Listening

I would like to mention before I discuss my results that the KEF package did perform better after many hours of playing. When I asked the marketing rep at KEF if that was common, he wholeheartedly admitted the iQ speakers would benefit from break-in. My initial impression was one of a surprisingly "veiled' image, most obvious in the male voice.

Having another speaker package handy allows me to jump around and I was able to take a break from the KEF, letting them "breathe" a bit while my family used them for daily TV and DVD watching. The improvement was dramatic; in fact I almost didn't believe they were the same speakers after about 100 hours of usage.

Usually for a pair of floor-speakers like the iQ7s, two-channel audio always seems to be a litmus test for me, so I listen with two before I hear six. This time however, I was too anxious to hear the ensemble and all speakers were fired up.

I put the KEF package through the paces with a variety of sources. Particularly what perked my enjoyment were music DVD concerts. A favorite of mine is still Diana Krall: Live in Paris played back in DTS. Diana is an accomplished singer; I find her voice sultry. Yet she is also a terrific piano player. On track 9 "Under my Skin", her piano rings through the space, the iQ7s and the center iQ6c were especially taut, sensing the tension in the piano strings.

In track 2, "All or Nothing", John Clayton's bass playing is handled so smoothly between the PSW2500 and the front three. The 2500 continued to impress me.

Trumpets and the xylophone playing from the orchestra were remarkable from the iQ8ds surrounds. The KEF pair showed what dipole speakers can do for you.

But, it remains her voice that is most faithfully reproduced by the KEF speakers. If you enjoy the human voice, you'll certainly warm to the iQ7, where I found the most revealing potential.

Where the iQs took off for me was watching movies. There are times when listening to a complete system results in one speaker outperforming another; usually it's the center-channel that doesn't fair as well, or the surrounds aren't quite fulfilling. Not so here, the entire line contributed to an enriching surround sound experience.

Sin City is a movie to challenge the center channel. As most of the movie is narrated in third person, the center channel is critical to the enjoyment of this film. Most if not all the narration is done by men and the iQ6c center channel reproduced the complexity and throatiness from the male characters brilliantly. It was natural, with just enough texture, filling the room with its sprayed arrangement of drivers.

As I mentioned, the PSW2500 subwoofer played an important role for my enjoyment. It blended seamlessly, yet belted out bass well beyond its "lifestyle" appearance.

In Sin City there exists a constant bass undertone, always present. The PSW2500 presented the heavy bass with ease and tightness.

King Kong (2005) had just been released on DVD as I was completing my review for the KEF iQ speakers. Again as the powerful PSW2500 subwoofer rocked the room, the iQ7 brought the epic musical score to life. More intriguing were the rear surrounds, the iQ8ds convinced me Kong was approaching.

Two-Channel

You don't have to be a country music fan to enjoy the likes of Bonnie Raitt. I very much enjoy a number of tracks on her new Souls Alike CD. On track 8, "I don't Want Anything to Change", her voice is both smoky and sweet. The iQ7s exude the richness of her voice and the mystical images from the instruments in her band.

Yo Yo Ma's CD Vivaldi's Cello is also a favorite for me, especially when evaluating the potential for deep bass from full-range speakers like the iQ7s. Track 4, from "The Four Seasons", Largo from "Winter", is a short violin duet with the cello. I was taken aback by the depth of the cello and wished the track was much longer than the mere 2 minutes of this recording.

A Minor Issue . . .

I did find the speaker binding posts irritating especially trying to wire with single speaker wires and keeping the bridge cable from sliding out. No matter how hard I thought I had them tightened, they did seem to come loose. Another reason to bi-wire and be rid of those connectors. Do yourself a favor if you invest in the Q line, use banana plug speaker terminations.

Conclusions

In my early days in architecture school I was struggling with the image of a rendering where I just couldn't get the values right. It was a charcoal pencil drawing, and when I approached my professor about his opinion he told me simply, "Always try to get 3 contrasting values." Was it that simple? Three gradient values, dark, medium, light.

I was reminded of that anecdote while evaluating the iQ Series from KEF. Cleanly identifying the three gradient values bass, midrange, and highs, the KEF package delivered an excellent all around sound. My early perception of "flatness" dissipated with proper placement and break-in. The tightness I experienced early doesn't alter my enthusiasm for the KEF iQ series.

My preference ultimately for the KEF iQ Series is for cinema, less for music, at least in two-channel. That's not to say I found the KEF package musically deficient, not in the least. I just found it so much more powerful and glorious in complete surround, where the sound was cohesive and natural. This is a good motivation to set up for DVD-A and SACD multi-channel music.

I really fell in love with the elegant and graceful styling of the iQ Series. The finish is handsome yet restrained, and the walnut veneer poignantly contemporary. KEF hits the mark with price, style, and performance, making this a very attractive package.

- Piero Gabucci -