KEF Q Series Dolby Atmos Speaker System Review & Comments

I just saw the Sony announcement of the release of the STR-DH790 which looks ideal to match with the Q50a's. It's not out until Spring, so I'll have to wait a bit unless I the STR-DN1080 gets discounted more. One thing I've heard is that sometimes the bass impact is slightly diminished with an Atmos set up, is there any truth to that do you think?

Sorry for:offtopic:, but...

STR-DH790 is a much lower model vs. 1080 (only 4/1 hdmi`s and less power etc.) The price of 1080 will come down at early summer when 2018 models (DN1090) will be announced. Though you can get the Denon X2400 and Yamaha 683 now cheaper. Don`t put too much weight on that WhatHifi review. :p
 
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I use R50s and at present I have 14 Atmos or DTS:X titles in my collection as well as three series of Game of Thrones
Slightly off topic...which films would you recommend for Atmos/DTS:X?
 
Slightly off topic...which films would you recommend for Atmos/DTS:X?
I would say Everest, 13 Hours and Hacksaw Ridge have perhaps the most immersive Atmos soundtracks that simply envelope you in sound. There are plenty of other titles that have some standout moments like the closing scenes of 10 Cloverfield Lane. Whatever Atmos disc you buy almost all will have some effect but don't expect all of them to bring the ceiling alive with sound it can be much more subtle than that. I won't buy crappy films just for the Atmos track.
 
Many will! :)
My mate, who doesn't have any kind of audio, wanted to watch Mad Max Fury Road, in my house and brought his copy over. He was over the moon, mesmerised by the audio and the film itself. Me, I was ready to throw myself under the wheels of any car after 40 minutes.;)
 
My mate, who doesn't have any kind of audio, wanted to watch Mad Max Fury Road, in my house and brought his copy over. He was over the moon, mesmerised by the audio and the film itself. Me, I was ready to throw myself under the wheels of any car after 40 minutes.;)
Why?! It’s a good film!
 
Why?! It’s a good film!
One of the most boring films I've ever had the misfortune to see. Get into a car, chase someone. Get into a car, get chased by someone. Watching my colonoscopy was more interesting.:confused:
 
well this is a refreshing review to read, I have had my Q setup for over a year now, for a small home cinema/dolby atmos setup,. the Q's are great, obviously if I had abigger room might have gone for the Q700 or Q900, or the newer ones as in this review, to be fair thou my Q600's are not nearly being used to their potential,

love the idea of the Q50's bit more affordable , we cannot all be rich enough for the R series or higher!

I personally went with a pair of T101's for my TM speakers, and T301 surrounds,
 
Sorry for:offtopic:, but...

STR-DH790 is a much lower model vs. 1080 (only 4/1 hdmi`s and less power etc.) The price of 1080 will come down at early summer when 2018 models (DN1090) will be announced. Though you can get the Denon X2400 and Yamaha 683 now cheaper. Don`t put too much weight on that WhatHifi review. :p

I'd probably wait until it's released and compare it to the STR-DN1080, if the price is really similar it could be better to just get the big brother! I only use 3 HDMI's in at the moment and don't need that much power (for example my current STR-DN860 goes plenty load in my room)

I seem to be changing AVRs almost every other year due to something new being missed so want the next one to have all the features I need while not losing much money in case I need to change it. Speakers I can keep for 5-10 years no problem!

Edit: Argh I just gone and ordered the STR-DN1080, this would be my 3rd STR-DN but my 1st 10xx model.
 
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@Ed Selley I know it's been a while since you did your great review of the 2017 Q series, much appreciated.
For mostly film watching in a fairly large living room I'm looking at both the Q750 floorstanders paired with the Q650c or the R500 floorstanders paired with the R200c.
Which would you recommend purely on performance? Has the 2017 Q series made enough improvements to perhaps go that route?

Thanks for the great review mate.
 
@Ed Selley I know it's been a while since you did your great review of the 2017 Q series, much appreciated.
For mostly film watching in a fairly large living room I'm looking at both the Q750 floorstanders paired with the Q650c or the R500 floorstanders paired with the R200c.
Which would you recommend purely on performance? Has the 2017 Q series made enough improvements to perhaps go that route?

Thanks for the great review mate.
With the 6300 then, even though the new Q Serie is an improvement they are still not a match for the R Serie. The R500s are a smaller overall size to the Q750s but they weight 4.3kg heavier. The same can be said of the R200 against the Q650. Build and components used in the Rs is still superior to that of the Qs.

I run Rs with my 6200 and they are very good indeed. I have just introduced a Rega Elicit R into the system to drive my R300s and it is now I'm finding out just how good the R Serie is. However, if you can, I suggest you audition both Q750 and R500 back to back.
 
With the 6300 then, even though the new Q Serie is an improvement they are still not a match for the R Serie. The R500s are a smaller overall size to the Q750s but they weight 4.3kg heavier. The same can be said of the R200 against the Q650. Build and components used in the Rs is still superior to that of the Qs.

I run Rs with my 6200 and they are very good indeed. I have just introduced a Rega Elicit R into the system to drive my R300s and it is now I'm finding out just how good the R Serie is. However, if you can, I suggest you audition both Q750 and R500 back to back.

Thanks for your input. So you have been able to compare the Q750 to the R500 then?
I'm definitely going to try to get a listen to both in 1 store.
Currently I can get the R500 and R200c for €2100 and the Q750 and Q650c for €1700.
 
Thanks for your input. So you have been able to compare the Q750 to the R500 then?
I'm definitely going to try to get a listen to both in 1 store.
Currently I can get the R500 and R200c for €2100 and the Q750 and Q650c for €1700.
Not against the new Q Serie. I listened to Q500s, informaly as they were playing in a branch of RS at the end of someone else's audition. They were being driven by a Marantz PM6006 and I was there to audition headphones via the Marantz. They were good it was just that I thought they lacked the grip and energy that my 6200 imparted to R300s. Now running a far better stereo amp the difference between the Q and R Serie may be even more pronounced.

You have to audition though as musical taste varies from person to person and the new Qs have been given some really good reviews. However the fact remains that they are a tier below the Rs.
 
Unless the room is huge, I'd go for the R Series system. I feel it is the better bet.
 
Not against the new Q Serie. I listened to Q500s, informaly as they were playing in a branch of RS at the end of someone else's audition. They were being driven by a Marantz PM6006 and I was there to audition headphones via the Marantz. They were good it was just that I thought they lacked the grip and energy that my 6200 imparted to R300s. Now running a far better stereo amp the difference between the Q and R Serie may be even more pronounced.

You have to audition though as musical taste varies from person to person and the new Qs have been given some really good reviews. However the fact remains that they are a tier below the Rs.

Yeah, nothing more subjective than audio and taste.
With my 6300 driving I'm hoping to get a real nice experience out of, preferably, the R series but still eager to hear my preferred film clips back to back using both speakers.
 
Unless the room is huge, I'd go for the R Series system. I feel it is the better bet.

Why would you say that about the room? Do you feel the Q series is better suited for huge rooms?
 
A big speaker will always have an advantage in a larger room and the Q750 is a pretty big speaker.
 
Going back and forth with reviews I do have a question. The q50s seem signed to fire up but would I get the same experience if I wall mounted them where the wall meets the ceiling inline with the fronts?
So this would turn the sound from being bounced down above me to coming straight at me but from high front.
Would I be deminishing my Atmos exteriance by doing this.
I’m afraid I have two cats that simply put are assholes and love jumping on top of my front speakers, so having these firing up just isn’t practical.
 
Going back and forth with reviews I do have a question. The q50s seem signed to fire up but would I get the same experience if I wall mounted them where the wall meets the ceiling inline with the fronts?
So this would turn the sound from being bounced down above me to coming straight at me but from high front.
Would I be deminishing my Atmos exteriance by doing this.
I’m afraid I have two cats that simply put are assholes and love jumping on top of my front speakers, so having these firing up just isn’t practical.
Try that question to KEF customer services. That will give you a definitive answer.
 
I can't see any reason why that wouldn't work well, unless the frequency response has been tailored for non-direct listening.
 
Well that’s what I thought as the review said they could be used as sides or rears which I assume are direct listening. Either way they seem to be a good buy. A little bit pricey at the moment but some time should see them come down a tad.
 
Slightly off topic but is there a new KEF R series range of speakers coming out? They were first released in late 2011 and I would have expected the new Q series to close the performance gap somewhat.
 

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