Thoughts on KEF Q100 vs ELAC B6 Debut

Current setup features RS2000 Infinity speakers, LP120 TT w/ AT440Mlb cart, Marantz 2220B Amp.....

These speakers will be solely for Vinyl listening.

Room is about 12x12, so a smaller listening space.

Not sure how much it matters, but I listen to Jazz and Rock (classic and contemporary)

The RS2000 sound dull to me and a bit flat (it is weird, I did not think they were that dull but now that I have heard something else....)

I am being offered either set for $225, so a good price from what I can tell. I need to decide in the next 24-48 hours.

Are either of these considered to be of a higher quality? On my system the KEF sound a bit brighter, ELAC is a bit more flat but not to the point of being a turn off?
Both sound better than the RS2000 to my ears.
I may be upgrading the TT and amp setup soon. Not sure what I will be getting so would love to choose the speaker that will be more versatile if that is even a concern here or not....they both may be the same?

At any rate, does anybody have any advice one way or the other?

 

I have not heard the KEF, but I have owned the ELAC B6 for about a year.

Very pleased with the Elac B6. Been a very solid speaker for me. I sold some nicer Wilson Benesch Arcs to free up some capital to buy a VPI Prime and thought I was going to have to settle for a lot less when I bought the ELAC B6. Pleased to report that they really hold their own for a sub $300 speaker. Plain Jane looking, but I think the sonic performance vastly out paces the price.

I would certainly take an upgraded set some day, but it really has been a fine year with the ELACs.

The biggest knock i have heard about them is cabinet "rattle" but I have never really had a problem.

 

That's encouraging to hear. Curious, what amplification do you have in your chain? Assuming you have the VPI hooked up to these?

 

I have both of these (or rather, the slightly smaller ELAC B5s) in an A/B configuration. The KEF Q100s, IMO blow the ELACs out of the water. That being said, there is nothing wrong with the ELACS, especially at the price. I just think the Q100s offer a little more liveliness and clarity.

 

I have the q100 and my room is similar in size to yours.
During the break in they were way to bright almost to the point of ear pain , I let them run at a low volume for a few days straight and they toned done quite a bit but do sometimes lean to the bright side.

Overall for the price they are very very good speakers , but note if you want low end you need a sub

 

I was able to hear the floorstanding Debut Elac F6 vs the smaller floorstander from the Kef Q500 several months ago in a family member’s system while he was comparing them. For me the Q500 was a significant step up from the Debut speakers. The biggest gap between them was the treble performance. The Q500 revealed consistently more detail than the Elac, but not to the point of brightness. For Bass they were pretty close and midrange I thought was slightly better in the Kefs.

The Elac are great for the money and are very enjoyable, but I found the Kef Q series model was a cut above. I would expect the same characteristics to apply in the bookshelf models of each. Hope this helps.

 

Is a sub truly necessary, at what price point (or are their models specifically) where the need for a sub is no longer?
I would get floor standers but worried about how well they will fit/sound in a room that small

 

I would think there would be a big bass edge to the Elacs and treble/detail edge to KEF in a vacuum. With the 440 being on the bright side, that would seemingly favor Elac. I own a 2220B and mine likes mellow speakers, so there's seemingly another point for Elac. But I'm not there in your room.

 

New Elac B6 Debut price on Amazon for $199.99! Just grabbed a pair of those, at that price, can't go wrong.

 

lucky guy. I got the alert from "Camel x3" b/c I set the price at $200. I was too late . I do see a 3rd party seller advertising a used pair for same price. I'm gonna stew on it for a bit.

 

I don't find that I need a sub for my purposes with either pair.

 

Your cooking with gas at $199. Nice pickup.

Let us know what you think. I felt like it took about 10-15 hours of play before my B6 s really started to open up so hold your judgement for a week or so of play.

 

Love the Elac’s , they are broken in and sound great. Not to bright but bright enough to satisfy me.

 

I have tried the q100s for a couple weeks recently. I was stunned by their capacity to image and to retrieve details... You can amost hear a needle drop with tbese if it is in the recording.
However, i have found that they totally lack body from the lower-mids to bass. And i felt they would need to be crossed over quite high to sound balanced. I had them a foot from the back wall, 3ft from side wall, powered by a marantz 8400.
I personally would not buy a pair even at $100.

 

Glad to hear the Elacs are breaking in nicely. Mine certainly had a big performance bump after running them for a few weeks. just curious.

How much of a spread do you have between your speakers? 5'? 10?

My listening room isn't that big so i can only get about 5'. Wondering how they perform with a bigger area to work with.

 

About 9 feet....which sounds good but I don’t have much to reference that against

 

This. I tried a pair at a demo a few years ago. Beautiful finish, but lumpen bass. Tannoy's DC4 left them - and a few others - standing.

 

cant say i disagree, which is why i like mine with a sub woofer but i'm using them in a small room which makes a big difference.
the kef are a speaker for those wanting better highs and arent into lowend as much....which is one reason i debate trying something else.

 

Rentz, if you like what the coaxial can do in terms of clarity, transparency and imaging, I highly recommend the LS50s when you have the cash.
I just got them, and they are a lot more neutral and fuller body than the Q100s. There's not as much metallic after taste and no box coloration. They really are in a different league all together.
You still need a sub with these; no question that there's not much bass below 60-70. But they enable you to crossover at 60 or lower so the sub is easy to integrate to cover what's missing down below.
Some people say they are demanding in terms of power; my marantz 8400 is not a monster of power and it drives them just fine - plenty of dynamics and reserve at medium volume and higher.

 

Checkout the Wharfedale diamond 225s I've heard the Kefs and Elacs but i think these 225s are really nice sounding speakers.