John Darko
If you think you’re seeing double it’s because you are. We’ve already previewed KEF’s new Q Concerto Meta in Berlin (US$1299/pair) so why are we doing it again a month later and almost 3000km away in Lisbon?
The answer: the quest for helpful side-by-side comparisons.
Long-time readers will know of my aversion to comparisons pulled across time windows unable to support them; audio memory is too fragile and the audible differences between components too small to reliably compare a loudspeaker I have in front of me with one that was here a few weeks ago but is now back with the manufacturer.
Similarly, I will not compare a loudspeaker in my listening room to one heard at a hi-fi show earlier in the year. My job would be much easier if I did but at what informational cost to you, dear reader?
The side-by-side comparisons for the Q Concerto Meta in Berlin were easy to sort: the GoldenEar BRX (US$1600/pair) and the Zu DWX in its Supreme incarnation and Ruby Red Hickory finish (US$2400/pair). ‘Easy’ because they were the only price-commensurate loudspeakers I had to hand. I work from home where storage space is limited and tough choices need to be made about what stays and what goes — and on an ongoing basis. One of those tough choices was ejecting KEF’s R3 Meta (via an eBay sale) long before the Q Concerto had been announced. D’oh!
But I still had a pair of R3 Meta in Lisbon, which planted the seed…
What if I were to conduct the second half of the Q Concerto Meta review in Portugal? That would delay its publication but give me the double benefit of 1) hearing the Q Concerto Meta in two different acoustically-treated listening rooms and 2) conducting a side-by-side comparison with the twice as expensive R3 Meta (€2200/pair).
There’d be one obvious wrinkle: requesting a second pair of Q Concerto Meta from KEF would stretch the relationship. I’d have to buy that second pair (albeit at trade pricing). Why not opt for a different colour? I have the walnut finish in Berlin so I went for the white in Lisbon. KEF has carried over the vinyl-wrap finish from the outgoing Q Series to the new Q Meta range to better assist home theatre enthusiasts looking to mix ‘n match.
Another wrinkle: KEF’s matching SQ1 loudspeaker stands (€299/pair) aren’t yet available in Portugal. I’d have to press the more stylish but costlier Solid Steel SS6 (€499/pair) back into service.
However, with the price differential between the Q and R3 so wide, I would need a more affordable loudspeaker for the review’s fourth and final side-by-side comparison. I considered buying a pair of KEF’s LS50 Meta but that would mean three KEF loudspeakers doing long-term service in my Lisbon pad. Variety won out and I purchased a pair of Wharfedale Linton in black with their matching stands (€1299).
And then a final wrinkle: with me in Lisbon and Olaf tied up with his studies in Hamburg, I would have to – for the first time – shoot a significant portion of the video’s b-roll myself. Specifically, the Wharfedale vs. KEF and KEF vs. KEF plus the music used for those side-by-side comparisons. That music would come from Robyn Hitchcock, Neil Young, Prefab Sprout, Global Communication, Orbital, New Order, Aphex Twin and Placebo (among others) — entire albums and EPs and all of them on physical formats. Both side-by-side comparisons would be level-matched and each one would be conducted over a two week period.
All of this decision-making took place a month ago. The side-by-side comparisons are now in the bag and the b-roll shot to leave the final review video no more than a week away.
Further information: KEF
