Home > Consumer Reviews > KEF iQ7 Black Ash (Ea) 3-Way Floorstanding Speaker

I bought a pair of these with pretty much only doing online review comparisons. I asked for advice on avsforum.com and a few people recommended these speakers based on my cost specifications. From my research, there appeared to be a few better brands that gave better bang for your buck, mostly specialty brands the ONLY made speakers. I had some gift certificates and couldn't buy the specialty speakers as they did not exist on amazon. I also went into circuit city to listen to some speakers. I liked the clarity on the KEF iQ7's more than the few brands I listened to at circuit city. These speakers give out really clear sounds and can handle pretty loud volumes well. My fiancee has a slight hearing problem, and loves the speakers because we don't have to turn the volume up nearly as high for casual TV watching b/c it comes out so clear. I used to have the Onkyo HT-S907 7.1 Channel Component Home Theater System which was rated pretty high at the time, but I decided to upgrade to real speakers and my oh my was it ever worth it. Setup was mildly difficult compared to HTIB b/c I'm not super audio tech savvy, but will be mildly difficult for anyone that has never experienced actually having to cut your own speaker cables and plug them into to the backs of these guys. Overall it was definitely worth it. I gave it 5 stars even though they are not "perfect" I feel they are very great for the cost.

It's difficult to explain the difference between a device that plays music and anything attached to this. Everybody that's been chez moi is surprised. At first some are bewildered by the price for "just a pair of speakers" but after 2 minutes of listening, they sit down, shut up, and start thinking :). You'll see.
This particular brand of speakers is probably better suited for classical, Jazz, "vocal" or ethnic music than, say, Rock & roll. If you want something to fill the room, probably a JBL, Infinity or the like would fit the bill. Probably you know this and way more if you're reading this review :) but well, we all started some day, and when doing so, it's hard to know what's what.
The tweeters are particularly sensitive, the midrange woofers really make all the difference (you can sense they "working" (vibrating) almost always, and a big "resonance box" for the woofers is just what makes everything sound true, compared to your dingy PC or TV speakers. Come on, try them now :). You don't have to listen to Britten's Cello suites or Bach's Organ works to feel it.
The finishing is perfect, classy and inobtrusive.
The grille is somewhat flimsy. One of mine broke after ?, as I didn't get any replacement, had to fix it myself. Nothing important.
Life starts after you get one pair of U$S 300 or more speakers.
This is the best "achat" I've made in my life, technologically speaking. As I have them plugged to my TV and PC, they fulfill those duties to perfection. Listening to the news on TV or playing NFS would never be the same for you :).

These are amazing speakers for the price. I originally heard a pair of iQ5s and was impressed with their dispersion and soundstaging - these iQ7s are one step up and they put out a very wide and deep soundstage with excellent clarity. I use a pair of these with a 20 watt/ch tube amp for dedicated music listening and am constantly amazed at the sound. They seem to be a bit on the brighter side but that may be because my speakers are brand new out of the box and aren't broken-in yet.

I have allways loved KEF speakers. Their Uni-Q drivers are a real masterpiece capable of producing very detailed images and very balanced and homogeneous sound. These IQ7s are not an exception. They are beautifully built, capable of bi-wiring, quite easy-driven and have good bass extension.

I bought the IQ7s about 2 months ago after reading many good things about them on the net. I didn't audition them, so it's my fault I bought a pair of speakers I hate. At first, I thought they needed 'broken in', but they never sounded good, no matter where I placed them or how I tweaked them. I tried them in a spare bedroom where I don't listen much, but they don't even deserve a place there. I finally moved them to the garage last weekend. I brought out my big, old heavy Advent 2-ways from mothballs, and I am enjoying music once again. These are perhaps the lousiest speakers I have ever owned, in all respects. Surely they are the worst design I have ever seen. There are reasons KEF does not make them anymore, nor do they even list them on their website. If you like a speaker with deep warm bass, and smooth rich mids and highs...this is not the speaker for you.

Cons:

The cabinet footprint makes them very unsturdy and easy to knock over.

Cheap construction. The 'woodgrain' is vinyl laminate.

The rear hookup must have been designed by a chucklehead. Buy a pair, and you'll see how stupid and difficult one can make a simple speaker hookup. Sure, it can be fixed by modification. No big deal there.

The bass is weak and boomy.

Shrill highs and harsh mids.

Pros:

Due to cheap construction, they are very light and easy to move...away from your primary listening area.