Skip to main content

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

kef announces 8th generation q series new
Image used with permission by copyright holder
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.

Recommended Videos

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.

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…
Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus gets Dolby Atmos, but still no Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

Amazon is getting serious about home theater sound with its first Dolby Atmos soundbar. Following the company's release of the $100 2.0-channel Amazon Fire TV Soundbar in 2023, it has a new addition to the family: the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which supports a 3.1-channel layout with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, for $250. It's also expandable -- you can buy it with a companion wireless subwoofer for $375 or add a set of wireless surround speakers for a 5.1-channel setup for $490.

Despite these new sound options, the oddly named Fire TV Soundbar Plus doesn't actually contain Fire TV streaming hardware. To watch Fire TV content, you'll still need a Fire TV, like the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series that was announced at the same time, or one of Amazon's other Fire TV streaming devices.

Read more
Best Walmart TV deals: 58-inch 4K TV for $238 and more
lg 55 inch oled 4k tvs deal walmart class b8 tv

There are a lot of TVs to shop among the current Best Buy TV deals and Amazon TV deals, but many of today’s best TV deals can be found at Walmart. 65-inch TV deals, 70-inch TV deals, 75-inch TV deals, 85-inch TV deals, and more are going on, and with so much to sort through we thought we’d round up all of the best Walmart TV deals to make shopping for a new TV a little more convenient. Reading onward you’ll find all of the best TV deals Walmart has to offer, and if you’d like to shop for a specific brand check out the current Samsung TV deals, Sony TV deals, LG TV deals, Vizio TV deals, and TCL TV deals.
Hisense 58-inch R6 4K Roku TV -- $238 $298 20% off

One of the best TV brands for value, Hisense is worth checking out, particularly with its Hisense 43-inch Roku 4K TV. A great size for the price, you get all the benefits of a 4K resolution along with HDR and Motion Rate support. The latter means you won't have to worry about motion blur while you play a game or watch fast-moving action or sports. Plus, get access to the best of Roku, including the free Roku channel while using this TV. Also, the TV works with Google Assistant and Alexa so it's easy to use and control your TV and other smart home devices.

Read more
Best headphone deals: AirPods, Sony, Sennheiser and more
Beats Studio Pro sitting on travel case.

A new set of headphones is a great way to enjoy your favorite content. There’s a lot of savings out there right now, with some impressive headphone deals to shop among the current Beats headphone deals, AirPods deals, Bose headphone deals, and Sony headphone deals, and more. And because some of the best headphone deals are scattered across Amazon deals, Walmart deals, and Best Buy deals we’ve decided to round them all up in one place. Reading onward you’ll find our selections for the best headphone deals going on right now, as well as some information on why each set of headphones might best suit your listening needs. If you’re also looking for some cool devices to pair them with you can shop TV deals, gaming console deals, phone deals, and tablet deals.
Sony WH-CH720N -- $90 $150 40% off

The Sony CH720NB are good-quality headphones for a relatively budget price, with the audio being dependable but nothing exciting or comparable to the higher-end Sony XM4s, for example. That's ok since they aren't meant to compete at that level, and given the price you're paying, they're relatively comfortable to wear, have good audio, and you can get about 35 hours of total use per charge with ANC switched on.

Read more