KEF Q350 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black)

For a retail price of $500 I am so incredibly blown away. Trust me and ignore any negative reviews for this speaker. I have listened to many many speakers around this and we'll above this price range. I just sold my beloved focal 726 tower speakers that cost 3.5 times are much at the Q350s, and I also own a pair of Polk A3s. These Kefs blow all the speakers in this price range clear out of the water. I have barely even set these up and much less broken them I'm but here's a quick summary of what I'm hearing in order of WOW... Soundstage: wow wow wow, did I say wow? These suckers soundstage better than ANY speaker I've listened to, which is really hard for me to grasp. No matter the placement (we'll get to that!), Soundstage is on point and EXTREMELY wide. Bass: let me just say, I am a huge advocate for a small sealed subwoofer with any system. However, you COULD run these without a sub if you're really on a budget. In my room and 14in from the back wall, the Q350s sing all the way down to 45hz!!! (Then they fall off hard) But 99% of music never even reaches down that far. But more important to me, the bass is extremely clean and clear, being a 6.5 woofer. It is also extremely present and punchy, and I did have to EQ off a little of the low end since it seemed over balance the mids. Build: though not as solid is some other speakers I've owned, the Kef Q350s are absolutely stunning, even more so in real life. The finish is a really nice texture, and welcomed break from the over-poluted fake wood vinyl that nearly every speaker sports these days. Treble: despite what I've heard and read, the upper end of these speakers is very detailed. They are definitely warm speakers, so "S" "P" and high hats are a little "rounder" for a lack of a better word. But female vocals are very crispe and breathy enough for me. Too much "detail" and you get fatiguing speakers, and I think kef got the treble just about right for the Q350s. So what don't I like about these speakers so far? Well as everyone warned me I'm the internet, placing these speakers is NOT FUN!! They have a sweet spot that they like, and probably rooms that they don't like. They aren't very forgiving with placement, and I'm sure that causes most of the negative reviews (which is probably something they won't admit I'm their reviews, haha). As a helpful reference, I have my 350s intersecting at a relatively standard 2-3ft behind my listening position. They are 14in from the back wall, and I sit relatively close to my back wall. They are also quite far apart from each other in comparison to how close I am to them. They need a fair bit of toe in compared to what I do for most speakers in this room. So basically if you are tempted to buy these, do it! You won't be disappointed. And if the Q350s are a little high on price for you, I'd imagine the Q150s are an even better deal for $300!

After going through a few speakers with my Yamaha amp, KEF delivers the most dynamic and enjoyable sound. I've tried: Klipsch RP-600M - didn't like them at all Triangle BR03 - liked them, but when comparing side by side with KEF, Triangles sounded more fatiguing. ELAC DBR62 - liked these too, but similar to Trangles, when comparing side by side with KEF, Elacs were more fatiguing. I have a very lively room which echoes and does not have a lot of acoustic treatment in it. However KEF seem to handle it just fine, without getting obnoxious. Another plus is the bass, I really don't need a sub-woofer with these speakers. Its not your boombox or car type of a bass where you hear it thumping across a lake, its a good proper base to the drums and instruments, giving them weight and more of a body. Sound staging is really good, very wide. Sweet-spot is really good too. I was getting annoyed with the other speakers that I've listed to, where if I moved my head literally just a few inches to either side from the exact focus center, the sound would shift dramatically to the side. So I had to be locked into that position to enjoy a center stage. These speakers are a lot more forgiving and you still enjoy them even with another person sitting next to you, which offsets your center position quite a bit. Really enjoying these speakers.

I always thought that expressions like “break-in” “opening-up” etc was Audiophile ka-ka. I was wrong. Amazing speakers but they take a long time to “open up”. Purchased these in Jan 2021 and about a month ago something happened where they just became magic. The highs became very clear, they are still nicely rolled off but not as much as before they were “broken in”. They are bass heavy if you have them too “close” to the wall. I have mine about 10-11” away and it’s still too much some times. I use the supplied foam plugs when needed since I don’t have the space to move them further away from the wall. The mids are still nicely laid back (for my ears) but they have also opened up. In other words they are perfect now. If I ever go back to towers it’ll be KEF’s. +++++

It's early days but the clarity of these speakers is phenomenal! I'm sure they will mellow a bit with more hours on them. Very happy with them and highly recommended!

Excellent sound and build quality. I was surprised how much bass they can produce, but really work best with a sub. The unique driver really gets the mids and highs correct. These are truly audiophile speakers! Plus they lend themselves out beautifully for both modern and vintage amps.

Exceptional soundstage. Replaced Klipsch RP-600M with these and was literally blown away. It’s rated to go down to 63Hz but seems to go lower than that. I added a SVS SB 2000-Pro sub and it literally calms my soul when I listen to them. These are one of the best value speakers when on sale. Budget premium sound quality and look gorgeous.

For a bit of background, I'm a hobbyist audio and mastering engineer with about 20 years of studio experience. Wanting to build an 50% Home Theater / 50% Music system for my family room that is starting out as a 2.0 system, and not really having access to a local A/V retailer that stocks entry and mid-level audiophile grade equipment, I set about researching speakers and AVRs on Youtube, Reddit, CNET, Digital Trends, What Hi-Fi?, etc. I spent about two weeks educating myself on speaker manufacturers and their current offerings using user and professional reviews, Youtube audio demos and other sources of information. I looked at Fluance, Elac, SVS, Wharfedale, Q Acoustics, Dali, and many others. I toyed around with the thought of getting the Elac UB5s for quite a while, but they just didn't have that "it" factor I was looking for. That's about the time I came across a youtube channel demoing the KEF LS50s. While I didn't really want to spend LS50 money, I went to the KEF website and discovered the Q series. These Q350s seemed to be the "it" I was looking for. After a shipping snafu, which Amazon quickly corrected, I received the Q350s about a week ago and set them up in my family room on 32" stands ( TransDeco Speaker Stands, 32-Inch ). These stands placed the driver at a higher-than-ear level, but put the drivers in the vertical middle of my 60" LG 4K monitor. My thought being that centered dialog would acoustically appear in the middle of the screen. After setting them up, I toed them in toward my listening position and connected them to my Marantz NR1607 ( Marantz NR1607 Ultra HD 7.2 Channel Network A/V Surround Receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi ) using 12 gauge copper speaker wire. I then went through the Marantz Audyssey MultEQ room correction wizard using the Marantz-supplied calibration microphone. After completing setup, I've spent the past week playing a number of my favorite reference songs and albums, using various playback methods including AirPlay, Bluetooth, Media Server, PS4, etc, in formats ranging from 96kHz/24bit wav masters down to 128kbit MP3s. I also watched the movie Arrival using the speakers, as well as several episodes of various TV shows. I listened with the Marantz's room correction on, as well as in direct mode, bypassing all processing. Initially, with the Q350s toed-in toward the listening position, I found them to be quite bright, and on certain material, even bordering on harsh at louder volumes (Dream Fiend's "Higher ft. Heidi", Nine Inch Nails "Head Like a Hole"). This was surprising to me considering that reviewers have described them as "warm" when compared with American manufacturer's speakers. At the same time, other material ( Zero7 and Sia's "Somersault") absolutely came alive, with the 350s conveying a massive stereo image and revealing elements and details of the recording that hadn't previously shown themselves to me on more neutral monitors. At this point, I began experimenting with placement. Moving the speakers further away from or closer to the wall, moving them further apart and closer together, and ranging from facing directly forward to toed-in directly at the listening position. Finally, I turned them on their side, which put the drivers right at ear level, pointed them straight ahead and placed the rear port about 10" from the wall, as show in the attached image. This is where the Q350s want to be. I listened to The Midnight's entire, flawless-mixed "Endless Summer" album with the speakers in this position at 88dB volume measured at the listening position and the room absolutely came alive. During one particular passage, a saxophone appeared about 5' to the left of, and elevated about 45 degrees above the left speaker's driver. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but it was impressive. Listening to well-produced dance music like Big Data's "Dangerous (Oliver Remix)" is perhaps where these speakers offer the most shocking performance, with a tight, controlled low end that is much larger than the size of this driver/cabinet combination, and a coherent articulation in the highs that I simply haven't heard before. While watching the film Arrival at a similar volume, I was quite impressed with the Q350s ability to dig really deep and punch way above their weight class. With only the two speakers, I'm quite certain that I could convince friends that I'd hidden something like a Dayton Audio SUB-1200 somewhere in the room. While I still think they could benefit from a little extra sub-50Hz encouragement, they're perfectly capable of creating an enjoyable Home Theater experience one their own. TL;DR A bit heavy-handed in the upper mid-range on guitar-laden rock and similar mid-heavy material, but absolutely stunning with modern dance, 80s, Synthwave, Jazz, Acoustic and Easy Listening or Atmospheric material. An extremely impressive choice for your Home Theater. They're a little temperamental with regard to placement and orientation, but once you find the sweet spot, you'll be blown away. UPDATE 3/26/18: Shortly after posting this review, my Marantz NR1607 died. Amazon processed it as a return, even though I was past my 30 days (thanks Amazon). I then purchased the Denon AVR-X3300W ( https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-X3300W-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B01HL8KYAY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522117433&sr=8-3&keywords=denon+avr-x3300w ) after deciding to give D&M Holdings one more chance. The Denon has proved to be much more reliable, and ever so slightly less warm sounding, although I do feel it's punchier and more responsive, likely a result of the additional power. The KEFs are still rockin', and have broken in nicely.

These are awesome speakers. They replaced Emotiva xb2 bookshelf speakers that almost broke my eardrums with their piercing treble. The KEF’s are very detailed, yet very laid back and never harsh. I’d recommend them to anyone that just wants to listen to music and enjoy it.

Dopo una lunga ricerca e tante indecisioni tra vari modelli, alla fine ho optato per queste Kef q350. Sia per una questione estetica ma soprattutto per la qualità del marchio e le ottime recensioni trovate. Prima avevo delle Magnat monitor supreme 1002, diffusori da pavimento dall'ottimo rapporto qualità prezzo, qui però siamo davvero su un altro livello. Nonostante le dimensioni e la differenza sul numero di speaker presenti, 4 a 2 ! Le Kef suonano davvero alla grande, sempre equilibrate, con un basso corposo e un medioalto molto dettagliato. Quasi si rimane stupiti dalla quantità e qualità del suono che riescono a tirare fuori ... poi alzando un pò il volume, letteralmente "esplodono"! Con una qualità che lascia davvero increduli, e sono ancora in rodaggio, con il tempo miglioreranno ancora. Super soddisfatto dell'acquisto, le consiglio a chiunque voglia migliorare il proprio impianto a prescindere dallo spazio a disposizione, fanno davvero una gran figura sia agli occhi che alle orecchie. Cinque stelle anche al venditore, arrivate con un giorno di anticipo e imballate perfettamente.

Después de un buen tiempo probándolos, puedo confirmar que suenan bastante bien. Mi equipo es normalito, pero los he probado en un buen equipo y menuda diferencia. Una pasada.

I have been an owner of these speakers since 2018, when they didn’t feature Bluetooth, and I can say with certainty that they sound out of the world. Pure audio delight! Two thumbs up!

ＫＥＮＷＯＯＤのＲーK７００というレシーバーに ＬＳーＫ８００を繋いで使用していたオーディオ初心者です。 ２０２２年にＲーK７００が壊れて、マランツのＭーＣＲ６１２に買い替え、 そのままＬＳーＫ８００を繋いで聴いていました。 その後、縁があってリサイクルショップで出会ったQ３００（おそらくは非versionup版。） に一目惚れして購入し、使用していました。 ＬＳーＫ８００との音の違いには感動しました。 そして、Q３５０の存在を知り、購入を検討するに至りました。 とあるサイトで再生周波数を比較すると Ｑ３００：４２Ｈｚ～４０ｋＨｚ Ｑ３５０：６３Ｈｚ～２８ｋＨｚ と、再生周波数ではＱ３５０が劣っているように感じます。 後継機の方が再生周波数の帯域狭いの？ と不安になりますよね。 でも、様々なレビューを参考にして、思い切って購入してみたら、 不安だった低域は、Q３００とは比較にならないくらい良く出ます。 もちろん、低域以外もQ３００よりも良く出ます。 先に述べたとおり、オーディオ初心者ですし、 上記以外のスピーカーの知識は持ち合わせませんが、 Ｑ３５０は、Ｑ３００の後継機というレベルを超えていると思います。 アパート暮らしで聴くには、十分過ぎる鳴りっぷりです。 ただ、Ｑ３００もとても良いスピーカーでしたので、友人に譲ることにしました。

As caixas são excelentes, e tocam demais e mais do que aparentam. Sou colecionador de discos sério, e ouvia minha coleção em uma caixa vintage, que teve seus falantes recentemente recondicionados e, por isso, voltaram tocando menos do que eu esperava. Resolvi me aventurar no mundo das caixas modernas, e achei as KEF com um excelente custo-benefício, dentro do meu orçamento disponível. As caixas surpreendem, trazem definição nos agudos, detalhamento nos médios e grave presente que ocupa toda a sala, MAIS do que tinha com as minhas caixas antigas, que tinha o dobro do tamanho, do peso, e com woofers de 10 polegadas, enquanto as KEF's têm um drive único de 6.5 polegadas. As caixas novas evoluíram demais, e acredito que não retorne para o mundo vintage em relação às caixa. Estou muito, mas muito satisfeito com a qualidade que as KEF's estão entregando. Menor ruído, menor percepção de discos riscados, maior definição, som aveludado, presença maior, palco sonoro maior, e separação dos canais soberba. Ganha EM TUDO das minhas caixas antigas. Dentro deste valor, acredito que seja a melhor escolha do mercado.