Just curious here, has anyone compared the 12.1/12.2 to the Kef Q150?
I have a non-ideal stereo location that leaves about 9" of gap from the speakers and the Q150s sound good-great with rich, but tight bass when the partial plug is in. It still sounds good without the plugs but gets a bit boomy. I like the Kefs, but the treble range dances on the edge of harshness and so I was recommended to check out the 12 series.
I received a pair of 12.1s today and replaced the Kefs to do some A/B testing. The 12.1s played random music for a few hours then I did some listening tests. In this weird room, in my opinion the bass difference between the two is substantially worse for the 12.1s. The easiest instrument I see a change in is certain notes of bass guitars which just fade away. The sound is there, but the SPL is not and it is very distracting. Manufacturer specs the Kef at 51hz vs the 12.1's 65hz which I assume is the issue, but I could be wrong.
I REALLY like the midrange and treble ranges on the 12.1 over the Q150, but the low end attenuation is a deal breaker for my 2.0 setup. I hesitate to step up to the 12.2 as they are nearly twice the price of the Kefs and I don't know what to expect of them. Plus with my wall proximity, I hate to waste my time testing it if they're more finnicky with placement.
Is this anyone else's experience or could this just be a room issue that these speakers are not meant to work with?