PSB Image T6 or KEF Q900

[taranfx]

Since my last post, I've raised the budget slightly. So here are two contenders and my experiences with them in different rooms with very different acoustics with my NDA 356BEE:

PSB Imagine T6: Clean music, good imaging, clear mids and just right highs. Adequate bass for most songs, but lacking in Rock & Techno (thats what i tend to hear most)
KEF Q700 (I couldn't find Q900 to audition yet): Superb imaging and sound stage, horribly sounding bass (bloated 70-80hz kinds), clear mids, warm highs which i tend to like.

My usage is going to be 90% music and 10% movies.

I can add woofer later but Q700's ugly bass turns me down and I won't be able to ignore it. I guess Q900 would do better with bass with those 8" drivers.

Anyone auditioned Q900 & T6? Please share your experiences.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The bass of the Q900 will be better than Q700, but if you are adding a subwoofer or two and XO @ 80Hz, I don't think it's necessary.

At this price, we know there will be more compromises compared to higher end, so I would focus on the Soundstage, Image, Midrange, and Treble, and let a great subwoofer handle all the bass from 80Hz and below.

 

[Steve81]

The bass of the Q900 will be better than Q700, but if you are adding a subwoofer or two and XO @ 80Hz, I don't think it's necessary.

The Q900 should go deeper with greater output; I'm not so sure it will be qualitatively better based on the Stereophile measurements which show its cabinet ringing in that region.

My 2 cents, if you enjoy the mids and highs of the Q700, perhaps try a Q300 or 100 with a good subwoofer.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The Q900 should go deeper with greater output; I'm not so sure it will be qualitatively better based on the Stereophile measurements which show its cabinet ringing in that region.

My 2 cents, if you enjoy the mids and highs of the Q700, perhaps try a Q300 or 100 with a good subwoofer.

Yeah, I'm all for monitors + subs. I would go this route personally.

Unless when the OP compares the Q700 vs Q300 and finds the Q700 somehow has better soundstage, image, midrange, and treble. I kind of doubt it, but it's all subjective.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

John Atkinson didn't do KEF any favors when he took the Q900 into the backyard and measured it for Stereophile.

I guess that's one danger of submitting your speakers to the mercy of 3rd parties.

 

[Steve81]

John Atkinson didn't do KEF any favors when he took the Q900 into the backyard and measured it for Stereophile.

Yes and no. The faults of the product are laid bare, and to be sure the Q900 has its faults. However, it still offers very good performance, good enough that I opted to pick up a KEF set centered on the Q700 in spite of those measured flaws

By my off the cuff reckoning, the smaller cabinet should marginally improve issues with resonance, and the smaller Uni-Q driver should push issues of break up a bit higher in the spectrum. That plus I like the thought of a fully matching front stage (the Q600c also utilizes the 6.5" UniQ driver). Time will tell whether I'm fully satisfied (initial indications are good at least) or whether I want for better.

 

[taranfx]

John Atkinson didn't do KEF any favors when he took the Q900 into the backyard and measured it for Stereophile.

I guess that's one danger of submitting your speakers to the mercy of 3rd parties.

He says:
sound is wide-range, balanced, and spacious, and seems to neither favor nor disfavor any genre of music. I have been sampling small floorstanders in the under-$2000 range for a number of years now, and there is no other speaker in that range that I prefer to the KEF Q900.

 

[taranfx]

Yes and no. The faults of the product are laid bare, and to be sure the Q900 has its faults. However, it still offers very good performance, good enough that I opted to pick up a KEF set centered on the Q700 in spite of those measured flaws

By my off the cuff reckoning, the smaller cabinet should marginally improve issues with resonance, and the smaller Uni-Q driver should push issues of break up a bit higher in the spectrum. That plus I like the thought of a fully matching front stage (the Q600c also utilizes the 6.5" UniQ driver). Time will tell whether I'm fully satisfied (initial indications are good at least) or whether I want for better.

Mids on Tsi 500 were also clear (Its been a long while, so I dont recall it exactly). So do you mean that Tsi500 speaker paired with a woofer would be a great combo?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

My gut feeling tells me that any of the KEF Q will sound great. A KEF engineer once told DenPureSound that the Q-series may not measure as well as the R-series (to be expected), but the sound quality is close enough that most people won't be able to tell which is decidedly better.

 

[Steve81]

Mids on Tsi 500 were also clear (Its been a long while, so I dont recall it exactly). So do you mean that Tsi500 speaker paired with a woofer would be a great combo?

The Polk Tsi 500? If you liked them but found the bass wasn't particularly strong, a sub could help them out.

 

[Steve81]

My gut feeling tells me that any of the KEF Q will sound great. A KEF engineer once told DenPureSound that the Q-series may not measure as well as the R-series (to be expected), but the sound quality is close enough that most people won't be able to tell which is decidedly better.

Perhaps, but the R's look a lot nicer/cooler Should my current 2 ch speakers in my bedroom setup ever quit, I'd probably take a good hard look at the R300.

 

[taranfx]

Perhaps, but the R's look a lot nicer/cooler Should my current 2 ch speakers in my bedroom setup ever quit, I'd probably take a good hard look at the R300.

I know R-series sound pretty good but buying speakers for their looks

 

[Steve81]

I know R-series sound pretty good but buying speakers for their looks

It's always one part of the equation. I mean, if I'm dropping that kind of cash on a pair of bookshelf speakers, they better look half decent.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Aesthetic is important to me as well.

 

[3db]

Since my last post, I've raised the budget slightly. So here are two contenders and my experiences with them in different rooms with very different acoustics with my NDA 356BEE:

PSB Imagine T6: Clean music, good imaging, clear mids and just right highs. Adequate bass for most songs, but lacking in Rock & Techno (thats what i tend to hear most)
KEF Q700 (I couldn't find Q900 to audition yet): Superb imaging and sound stage, horribly sounding bass (bloated 70-80hz kinds), clear mids, warm highs which i tend to like.

My usage is going to be 90% music and 10% movies.

I can add woofer later but Q700's ugly bass turns me down and I won't be able to ignore it. I guess Q900 would do better with bass with those 8" drivers.

Anyone auditioned Q900 & T6? Please share your experiences.

Pick the speaker that you can live with the easiest and enjoy the music. I have the older PSB Image T45s and had them for almost 10 years now and I feel no urge to upgrade. I play them full range when listening to two channel music forgoing the receiver's room correction. There's enough bass output for rock IHO. I listened to Cream "Live At The Filmore East" and felt the bass on that recording. No two people hear exactly the same so its important that you pick what you determine to be the best fit for your ears, not someone elses recommendations.

 

[cpp]

aesthetic is important to me as well.

we know

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

we know

Whyyyyyyyyy........Youuuuuuuuuu!

 

[gajenn]

I had a HT set,first using the q700's as towers,then upgraded to the q900 and I was more than pleased with the greater detail and stronger mid's. The q900's were definately better, to me at least as far as a "fuller overall sound". You can find great deals on them, or up your budget a bit and get the r300's and use a sub..KEF makes very good speakers, bought my first ones in the 70's...