KEF XQ10, have i made a mistake
My system is comprised of a Marantz PM6003, CD6003, Chord Cobra interconnects, Chord Carnival SilverScreen speaker cable and SoundstyleZ2 stand's. I've updated the speakers from Diamond 9.1 to KEF XQ10, after seeing them for £50 less than the KEF Q300. But i think i may have made a mistake, as i'm finding it hard to hear a difference between the Diamonds and the new speakers. I didn't audition due to the fact that there aren't any local dealers near me and i planed on getting the KEF Q300 due to all the positive reviews. But then i saw the XQ10 for £400 and the finish on them is just outstanding. I did do some research online and it all come back positive. How long do i leave them to bed in, will they improve with time or should i be looking to buy something else. Would the KEF Q300 have been a better choice than the XQ10, or should i be looking at something else instead.
I found the XQ10 thin, bright and lacking bass when paired with cheaper SS amps. IMO They can sound well, but it's on the end of warm SS amps or (better still) valves.
Feed them some material through the day to help break them in if your not around and give them time to settle. After first hearing my latest aqusition (Tablette Anniversary) my reaction was the same, Prodigy left on repeat are currently beating them into submission.
Thanks for the feedback guys, i guess i just have to give them some more time before i make up my mind.
Yes, XQ10 is thin, bright and lacking bass. I find both XQ10 and XQ20 clinical and fatiguing. But I suspect they won't sound fine even partnered with warm amps.
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Like all speakers, they will improve with time. Most decent speakers you'll be looking at 50-100 hours for them to settle down and show their true colours. Don't worry, they're streets ahead of the 9.1's in almost every area, other than bass quantity. Wharfedales do tend to have healthy bass quantity, but this will usually come to the detriment of detail and quality. Whereas the 9.1's have strong bass, you'll initially find the XQ10's quite lean sounding, as this is their nature. Once you've settled into them, and they've bedded in, you'll realise that the bass is more informative, showing much more detail and expression in these registers. You'll also find the midrange smoother and far more open, and imaging will be superior due to their UniQ layout. Basically, a piano will sound more like a piano, a voice will sound more like a voice, and a bass guitar will, well, not have the authority of a bass guitar (not really possible at the price anyway), but you will hear more notes!
If you want bass more like the Wharfedales, then the Q300's will be a better bet as they're fuller than the XQ10's, but the XQ10's provide an amazing amount of insight for a small speaker.
The XQ10's would benefit from more juice than the 6003 can provide, but they're not an awkward load, so everything should sound fine. Just keep running them - the longer you do, the better they'll get. After a couple of weeks, you can put the Wharfedales back on, and if you prefer them, keep them and use them as a bench mark for audition replacements. But I'm confident that if you value quality over bass quantity, you'll prefer the XQ10's.
In the future, a demo is well worth the hassle
David @Frank Harvey Hi-Fi, Coventry
Mitsubishi HC7000 / Oppo BDP103 / Audiolab 8200AP / Rotel RMB1575 / kick ass speaker system