The Q Concerto Meta loudspeaker occupies an intriguing place in KEF’s lineup. Priced at US$1399.99, CA$1799.99, £1099, or €1198 per pair, it sits one step above the company’s Q3 Meta. On paper, at least, the Q Concerto Meta does not immediately distinguish itself as a dramatic step up from its smaller sibling. Senior editor Dennis Burger reviewed the Q Concerto Meta on March 1 and the Q3 Meta on January 1, both for SoundStage! Access.
The Q Concerto Meta is a three-way standmount design with a 6.5″ hybrid aluminum woofer and a version of KEF’s Uni-Q array that combines a 4″ aluminum-cone midrange with a 0.75″ vented aluminum-dome tweeter, backed by their Metamaterial Absorption Technology. In contrast, the Q3 Meta is a two-way design with only the Uni-Q array, albeit with slightly larger drivers, operating in a smaller enclosure.
Despite its increased size, price, and driver count, the KEF Q Concerto’s specified sensitivity is actually lower than that of the Q3 Meta—85dB versus 87dB (both 2.83V/m)—and its low-frequency extension of 40Hz appears only modestly improved over the Q3 Meta’s 42Hz (both ‑6dB). But as Dennis makes clear in his review, the Q Concerto Meta is more than a simple exercise in specifications.
Dennis notes that, beyond the headline specs, the Q Concerto Meta incorporates crossover points of 430Hz and 2.9kHz for the woofer to the midrange and the midrange to the tweeter, respectively, along with a nominal 4-ohm impedance and a minimum impedance of 3.2 ohms. He also highlights KEF’s description of the rear-firing reflex port, which is tuned close to 30Hz, with system alignment nearer to 40Hz. All of these specifications are corroborated by our measurements of the Q Concerto Meta. Physically, the speaker is large for a standmount—16.3″H × 8.3″W × 12.4″D—and Dennis suggests that the Q Concerto Meta’s greater internal volume compared to the Q3 Meta contributes directly to its sense of composure and scale.
Setup proved to be more forgiving than is experienced with some speakers. Dennis highlights the unusually thorough guidance provided in KEF’s documentation, covering placement relative to walls, toe-in, and port usage. In his own room, he positioned the speakers about 16″ from the front wall without port bungs and settled on slightly more toe-in than KEF recommends. Despite using 32″ stands—notably taller than KEF’s suggested range of 18″ to 24″—Dennis reports no meaningful issues, noting that the speaker’s dispersion characteristics made it accommodating in real-world use.
Going into listening, Dennis had two primary concerns: vertical dispersion at that elevated stand height and the speakers’ ability to maintain composure at very high playback levels. As he reports, both concerns were largely unfounded. Vertical dispersion proved consistent enough that only extreme listening positions introduced noticeable tonal shifts. More significantly, the Q Concerto Metas maintained balance and control when pushed hard, which proved important during his listening; the Q3 Metas didn’t perform as well in this regard.
In both reviews, Dennis began his listening with “Change” from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s Changes. Through the Q3s, Dennis found “the tonality and attack of the hi‑hats, vocals, and instrumentation spot-on with average SPLs of 80dB and peaks around 89dB.” What distinguished the Q Concerto Meta was its performance at far higher levels, with Dennis reporting that even with the pair delivering peaks of 108.7dB, the sound remained well-balanced, tonally accurate, and effortless.
With the deep-delving bass line on Björk’s “Hyperballad” from her album Post, Dennis notes a similar pattern. He points out that despite specifications suggesting only modest differences from the Q3 Meta, in his room and with the same settings, the Q Concerto Meta standmounts “sounded more even from note to note.” He emphasizes that whether played quietly or loudly, the Q Concerto Metas “maintained the dynamics and punch of the bass and percussion much better.” He also notes that “as with the Q3s, there was no audible chuffing worth speaking of.”
On George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, Dennis first acknowledges that the recording itself isn’t audiophile-grade. He observes that while the track still benefited from the addition of a subwoofer—in fact, it was the only track in his evaluation that did—the Q Concerto Metas improved on the Q3 Metas by eliminating the sizzle and harshness previously heard in the vocal when listening at any reasonable level. Dennis also makes clear that the midrange performance, in particular, was more even and better controlled than he heard from the Q3 Metas.
Beyond individual tracks, Dennis describes the Q Concerto Meta’s overall performance as remarkably complete. He highlights its exceptional horizontal dispersion, reduced interaction with the room above the transition frequency, and “absolutely delightful” soundstaging and imaging. In his assessment, there is essentially nothing to criticize in its sonic performance, with Dennis adding that he thinks “most people would prefer it to most speakers in its price class in a blind listening test.”
In the final analysis, Dennis is unequivocal. He declares the Q Concerto Meta to be not only an excellent product on its own terms, but also a better value than the Q3 Meta despite the higher cost. In his view, it overcomes enough of the smaller model’s limitations to make the additional investment worthwhile in most systems. He also describes it as one of the finest speakers he has auditioned at this price and one that “requires no apologies.”
Both the Q3 Meta and Q Concerto Meta earned Reviewers’ Choice awards when their respective reviews were published, because of their high sonic performance combined with high value. But it’s the Q Concerto Meta’s higher sonic performance that now earns it a Recommended Reference Component award.
Manufacturer contact information:
KEF
GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd.
Eccleston Road, Tovil
Maidstone, Kent
England ME15 6QP
UK
Phone: +44 (0)1622-672261
Website: www.kef.com
North America:
KEF
GP Acoustics (US) Ltd.
10 Timber Lane
Marlboro, NJ 07746
USA
Phone: (732) 683-2356
Website: www.kef.com/us
