Is KEF Uni-Q technology really good?

[ItsBabu]

@ajuvignesh and @Analogous , seems there is no dealer for Fyne Audio in Bangalore. I called Kripa Electronics and they said they have no dealer for Fyne Audio.
I contacted HT Store in Bangalore but they also have no Fyne Audio speakers available.

 

[Analogous]

@ajuvignesh and @Analogous , seems there is no dealer for Fyne Audio in Bangalore. I called Kripa Electronics and they said they have no dealer for Fyne Audio.
I contacted HT Store in Bangalore but they also have no Fyne Audio speakers available.

I often buy used equipment. But never owned a Fyne audio speakers.
Maybe other FM can advise on the dealers for Fyne audio
OLX has a few used ones listed for sale. One is a F501

 

[DB1989]

Fyne F500 is a great speaker and is often compared to kef ls50. There is a video by 'jay's iyagi' youtube channel about F500, if I remember correctly.

If I remember correctly, Steve Guttenberg liked the older LS50 (non Meta) clearly over the Fyne 500.

Terry from Pursuit Perfect System compared them to speakers one segment below the KEF LS50 such as the Q Acoustics 3030i, Klipsch RP600M, SVS Prime bookshelves, B&W 606, Wharfedale Evo 4.2 etc and found that it was par for the segment - he wasn't a fan of the speaker.

One of the complaints common for both reviewers was a lack of bass extension and output - they both opined that it sounded a bit lean, especially for it's size.

Option 4- KEF Q350+KEF Q250+KEFQ50a(Surrouns) - KEF is the winner in my search so far but expensive.

ask the dealer for a healthy discount. When i got the Q350s back in 2018, they were 41K.

Center is the most important channel so I'd recommend the Q650 over the 250.

if wall mounting is not mandatory, consider the Q150s for surrounds - they'll have much better bass output than the Q50a and you'll have greater flexibility of placement and toe in.

 

[ItsBabu]

If I remember correctly, Steve Guttenberg liked the older LS50 (non Meta) clearly over the Fyne 500.

Terry from Pursuit Perfect System compared them to speakers one segment below the KEF LS50 such as the Q Acoustics 3030i, Klipsch RP600M, SVS Prime bookshelves, B&W 606, Wharfedale Evo 4.2 etc and found that it was par for the segment - he wasn't a fan of the speaker.

One of the complaints common for both reviewers was a lack of bass extension and output - they both opined that it sounded a bit lean, especially for it's size.


ask the dealer for a healthy discount. When i got the Q350s back in 2018, they were 41K.

Center is the most important channel so I'd recommend the Q650 over the 250.

if wall mounting is not mandatory, consider the Q150s for surrounds - they'll have much better bass output than the Q50a and you'll have greater flexibility of placement and toe in.

Thanks @DB1989 for taking your time and helping me with the information.
I also saw the video of Pursuit Perfect System comparing F500 with others. You are right.

Unfortunately, the prices are gone so high these days. Q350+Q650+Q150 combination is very expensive for my budget. How about using ELAC c6.2 as a center channel (LCR-Q350Q+ELAC c6.2) and any other brand for surrounds(like Polk signature s15 or s20).

 

[ItsBabu]

Thanks @DB1989 for taking your time and helping me with the information.
I also saw the video of Pursuit Perfect System comparing F500 with others. You are right.

Unfortunately, the prices are gone so high these days. Q350+Q650+Q150 combination is very expensive for my budget. How about using ELAC c6.2 as a center channel (LCR-Q350Q+ELAC c6.2) and any other brand for surrounds(like Polk signature s15 or s20).

BTW, the combination was suggested by Chat GPT
"How about using ELAC c6.2 as a center channel (LCR-Q350Q+ELAC c6.2) and any other brand for surrounds(like Polk signature s15 or s20)"

 

[ssf]

@Analogous

As predicted, AI has made HiFiVision members jobless.

 

[Analogous]

I tried asking ChatGPT about synergy between a Thoress EHT and Von Schweikert Unifield 2 and got a load of bull

 

[ajuvignesh]

If I remember correctly, Steve Guttenberg liked the older LS50 (non Meta) clearly over the Fyne 500.

Terry from Pursuit Perfect System compared them to speakers one segment below the KEF LS50 such as the Q Acoustics 3030i, Klipsch RP600M, SVS Prime bookshelves, B&W 606, Wharfedale Evo 4.2 etc and found that it was par for the segment - he wasn't a fan of the speaker.

One of the complaints common for both reviewers was a lack of bass extension and output - they both opined that it sounded a bit lean, especially for it's size.


ask the dealer for a healthy discount. When i got the Q350s back in 2018, they were 41K.

Center is the most important channel so I'd recommend the Q650 over the 250.

if wall mounting is not mandatory, consider the Q150s for surrounds - they'll have much better bass output than the Q50a and you'll have greater flexibility of placement and toe in.

It depends upon the reviewer and the music he listens to it. Yes, have heard that the bass in F500 is not extended but it gels better with a subwoofer, say a rel.
Tannoy XT6F and 8F was highly regarded by whathifi and stereophile(if I remember correctly) I don't know who, but one of the reviewers said that Tannoy XT8F sounded like a $10,000 speaker. It was also referred by upscale audio Kevin. So, the little sibling should not sound bad for the price. And Q acoustics 3030i and Evo 4.2 are in same segment? I don't think so.

 

[DB1989]

And Q acoustics 3030i and Evo 4.2 are in same segment? I don't think so.

It very much is apparently from all accounts, you just need to know how to read between the lines with audio reviewers

A common theme amongst most reviewers is that they'll say any given speaker currently being reviewed are better than a segment or two above but they'll never name which high end speaker they're better than.

Think about it - it didn't come out on top in the comparo with the Q Acoustics 3030i segment speakers.

Whathifi rated the F501 Floorstanders as "award winners" in 2018 but crowned the Evo 4.4 as the next years winner for the same segment, lol.

The thing is, the Fyne 500 series and above are a bit of an enigma because nobody seems to have bought them.

How about using ELAC c6.2 as a center channel (LCR-Q350Q+ELAC c6.2) and any other brand for surrounds(like Polk signature s15 or s20).

I haven't heard the Elac Debut Series but by all accounts, they're good and priced well for the segment. Nevertheless, I would suggest you go audition them since you've already heard the KEFs and Wharfedales.

 

[ajuvignesh]

Think about it - it didn't come out on top in the comparo with the Q Acoustics 3030i segment speakers.

Thats Terry. But Steve and others liked F500, IMHO. Yes, it depends on the individual's taste. So, an audition will clear some doubts.

 

[sound1]

It very much is apparently from all accounts, you just need to know how to read between the lines with audio reviewers

A common theme amongst most reviewers is that they'll say any given speaker currently being reviewed are better than a segment or two above but they'll never name which high end speaker they're better than.

Think about it - it didn't come out on top in the comparo with the Q Acoustics 3030i segment speakers.

Whathifi rated the F501 Floorstanders as "award winners" in 2018 but crowned the Evo 4.4 as the next years winner for the same segment, lol.

The thing is, the Fyne 500 series and above are a bit of an enigma because nobody seems to have bought them.


I haven't heard the Elac Debut Series but by all accounts, they're good and priced well for the segment. Nevertheless, I would suggest you go audition them since you've already heard the KEFs and Wharfedales.

any opinions on the tweeters on Fyne F500s? can they match a great 1 inch silk dome tweeter implementation? and what about the crossover? interested to hear your (and others') opinions. thanks

 

[DB1989]

any opinions on the tweeters on Fyne F500s?

none

can they match a great 1 inch silk dome tweeter implementation?

which speaker has a great implementation of a 1 inch silk dome tweeter according to you?

and what about the crossover?

since we are on crossovers for coaxials, here's a video on the teardown of a KEF Q350 and the crossovers they use:

 

[sandeepmohan]

Do you guys have any experience/thoughts on KEF Uni-Q technology?

The two are reputable British loudspeaker manufacturers. That said, KEF is in a league of its own when it comes to mid range performance. That result is squarely focused on the performance of the Uni-Q driver array that sandwiches the tweeter and mid range driver. I used to have an old iQ9 and the vocal quality was truly outstanding. Have not heard any of the newer line up in a while. Wharfedale's in my view don't hold a candle to KEF's at the lower end of the price spectrum. The latter is leagues ahead. Even if someone were to present the excellent Linton, I'd be reluctant to let go of KEF. They are that good as a speaker system. Mid range, bass response, ease of listening. I have to say though that the newer Q900/950 was not as good as a listening experience I had with the iQ9. For the size of the speaker, it didn't feel like I was getting better bass out of them. There was more bass. Not good bass or not the kind I liked. The smaller and far more compact iQ9 was tighter in reproduction.

Note that any compact KEF speaker like the Q300, LS50 series need a sub woofer for assistance.

 

[sound1]

which speaker has a great implementation of a 1 inch silk dome tweeter according to you?

mine (just joking), i haven't auditioned many good speakers to be honest. i have an aperion audio b5 pair, it is a good speaker and the tweeter is superb according to my ears but it has lousy bass driver (probably crossover is even worse). i know it is not very helpful for comparison, hence an open question

 

[Analogous]

An involving review of the KEF R3 meta that includes discussion of the dual concentric design and measurements

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

there is no one sound that can make everyone happy. I am a KEF user. Though I generally like how it sounds, in certain songs, sometimes bit more bells and whistles is my preference. Especially in terms of fine detail, it’s great but if you are a person who is after some sparkle this is not it. Many people associate the extra treble boost as “clarity” but KEFs despite being neutral or dull, sounds very clean due to the absence of mid to high range distortion. However on certain songs, I feel them dull. Bass performance on mine is OK, but I find them rolling off early for their huge size. I had smaller speakers in the pst which extended lower, but I also had large speakers which rolled off earlier than the KEF’s I have. LS50 meta and R Meta are great speakers for their price class. Again, it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. They sound damn across the “sofa” in terms of tonality and that’s something worth to look for if you are into movie watching. The sound changes way little compared to 2 ways when sitting on lying down on a sofa. For a person who is into two channel listening sitting at a specific spot, none of these would matter though!

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

mine (just joking), i haven't auditioned many good speakers to be honest. i have an aperion audio b5 pair, it is a good speaker and the tweeter is superb according to my ears but it has lousy bass driver (probably crossover is even worse). i know it is not very helpful for comparison, hence an open question

Bass is tricky to get it tight. It varies a lot depending on the room acoustics. Sometimes just with optimum placement it can get tight. I used to judge speakers in the past the same way until I realized without experimenting every possibility with placement it’s too early write anything off.

When I bought my current speakers it had lot of qualities which I liked but bass was “boomy”, and sluggish at the showroom. As per reviewers it should be very good in terms of bass. Anyway I had the option of returning them if I didn’t like it so I took them home. My room has one wall on the right side with lot of glass and to the left side it’s the dining area which is open. The booming was initially present, then I used UMIK to measure both the speakers seperately at the listening spot. One was booming and “slow” since it was placed next to the wall and when I swapped left and right the results became same- the one near the wall was killing the experience. Then I shifted my entire setup a 1 meter to the left, and closed one of the ports on the right speaker and now they very tight. It sounds way tighter controlled and detailed in my room than its bigger brother at the showrooom(at its position set up by the store guys). I am 200 percent confident that the bigger speaker is better than mine, but as of now anyone hearing them both would judge it the other way! Sometimes some eq would kill out the boominess on certain setups without spending any money. Also i used to belive that “driver speed” was a thing, but to me- this is a myth. It sounds fast, when it’s flat and the room is non reflecting. When a delayed wave of the same frequency reaches your ears if it within a certain limit, both of the waves combine to form a longer wave which makes it sound “slow”. Unless the driver is having some issues which you can see from its frequency response and distortion measurements, the placement or the room itself is the real villain. You can get absolutely terrible sound from very good speakers with bad placement and bad room acoustics.

My car has no after market system and since it’s under warranty I m not confident to experiment on it. It had very bloated bass, and with a 31 band EQ app, I could reduce the problematic bass part and overall experience became very pleasant without spending any money.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

It's a little bit more expensive than the kef but better. Has better coaxial implementation than kef.

If we compare F502 and KEF R7-non Meta(from same price class), the R7 has slightly even dispersion, more flat on and off axis response, and lower distortion. Apart from the coaxials present on both, R7 is more extended on the lower end and again its more flat with bass than F502. I compared their measurements from German 'Audio' magazine. They subjectively rated the R7 too over the F502.

I guess the higher end Fynes like F1 will be having a better coaxials, but at that league KEF already has the Reference and Blades. Blades are kind of benchmark by every reviewers when it comes to coaxials. Also Genelec 83xx series have a great implementation.

That being said, subjectively there is nothing wrong in liking a non-technically perfect speaker. Not everyone wants it absolutely neutral. Different goals for different people.I like how Fyne F1 look, very desirable design.

 

[ajuvignesh]

If we compare F502 and KEF R7-non Meta(from same price class), the R7 has slightly even dispersion, more flat on and off axis response, and lower distortion. Apart from the coaxials present on both, R7 is more extended on the lower end and again its more flat with bass than F502. I compared their measurements from German 'Audio' magazine. They subjectively rated the R7 too over the F502.

I guess the higher end Fynes like F1 will be having a better coaxials, but at that league KEF already has the Reference and Blades. Blades are kind of benchmark by every reviewers when it comes to coaxials. Also Genelec 83xx series have a great implementation.

That being said, subjectively there is nothing wrong in liking a non-technically perfect speaker. Not everyone wants it absolutely neutral. Different goals for different people.I like how Fyne F1 look, very desirable design.

Yeah but isn't F502 almost half the price of R7?

 

[Analogous]

Yeah but isn't F502 almost half the price of R7?

Mostly you get what you pay for
There are exceptions of course.
It all depends on how ambitious we are about pursuing our desired SQ and ability, willingness to spend on this passion.