KEF Q500 Floor standing speakers

We took for the test Q500 - the youngest and the most available (1663 $ pair) floor systems from the new line. External differences from previous models strike your eyes: now classical rectangular bodies are popular again instead of rounded. And the matter is not only in the desire to return to more strict style - at the same occupied space the simple form gives almost 30% improvement in volume, allowing you to get deeper bass.

Removing the grill, you will find other noticeable changes. LF-drivers have the diffusers in the form of return sphere now, which are made of cellulose with aluminum cover. Two-layer structure has high rigidity and low weight at the effective suppression of internal resonances. There are three such 13-cm drivers - one is active and two ones are passive, without magnet system and voice coil. Acoustic design with the branded name ABR (Auxiliary Bass Radiator) demanded great efforts but gave clear advantages: faster, in comparison with bass reflex, response to the incoming signal, the absence of turbulent side-tones, and low system's resonant frequency. All the three heads are installed in isolated volume and don't affect the work of coaxial radiator - Uni-Q - in the upper part of the body.

The assembly is also improved. Now it has the tweeter, which was used earlier, only in the models of Reference series - with more powerful magnet system and hard two-layer 25-mm dome (they were smaller in the old Q models, with the diameter of 19 mm). The tweeter is damped by rear air flue, due to that the distortions and resonances reduce. Enhanced dispersion is achieved by the acoustic lens Crown Wave Guide and flat suspension Z-flex at the mid-range. The photo shows transverse ribs - they reduced the height of rubber ring and removed the barrier for tweeter's radiation.