Kef q900 or r300 for 2 channel

EDUBAG

Hey guys,

i have been asking a lot about which speakers to get, making an upgrade from rtia7 which served me well but would like to focus more on 2 channel.

These cost about the same, the question is should i go with a bookshelf of a higher line? I like that the r300 is a three way design, the q900 is a two and a half way design. Im just wondering how much better of a line the r would be compared to the q.

Thank you guys for your help

eduardo

jaritta

Kef is an excelent brand, I work for a kef dealer and we are impressed by the q series, that is what we have in our showroom for our home theater setup. We also have kef 201's that are steller.

We dont have any of the R series, so i cant speak to how they sound, (the R line is a new series from kef) however at that price i am guessing that they share a similar box design from the q series with better drivers and crosovers maby they borrow some of the same driver tech from the refrence series. Either way you wont be disapointed with kef, they are a great performing speaker.

EDUBAG

jaritta wrote: »

kef is an excelent brand, i work for a kef dealer and we are impressed by the q series, that is what we have in our showroom for our home theater setup. We also have kef 201's that are steller.

We dont have any of the r series, so i cant speak to how they sound, (the r line is a new series from kef) however at that price i am guessing that they share a similar box design from the q series with better drivers and crosovers maby they borrow some of the same driver tech from the refrence series. Either way you wont be disapointed with kef, they are a great performing speaker.

jajaja thank you jaritta, so in conclussion you my friend are not helping one bit about which one to choose. You have stated in your opinion my situation i hope that either choice will be an upgrade compared to my rtia7 but still wonder how much better the r line would be to the q line in sound quality.

I can only guess that maybe the q line is more geared for double duty, and maybe r is more musical but i would be only guessing.

Can you tell me how the xq (predecessor to the r) compares to the q? Maybe this will give me an idea.

Regards,

eduardo

jaritta

EDUBAG wrote: »

jajaja thank you jaritta, so in conclussion you my friend are not helping one bit about which one to choose. You have stated in your opinion my situation i hope that either choice will be an upgrade compared to my rtia7 but still wonder how much better the r line would be to the q line in sound quality.

I can only guess that maybe the q line is more geared for double duty, and maybe r is more musical but i would be only guessing.

Can you tell me how the xq (predecessor to the r) compares to the q? Maybe this will give me an idea.

Regards,

eduardo

Either would be a big upgrade compaired to the rti line that you have. I have RTIa5 and the kef Q 500 that we have in our showroom are HEAD AND SHOULDERS above how my rti line performes. I have the same equipment (denon3311) on my setup as we do in our showroom.

Our company doesnt carry the xq series, we only cary the q and the refrence. That being said I have peresonally heard the xq's and they are, just as i said above, a combination of refrence and q.

Bottom line, If i had the money I would go with the xq, (or the R) if you want a good comprimise then i would go with q900's. I peresonally dont have the cash for the r line so if i upgrade from my polks I will be going with the q's. Again either way it is a big step up from the polks. the q throws a wider soundstage, clear(er) vocals than my polks, deeper tighter bass.

One last note, on the floor standers I beleive that the q series bass drivers have one active bass driver and the rest are passive, in the xq and r series have all active bass drivers .

Hope this helps

EDUBAG

remember that my choices are the q900 or the three way bookshelf r300. so pricewyse they are not that different. the q cost 1600 and the pair of r300 bookshelf 1800.

that is why i ask if the r bookshelf will b better than the top of the line q? in the forum some people prefer the lsi7 to any rtia7/9 for music, so since the r300 is more a direct competition to the lsim703 makes me wonder if they will provide a big enough soundstage considering that the y are three way with a 6.5" bass driver.

however i really appreciate your input and time. i guess i will have to wait for the r to come out and then make a decision.

regards,

eduardo

pearsall001

Having just purchased the Q900's I can offer a little first hand opinion. I listened to the Q300, 500, 700, 900. along with the XQ40, 20 & Ref 205/2. I loved the Ref 205/2 but the budget scenerio made me eliminate them as one of my choices. The 900's more than held their own with the XQ series, they fell a tad short against the Ref's though (not too much of a suprise). I was offered a killer deal on the XQ's because of the new "R" series being released. I just kept going back to listen to the 900's...they're simply fantastic to say the least. I owned the LSI15's at the time & the 900's simply were leagues ahead of them, & I really enjoyed the 15's. In fact I would venture to say the 900's would be a great comparison to the new LSiM series. Of course in the end it's your opinion, so get out there & give them all a listen. Also how big is your room & are you using a sub for 2 channel?

EDUBAG

Actually i might do double duty but are more focused on two channel, i do not plan to add a sub but feel that for music a three way bookshelf if it is very good can handle my room. My room size is about 17 x 17 with 8' ceilings.

pearsall001 wrote: »

Having just purchased the Q900's I can offer a little first hand opinion. I listened to the Q300, 500, 700, 900. along with the XQ40, 20 & Ref 205/2. I loved the Ref 205/2 but the budget scenerio made me eliminate them as one of my choices. The 900's more than held their own with the XQ series, they fell a tad short against the Ref's though (not too much of a suprise). I was offered a killer deal on the XQ's because of the new "R" series being released. I just kept going back to listen to the 900's...they're simply fantastic to say the least. I owned the LSI15's at the time & the 900's simply were leagues ahead of them, & I really enjoyed the 15's. In fact I would venture to say the 900's would be a great comparison to the new LSiM series. Of course in the end it's your opinion, so get out there & give them all a listen. Also how big is your room & are you using a sub for 2 channel?