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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

Does this look "Used-Like New"?! I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in the KEF brand for trying to pass off damaged speakers as "like new". I'm a long time KEF customer but will now be considering other brands after this negative experience. I reached out to KEF via Amazon customer service to make it right. No response from KEF.

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.

Many reading this are probably in the same predicament they find themselves in when the Q150 and Q350 frequently go on sale for $300 and $500 respectively. I too found myself on that see-saw of trying to decide which to buy and if the Q350 was worth the extra $200. I scoured the internet for any comparisons or comments and found very little worthwhile info. From the bits I did gather, there seemed to be a general consensus that the Q150 had cleaner treble, but the Q350 sounded bigger, warmer, had better mids, and more bass. That unless on a budget, one should just spring for the Q350. There’s also speculation that the Q150 is inherently superior because it uses the same size driver and similar size enclosure as the LS50. So, which is it? Let me touch on build and dimensions real quick for those unfamiliar. While I personally find the black iteration of both of these among the most beautiful bookshelf speakers out there, the build leaves something to be desired. While the binding posts might be the cheapest I’ve encountered and the cabinet is pretty hollow, I tend to quickly forgive these factors as long as it sounds good. The matte black vinyl looks great and I’m THRILLED it's not the black ash abomination that finds its way onto so many speakers. The edges are very sharp and clean; a great contrast to the round, centered drivers. There are no grills included, but I would have never used them. Plus, the ones you can buy look cheap and don’t cover the entire face of the speaker. Why KEF didn’t even bother making a grill cutout for the logo of an upcharge grill is beyond me. I’m a huge fan of KEF and their coaxial drivers, and the LS50 still remains my favorite speaker (with subwoofer assistance). I also previously owned the Q150 a few years ago and preferred it in direct comparison to the CCB-8, UB5, and Denton. The Q350 is new for me and I was hoping it would build on what I remembered from the superb Q150. Sadly, it doesn’t. To cut to the chase regarding the value proposition, if the prices were reversed with the Q150 at $500 and Q350 at $300, I’d still purchase the Q150 over the Q350. Unlike the bigger driver and higher price would lead you to believe, the Q350 is not everything the Q150 does but better, nor is it a Q150 with more bass and a bigger sound. It’s a complete side step at best, and in my honest opinion, a flat-out downgrade. I pulled my trusty Studio 570s off mains duty and listened to the Q350 for a few days. While there is always something special to be said about the imaging coaxial drivers provide, these just always sounded way too mellow, too laid-back, and almost muddy. They lack dynamics and never really seem to emerge from their slumber until I seriously crank the volume. At quiet to normal levels, forget it. All the times I was completely uninvolved with the music, I’d instead be constantly urging them to give me MORE. Bring forth the vocals! Bring out the details! Bring up the sparkle! They are indeed very warm, overly so. Almost like KEF experimenting with a Sennheiser or Wharfedale sound. They remind me of the UB5. No glaring faults, but just blah (I still remember liking the UB5 more). The urge to connect a power station and put a trillion watts into them so they can WAKE UP! Vocals definitely suffered because of this. While soft and gentle, they’re simply too muffled. Not so good for quiet, night time, or dialogue-heavy listening. Putting the 570s back in place and BAM, the veil vaporized and the injection of clarity and accompanied shock was like a splash of cold water. I hastily ordered the Q150 after becoming increasingly unhappy with the Q350 and the fact it was no match for the 570s. Hoping I’d at least be able to keep one of the KEFs (almost just for their appearance and coaxial drivers alone), I set the Q150s in the same location, on the same stands, in the same room. 6ft apart with my listening position also 6ft away. To my relief, they were exactly as I remembered them. They had the sparkle the Q350 was completely missing. Vocals, especially female, finally came alive. Everything sounded more realistic and believable. Fine details and imaging seemed more carefully crafted and didn’t get lost in the added midbass and laid-back nature like they did on the Q350. Most surprising was that the bass and extension were comparable, but cleaner and more defined on the Q150. The Q350 has more midbass and smoothness, but of what did it no favors. The soundstage and imaging between the two also sounded pretty indistinguishable and I’d likely fail a blind test. Had I not known of their prices, there is no question I would have thought the Q150 was the more expensive speaker as it has a cleaner, clearer, more balanced sound. But, it's clear to me that the Q150 and Q350 were cut from the same cloth regarding different aspects aside from their sound profiling. For one, the Q150 is also still difficult to drive and definitely sounds better when turned up. Although, they do not suffer from low power or low level listening as much as the Q350 due to their more forward nature and better treble. Both also require a tempered expectation when it comes to bass. If pushed hard, the bass will start to fall apart and become flabby. If you’re a basshead and like party volumes, I shouldn’t be the one mentioning you need floorstanders and/or a subwoofer. Lastly, I found it interesting that while my ear is actually 4-5 inches higher than tweeter level when they’re on my 28” stands, putting 4 inch yoga blocks underneath them to mimic a 32” stand (and become within an inch of ear level) revealed that they didn’t sound quite as good, becoming thinner and brighter. Goes without saying for any speaker, but definitely experiment with speaker height, width apart, toe-in, and distance from surrounding walls. Ultimately, the Q150 was the clear winner here in both value and sound. Many will buy them simply for the fact they’re $200 cheaper… and that’s the real final nail in the Q350s coffin. With that $200 savings, one could purchase a nice pair of speaker stands and still have cash left over. Not to mention, the Q150 is easier to maneuver, place, and experiment with due to their size and weight reduction. They’d work brilliantly on a desk and I anticipate the smaller driver would sound better nearfield. The Q350 is big enough that placement options other than dedicated stands would be limited. Everything said, I highly recommend the Q150 and think it would fit the bill for most people and in most cases over the Q350. But at the end of the day, it's all about the music… right? And that $200 you just saved.

Schnelle und zuverlässige Lieferung. High-end-Quality-Lautsprecher wie beschrieben. Bin sehr zufrieden, kann den Händler nur empfehlen und würde bei Bedarf sofort wieder dort bestellen.

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.

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.