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KEF Q Concerto Meta vs ASCILAB C6B

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delta76

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I am now looking for an "upgrade" from my Focal package. Those two catch my eyes as they are fairly similar in price and in pref scores. Kef ones can be had for somewhat cheaper thanks to intensive distribution network in EU. C6B is only available from Audiophonics. Other than that any reason to choose one over another?

I am thinking about KEF Q7 Meta + M Concerto + Q6 Meta...
 
The KEF can play louder, cleaner bass than the C6B and has no potentially problematic floor/ceiling bounce response issues.

In most other aspects the two perform shockingly similar.

You can compare the full suite of measurements here:

AsciLab C6B Review

AsciLab C6B Review
www.erinsaudiocorner.com

KEF Concerto Q META Bookshelf Speaker Review

KEF Concerto Q META
www.erinsaudiocorner.com

And everything frequency response related you can overlay directly here:

Easily compare loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org www.spinorama.org
 
staticV3 said:
The KEF can play louder, cleaner bass than the C6B and has no potentially problematic floor/ceiling bounce response issues.

In most other aspects the two perform shockingly similar.

You can compare the full suite of measurements here:

AsciLab C6B Review

AsciLab C6B Review
www.erinsaudiocorner.com

KEF Concerto Q META Bookshelf Speaker Review

KEF Concerto Q META
www.erinsaudiocorner.com

And everything frequency response related you can overlay directly here:

Easily compare loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org www.spinorama.org
Click to expand...
Yeah I know about the spinorama which is why I said similar pref score. After all the years I still don't understand the graphs so was hoping some one can compare in simple terms for me.
Sounds like if Q7 meta is cheaper it is no brainer choice?
 
IMG_0174.png
IMG_0173.png
 
i've heard the kef's.. they are a pretty safe bet *in the room I heard them in*, they are (if you are picking nits) a little on the warm side (imo) with pretty good clarity, very "even" sounding otherwise with no one distinction standing out .. I'd get whichever speaker gives you a *good* return policy and give it a try.. your room is the x factor when you are splitting hairs between great speakers at any price point...edit: a bit of advice for avoiding fomo: if you get a pair of whatever and like them a lot *keep them* and don't worry about another speaker that measures very similar being "better", firstly it's subjective and secondly it's wasted worry...
 
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Taking a quick glance at the the 2 Erin reviews, it appears that the Kef's have a lower THD, while the Ascilab have lower multitone distortion. My impression is that multitone distortion is less audible, but suspect I'm trying to see how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.:cool:
 
Putter said:
Taking a quick glance at the the 2 Erin reviews, it appears that the Kef's have a lower THD, while the Ascilab have lower multitone distortion. My impression is that multitone distortion is less audible, but suspect I'm trying to see how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.:cool:
Click to expand...
Multi-tone is usually considered to be more audible than Harmonic distortion because it is noise as opposed to being related to the original signal.
 
Putter said:
but suspect I'm trying to see how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.:cool:
Click to expand...
this is my point on this decision in general terms.. we can't really give a pointer on which speaker is better in general for the op.. this is advice cloaked in generalities and personal subjective preference: there are no losers in this equation...
 
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I thought about the same possibilities, but the lack of availability for the AsciLab made me think of other options. I went with the Ascend Acoustics Sierra V2. The Kefs look super cool though! I would have gone with the KEF if they had some of the same colors as their more expensive models. I'm guessing I would have been equally happy with those.
 
kidprofessor said:
I thought about the same possibilities, but the lack of availability for the AsciLab made me think of other options. I went with the Ascend Acoustics Sierra V2. The Kefs look super cool though! I would have gone with the KEF if they had some of the same colors as their more expensive models. I'm guessing I would have been equally happy with those.
Click to expand...
On this side of ocean (guessing you are in the US) it is quite the opposite. Ascend Acoustics shipping fees and import taxes/duty makes it much less attractive. Meanwhile Kef is readily available with cheap shipping, and no (additional) taxes. If I can buy Sierra V2 for ~€1000 I would seriously consider it
 
To make a clear choice between these two speakers you would probably need to hear them side-by-side. As others have noted, the measurements show an advantage to the Ascilab in terms of smoothness of on-axis response, and I think their radiation is a little narrower than the KEFs, but aside from that it would probably be a pretty close contest. The distortion levels probably won't make it super obvious by ear.

Differences in smoothness of response in this range, 2-3dB across the entire spectrum, do not (IME) produce an easy night-and-day, "this one's better" impression. If you flipped back and forth you could definitely hear the difference, but you would not find it easy to say which one was better or "more correct", maybe not even after a long listening session. Aside from that, the KEF has a little less energy above 2khz. So, the Ascilab will sound a little brighter, perhaps more "lively" or "forward" or "crisp", while the KEF will sound a little "warmer" or maybe more "subdued" or "smooth".

If that gives you a strong feeling on which direction to go, great, otherwise I'd try to figure out an in-person test via clever use of return policies and such...
 
The KEF probably will have the better resale value, if that matters to you. So once you switch speakers again in the future, it may play a role.
 
delta76 said:
Educate me please, how to interprete those?
Click to expand...
The C6B has more upper bass output. And flatter/neutral/textbook response. The KEF will deliver more symmetrical response vertically and horizontally (not seen from those graphs). Advantage of this is difficult to quantify but if "free," is nice.
 
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