JBL Studio 530 or Kev Q300 Bookshelf speakers???

G

Glenne

Audiophyte
Hi All,

This is my first post. I want to purchase a pair of quality sounding bookshelf speakers together with a suitable AC Receiver. To be frank, I am no sound engineer nor know much about the science that makes good speakers. But, I am an appreciator of quality sound!!

What I am after - I like rich sound, clear enough to make each instrument and the true original vocals. I also like to hear punchy deep bass, not the kind that drowns out the other frequencies but such that you feel a decent level of depth and power from percussion/bass guitar etc. I guess if I had to choose i'd go little more bass over more intense highs. (Is it possible to get this balance even when the volume is low?)

Given the above, please can I get the forums comments on what speakers to choose? I have narrowed it down to the "JBL Studio 530 or Kev Q300 Bookshelf speakers".

Thank you kindly in advance!!

Glenne
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Can't go wrong with either. However neither will give you deep punchy bass. For that, you need a subwoofer.
 
G

Glenne

Audiophyte
Thanks for the reply, would you know what difference I would hear if I had them side by side?
 
G

Glenne

Audiophyte
not yet, pretty hard to get a demo where I live unfortunately...

Also looking at the Elac UB5's, wish I had access to all of them
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
The JBL might be preferred by many, though as others have said the bass you apparently want doesn't come from small-ish bookshelf speakers. Grab the KEF (not KEV) Q300 while they're on sale cheap, add a subwoofer.

The KEF is more known for a little hump in mid-bass and doesn't have extended highs. That profile may be better for what you describe as your preferred sound profile. Hearing both is important if you can do that.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
The Studio 530 bass is strong, that woofer is good - it is not always about the size.

The 530 is a real nice speaker, with realistic midrange and treble; with no intense highs

However, KEF does make nice stuff.

It is all about your ears - no one can speak for your ears.
 
speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
I agree with Zieg. The low end on the 530's is very good given it is employing a 5" mid. Actually, it amazing how low it goes, as well as, how good it sounds doing it. Very nice and controlled albeit punchy and tight. The mids and high end is aslo very well balanced. However, I have not heard a KEF speaker. Just know that many seem to like them. The 530's are also hard to find as they have been discontinued. Good luck in making your decision!

Cheers,

Phil
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
You should really try to listen to speakers before you buy.
I do not like the KEF waveguide.
I owned the ls50's for 2 weeks, and while a trumpet sounded very realistic, other less directional instruments (piano, strings, vocals) were lacking the ambiance of my being in the room with them.
When I closed my eyes and constructed an image to fit the sound, I envisioned standing outside of the room about 10' back with a doorway directly open to the group. In other words, I was receiving a good accurate sound direct line to the musicians, but losing the sense of being in the same room.

I might attribute this to poor off-axis FR, but off-axis measurements do not back me up, so I really can't offer an explanation.

I did like much of what I heard and can understand why so many think they are great speakers, but they just did not do it for me.

I've never heard JBL's.
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
LS50's and Q300's do NOT have the same Uni-Q and they don't sound the same. The LS50 can go a bit higher in frequency and that's a big part of what you heard. Both being very big sellers, the KEF Uni-Q may not be for everyone, but I notice quite a bit less complaints than I do for other (horn) tweeters.
 
J

Jlaubza

Audiophyte
I have the Q300s. I recently built ultra solid speaker stands, sand filled, for them. The bass improved so much that I can now listen without my subwoofer. Huge improvement and amazing amount of clear bass from them. I am using Denon 1713 AVR.

I can recommend these speakers provided you use really strong, heavy, non-resonant stands for them.
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
Depending upon what kind of music you listen to, using Q300's without a sub can be OK though even with good stands or solid flat surface there's certain types of music with more bass than Q300's could ever deliver.

Your satisfaction without your sub running is an indicator to me that you don't listen to that type of music and/or your subwoofer isn't a particularly high-achiever.
 
cel4145

cel4145

Audioholic
If you hope to eventually build into a 5.1 setup for HT usage, make sure you can get the matching center for the 530. It has been impossible to get over here in the US for awhile.
 
J

Jlaubza

Audiophyte
Depending upon what kind of music you listen to, using Q300's without a sub can be OK though even with good stands or solid flat surface there's certain types of music with more bass than Q300's could ever deliver.

Your satisfaction without your sub running is an indicator to me that you don't listen to that type of music and/or your subwoofer isn't a particularly high-achiever.
Hi KenM10759, thanks for your response - nice to know someone reads this stuff and is prepared to respond.

You are likely right about "type of music" and you may be right that the Denon based subwoofer bought from a local Hi Fi dealer (150W, 12 inch driver, 5 db boost at the low end, 25Hz) may not be a good achiever.

I have used it extensively for HT listening, where it clearly made a difference.

I should have explained more clearly, perhaps, that the new speaker stands have introduced both depth and solidity to the bass from the Q300 that was not present on the previous rather lightweight stands. I believe this is a common experience on many types of bookshelf speakers when the stands are upgraded. I have also, incidentally, learned that high quality stands are much more critical to getting the most from speakers than I realized.

When using the speakers in stereo, I now often switch the subwoofer off as the Kefs are doing well. I was not happy doing this before the new stands came into play. I try to avoid heavy bass as it unbalances the overall sound field and some jazz recordings are naturally bass heavy so the subwoofer has to be adjusted and it is less bother to simply switch it off.

When using them in 5.1 mode, they are crossed over at 80Hz and then I switch the Sub on to fill in the bottom end.

Obviously small boxes have a limit to what they can push out but the Kefs are amazing for their size. Ultimately personal preference matters and not having heard the JBLs, they may well be better for some people.

The actual point of my post though was that whatever the OP bought or is still to buy, he should make an effort to ensure solid stands are used.
 

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