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The Bi-Amp capability, if one so chooses to use with this speaker, along with the design of the Tweeter/ Woofer make Marcus Miller sound so .... clean!! This is coming from a diehard M&K fan! 5 stars.....
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
These Kefs were the first to spark the new age of Kef. The IQ series was their rebirth taking all the lessons they learned from the Perfect Soundstage Research Project between KEF, for their Speaker Design Prowess, B and O for their DSP acumen, and various Universities to submit tests and take notes. These are among the first where kef started using computer aided design and then it's only really been subjective changes since. The Uni Q, the patented single point driver array was born out of the need to create the perfect 3D sound stage which necessitated true Single Point Driver Arrays where all directional signals would originate from the same X Y and Z point referred to as the Q. This allowed for the tweeter and the woofer to produce full range sound with perfect time alignment and no lobing or comb filtering since at any point in the room the mid woofer and the tweeter were always perfectly equidistant and time aligned. This allowed them to delete walls and reproduce how sound objects would sound outside while inside of a room completely surrounds by Uni Q arrays in a configuration similar to Atmos or DTS X now. The study showed so much promise it completely redefined KEF's vision and their entire design philosophy as well as securing them a healthy number of patents. The evolution of the Uni Qs could be split between three phases: the vision, the reality, and the revolution. The vision stages presumed that the mid woofer would be the ideal wave guide allowing the tweeter frequencies to merge with the mid woofers on their way out. The original Q series attempted this and although they were great for their time it hit a snag. It didn't work as planned as the woofer operating as both sound source and a moving wave guide caused intermodulation issues. Thus came the next stage: The reality: KEF realized that it wouldn't be as simple as a pebble and a stone dropped in the same spot interlacing their wave dispersion merging at the mid woofer so they changed their entire approach. The woofer and the tweeter would not act independently of one another but would still emanate sound from a single point and am the IQ came about with its new "tweeter Island" while the mid woofer was reinforced with titanium alloy to stiffen the cone thus allowing the tweeter free line of sight from the mid woofer. This was KEF's most open sound signature and the purist implementation of the Uni Q vision with the IQ series and the IQ9 as the crown. The IQ9 went all out with a lute shaped cabinet which was not only elegant and more space efficient but prevented standing waves, techniques later on implemented from the Blade to the Egg series. From then on KEF have regained their position as global leader having established the IQ series as the icon it was. It was only from there had they begun tweaking their sound for a more global market, with ABRs and a Tangerine Waveguide Phase Plug to extend the thump and tizz. This also necessitated that they foego the elegant curves in lieu of their new boxy designs. The newer Q series have a much more American sound with brighter highs and boomier bass but if you're after the neutral British sound and the most open Uni Q iteration the IQs are living legends. Paired with a decent sub these are end game speakers most audiophiles would be happy with. And now that atmos, DTS X and 3D surround sound scapes have become mainstream single point audio arrays work better than ever to get full insight into modern high production value music, movies and games. If you thought the newer KEF Q series were too bright, with their mids too recessed, this is the balanced neutral smooth and rich sound you've been looking for. look up IQ9 versus Q150 on YouTube. or if you wanna be really impressed and see how subjective it really is look up 3001SE vs Q150. the 3001SEs were another lab experiment culminated all the "new" kef tech before the E301 returned the "EGG' series back to form e. g. it's just the 2005 upside down--same crossover point, same port tuned at 75, while the 3001/SEs birthed the LS series and Blade. the IQ90 came after where they added the tangerine waveguide to extend the highs a bit but swapped out the LF woofers to the older style that digs a but deeper at the cost of punch and tonality. If only they had just updated the tangerine waveguide and left the rest alone since the vast majority of us use a subwoofer anyway so the 5 hz extra extention is purely for marketing at the cost of speed and tone. The perfect IQ9X would have the uniq from the IQx and the paper wool composite bullet capped LF woofers that sounded much more tight and musician especially for cello or other acoustic bass where bass tone and cohesion matters most. for edm or hop hop you might not notice.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
Love this speaker. I have it matched to a pair of iq3's for a seamless front soundstage. I have them paired with a REL sub and couldn't be happier. I am keeping my eyes open for either an iq6c or an iq60c, but they are hard to find and much more expensive.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I needed the center channel speaker to match my KEF's front speakers. KEF sound is beautiful. The design and build quality are top notch. KEF is a very reputable company with excellent products.
arived damaged
Verified purchase: No