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British speaker maker KEF turns up the sound quality with 8th-gen Q series

kef announces 8th generation q series new
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Acclaimed British speaker manufacturer KEF announced the eighth iteration of its Q series loudspeakers, giving longtime fans of the brand increases in overall fidelity to look forward to.

The company revealed new versions of the Q150 and Q350 bookshelf speakers, the Q550, Q750 and Q950 floorstanding speakers, and the Q650c center speaker, each designed to outperform the previous generation.

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The new version of the speakers will showcase numerous tweaks and enhancements to the seventh- generation Q series, all geared around increasing the overall sound quality of each speaker in the line. Perhaps the most notable all-around improvement is the addition of a revamped version of the company’s famed Uni-Q driver array, with a newly engineered tweeter loading tube the the company says will enhance the speakers’ performance in the lower treble range. The line will also show off improvements to bass drivers, which KEF claims will create punchier bass even at high volumes.

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In addition to those overall improvements, each segment of the line gets targeted changes. The improved KEF bookshelf line will feature a new computational fluid dynamic port (CFD) design on the rear of the speaker, which was added to increase the overall clarity, and the the floorstanding and center channel speakers will all have a closed-box midrange cabinet, for a cleaner response.

The Q series will start at $550 for a pair of the Q150 bookshelf speakers, and run up to $900 each for the Q950 floorstanding speakers. Given the company’s five decades in the business and longstanding place at the forefront of high-fidelity speaker design, many will be excited about the new generation.

Very few high-end speaker designers produce great-sounding products as consistently as the England-based, Asian-owned company, which has designed numerous products that we have greatly enjoyed over the years. From high-end bookshelf speakers to the smaller Egg, the company consistently delivers fantastic sound, earning our Editor’s Choice badge on multiple occasions.

Those looking for specific information about each speaker in the revamped Q series are encouraged to visit the company’s website.

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
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