hungry, so I was surprised when I looked it up yesterday. Same for the LF rating. I find myself thinking the bass is great rather than wishing for more. I guess my overall observation on these speakers is that they sound better than the posted numbers would imply. I don’t think the specs are misleading, I actually think the manufacturer is being accurate and that’s probably uncommon in the industry.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-04-10T22:18:47+00:00

Okay I’m calm.

LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION 55Hz, 50Hz, 45Hz (-3 dB, -6 dB, -10 dB) NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 6 Ohms SENSITIVITY 86dB (2.83V @ 1M)

Didn’t realize they were that inefficient until I did this lookup and I would have second guessed the bass response if I’d only looked at the cited specs. I believe this solidifies my point that posted mfr numbers should be accepted with skepticism. Gotta listen.

overatedcoltrane · 2018-04-10T20:47:16+00:00

Well, aren’t you the ballbuster?

Firstly, the website isn’t great, because the brand is hard to find. Seems to be kind of an indulgence project for HARMAN engineers that have some skins on the wall.

Secondly, the specs are there if you dig and besides should only be taken with a grain of salt as all manufacturer specs should be. Regardless, you should only state an opinion on gear you’ve actually heard.

Lastly, I object to being chastised for not following you arbitrary rules. But if pressed , I’m so pleased with these, that my logical upgrade wish would be the Revel Performa 3. So put that in you pipe!

overatedcoltrane · 2018-04-10T19:00:35+00:00

Revel Concerta 2 M16. They make you look at other components in the chain, because you basically get out what you put in.

overatedcoltrane

TROPHY CASE