For a bit of background, I'm a hobbyist audio and mastering engineer with about 20 years of studio experience.
Wanting to build an 50% Home Theater / 50% Music system for my family room that is starting out as a 2.0 system, and not really having access to a local A/V retailer that stocks entry and mid-level audiophile grade equipment, I set about researching speakers and AVRs on Youtube, Reddit, CNET, Digital Trends, What Hi-Fi?, etc. I spent about two weeks educating myself on speaker manufacturers and their current offerings using user and professional reviews, Youtube audio demos and other sources of information. I looked at Fluance, Elac, SVS, Wharfedale, Q Acoustics, Dali, and many others.
I toyed around with the thought of getting the Elac UB5s for quite a while, but they just didn't have that "it" factor I was looking for. That's about the time I came across a youtube channel demoing the KEF LS50s. While I didn't really want to spend LS50 money, I went to the KEF website and discovered the Q series. These Q350s seemed to be the "it" I was looking for.
After a shipping snafu, which Amazon quickly corrected, I received the Q350s about a week ago and set them up in my family room on 32" stands (
TransDeco Speaker Stands, 32-Inch
). These stands placed the driver at a higher-than-ear level, but put the drivers in the vertical middle of my 60" LG 4K monitor. My thought being that centered dialog would acoustically appear in the middle of the screen.
After setting them up, I toed them in toward my listening position and connected them to my Marantz NR1607 (
Marantz NR1607 Ultra HD 7.2 Channel Network A/V Surround Receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
) using 12 gauge copper speaker wire. I then went through the Marantz Audyssey MultEQ room correction wizard using the Marantz-supplied calibration microphone.
After completing setup, I've spent the past week playing a number of my favorite reference songs and albums, using various playback methods including AirPlay, Bluetooth, Media Server, PS4, etc, in formats ranging from 96kHz/24bit wav masters down to 128kbit MP3s. I also watched the movie Arrival using the speakers, as well as several episodes of various TV shows. I listened with the Marantz's room correction on, as well as in direct mode, bypassing all processing.
Initially, with the Q350s toed-in toward the listening position, I found them to be quite bright, and on certain material, even bordering on harsh at louder volumes (Dream Fiend's "Higher ft. Heidi", Nine Inch Nails "Head Like a Hole"). This was surprising to me considering that reviewers have described them as "warm" when compared with American manufacturer's speakers. At the same time, other material ( Zero7 and Sia's "Somersault") absolutely came alive, with the 350s conveying a massive stereo image and revealing elements and details of the recording that hadn't previously shown themselves to me on more neutral monitors.
At this point, I began experimenting with placement. Moving the speakers further away from or closer to the wall, moving them further apart and closer together, and ranging from facing directly forward to toed-in directly at the listening position. Finally, I turned them on their side, which put the drivers right at ear level, pointed them straight ahead and placed the rear port about 10" from the wall, as show in the attached image. This is where the Q350s want to be.
I listened to The Midnight's entire, flawless-mixed "Endless Summer" album with the speakers in this position at 88dB volume measured at the listening position and the room absolutely came alive. During one particular passage, a saxophone appeared about 5' to the left of, and elevated about 45 degrees above the left speaker's driver. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but it was impressive. Listening to well-produced dance music like Big Data's "Dangerous (Oliver Remix)" is perhaps where these speakers offer the most shocking performance, with a tight, controlled low end that is much larger than the size of this driver/cabinet combination, and a coherent articulation in the highs that I simply haven't heard before.
While watching the film Arrival at a similar volume, I was quite impressed with the Q350s ability to dig really deep and punch way above their weight class. With only the two speakers, I'm quite certain that I could convince friends that I'd hidden something like a Dayton Audio SUB-1200 somewhere in the room. While I still think they could benefit from a little extra sub-50Hz encouragement, they're perfectly capable of creating an enjoyable Home Theater experience one their own.
TL;DR A bit heavy-handed in the upper mid-range on guitar-laden rock and similar mid-heavy material, but absolutely stunning with modern dance, 80s, Synthwave, Jazz, Acoustic and Easy Listening or Atmospheric material. An extremely impressive choice for your Home Theater. They're a little temperamental with regard to placement and orientation, but once you find the sweet spot, you'll be blown away.
UPDATE 3/26/18: Shortly after posting this review, my Marantz NR1607 died. Amazon processed it as a return, even though I was past my 30 days (thanks Amazon). I then purchased the Denon AVR-X3300W ( https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-X3300W-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B01HL8KYAY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522117433&sr=8-3&keywords=denon+avr-x3300w ) after deciding to give D&M Holdings one more chance. The Denon has proved to be much more reliable, and ever so slightly less warm sounding, although I do feel it's punchier and more responsive, likely a result of the additional power. The KEFs are still rockin', and have broken in nicely.
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